PRO FOOTBALL : Rams Notebook : A Homecoming of Sorts for 49ers’ Tyler : Running Back Gets Around Traffic Jam and Winds Up in End Zone

Former Ram and UCLA running back Wendell Tyler was back playing in front of his family, but that wasn’t the only reason he was feeling at home Sunday.

When he caught a 9-yard touchdown pass to put the 49ers up, 14-0, late in the first quarter, the Southern California life style came rushing back to mind.

“I was running a delay pattern and I was supposed to go inside Dwight (Clark), but it was all jammed up . . . like the Harbor Freeway at five o’clock,” he said. “But I managed to get over to the shoulder and slip along the side and get open.”

Tyler had little more than a half step on Johnson, but Montana delivered a perfect pass, inches beyond the reach of Johnson and right into Tyler’s outstretched hands.

The 49ers may be just 4-4 on the season, but they now own bragging rights to the Southland, having beaten the Raiders, 34-10, at the Coliseum a month ago.

“When you come to L.A., you have to perform, because there’s so many stars,” Tyler said. “All the conditions were right today . . . I even like the smog.”

Tyler, who went out early in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury, said it was sore, but he expects to be back next week.

Ram Coach John Robinson, who had spent much of the first half of the season defending his unbeaten team, was sounding even a bit more paranoid Sunday.

“If you catch the 49ers on one of these days, you really have your hands full . . . but we didn’t go into the tank,” he said. “This team deserves to be 7-1 and deserves to be three (games) ahead.

“I’m sure some people will try to negate that, though.”

The Rams, playing out of desperation all day, ran three fourth-down plays and succeeded twice when quarterback Dieter Brock passed 23 yards to Henry Ellard for a touchdown and sneaked a yard for a first down.

However, the sneak achieved little because on the next play Brock fumbled when sacked from behind by linebacker Mike Walter. The 49ers recovered at their 40-yard line.

San Francisco’s Fred Dean is one of the NFL’s premier pass rushers, but a nagging knee injury has slowed him this year and he came into Sunday’s game without a single sack on the season.

That changed just before halftime when Dean bowled over Brock for a 7-yard loss back to the Ram 14-yard line.

“I could have kissed the ground it was so sweet,” Dean said. “It’s been a long time.”

Dean, who also deflected two passes, said the 49ers were aware that Brock is only 6-feet tall and releases the ball from a semi-sidearm angle.

“We talked about coming at him with arms up,” he said.

Dean said the knee is still bothering him, but he wasn’t hurting after Sunday’s game.

“It feels so good to know I can still get to the quarterback,” he said, smiling. “Things are looking up.”

Brock knows the feeling. He was looking up into the eyes of Fred Dean all day.

The hit of the day may have been the one Ram rookie Jerry Gray laid on 49er punt returner Dana McLemore in the second quarter.

Dale Hatcher’s punt was low and short and McLemore tried to field it on the run. He met Gray one step after catching the ball, which popped out for Ed Brady to recover for the Rams.

Ron Brown got his first start at wide receiver because Bobby Duckworth was bothered by a hip pointer and caught his first pass of the season. He missed several games with pancreatitis after last summer’s arthroscopic knee surgery.

Duckworth also played, however, and caught 3 passes for 12 yards.

Several Rams had minor injuries that were not expected to keep them out of next Sunday’s game against New Orleans.

They included: offensive tackle Jackie Slater, ankle; offensive tackle Irv Pankey, shin; defensive end Reggie Doss, shoulder; wide receiver Mike Young, shoulder, and linebacker Mike Wilcher, thigh.