Stretching the field

With Vernon Davis returning to full strength this week, will the Niners finally stretch the field in the Dome on Sunday? Antonio Bryant will not be suspended, according to Mike Nolan (although Nolan did oddly state that he doesn't "believe [he] has all the information." Not really sure if that means a suspension might be on the horizon, but with Bryant in the lineup in this pivotal division game, the Niners have the resources to force the Rams to respect Frank Gore.

A reasonable fear among Niner fans should be that teams will start to put nine guys in the box to stop Gore, who has been the team's primary offense in recent weeks. In order to burn teams that make this decision, Alex Smith is going to have to start to throw the deep ball effectively. With Davis, Bryant and Arnaz Battle in the lineup, Smith should have some resources.

Also, will we see some WR/RB pass plays this week? With Battle and Michael Robinson available, I expected that the Niners would throw in a trick pass-play per game. We haven't seen it much this year...which, perhaps, means that we will be seeing some tricks in the next few weeks. Norv Turner loves the reverse (we've seen speedy Bryan Gilmore get in on a couple of these), but where's the reverse-and-throw down field? I wouldn't be surprised to see either Robinson or Battle throw a pass this week, if the situation presents itself. At least a direct snap, Norv! Let's use our weapons...