Aldon Smith up against ‘serviceable' tackle

SANTA CLARA -- Outside linebacker Aldon Smith is already on a pace greater than any pass rusher since the NFL began keeping statistics in 1982.

His 31.5 career sacks are the most for any player in the first two seasons of his career. And he still has four games to create even more separation from the late Reggie White, a Hall of Famer who is No. 2 on the list with 31.

Andre Carter and Dana Stubblefield previously shared the 49ers mark with 19 sacks apiece in their first two seasons.

Smith leads the NFL this season with 17.5 sacks, which ties him with Hall of Famer Fred Dean (1983) for most single-season sacks in 49ers franchise history.

And Smith has a chance to challenge Michael Strahan's single-season NFL record of 22.5, which the former New York Giants defensive end set in 2001. Perhaps the person who has given Smith the biggest assist during his two seasons is convinced that the record — though highly achievable — is down on the list of priorities.

"He is chasing history, and he's going to keep doing what he does, and that's to make the plays to help the team win," 49ers defensive tackle Justin Smith said. "And if, along the way, he gets the record, then so be it. We're all pulling for him, hope he gets it, and we're pretty confident he will."

The Miami Dolphins, who face the 49ers on Sunday at Candlestick Park, are scrambling this week to prepare for the right side of the 49ers' defensive front: Aldon Smith and Justin Smith.

That's because All-Pro left tackle Jake Long is out for the season with a torn triceps he sustained last week against the New England Patriots. The Dolphins will counter with a move that sends rookie Jonathan Martin, a first-round draft pick from Stanford, to the side in which the 49ers line up the Smiths.

Theoretically, that should make things easier. But the 49ers realize that the Dolphins will not leave Martin alone to deal with Aldon Smith.

"He's a serviceable tackle in this league," Justin Smith said of Martin. "It's definitely not Long in there. But there's things you can do. You can chip. You can slide the line. You can do some more bootlegs, which is a big part of their offense as well, to help him out. We kind of anticipate all those type of deals going on."

According to Pro Football Focus, Justin Smith might have paid Martin a compliment. Martin ranks 56th out of 60 offensive tackles in the league who have played 60-percent of more of the snaps this season. The ratings take into account in pass-blocking, run-blocking and penalties.