"During the second quarter of Saturday's 49ers exhibition game against the Raiders, Alex Smith looked to his left and saw that wide receiver Braylon Edwards was matched against a cornerback in press coverage. When Smith looked again, the cornerback's back was to him.

Edwards wasn't open, but Smith decided it was a gamble worth taking and let the ball sail.

"It's not necessarily just size," Smith said of Edwards, who is 6-foot-4 and 213 pounds. "There's a lot of other big guys that play the position. But it's also about a guy's ability to make a play on the ball in the air. Braylon definitely has that ability.

"If he's got one-on-one (coverage), you're going to take that shot because you feel his ability is going to protect that throw. It's going to be him or no one (catching the ball)."

In this case, it was Edwards. He extended an arm, and in one motion snared the ball, did a barrel roll along the sideline and then popped up to his feet. The play turned into a 32-yard reception and set up the 49ers' first score.

Smith and Edwards met in 2005 when they went through a predraft media blitz together. But they've only been teammates for 20 days, forcing them to make up for lost time.

They throw together before and after practices, and days off have been spent in the film room, making sure there are no doubts about what the other is thinking on a play."