The 49ers signed Jeff Reed today, hoping the accomplished and eccentric veteran placekicker will rediscover his form after the Steelers waived him on Nov. 16 following a nightmarish season in Pittsburgh. Reed will travel with the team Saturday to Green Bay where he will handle the kickoff and placekicking duties against the Packers on Sunday. On Tuesday, the Niners waived Shane Andrus, who made 2 of 4 field goals in…

This and that from today in Santa Clara: • The 49ers have typically left right tackle Anthony Davis on an island this season, with mixed results, but the rookie will receive some assistance Sunday. And it’s not hard to understand why. Packers second-year linebacker Clay Matthews, who leads the NFL with 11.5 sacks despite missing a game, moves around the field and will no doubt see snaps at left defensive…

Alex Smith is a second-string quarterback. And, last week, Aaron Rodgers became the second-ranked quarterback in NFL history. We all know that stuff about time healing all wounds. But it sure doesn’t seem to apply for Niners fans when it comes to their team’s ill-fated and well-documented decision to take Smith instead of Rodgers in the 2005 draft.

This and that from today in Santa Clara: • According to coach Mike Singletary, Frank Gore’s broken hip is less serious than anticipated. Singletary said the fracture is small and will not require surgery. He doesn’t anticipate Gore accompanying the team to Green Bay, but rookie RB Anthony Dixon he’ll be motivated to play with the same passion as his injured teammate and mentor.

Mike Singletary referred to the Niners new backfield duo as Thunder and Lightning. Here’s a more fitting tag: The Odd Couple. In the wake of Frank Gore’s broken hip, the 49ers will turn to Brian Westbrook and Anthony Dixon to fill the void.

Lost amid Frank Gore’s broken hip and Derek Anderson’s breakdown was the fact that the 49ers did some things they hadn’t done for a long time in their 27-6 win against Arizona on Monday night. I know. Perhaps some of the feats below should come with an asterisk given the state of the Cardinals, who resembled the 45-Man Glendale Sleep Deprivation Experiment. But as Takeo Spikes said, “S—, it ain’t…

A day after finally dusting off Brian Westbrook, Mike Singletary acknowledged the Niners might have gotten a little carried away after the 31-year-old running back replaced Frank Gore in Monday night’s 27-6 win at Arizona. Gore, who suffered a fractured right hip, was placed on injured reserve today, confirming what had already been widely suspected: The 49ers will have to navigate the rest of the season without their star running…

Could the 49ers offense improve without Frank Gore? I think so. OK, before diving in, let’s be clear: This is not an indictment of Gore, but an indictment of the Niners’ prehistoric offensive philosophy.

Greetings from University of Phoenix Stadium. This isn’t original, but I must say I agree: From the outside this place really does resemble a stainless steel toaster oven. As usual, I’ll be updating this blog with pregame notes leading up until kickoff:

Takeo Spikes is two seasons shy of playing 15 years in the NFL, a goal he set before his career even started. But the veteran linebacker says there is one scenario in which he would at least consider retiring early: If the 49ers win the Super Bowl this season. Spikes said that before the 21-0 loss to Tampa Bay, but I believe his belief in his 3-7 team hasn’t wavered….

In the latest bit of evidence supporting the cheaters-never-prosper theory, it turns out the Denver Broncos didn’t just lose a game to the 49ers in London last month. The team and coach Josh McDaniels have each been fined $50,000 for violating NFL rules after video operations director Steve Scarnecchia filmed San Francisco’s walkthrough at Wembley Stadium the day before the game. The 49ers beat Denver, 24-16.

On Monday, the 49ers watched tape of their last meeting against the Cardinals, a 24-9 victory last year in which they forced seven turnovers. Call that film “The Way We Were.” Seven turnovers? In a game? The 2010 Niners have forced seven turnovers … in their past six games.

Cardinals-49ers. Yep, you can go ahead and throw out the records. Please. They’re begging. But seriously, folks, there is some legitimate bad blood between these 3-7 teams.

Chilo Rachal knows you’re out there. And he’s got a message for his critics: You’re wrong. The 49ers right guard, the 39th overall pick in the 2008 draft, was actually more polite today in insisting that he’s steadily improving and his detractors are off base. “I’m a completely different player than I was last year,” Rachal said. “You guys don’t see that because you just see the TV copy.”

On second thought, two rookies aren’t ready. Mike Singletary said today that safety Taylor Mays and linebacker NaVorro Bowman have had their playing time drastically reduced because, upon further review, it turns out they’re not quite ready for prime time after all.

Say this for Alex Smith — and Niners fans have said plenty — but the guy knows how to avoid a sack. At least, that is, better than Troy Smith, who has thrown 59 passes in the past two games and taken 11 sacks (one every 5.4 attempts). Alex Smith has thrown 242 passes this season and taken 13 sacks (one every 18.6 attempts).

So far, Mike Singletary has survived his hiring of Jimmy Raye, his anointment of Alex Smith, an 0-5 start, a loss to team with zero wins and a loss in which his team scored zero points. Now, for his next trick, can he survive his date with the Green Bay Packers?

Move over, “I’ve got to look at the film,” there’s a new catch phrase in Santa Clara: “That’s on me.” Me, of course, would be 49ers head coach Mike Singletary, who crafted a prepared statement in the 17 hours between his team’s 21-0 loss to Tampa Bay and this morning’s postmortem press conference in which he also said quarterback Troy Smith would start on Nov. 29 at Arizona. Reading, at…

On Saturday, I watched a documentary on CBS about former Cowboys coach Tom Landry. I bring it up here — on a 49ers blog, no less — because I was struck by Landry’s brilliance. I mean, he invented the 4-3 defense, tweaked it with a new invention, the Flex Defense and, as if to show he knew plenty about offense, he revived and revolutionized the shotgun as a passing formation. Watching…

Greetings from Candlestick .The sun is out, but the forecast calls for more rain. I haven’t been downstairs, but the field, which was covered by a tarp until about 10:30 a.m., doesn’t look soggy. I’ll be posting notes here up until kickoff: