49ers' Ahmad Brooks looking to shed few pounds

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Niners defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said Tuesday that outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks has grown a bit since he grew in stature last year.

Fangio was asked if Brooks is ready to reprise his 2013 season, when he earned the first Pro Bowl berth of his career and was named a second-team All-Pro.

"I hope so," said Fangio of the eighth-year pro. "He's gotten a few extra pounds on him now that I think is holding him back. We've been trying hard to get that off of him, and hopefully he'll be back to the guy that we saw, really that we've seen for three years."

Less than three hours later, Brooks was evidently working to drop that weight: He was on a side field with a trainer as his teammates finished warm-up drills about 15 minutes into practice.

Brooks, whose weight has fluctuated during his career, said before practice that he needed to lose between 5 and 10 pounds. The 6-foot-3 Brooks is listed at 259 pounds.

"It's all about eating right," Brooks said. "I'm 30 years old now, so my metabolism has slowed down. So it takes a little bit longer (to lose weight) than before. ... Some of the things I used to get away with, I can't get away with any more. Yeah, I do have to lose some weight. Is it affecting me? I don't know. But, yeah, maybe a little bit."

Brooks acknowledged that he is unlikely to lose all the weight before the regular-season opener at Dallas on Sept. 7: "It takes time. You just can't do all that in a week, or two weeks."

SANTA CLARA, CA - AUGUST 17: Running back C.J. Anderson #22 of the Denver Broncos runs past outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks #55 of the San Francisco 49ers during a preseason game at Levi's Stadium on August 17, 2014 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) less SANTA CLARA, CA - AUGUST 17: Running back C.J. Anderson #22 of the Denver Broncos runs past outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks #55 of the San Francisco 49ers during a preseason game at Levi's Stadium on August ... more Photo: Ezra Shaw, Getty Images Photo: Ezra Shaw, Getty Images Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close 49ers' Ahmad Brooks looking to shed few pounds 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

No decision: The kid will get one more crack.

Fangio isn't ready to declare a winner in the Michael Wilhoite vs. Chris Borland battle. Instead, Fangio suggested Borland, a third-round pick, will get one last chance to win the starting inside linebacker spot when the 49ers close the preseason Thursday night in Houston.

Wilhoite, who capably filled in for Patrick Willis in two starts last year, has taken the first-team snaps in practices and preseason games, but Fangio said the job isn't his yet.

"He hasn't proven that yet, totally," Fangio said. "We'll wait until after Thursday. Give these younger guys a good healthy dose of snaps and see if they can make some progress. We're confident in Mike and we think he'll do fine in there, like he did last year in those couple games he played."

Wilhoite has had a strong summer. He has played 84 preseason snaps and is tied for first in the NFL with 19 tackles.

Briefly: Safety Bubba Ventrone (hamstring) did not participate in practice. ... Safety Antoine Bethea has evidently been cleared after suffering a concussion Aug. 17. Bethea was no longer wearing a blue no-contact jersey.