Smith could return Oct. 21
San Francisco 49ers10/02/2007 10:49 AM The Mercury News reports with Seattle DT Rocky Bernard bearing down on him, QB Alex Smith instinctively protected the ball. That was all the 49ers quarterback had time to do before Bernard threw him shoulder-first to the turf, then landed his 308-pound frame on top of him. "I've taken lots and lots of sacks like that and if you fall a fraction of the way differently, you get back up and you're fine," Smith said Monday. "But you land on that shoulder just right. . . . I knew something was wrong as soon as I hit the ground." An MRI exam taken Monday confirmed that Smith suffered a third-degree separation of his (right) passing shoulder when he was taken down on the third play from scrimmage in Sunday's 23-3 loss to Seattle. Read more