Bears game a chance for 49ers to bury bad memories

SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers' most important exhibition game will come Saturday against a Chicago Bears defense that thoroughly embarrassed them a year ago, and they couldn't be happier about how the preseason schedule played out.

Last year's regular-season trip to Chicago got out of hand quickly. Three first-quarter turnovers helped lead to 24 points for the Bears, the most points Chicago had scored in the first quarter of a game in its 86-year history. The 49ers trailed 41-0 at halftime.

"You get down to a defense like that, and that's what they enjoy," quarterback Alex Smith said Thursday of a Chicago defense that ranked first in the NFC in 2006. "That defense plays better when they're (ahead). They're going to sit in that cover 2 (defense) and send those defensive ends loose."

Though it was tough to watch, Smith said the 49ers have spent the week going over the film from that Oct. 29 massacre. A lot of the damage that day, he said, was self-inflicted.

There were the turnovers -- five of them -- but there were a lot of little errors, too: poor protection adjustments, forgetting the snap count, Smith not changing his cadence.

"I realize -- and I hope the rest of the team realizes -- that they're not huge things; they're little things," Smith said. "And if you don't focus on the little things, then you're going to be right back in that position."

Smith is perhaps the 49ers' No. 1 reason for optimism this season. He has looked far more poised and comfortable than he did a year ago. Through two exhibition games, he is 12 of 17 for 164 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions.

The Bears' defense presents his biggest challenge of the summer.

Smith and the rest of the San Francisco starters are scheduled to play into the third quarter Saturday, the most work they will get before the regular-season opener Sept. 10.

"It think it will be a great test," Smith said. "I'm glad it's the third game of the preseason."

Et cetera -- Coach Mike Nolan said he would trim "10 or 11" players from the roster by Sunday. All teams must reduce their rosters to 75 players by Tuesday.

• Nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin is ahead of schedule in recovering from the knee sprain he suffered early in training camp. Nolan, however, does not believe he will be ready for the exhibition finale next Thursday in San Diego.

• Nolan also said it's unlikely Frank Gore (hand) will play against the Chargers. Nolan said that if the Chargers' featured running back, LaDainian Tomlinson, plays in the game, Gore might play some, too. Tomlinson, however, hardly ever plays in exhibition games, much less the preseason finale.

About the writer:

• The Bee's Matthew Barrows can be reached at mbarrows@sacbee.com.