49ers O-line meeting room upgrades

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NOTE: It was originally reported that quarterback Alex Smith bought "plush leather chairs" for the offensive line. However, the "Alex" was actually backup tackle Alex Boone, not Smith.

UPDATE: Boone purchases furniture upgrades for O-line meeting room
SANTA CLARA -- They might be the most important group of individuals in the building.Just ask Alex Smith. The 49ers quarterback opened his wallet to accessorize the 49ers offensive line meeting room with plush leather chairs for each of the individuals assigned to protect him.After all, big guys with big responsibilities need big, cozy chairs from which to conduct their preparations.And Smith's gift to his linemen isn't the only thing different in that room. The 49ers have two offensive line coaches with identical titles.Mike Solari, 56, one of just three position-coach holdovers from Mike Singletary's staff, has been joined by Tim Drevno, 42, who worked under Jim Harbaugh at the University of San Diego and Stanford.So how are their responsibilities divided?"They work in tandem," Harbaugh said. "Not going to get into the percentages. We feel like it's just better to be working in a group and have two guys coaching the offensive line, to be able to see everything."Probably the greater share is Mike Solari, but both Tim Drevno and Mike Solari do a great job working together and coaching up our offensive line."Solari is in his 23rd season as an assistant coach in the NFL. He spent five seasons with the 49ers from 1992 to '96 as tight ends and assistant offensive line coach, working closely with legendary Bobb McKittrick.Drevno is in his first NFL season after spending 21 seasons in the college ranks, including the past seven on Harbaugh's staffs. Drevno and 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman also spent two years together at Stanford."We've got to work together to solve problems and find solutions, and that's what they do," Roman said. "They work well together. Everybody checks their ego at the door and we find what works best. I've worked with Tim before. We worked together at Stanford. So there was familiarity there, and that helps bridge the gap of system changes."The 49ers offensive line has made tremendous strides from early in the season after the lockout eliminated the entire offseason program.In the first three games, the 49ers averaged 2.46 yards rushing per attempt and Smith was sacked 11 times. In the next six games, the 49ers averaged 5.35 yards, and Smith was sacked 10 times."They're pretty similar, the way they coach," 49ers left tackle Joe Staley said. "They're very detailed, very high-energy kind of guys. There's no stone left unturned. We go through every situation. Every single look, we go over in practice."They prepare us for the games. So if we have to make an adjustment on the sideline, it's something we've already covered and we can make that adjustment. That's why we've been able to have success."We basically have two O-line coaches. Solari is the head guy. But Drevno has been a head line coach with Harbaugh at Stanford, and he understands the offense. They are two guys who work very well together."Coming up: Solari and Drevno sit down for a Q&A session.

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