The Facts: New HC Kyle Shanahan figures to bring a more aggressive mindset to the team's offense. Now, it's a matter of finding the right players to plug into the right spots. Smith could find a situation similar to what he enjoyed during most of his four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. "It's not rocket science. Football is football. Plays are plays," Smith said. "It's the way they scheme it up and put it together. The way I watch it from afar, he (Shanahan) tailors it to people's strengths, which is always a plus. So I'm excited to see what his plan is for us."
As CSNBayArea.com's Matt Maiocco understated, Smith has not lived up to the five-year, $40 million contract he signed w
Diehards Line:ith the 49ers in 2015. But Maiocco added it's fair to wonder if the 49ers are to blame for failing to properly take advantage of Smith’s skills as the deep threat. The plan this year is to use the running game to set up big plays down the field. It obviously worked in Atlanta. Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan led the NFL with 17 passes of more than 40 yards in the regular season. Smith caught a 53-yard touchdown pass against Buffalo for his only reception that covered 40 yards or more last season. In 2014, Smith caught 11 touchdown passes before leaving for the 49ers as a free agent. Smith has a scheduled salary-cap figure of $9.475 million for the 2017 season, but the 49ers are comfortably under the salary cap with an estimated $80 million in cap room heading into the new league year.