49ers general manager Trent Baalke says he expects holdout Frank Gore to play with the team this season, but is prepared to move forward without the Pro Bowl running back. Baalke said that he wasn't surprised by Gore's absence in training camp. "I think you always have to be prepared for everything that comes up. So are we prepared to (play without him)? Certainly," Baalke said. "There are other players that are going to have to step up. But at the same time, we fully expect Frank to be back." Gore, the heart of the 49ers offense, is in the final year of his deal.

49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree could miss four to six weeks because of a lingering foot issue, according to a report. San Francisco issued a press release announcing that Crabtree was placed on the physically unable to perform list, but they didn't say how long he'd be out. If Crabtree can't pass a physical before the beginning of the regular season in September, he must remain on the PUP list for six weeks.

The 49ers have informed cornerback Nate Clements that he will be released, according to a source. The move will save San Francisco more than $7 million. However, the 49ers haven't closed the door on a possible return for the veteran defensive back.

49ers running back Frank Gore is planning to hold out and not report to training camp until the team rewards him with a new contract, according to league sources. The Pro Bowler has one year and $5 million remaining on his contract. Gore believes he must try to get a new deal now, after he fractured his hip last season and has already undergone two knee surgeries and two shoulder surgeries.

The Jets have some competition for free-agent cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha in the 49ers, according to NFL Insider Michael Lombardi. San Francisco is very much in the race for Asomugha.

Takeo Spikes, the productive veteran linebacker who served as the 49ers' union representative during the labor negotiations, agreed to terms on a three-year contract with the Chargers on Tuesday. Spikes will be reunited with Greg Manusky, the former 49ers defensive coordinator who now serves in that role for the Chargers. The contract agreement was first reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune.

The 49ers and Raiders have been meeting to discuss the possibility of sharing a new football stadium. "We've put our teams together," 49ers Chief Executive Jed York said. "It doesn't mean we're going to find the right deal that fits for both teams, but we're certainly going to get a look at those options." The Raiders appear amenable to a partnership. "We have said repeatedly that we have an open mind with respect to our stadium solution," said Raiders chief executive Amy Trask. "An open mind means an open mind as to sharing a facility with the 49ers. I say to Jed regularly that we should have not only an open mind to the sharing of the facility, but to the location of the facility which we might share. And so there are a lot of options for us to consider."

Frank Gore, who has been one of the most consistent running backs in the NFL since 2005, is ready to play under coach Jim Harbaugh and compete for playing time. "Talking to him, you can tell that he's a very smart man. He told me that before I left to make sure that I'm in great shape after the lockout because he'll be counting on me this year," Gore said. "He also told me the way he's going to use me and show the whole world that I'm the best back in the league." San Francisco drafted Oklahoma State running back Kendall Hunter in the fourth round of April's NFL Draft. "They let me know like they always do. I don't put nothing past no man who ever played the game of football. It let me know that I have to come in and prepare to work and I'm going to do that. I know we also need a backup if we don't bring Brian Westbrook back," Gore said. "And Kendall is a similar style guy and has a similar style of play (to Westbrook). But I'm not scared of any kind of competition. If I ever was, I would have never went to Miami where there are running backs everywhere. I'm not scared of any man."

49ers general manager Trent Baalke doesn't know the specifics of the Michael Crabtree-Alex Smith feud. However, Baalke, who like every general manager has been barred from contact with players during the NFL lockout, isn't concerned about the situation. "It doesn't bother me at all," Baalke told The San Jose Mercury News. "It's like any relationship, right? When you're growing up with your family, your friends, there's going to be disagreements. There's going to be arguments. There's going to be fights. Those things happen, especially in a competitive environment, which these guys are in. "So when these guys have a little spat here or there or have a little disagreement, that's part of it. They're grown men. They'll figure it out."

49ers linebacker Patrick Willis has found some unexpected benefits from the NFL's lengthy lockout. Willis can feel one when he clenches his right hand and feels no pain in his surgically repaired hand. He can also sense it in his legs when he's running sprints in his driveway because his limbs seem far fresher at this point in the offseason than in years past. "It does feel a little weird when you have so much time to yourself at this time of year," Willis said. "But I won't lie, either -- it has been nice in some ways. I've never really had a summer off since I started playing football, and I can feel the difference in my body. I can see that I really needed this."