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Peter from Rutland, Vt., points to Anthony Dixon's failed third-and-1 rushing attempt in the NFC Championship Game as one reason the San Francisco 49ers might have signed former New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs.

This play escaped my attention in the Jacobs item Tuesday. I suspect the play-by-play file I consulted did not encompass the NFC Championship Game.

"Dixon got stuffed by the Giants on a key third-and-1 attempt," Peter recalled. "He danced instead of smashing. That's why they took a chance on Jacobs. Dixon is not a reliable power back."

Perhaps, but Jacobs failed to convert a fourth-and-1 rushing attempt in the same game, and he has never been known for his hard-nosed running.

Dixon converted both of his rushing tries during the regular season when needing a single yard on third or fourth down. He missed that one attempt during the postseason, but Jacobs converted only 4 of 8 regular-season tries and 5-of-11 overall when counting the postseason.

I went back and watched Dixon's failed play just to be sure what happened. Dixon did not set a new standard for powerful running on the play, but neither did he have much room to run.

The 49ers shuffled their offensive line and brought onto the field two defenders, Justin Smith and Isaac Sopoaga, for additional blocking. The line, left to right, featured Vernon Davis, Alex Boone, Adam Snyder, Jonathan Goodwin (center), Mike Iupati, Anthony Davis, Joe Staley and Smith. Sopoaga lined up to the right in an offset-I formation.

The blocking was not very good. Mathias Kiwanuka shed Smith immediately and blocked Dixon's path off tackle. Chris Canty got between Anthony Davis and Staley in time to affect Dixon. Dixon did hesitate and step to the side as he sought an opening. Again, though, the blocking was not great.

While an NFL offense should be able to pick up a third-and-1 on the ground, I've thought the 49ers needed to occasionally break from tendency in these situations, not just with a pass but with a deeper strike to Vernon Davis. Previous 49ers coaching staffs succeeded with this tactic.

The 49ers had beaten the Giants for an 18-yard pass to Delanie Walker on a third-and-1 play when the teams met back in Week 10. Perhaps the 49ers' staff knew the Giants would be ready if they tried another pass. And, as noted, the team should be able to pick up a third-and-1 rushing play.

But with such a heavy formation to the right side, the Giants were ready for Dixon. They also took advantage of the fact that Smith, though a great player, plays defense and isn't a polished blocker.

The chart shows 2011 regular-season conversion stats for NFC West running backs on third and fourth downs with 1 yard needed for a first down. There's a reason teams use quarterback sneaks.

A few thoughts on known contract offers for restricted free agents in the NFC West:

• The Hyphen: The Cardinals announced a second-round tender for running back LaRod Stephens-Howling, meaning any team signing Stephens-Howling would have to give Arizona a 2012 second-round choice if the Cardinals declined to match the offer. Stephens-Howling was a seventh-round pick. The fact that Arizona values him at a second-round level reflects well on him, and on the team for drafting him.
• Amendola valued: Jim Thomas' report of a second-round tender for Danny Amendola suggests the Rams' new staff wants to keep the slot receiver. Amendola caught 85 passes in 2010, then suffered a season-ending elbow injury in the 2011 opener. He is 26 years old, has a good rapport with quarterback Sam Bradford and can contribute in the return game.
• Secondary values: Arizona safety Rashad Johnson and cornerback Greg Toler received original-round tenders. That means Johnson would fetch a third-round pick and Toler a fourth-rounder. The knee injury Toler suffered before last season suppressed his value.
• No Max Hall: The Cardinals retained rights to exclusive-rights free agents Rich Bartel, Alfonso Smith, Ronald Talley and Brandon Williams. They made no offer to Max Hall, a forgotten man in the team's quarterback race. Hall was once a player the Cardinals liked for his toughness and leadership, but his days in Arizona appear finished.
• 49ers' LB depth: San Francisco had only two RFA candidates, linebacker Larry Grant and receiver Brett Swain. The team has made no announcement on its tenders, but Grant appears likely to receive an original-round offer, pegging his value to a seventh-round pick, Matt Maiocco notes. Grant played extensively on special teams and filled it pretty well at linebacker when Patrick Willis was out. The 49ers should be able to match any offers, or they could look for depth in the draft. Looks like Swain is head headed for free agency.
• Seahawks have three: NFL Players Association records show Seattle extending a $1.26 million tender to kicker Steven Hauschka, allowing Seattle the right of first refusal. Guard Mike Gibson and cornerback Roy Lewis are the team's other RFAs. Lewis' agent said he has not yet received word from the team, which has until Tuesday to make RFA offers.

Looks like I've finally made it through a blog post without mentioning -- wait, who wrote that headline?

Beanie Wells has not returned to the game for Arizona since suffering a sprained knee in the first half against Pittsburgh.

Alfonso Smith has replaced Wells. Smith has a 1-yard touchdown run.

The Cardinals miss Wells' physical running and lack sufficient depth behind him after losing rookie Ryan Williams to a season-ending knee injury. But with situational back LaRod Stephens-Howling getting free for a 73-yard touchdown reception, the Cardinals trail only 17-14 with 9:26 left in the third quarter.

Good question in the comments section from Los Angeles Rams of St. Louis regarding dropped passes: What constitutes one, exactly?

Hank Gargiulo of ESPN Stats & Information passed along the written standard our game charters rely upon to reduce subjectivity.

This standard says drops are "incomplete passes where the receiver SHOULD have caught the pass with ORDINARY effort."

Basically, we're talking about blatant drops, not the ones where your old man leans over and says anything that grazed the receiver anywhere was a drop in his day.

"Only use this if the receiver is 100 percent at fault and no one else can be blamed for the incompletion," ESPN tells its game charters. "Pass interference that wasn't called/passes thrown just outside the receiver's reach, etc., are NOT drops."

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The Arizona Cardinals have made their initial cuts to comply with the 53-man deadline Saturday.

Surprise move: Nothing too weighty here. The team kept four safeties initially instead of five, an indication that Adrian Wilson might be ready for the regular-season opener despite a torn biceps tendon. Veteran backup safety Matt Ware, signed as insurance when Wilson was hurt, was among those let go. Sixth-round pick Quan Sturdivant appeared to be on the bubble, but he made the initial 53-man roster. A couple veterans, namely punter Ben Graham and fullback Reagan Maui'a, lost roster spots to less-established players.

No-brainers: Deuce Lutui's status became topical throughout camp as he battled weight issues and played deep into the final preseason game. Keeping him around was a no-brainer, I thought, because Lutui can be an above-average starter. The Cardinals have him under contract on their terms after Lutui failed a physical with Cincinnati in free agency. Arizona is better on its line with Lutui as one of its options.

What's next: The Cardinals will be in the market for help at running back after losing rookie Ryan Williams to season-ending injury. Alfonso Smith made the cut initially, joining a group featuring Beanie Wells, LaRod Stephens-Howling and rookie fullback Anthony Sherman.

The team has eight offensive linemen after placing Floyd Womack on injured reserve. That number is one lower than typical for NFL teams, but the Cardinals had only eight on their Week 1 roster last season. They opened their previous three seasons under Ken Whisenhunt with nine.

The secondary is another area to watch after Greg Toler landed on injured reserve earlier in the week. The team has eight defensive backs on its roster, including four corners (Patrick Peterson, A.J. Jefferson, Richard Marshall and Michael Adams). Arizona has had 11, nine, eight and 10 defensive backs on its Week 1 rosters under Whisenhunt.

The Arizona Cardinals' offense took a hit Friday night when rookie running back Ryan Williams left the team's preseason game against Green Bay on a motorized cart.

Replays showed a Packers player landing on the back of Williams' lower right leg.

There was no immediate word on the severity of the injury, but replays left the impression the injury could be serious. Williams had dazzled during training camp and was expected to push Beanie Wells for the starting job eventually.

Arizona traded running back Tim Hightower to the Washington Redskins after the Cardinals used a second-round choice for Williams. Wells ran aggressively and effectively against the Packers. Injury problems have slowed him previously.

LaRod Stephens-Howling and Alfonso Smith are the only other halfbacks on the roster. Reagan Maui'a and Anthony Sherman are fullbacks.

UPDATE: The Cardinals said Williams injured his knee and would not return to the game.

Releasing Matt Leinart seemed unthinkable when the Arizona Cardinals opened training camp.

But their roster stands at 53 players Saturday after the team announced Leinart's release and the waived/injured statuses of Chris Johnson and Alfonso Smith.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt had said Leinart's status could come down to whether the 2006 first-round draft choice could stomach entering the 2010 season as a backup. Leinart never showed a willingness to accept that role. He questioned Whisenhunt's motives for demoting him and even claimed, defiantly, that he had outplayed the competition.

Poor body language on the sideline during an exhibition game at Tennessee and a broader sense of entitlement to the starting job following Kurt Warner's retirement stand as two likely factors in Leinart's sudden demise.

In the end, Leinart and Whisenhunt weren't a good match. In retrospect, it's easy to see why.

Leinart was a first-round draft choice from USC. Whisenhunt entered the NFL as 12th-round draft choice from Georgia Tech. Leinart was handed the starting job early in his career. Whisenhunt had to scrap his way through a seven-season career with three teams; nothing was handed to him. As Cardinals coach, Whisenhunt sought to establish an us-against-the-world mentality. Leinart represented the world in that equation. He was too cool to be the underdog -- or the backup to Anderson. It just wasn't in his USC DNA.

Leinart could have made this work if he had played by Whisenhunt's rules. He wasn't willing (or possibly able) to do that under difficult circumstances. He complained and pouted and made it impossible for Whisenhunt to name Leinart the leader of a locker room filled with players more closely aligned with the Whisenhunt mindset. Besides, it's not like Leinart had impressed on the practice fields. He hadn't taken control of the team.

At training camp, I had to remind myself to watch Leinart. Nothing about him stood out, good or bad. Leinart said he hoped to get extra reps during preseason games, but Whisenhunt suggested that was unnecessary. Instead, the coach wanted to see what Anderson could do while running the offense.

Meanwhile, rookie Max Hall, now the No. 2 quarterback behind Anderson, continued to win over the coaching staff with his unassuming approach. The staff saw some Warneresque qualities in the undrafted Hall, a player whose pedigree comes much closer to matching Whisenhunt's than Leinart's (Hall and Whisenhunt both achieved Eagle Scout status, by the way).

This situation wasn't always easy to read, despite those differences.

Earlier this offseason, Whisenhunt downplayed Leinart's 2009 struggles against Green Bay in Week 17, pointing to several mitigating factors. He instead pointed to a more competent showing at Tennessee in making the case that Arizona could succeed with Leinart under center.

In putting together a Cardinals Camp Confidential, however, I revisited a 2008 comment from Whisenhunt as evidence that pro-Leinart sentiments would not assure a starting job for the 2006 first-round draft choice. Warner became the choice to start in 2008 after Whisenhunt said this about Leinart:

"You see it in his body language, you see how he handles himself in the huddle and then you also see it in the confidence when he takes a step and he throws the football, or even when he makes the checks in the run game. There is not the hesitation that there used to be."

That body language had changed, as if Leinart couldn't believe anyone would question his status as the starter. Leinart had won championships at USC, after all. How dare anyone question him. Whisenhunt questioned him, all right. The manner in which Leinart responded precipitated his release. This divorce could be in the best interests of all parties, at least under the circumstances.