The 49ers will consider making a bid for former Virginia linebacker Ahmad Brooks in the July 13 supplemental draft, personnel director Scot McCloughan said Tuesday. Last year at this time, Brooks was being mentioned in the same breath as A.J. Hawk -- picked fifth overall in last month's draft -- when it came to the nation's top linebackers. But the junior's status soon plummeted because of injuries and questions about his maturity.

The NFL has proposed playing two regular-season games outside the United States starting in 2008, league officials said. Mark Waller, head of NFL international development, said the proposal to play abroad was put to team owners in Denver. It came after the 49ers and Cardinals played last October before a regular-season record crowd of 103,000 in Mexico City. The owners will discuss the issue again in October. The games would be played in Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom and Germany, where five of the six NFL Europe teams play.

Veteran free agent Moran Norris, a fullback whose modest statistics have typically belied his value as a lead-blocker, has signed a contract with the San Francisco 49ers. A five-year veteran, Norris was released by the Houston Texans on May 4. Norris, 27, likely will compete with holdover Chris Hetherington for the starting job. At worst, he provides coach Mike Nolan with an experienced backup and a solid special teams contributor. San Francisco also drafted fullback Delanie Walker of Central Missouri State in the sixth round of last month's draft.

Joe Montana says the NFL's fight with him over workman's compensation "went all the way to the California Supreme Court, and I won. Twice they've stopped payment, and I've had to fight them again. Just a few months before this last Super Bowl, they stopped payment again. Then they want me to skip my boys' basketball games to help them out. "That's typical of the NFL. And then they tried to make me look bad." He shook his head. "You know what makes me mad? The way they treat former players. Not just me. But some of those old guys, too, those guys who can barely move and walk. "But that's the NFL. They want you to do stuff for them, but they don't want to do anything for you, not without getting their money. A few years ago, I wanted them to do something for a charity I was doing for kids. It was like I was just another guy. They wanted me to pay full fee."

Alex Smith had a rough rookie campaign, but his new boss has faith in him. "The guy is solid," said offensive coordinator Norv Turner. "I don't worry about him at all. "It's as if he was just playing and wasn't trying to be perfect. I saw enough of him in these last three days to know he's going to be a really good player."

Former San Francisco 49ers cornerback Ahmed Plummer visited with Titans officials at Baptist Sports Park on Wednesday. Plummer was a first-round draft pick by the 49ers in 2000, but he's been plagued with injuries during his career. He was released in February.

The San Francisco 49ers traded reserve quarterback Ken Dorsey, and an undisclosed 2007 draft pick, to the Cleveland Browns for veteran quarterback Trent Dilfer. The Niners now have a proven backup for their second year QB, Alex Smith, who struggled during his rookie campaign.

Trent Dilfer is at odds with the Browns and so the club is continuing to discuss a trade with the 49ers, according to a league source. It could be done within the next day or two, the source said. The 49ers are interested in Dilfer as a backup to Alex Smith, the first pick of the 2005 draft.

According to WKYC-TV in Cleveland, he 49ers, looking for a veteran quarterback as a backup to Alex Smith, are interested in trading for the Browns' Trent Dilfer. The 34-year-old Dilfer, who lives in Fresno, reportedly is unhappy in Cleveland, but the Browns will not unload him until they find a veteran backup for Charlie Frye, who like Smith is entering his second season. A 49ers spokesman said the team is not in contact with the Browns. Dilfer's agent did not return a phone message.