SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) -Trent Dilfer still hasn't played a regular-season snap for the San Francisco 49ers. During his tiny bit of preseason action, he got two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties for taunting the Oakland Raiders.

Yet, the veteran quarterback's first season back home with San Francisco has been a rousing success in all the areas where Dilfer is most important to the 49ers. He's capably teaching the game to Alex Smith while providing steady locker-room leadership for a young team that still dreams of reaching the heights Dilfer once traversed.

And despite the 49ers' absence from the playoffs, Dilfer is healthy and happy at the close of his 13th pro season - maybe even happier than he was after leading the Baltimore Ravens to a Super Bowl victory six seasons ago.

He plans to be back in this same role next year, when he expects the 49ers (6-9) to be a real playoff contender - even if he never plays again.

``The best thing you can do as a quarterback is make those around you better,'' Dilfer said Thursday. ``When you're not doing it as a player on Sundays, you need to find other ways to do it. Hopefully, we're a better football team because of the commitment I made to it, and the way I've approached this thing, and the experience and the wisdom that, hopefully, I bring.''

Though he still hungers to be on the field, Dilfer hopes he never plays another important down the 49ers. When fans and reporters wondered whether the 49ers' late-season playoff push might be easier with the experienced Dilfer in Smith's spot, Dilfer was the first to disagree.

After chafing in this role alongside Matt Hasselbeck while he was with the Seattle Seahawks, Dilfer has never seemed happier now that he's in the background in San Francisco. He insists he's wholly committed to Smith's development into a topflight NFL quarterback - which means the youngster must play every snap possible.

``There's nothing wrong with itching to play, if you know how to channel that and not let it become distracting to your football team,'' Dilfer said. ``It's why I compete so much in practice each day. Hopefully my itching to play and my wanting to get better pushes Alex and helps him become a better player.''

Dilfer has become a steadying presence in the 49ers' locker room, where his teammates decorated his locker with the name and picture of Y.A. Tittle - another elderly, balding San Francisco quarterback who did great things.

Smith acknowledged he sometimes felt lost without veteran guidance as a rookie last season, and the No. 1 draft pick's bond with Dilfer has grown beyond a mentorship to a strong friendship. The veteran and his 22-year-old protege often huddle at their lockers on practice days, watching film and checking out statistics on Dilfer's laptop computer before poring through the playbook with third-stringer Shaun Hill.

``I couldn't have devised a better situation for me,'' said Smith, whose play has improved exponentially this season. ``I'd heard different stories about some veteran guys, how they were kind of cranky about helping other guys out, but it just speaks to the type of guy he is. He's going to do anything he can to help the team win.''

Dilfer is always quick with a joke, but he also knows how to dig into Smith: At halftime of the 49ers' game in Seattle earlier in the month, Dilfer slipped out of his flat shoes into spikes, telling Smith he thought he might have to play in the second half because of Smith's struggles.

``I was kind of upset about it,'' said Smith, who then led the 49ers to a stunning comeback win. ``Definitely, competition feeds you, absolutely.''

Coach Mike Nolan has been effusive in his praise of Dilfer, who has no plans to retire or to go after another starting job, as he did for one disappointing season in Cleveland last year. The 34-year-old plans to keep working on his scratch golfing game in the offseason while enjoying home life with his wife and three daughters in their native Northern California.

``We've got a good thing going here,'' said Dilfer, who plans to be active in selling the club to prospective free-agent acquisitions in the offseason. ``There's a lot of good things about being a 49er right now. I know it's a disappointing time. I'm as disappointed as anybody, but this is an exciting time to be a 49er.''

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