His coach isn't feeling his pain.

If Mike Nolan didn't exactly throw his young star under the bus after the New Orleans Saints' 31-10 dismantling of the 49ers yesterday at Monster Park, let's just say he tossed him toward the front tire.

"I didn't look at the statistics," Nolan began when asked to rate Smith's first appearance since the third-year pro separated his shoulder Sept.30 against the Seattle Seahawks, "but, obviously, the quarterback's job is to win games. Just like those games where we won, and the statistics weren't that pretty, I thought the quarterback did a good job because we won the game...."

Only after a pause did the head coach add, "He's a tough son of a gun. He's tough, he's smart, and he plays until the end. So, aside from the outcome, I respect his performance."

Strange way of saying thanks. What the kid really deserved was a hug.

Though Smith revealed afterward that he received a shot "in the butt" before the game to minimize the pain in his throwing shoulder, it was apparent from his first snap that he still was experiencing discomfort. He didn't look right all day. He overthrew receivers, skipped a few passes off the grass, at times flipped the ball in a sidearm motion. While he managed to complete 22 of 43 attempts for 190 yards, including a seven-yard touchdown to tight end Vernon Davis, he winced and repeatedly reached for his right shoulder, most noticeably after being slammed into the ground while trying to recover his fumble early in the second quarter.

After walking to the sidelines, Smith immediately went to the bench and was examined by team physicians. Backup quarterback Trent Dilfer hurriedly began warming up a few feet away, unnecessarily, as it turns out.

"I taped it (shoulder) down and it felt better, as far as looseness goes," said Smith, who later underwent X-rays that were negative. "(Re-injury) was my only concern talking to the doctors. They tested it and said those ligaments were still secure. It's just a matter of dealing with pain. I was not going to come out of there once I knew it wasn't going to get any worse."

Wasn't going to get any worse. That's the company medical line, anyway. Smith, who was a courageous human pinball a year ago, a victim of an offensive line that offered little protection week after week, certainly didn't look like someone whose condition was improving or even benign as he dressed. He buttoned his shirt, looped his belt, and reached for his shoes, all with his left hand. As he walked toward the interview room, his right arm hung limply, his belongings again clutched in the left hand.

"Alex is a great leader," tackle Joe Staley said, observing nearby, "and we all knew he was hurting. To see him out there was inspiring."

Yet if Nolan noticed, he wasn't saying. Perhaps he was merely too preoccupied with his other problems to fully appreciate his quarterback's efforts. The season that started so impressively, with consecutive victories that seemed to suggest a carry-over from last year's stunning finale against the Denver Broncos, has deteriorated into a stadium-clearing mess.

The visiting Saints were supposed to be the team that turned it all around, nudged the 49ers back into respectability. They arrived with a 2-4 record, ranked 22nd in overall defense, with Drew Brees and Reggie Bush immersed in their own mini-slumps.

Instead, the 49ers' defense sagged, Smith and Frank Gore limped around, the play-calling elicited derision from the crowd and figures to increase the pressure on embattled offensive coordinator Jim Hostler — and Nolan by extension.

It was Nolan who selected the suddenly beloved Norv Turner's successor, initiated the flurry of offseason personnel upgrades, and who three years ago, used the overall No.1 pick to draft a skinny, strong-armed quarterback out of Utah. Alex Smith is his guy, which makes Nolan's postgame reaction so surprising.

How could anyone watch Smith yesterday and not see what's going on? Not publicly acknowledge that, while the 49ers have deficiencies, the quarterback isn't among them? A hug. The kid at least deserved a hug.