49ers’ Cortez on Solid Footing

They are separated by the San Francisco Bay, the color of their uniforms and little else. These days, Jose Cortez and Sebastian Janikowski are leading parallel lives.

It seems that way, at least, with 49er Cortez leading the league in scoring (31 points) and Janikowski right behind (30) for the Raiders. Both players were weaned on soccer, came to the United States in their early teens, and didn’t play football until their last years of high school. Janikowski was the AFC’s special-teams player of the month in September; Cortez has made nine of nine field goals, including four in a victory Monday against the New York Jets.

You are probably familiar with Janikowski’s story, how he emigrated from Poland, earned a scholarship to Florida State, ran afoul of the law several times and wound up a first-round pick of the Raiders. The odyssey of Cortez is lesser known and, in many ways, more inspiring.

At 15, he escaped El Salvador, which was in the throes of civil war. Along with his mother and younger sister, he traveled north through Guatemala and Mexico, riding in cars and buses, sometimes huddling in cargo compartments. It took three weeks to reach the border at San Diego, where they had to dodge cars while sprinting across the freeway.

“We just wanted a better future for me and my family,” said Cortez, whose father and older sister were already living in Van Nuys. “That’s the reason my dad brought us here.”

The family settled in the San Fernando Valley, and Cortez enrolled at Van Nuys High. Although he didn’t play football until his senior year, he was talented enough as a kicker to continue his career at Valley College and Oregon State.

By then, he was chasing a dream. He played in NFL Europe, had a one-week stint with the New York Giants and was the 304th player selected in the XFL draft. He spent the league’s lone season with the Los Angeles Xtreme. That was enough to catch the eye of the 49ers and Coach Steve Mariucci, who joked Cortez should have gone by “He Kick Straight.”

Unlike Janikowski, who became an instant millionaire when he signed, Cortez took a circuitous path to success--something he now savors.

“For me, I came up the hard way,” he said. “It just makes me appreciate everything I have, all my accomplishments.”

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Not only does Ahman Green lead the league in rushing, he’s a defender of the free world. Or so his Batman tattoo might suggest.

“I got it basically because of the outlook of Batman,” said Green, who has 326 yards in 61 carries. “He’s a superhero, [but] when you break it down he’s really not a superhero in that he has human strength. He’s a guy that’s going off pure revenge. He works hard at karate, judo, jujitsu, all kinds of things that increase strength to help him defend the city of Gotham.”

So, have you talked Dorsey Levens into getting a Robin tattoo?

“No,” he said. “He’s a grown man.”

One out of two ain’t bad.

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In the past two weeks, the Raiders have lost two key players for the season: center Barret Robbins (knee) and defensive end Trace Armstrong (torn Achilles). Oakland had not lost a significant player to injury since Nov. 1998, when cornerback Eric Allen suffered torn knee ligaments in a Week 10 game against Seattle. A bit of welcome news for the Raiders: Defensive tackle Darrell Russell returns next week from his four-game suspension.

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Forget about Randy Moss and Cris Carter, Minnesota’s most valuable receiver through three games has been tight end Byron Chamberlain. He leads the team in receptions (16) and receiving yards (221). Most of those catches, Chamberlain said, were made after he broke routes and found creative ways to get open. He learned that in Denver, playing with John Elway and Brian Griese.

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Andy Warhol coined the term “15 minutes of fame,” but he never mentioned 15 minutes of shame. That’s what the Cowboys endured in the second quarter of their 40-18 loss to Philadelphia. They lost four fumbles, had a punt blocked and were outscored, 26-0. It was the worst quarter in franchise history, eclipsing 24-point quarters against the Baltimore Colts in 1960 and the New York Giants in 1962.

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Giant rookie Rodney Williams has emerged as one of the league’s best punters. He leads the NFL with a net average of 43.5 yards and is second in gross average (49.4). He also boomed a 90-yarder against Denver, the longest in Giant history. Incidentally, he’s only the third black punter in NFL history, the others being Greg Coleman (Minnesota) and Reggie Roby (Miami).

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Tampa Bay’s Keyshawn Johnson figures he’s the best receiver in football, much better than that skinny guy up in Minnesota. “Of course people are going to throw Moss in my face,” Johnson said. “Moss, Moss, Moss.”

Funny, he sounds a bit like Jan Brady.

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For one game, at least, Minnesota’s offense did a U-turn. The Vikings didn’t have a drive longer than nine plays in their first two games--both losses--but they had four scoring drives against Tampa Bay that averaged 13 plays.... When Detroit plays host to St. Louis on Monday, Ty Detmer and Kurt Warner will handle the quarterback duties. They were once teammates. Warner was in training camp with Green Bay in 1994, but was released because the Packers already had three capable quarterbacks: Brett Favre, Mark Brunell and Detmer.... When Cincinnati lost at San Diego, it was the franchise-record 34th consecutive time the Bengals have lost on the road to an opponent with a winning record.... With the Colts’ loss at New England, quarterback Peyton Manning dropped to 0-4 at Foxboro Stadium. And he will never play there again. After the season, the place will be leveled and transformed into a parking lot for the Patriots’ new stadium. Besides, with realignment, the Colts will move out of the AFC East and into the AFC South.