TIMES NFL WRITER T.J. SIMERS POSES--AND ANSWERS--THE BURNING QUESTIONS ON : GAME DAY

Question: How come 49er Coach Steve Mariucci is all wet?

Answer: Literally all wet. Several of the 49ers, happy with Mariucci’s decision to give them three days off during their bye week, interrupted an interview he was doing and carried him to a swimming pool.

“We gave him the option of either going without pads [in practice] or going in the pool,” linebacker Gary Plummer said. “To his credit, he wanted [us] to go in pads, so he went in the pool.”

Mariucci, 41, is only four years older than Plummer, and obviously has a different style when it comes to relating to players than those used by George Seifert and Bill Walsh.

By the way, Mariucci, dripping wet, went back and offered to finish his interview.

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Q: What’s going on with Arizona Cardinal owner Bill Bidwill’s push to get a new stadium?

A: Relax. Even if he wanted to move to Los Angeles, he knows better than to try it. The Cardinals figured they were well on their way to getting a new stadium, but last week three suburban Phoenix cities passed on a proposed multipurpose stadium, saying they liked the concept but wanted more details about private investment before forming a stadium district.

That decision will keep East Valley residents from voting on a quarter-cent sales tax for the stadium complex next year, as the East Valley Partnership had envisioned. The partnership had proposed a National Sports Center, a stadium/arena that would be home for the Cardinals, the NHL’s Phoenix Coyotes and major conventions and would bring in a projected $650 million annually in gross revenues.

One problem: Why would anyone pay to watch the Cardinals?

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Q: You will never guess, but what team leads the NFL in sacks?

A: New Orleans. The Saints have 24, which is weird, because they are playing teams that are usually ahead and trying to run out the clock.

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Q: It would seem an obvious answer, but a Detroit newspaper asked Barry Sanders’ father who the best back in NFL history might be. His answer?

A: Jim Brown, said William Sanders.

“Let me tell you this here,” the elder Sanders said. “O.J. Simpson, Tony Dorsett, Franco Harris, Eric Dickerson, the kid from Dallas--Emmitt Smith--they’re only imitations of Jim Brown. Even Barry. Even Walter Payton. Those guys are only replicas of what Jim Brown was.”

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Q: Steve Broussard has had two big weeks for the Seahawks and he stands 5 feet 7. Is he the smallest running back in the game?

A: Yes and no. He shares that distinction with four others: Eric Bienemy, Cincinnati; Troy Davis, New Orleans; Dave Meggett, New England, and Winslow Oliver, Carolina.