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49ers RB
Garrison Hearst
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SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Even stoics such as DT Bryant Young can’t hide their
enthusiasm for the 49ers’ surprising season. After posting a 10-22 record the last
two years, the 49ers are winning again.
Young recently said this might be the most fun he has had as a 49er, besting even his
rookie season in 1994 — the last time the team won a title. What makes it more of a
hoot is the unconventional means by which the team is winning. A team known for its
vaunted passing game, the 49ers are winning with a grinding running game and a revived
defense and special-teams unit — an aspect of the club that didn’t play well
even in the halcyon years.
There are four reasons that the 49ers have improved so much this season.
1. PK Jose Cortez
Said special-teams coach Bruce DeHaven of Cortez, while suppressing a chuckle:
"Did I anticipate Jose going 10-for-10 with two 50-yarders and a game-winner? No.
"I’m sure happy he did, but he was an unknown quantity. I had no idea how he
was going to react."
Cortez is 11-for-11 on field goals, and he led the NFC in scoring heading into Week Six
when the 49ers had a bye. Not bad for a guy who basically won his job by default in
training camp. After Wade Richey rode the free-agent train to San Diego, the 49ers were
left without a veteran kicker.
They signed Cortez, who tried for the past two seasons to hook on with the Chargers.
Cortez kicked for the Los Angeles Xtreme of the XFL and helped lead them to the
league’s only championship last spring. Cortez’s kicking résumé also includes
a stint in NFL Europe.
But Cortez, who fled war-torn El Salvador as a youngster, wasn’t even the
49ers’ top-kicking prospect when the team reported to training camp. He was behind
Kansas State rookie Jamie Rheem. But Rheem tore his hamstring on a field-goal attempt, and
Cortez was handed the job.
"I was sick and tired of waiting (to get to the NFL)," Cortez said. "Now
that I’m in, I’m just taking advantage of it."
2. KR Vinny Sutherland
DeHaven’s special teams have gotten a boost from Sutherland, a pint-sized,
carrot-topped rookie reject from the Falcons. In the fifth round of the 2001 draft,
Atlanta selected the Purdue wide receiver, a one-time favorite target of Drew Brees. The
cocky Sutherland swaggered into Atlanta, promptly dropped a few punts and kicks and found
himself booted off the team.
DeHaven, who closely kept an eye on Sutherland while he was in college, convinced the
49ers to pluck him off waivers. Sutherland is ranked fourth in the NFC in kick returns and
has fielded punts flawlessly in the swirling winds of 3Com Park.
Sutherland credits the 49ers’ tradition of helping rookies rather than hazing
them, which dates back to the Bill Walsh coaching era. Sutherland has been embraced by WR
Terrell Owens in particular.
"These guys, they get along with anyone … and they talk to you more,"
the 5-8, 188-pound Sutherland said. "These veterans take you right in here. You
really, really, really (have) to earn respect in Atlanta, and I’m pretty sure I never
did that."
3. RB Garrison Hearst
One player who has earned unfailing respect leaguewide is Hearst. For two seasons,
Hearst fought a constant stream of setbacks in his long battle with dead bone in his left
foot.
"We need him," head coach Steve Mariucci said. "We are depending upon
him."
Hearst leads a trio of runners who have the 49ers ranked second in the league in
rushing yards per game. Hearst’s 305 yards is closely followed by rookie Kevan
Barlow’s 211 yards and QB Jeff Garcia’s 191 yards.
All this from a team that lost Charlie Garner, a 1,000-yard rusher in each of the past
two seasons. Garner signed with the Raiders in the offseason.
"Of course our running game was a question, because we didn’t know who our
running back was going to be," Mariucci said. "The tailback (situation) is
proving to be better than expected."
4. The defense
Despite being frightfully young, the defense has stiffened at key times late in games.
Derek Smith, who was not re-signed by Washington because the Redskins thought he was too
slow, leads a youthful corps of linebackers.
Smith has been anything but slow and is an integral part of a defense that has greatly
increased its speed over last year. Smith was on pace to break Ken Norton’s 1996
tackle record of 165, until a knee injury sidelined him for two games.
"The thing that is encouraging is we like the way they play. They play hard, they
fly around," defensive coordinator Jim Mora Jr. said. "That’s what we tried
to emphasize, and that’s the thing that we noticed happening. We like that part of
it."
Not only do they like it, they’re having fun with it.
Kevin Lynch covers the 49ers for the San Francisco Chronicle. |
