Advertisement

PRO FOOTBALL: 49ERS 34, RAMS 19 : RAM NOTEBOOK / CHRIS FOSTER AND MIKE REILLEY : Media Circus Comes to Town to Hang Onto Sanders’ Every Word, Deed

Share via

Hey everybody, it’s Deion Sanders.

After weeks of touring the country and inspecting football teams, Sanders signed with the San Francisco 49ers last week.

Reporters jammed the walkway outside the 49ers’ locker room after their 34-19 victory over the Rams Sunday at Anaheim Stadium. Then the announcement came.

“Deion will speak in 40-45 minutes.”

A groan from reporters, some of who had come here just to record Sanders’ every movement and word.

Advertisement

The movements were few. The words plenty.

Sanders was limited mostly to passing situations. He tipped two passes and was also called for pass interference.

The Atlanta Constitution sent a reporter to chronicle Sanders’ first game with the 49ers. CNN was there, asking everybody . . . about Sanders.

Steve Young, you threw for 355 yards and two touchdowns, but how do you rate Deion as a defensive back?

Advertisement

“I’ve never seen anyone faster than him,” Young said. “I think he gets bored and let’s someone beat him, then catches up and intercepts the ball for fun. I’ve seen him do it to me.”

Jerry Rice, you caught 11 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown, but are you glad you don’t have to go up against Deion anymore?

“Yes,” Rice said.

Finally, it was time for Deion to speak.

“I hope to do what I’m capable of doing, what God blessed me to do,” Sanders told the throng in his own, personal press conference. “I want to play good defensive back and take the other team’s main guy out of the game.”

Advertisement

But even Sanders saw how ridiculous the situation had become.

“I can’t wait for the season to move along so I don’t have to deal with this type of stuff,” Sanders said. “It’s not ‘Deion Sanders.’ It’s ‘The San Francisco 49ers won today.’ ”

*

Baseball may be gone, but it wasn’t forgotten at Anaheim Stadium. The Rams were playing and the Angels aren’t coming back, but still the infield dirt lingers.

The dirt will be covered with sod today. Greg Smith, the stadium’s general manager, said the grass needs two weeks to take hold. They hadn’t had time to do the job because the baseball season wasn’t officially called off until last week.

Still, San Francisco’s Candlestick Park had its infield covered before the 49ers’ season opener. Officials there obviously anticipated the inevitable.

Anaheim Stadium’s turf will be in place in time for the Rams’ next home game, Oct. 2 against the Atlanta Falcons.

*

Ram tight end Troy Drayton, a second-year pro from Penn State, had not caught a pass in the first two games of the season and complained last week that he wasn’t part of the offensive game plan.

Advertisement

But Drayton was smiling Sunday after catching three passes for 30 yards, including a four-yard touchdown pass from Chris Miller in the first quarter.

“I think I’ve made my point,” Drayton said. “But I don’t want it to be something that’s on for one week, then off for three weeks, then back on for one week. I want it to be consistent.”

*

Ram quarterback Miller and San Francisco quarterback Steve Young completed all of their passes in the first quarter.

Young completed seven of seven passes for 100 yards and a touchdown, and Miller completed all four of his passes for 38 yards and one touchdown.

Advertisement