"One of the ways the 49ers will try to slow Drew Brees and the high- powered Saints offense: block the quarterback's view.

At 6 feet, Brees is one of the shortest quarterbacks in the league. He has overcome his low profile, however, with great awareness of where everyone is on the field and, according to 49ers defensive end Justin Smith, where the open gaps are along the line of scrimmage.

"He's just a really smart guy the way he attacks the pass rush," Smith said Wednesday. "He knows where those B-gap windows are going to be and he baits the outside rushers by dropping back, and then he steps up and slides to where he needs to be for his open receivers.""