By Art Spander
Special to Newsday
The man has taken a beating, physically and mentally. Since the beginning of last season, 49ers quarterback Alex Smith has been sacked 54 times, the most in the NFL. Since the beginning of his career -- he was the first player picked in the 2005 draft -- he's been booed, criticized and briefly set free.
"But he's got a lot of fight in him," said Alex Boone, who as right guard has the responsibility of protecting Smith. "I love that about him."
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