Coach Jim Harbaugh has not publicly closed the door on the potential returns of any 49ers free agents, but circumstantial evidence suggests quarterback Troy Smith and running back Brian Westbrook will not return to the club. Harbaugh has not shied away from heaping praise on scheduled free agent quarterback Alex Smith. But, then, when I asked Harbaugh last week about his thoughts on Troy Smith, this is what he had to say: "Like everybody, I don't want to get into each specific guy. But that's also my job to evaluate the same with everybody." As for Westbrook, Harbaugh made it clear he likes Anthony Dixon as Frank Gore's backup and he also noted Gore will not be spending too much time on the sideline. At the conclusion of the regular season, I asked Westbrook what kind of situation he was looking to find in 2011. "I want to have the ability to contribute and the ability to play a little bit and not just kind of waste away on the bench," Westbrook answered. Source: Matt Maiocco, CSNBayArea.com
