Quarterback Chris Weinke, 35, has been signed as the 49ers' backup for Saturday's game against the Bengals. Weinke will wear No. 17.
The club announced that seventh-year veteran was signed to take the roster spot opened when the club placed Alex Smith on injured reserve. Smith will have season-ending shoulder surgery this week.
Weinke (6-4, 232) was the Heisman Trophy winner as a senior at Florida State in 2000. He spent six seasons with the Panthers after being a fourth-round draft pick.
He has played in 27 NFL games with 19 starts and completed 373 pass attempts for 687 yards with 14 touchdown passes and 26 interceptions.
Weinke immediately was inserted into the starting lineup as a rookie and finished second in NFL history with 2,931 passing yards by a rookie, trailing only Peyton Manning of Indianapolis who threw for 3,793 yards in 1998.
Weinke will be the 49ers' backup quarterback on Saturday against the Bengals behind starter Shaun Hill. Trent Dilfer is out after sustaining a concussion Sunday against the Vikings.
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Weinke will earn $35,000 a week while with the 49ers. (That is 1/17th of a $595,000 salary, which is the minimum for an NFL player with four to six credited seasons.)
Parole e musica di Ocho Cinco:
Johnson was going along answer our mundane questions . . . "I can only focus on what I do" . . . "You have to continue to play at a high level" . . .
And then he was asked about what he saw when watching the 49ers' defense on film.
"I have to curse. Who in the (expletive) is number 52? Oh, my (expletive) God," Johnson said. "I've seen a lot of linebackers in my seven years and that mother (expletive) is good. He is the real deal. And you know he's playing with a cast on his hand, right? All during film, I'm calling him 'Bam-Bam,' like from the Flintstones because he hits everything. He is the truth. All I know is his last name is Willis. You tell him, '85 said, man, you're the truth.'
"I stopped watching the damn defensive backs to watch him."
--Johnson said it doesn't matter whether Nate Clements or Walt Harris is covering him on Sunday.
"They could put Oprah out there and I'll run a route on her."
So what kind of corner would Oprah be?
"She has so much money," Johnson said. "She has to be a man-to-man, lock-down cornerback because those are the only ones who get paid."
--At the end of the call, Johnson told the media to say hi for him to Nate Clements and Mark Roman. He also said, "Tell Mr. Nolan hi."
How do you know Mike Nolan, he was asked.
"I don't know him, but I want him to know me," Johnson said.

