Considering how well quarterback Alex Smith operated in brief chances out of the shotgun last week, it’s fair to wonder whether the 49ers might air things out more often.

Is coordinator Jimmy Raye ready to go to the spread offense for large portions of the game?
“As of now, the answer to that question is no,” Raye said.
Instead, the 49ers will stick with the same Frank Gore-oriented offense they’ve been planning all along. They’ll just need to do it better.
The 49ers rank 27th in total yards heading into Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans at Candlestick Park.
Most troubling for the 49ers is how often their drives conk out quickly. Their possessions result in three-and-outs 40.3 percent of the time, the worst percentage in the NFL.
The Dallas Cowboys, in contrast, go three-and-out a league-best 13.2 percent of the time.
Smith’s recent ascension to the starting job, as well as the addition of receiver Michael Crabtree, has helped the 49ers offense show flashes in recent weeks.
But Raye warned that some fans are getting carried away with the brief sample size.
In his weekly session with the media Thursday, Raye dismissed the suggestion of spreading out the offense.
“If we were going to take this deal and . . . all of a sudden become a shotgun and wide open, and throw the ball 48 or 52 times a game, then we would have to do an awful lot of changing,” Raye said.
Even with Smith and Crabtree in the fold?
“People look at what they perceive to be the talent at the extremities and make a judgment that is not founded or even grounded at all,” Raye said. “The quarterback has played six quarters (this season), and people are now starting to refer to his history and his offense in college — which is five years removed.”
Raye acknowledged that the recent addition of Crabtree gives him a promising option in the passing game. But he also noted that the rookie still has some learning to do before he can be fully utilized.
“We’re still trying to get No. 15 to line up in the right place,” Raye said.
Raye said his top concern is an inability to bang out at least 4 yards on first-down runs. The 49ers expected to be able to grind out tough yards on the ground. Instead, they frequently find themselves faced with third-and-long situations.
Gore has a trio of long touchdown runs — 64, 79 and 80 yards — but too often the 49ers muster little else. It’s the run-and-done offense. Outside of his three biggies, Gore averages 2.27 yards per carry this season.
Even Raye, in his 33rd NFL season, said he has never seen such a disparity. Two of his previous home-run backs — Earl Campbell and Eric Dickerson — managed to get yards even if bottled up. Raye said Campbell could forge ahead with his big body and that Dickerson had the advantage of playing behind a great Rams offensive line.
How do the 49ers fix their problem?
Raye said continuity will be a key factor. He noted that Gore (ankle) was sidelined for essentially four games, that the 49ers have shuffled the right side of the line, that they have switched quarterbacks and that their right tackle (Tony Pashos) and left tackle (Joe Staley) suffered significant injuries in consecutive weeks.
Still, he thinks the 49ers’ run-blocking is coming together.
“It’s coming along, but as we start to make progress, then we get another hiccup,” Raye said. “There is no way to anticipate or expect on the first play of the game that you lose your starting left tackle, so the continuity thing has been slow.
“So, we’re managing, and it’s slowly getting better because if we can get (Gore) to the second level, he can go home with the ball. It’s encouraging. It hasn’t been as fast as we’d like, but it’s getting better.”