Young makes definitive statement
Sep. 15, 1998 by Lowell Cohn,Press Democrat Columnist

RALJON, Md. -- A few weeks ago, a former teammate of Steve Young's said to me, "I don't understand why Steve is still playing. He could get injured. Can you explain to me why he just doesn't retire?"
Based on what happened Monday night against the Redskins, the answer is obvious. Young continues to play because he still loves football. It's more than that. Young plays football because he's great at it.
The Niners 45-10 victory over Washington belonged to Young. It was a masterpiece, a performance so complete and dominating you can't imagine any other quarterback doing better -- and that includes a guy named Montana.
In the first half alone, Young threw for two touchdowns, the passes absolutely precise, the ball hovering in the moist night air as the receivers ran under it.
Young dashed for another TD in the first half, and that was a monument of brains and guts. There was Young standing at the three-yard line, Young spotting an opening right up the middle, Young smacking center Chris Dalman on the behind to indicate a change in plans, Young's eyes wild with desire, Young finally sneaking straight ahead for the score.
"It was just me and the center," Young said later. "The linemen were going, "What happened?' I put Jerry (Rice) in motion. He was, "What's going on?'"
And then in the third quarter, as if Young's game needed a exclamation point, he led the Niners downfield so easily it seemed unfair. The Redskins radio announcers, Sonny Jurgensen and Sam Huff, were waxing poetic over Young's game management, and calling him a sure Hall of Famer.
He hit Irv Smith with a pass for 17 yards, and he hit J.J. Stokes for 16, and he threw a two-yard touchdown pass to Marc Edwards. Just like that. The ball was an extension of Young's arm, and he was so confident, so locked into the world of throw-and-catch, that he could put that ball anywhere he wanted, give or take an inch.
It's true that in the fourth quarter he failed to get a TD on third-and-four, but that just showed he's human. And there was the time he ran for 20 yards, but instead of leaping out of bounds, he took a hit to the chest from Cris Dishman. Even now, Young still needs to learn prudence. "In retrospect, I thought I put a move on," he said. "I didn't even come close to making a move. I felt really stupid."
Maybe that's why Steve Mariucci replaced him with about 10 minutes to go, and the game in the bag. The coach was saving the quarterback from himself.
Afterward, offensive-line coach Bobb McKittrick, the wisest old soul on the Niners, talked about Young. "He stood in there, right in there and found the open guy," McKittrick said. This idea of standing in was important to McKittrick because he kept coming back to it.
"Two and three years ago, he kind of ran for his life," McKittrick explained. "And sometimes, he ran for his life when he didn't have to. He didn't stand in there and look like the best quarterback in the NFL, and he has looked like the best quarterback in the NFL the last game and a half."
Cut to Young, who was getting dressed at his locker, a bruise over his kidney, where he'd been blasted. Someone mentioned to Young the concept of standing in. Young was not pleased. "I'm not sure what that means," he said, frowning. "If it means I like moving around, then I don't agree it was a problem. I make a lot of plays moving. It's a double-edged sword."
True, but in the past, Young did not stand in. He'd take off too quickly, ignoring open receivers, confusing his own linemen and making them look ridiculous. He's more in control now, whether or not he admits it.
But there was more to his game Monday night than merely standing in. He sent a defiant, inspired, passionate message to the nation. If he cared to verbalize it, the message would go something like this: "I am not an old fragile quarterback. So don't preach to me about safety. And don't waste your time wringing your hands with the least concern about my well-being. I will play into my 40s if I feel like it. I am a quarterback."
This was Steve's game.

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