Young anticipates fatherly advice

Oct. 13, 1997 SAN FRANCISCO

AFTER THE GAME, in which he completed 19 of 30 passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns, Steve Young was pretty sure what his father, who was in the stands on Sunday, was going to say.

"The first thing he'll say is, 'Why can't you make a tackle?' '' Young said. Young tried to tackle Rams cornerback Ryan McNeil, who returned Young's "bonehead" (his word, not mine) interception for a touchdown. But he missed. And after the game he was trying to figure out what he'd say to his dad, who didn't get the nickname "Grit" by beating around the bush. "Uh, it was in the (infield) dirt," Young said, practicing his response. "How are you supposed to make a cutback tackle in the infield dirt?"

Face it. We all have a little LeGrande Young in us. Yes, the 49ers walloped the Rams 30-10 on Sunday. Yes, the Rams slunk off the field in embarrassment. Yes, this was the 15th time in a row the 49ers have beaten the Rams. And, yes, the 49ers have the best record in the NFC and have won five in a row. But, gosh, couldn't the offense have done a little more? That's the dilemma the 49ers face every week. Winning is simply not enough.

The expectation is that this team will be the 1989 Super Bowl team each week and that the opponent dare not put up a fight. Doesn't matter that this is a vastly different team, that the players are different, younger, more untested, probably less talented. Doesn't matter that this team's strength is its defense. Complete domination by the offense is the only accepted outcome. That's 49ers football, right? The announced crowd of 63,825 seemed to think so. When the 49ers ran on third-and-15 in the second quarter, the crowd started booing. The Rams were probably confused: "How come they're the ones getting booed, when our coach feels the need to apologize to the city of St. Louis every week for our performance?"

If this had been the 49ers' 1989 offense, the score might have been an NFL record for one-sidedness. It could have gone into triple digits. That's how lopsided the game was. But since this is 1997 the team won by only 20 points and the offense showed brilliance at times and confusion at others. The brilliance came early. Though there was concern about how the 49ers would react after a bye week, the two weeks of rest didn't seem to be an issue. The offense was as precise as the Blue Angels who flew over the stadium in the third quarter and snapped everyone out of their Rams-induced coma. The 49ers' first drive resulted in a touchdown. The second drive resulted in a touchdown. Young completed his first ten passes to seven different receivers. He completed his eleventh pass, as well. To an eighth receiver. Only it was McNeil in a Rams uniform.

And that was the end of the efficient 49ers offense. "That kind of took the wind out of our sails," 49ers Coach Steve Mariucci said. "It kind of took the crowd out of it. It wasn't until the Blue Angels flew over that we got the crowd back into the game." The turning point came in the series before the interception when Young was sacked three times. He blamed himself mostly, and conceded that it took the team out of its rhythm. "That was a bump in the road," Young said. "I'll take responsibility. I'm not sure we ever got back in (rhythm)."

The sight of Young being driven into the ground seemed to rattle the players and the coaching staff. After the sack attack, the 49ers became more conservative (for example, that unpopular run on third-and-15). They became less efficient, driving inside the Rams' 20-yard line four more times and coming away with just one more touchdown. Young had a couple more bonehead plays: that scramble for a 13-yard loss in the fourth quarter was, well, let's ask Mr. Honesty. "Stupid," Young said. But right now the 49ers will take their 20-point win, warts and all. They remember just how grim things were the last time they saw the Rams, when Rice was out and Young was questionable forever. "It looked bleak," Young said. "We had never played without Jerry Rice. We had to see what happens."

Rams Coach Dick Vermeil noticed the difference between the 49ers on Sunday and the 49ers who came to St. Louis in Week Two. "The last time, they didn't have The Guy," Vermeil said of Young. "They have a quarterback who throws (10 of 10). We don't even do that in practice." The 49ers have grown a lot in the last month. Terrell Owens has become a clutch receiver -- his last 15 receptions have been for first downs. J.J. Stokes is a valuable member of the cast, showing tenacity. Rookie Greg Clark had a touchdown. Garrison Hearst continues to prove his worth. "We nit-pick because we want greatness," Young said. "We were 30th in offense at the beginning of the season. We sense we're a top offense, and we'll get there. But we can't forget we're new." It's a pretty high standard the 49ers offense has to meet. The veterans expect it. The league expects it. The media and the fans expect it. "Grit" expects it. Of course, Young's mother Sherry was also at the game. He could probably count on Mom for a little sympathy, right? What did he expect her first words to be? "I thought you'd dress up," predicted Young, who was wearing jeans. Some guys just can't catch a break.

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