Former Titan kicks 49ers to win
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Joe Nedney kicked three field goals against his former Tennessee teammates, including the game-winning 24-yarder with 2:09 left in overtime, and the 49ers beat the Titans 16-13 Friday night in San Francisco’s first game since Herrion’s death.
Maurice Hicks atoned for a fumble late in regulation with 44 total yards on the 49ers’ winning 80-yard drive led by No. 1 draft pick Alex Smith — but the result meant even less than usual in the meaningless preseason.
Six days after Herrion collapsed in the locker room and died following a game in Denver, the Niners returned to the field in a fairly somber mood, judging by the pregame warmups. Candlestick Park was subdued before the game — partly because the stadium was only half full.
The Niners presented a video tribute to Herrion on the scoreboard, followed by a moment of silence. The team wore black, football-shaped decals bearing Herrion’s No. 72 on the backs of their helmets.
“It was intense,” right tackle Kwame Harris said. “We wanted to make sure that the events of last week were not forgotten, and that we are playing for Thomas.”
The entire offensive line and most of the 49ers’ coaches will attend Herrion’s funeral in Fort Worth, Texas, on Saturday.
Adam “Pacman” Jones muffed two punts and struggled at cornerback in his first NFL action for the Titans, who played fairly well on both sides of the ball but missed a chance to win it in regulation.
After Rob Bironas kicked a tying field goal for Tennessee with 1:47 to play in the fourth quarter, Hicks caught a pass and fumbled while being tackled by three Titans with 56 seconds left.
Billy Volek, who went 13-of-17 for 140 yards, drove Tennessee into scoring position. But Jay Taylor — signed by the Titans two days earlier to compete with Bironas — barely missed a 41-yard field goal as time expired.
Bironas made a 44-yard field goal in the second quarter — but Nedney, who was with the Titans from 2001-04, looked strong again for San Francisco. The Bay Area native missed all but one game of the last two seasons in Tennessee with leg injuries, but also hit regulation field goals from 39 and 23 yards.
Tim Rattay passed for 131 yards and Kevan Barlow rushed for an early score with the Niners’ first-team offense, which moved slightly better with Rattay in charge. The veteran reclaimed his starting job earlier in the week from Smith.
Smith, who struggled mightily in his first two NFL games, then fumbled on his first drive while getting dropped by Bo Schobel. The Titans scored on the next play, with Volek hitting Courtney Roby for a 45-yard score.
Steve McNair went 10-of-16 for 62 yards with an interception while playing the first half for Tennessee, and Chris Brown rushed for 72 yards on just 11 attempts.
McNair fumbled the snap early in the Titans’ second offensive series, and Marques Douglas recovered it. The Niners quickly drove 37 yards for a TD, with Barlow scoring from 10 yards out.
Jones, who ended his contentious holdout with Tennessee on Monday, had an eventful day as the Titans’ punt returner. He brought back a bouncing punt 17 yards in the second quarter — but the sixth overall pick muffed a kick late in the first half, setting up Nedney’s 39-yarder with 14 seconds left.
Jones then muffed the first punt of the third quarter, but recovered it himself. The Titans hope he’ll play well enough to earn a belated starting spot at cornerback, but the rookie was turned the wrong way when Arnaz Battle slipped in front of him for a 20-yard gain on Jones’ first series.