49ers' Torrey Smith can't recall what happened after concussion

SANTA CLARA - Torrey Smith cried as he left the field with a concussion Sunday. The 49ers receiver sobbed even more once he got back to the locker room, where he let loose with tears of frustration.

Or so he was told.

“I had no clue,” Smith said Thursday. “I don’t remember anything.”

Smith found out about his emotional outburst only after his wife, Chanel, recounted the events. The news came as a surprise to the player himself. As Smith explained in the locker room, he recalls nothing between the fateful third-quarter play call against the New York Jets and his car-ride home.

He knows about the play itself only because he went back to watch the video.

“It’s pretty scary, but things are better,” Smith said. “I’m taking the right steps.”

After that jarring experience - to his head and to his psyche - it appears beyond unlikely that Smith will play Sunday when the 49ers (1-12) face the Atlanta Falcons (8-5) at the Georgia Dome on Sunday.

In fact, Smith, 27, is unsure whether he will be back this season. After the Atlanta game, the 49ers wrap up against the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks with nothing at stake beyond draft order.

“You’re putting your health at risk. I have two kids,” Smith said. “You kind of think long-term about stuff like that. I don’t think it’s worth rushing back. Even if we were in contention for the playoffs, I’d still try to be as smart as possible.”

Smith, once a feared deep threat, is in the midst of a miserable season, like so many of his 49ers teammates. He has 20 catches for 267 yards. His 22.2 receiving yards per game are less than half his career average (49.1). Without him, receiver Rod Streater is a candidate for more playing time. Aaron Burbridge and Chris Harper could see also see more snaps.

Or the 49ers could lean a little harder on their only reliable offensive threat this season. Running back Carlos Hyde is coming off a career-best 193 yards on 17 carries. He heads for Atlanta needing 121 yards for 1,000 on the season.

Hyde’s growth as a runner has the attention of Falcons head coach Dan Quinn.

“I was impressed in the past by Hyde. But it looks like he’s running better this year,” Quinn, the former 49ers defensive line coach, said on a conference call with Bay Area writers this week.

Quinn is so impressed by the development of Hyde, as well as 49ers backups DuJuan Harris and Shaun Draughn, that he plans to seek out running backs coach Tom Rathman after the game to salute his guidance. Overall, the 49ers rank fourth in the NFL in rushing (136.9) and just dominated a Jets defense known for being tough against the run.

Though Smith is cautious about returning to the field soon, he still plans on going full bore on social media.

Smith is a nominee for the ?Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, so he’s pushing hard on Twitter to raise awareness about his Torrey Smith Family Fund.

“A lot of people think I’m campaigning for me to win the award or something. That’s not what it is. It’s the extra grant (money) that would go to our foundation,” Smith said. “How many more lives can that impact?

“So I’m not going to stop tweeting. I apologize to the fans for annoying your timeline. Because as soon as I’m done (with this interview) I’m going back at it.”