by John Crumpacker, Chronicle Staff Writer , The San Francisco Chronicle

"I thought Alex did a good job throwing the Football," Singletary said Monday.

Of the four turnovers Smith had three interceptions, one fumble, Singletary hung one on his quarterback, the second interception on a pass intended for Josh Morgan in the fourth quarter.

Smith locked in on Morgan all the way and safety Chris Hope got a jump on the ball and dived for the pick. Ideally, Smith should have scanned the field before throwing to keep the safety honest.

"Alex had one play that was on him," Singletary said.

Otherwise, Singletary said the first interception was the result of a "lucky bounce" as Smith threw for Michael Crabtree, and on the third interception "Jason Hill could have made a better play on the ball coming back to it." The fumble was caused by the helmet of a Tennessee player hitting the ball as Smith drew back to throw in the third quarter.

On the fumble, Tennessee defensive end Jacob Ford beat right tackle Adam Snyder with an inside move to pressure Smith and force the fumble with his helmet.

"Overall, I thought the offensive line did a good job," Singletary said. "I was very energized when I came in and watched the film last night. ... For the most part, it was one of the better offensive performances since I've been here. Take away the turnovers, we had a chance to win a game. It didn't happen that way. We did have the turnovers."

The 49ers had success when Smith was in shotgun formation, both throwing the ball and handing it to Frank Gore as the single back. The 49ers produced 358 yards in total offense, their second-highest figure of the season.

"I like things that work," Singletary said. "I always look at how efficient was it, how does it fit with our personnel? It's something we certainly have the tools to do. Those are some great weapons. ... I think the shotgun depends on how much flexibility you have in your offensive line. You can run the same things out of it. We have to see how much of the shotgun look we'll keep or expand."

The 49ers don't have much time to prepare for Thursday night's game against Chicago at Candlestick Park. Players had Monday off, but for the coaches, it was back to work hashing out a game plan for the Bears.

Whatever the specifics of the game plan might be, holding onto the ball will be a point of emphasis.

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