49ers Really Give the Rams a Helping Hand : Lott Tipped Game-Turning Touchdown Pass Away From Hicks, Right to Ellard

Ronnie Lott and Dwight Hicks, defensive backs for the San Francisco 49ers, sat side by side in the loser’s locker room Monday night following a 27-20 loss to the Rams at Candlestick Park.

It was interesting that they should be so close again. Would Lott accidentally knock the adhesive tape out of Hicks’ hand while heading for the shower?

Sure, it’s cruel, but so was the play that put them in this spot. Because of one lousy and, yes, lucky tip play, Lott and Hicks were forced to sit there and answer questions about how the Rams did this and the Rams did that.

You know, deep inside, that Lott and Hicks wanted to scream to the world that the game was a fluke, that they should be in first place, not the Rams.

“It was one of those freaky things,” Hicks said. “It was just one of those freaky things.”

It was hard for Lott to describe the play because every time he did, he saw a 49er interception and not a Ram touchdown. Could we play that down over, please?

It was late in the fourth quarter, and the 49ers were leading by seven and everything was going just great. The newspapers up here were right about how the Rams were about to relinquish their choke-hold lead in the NFC West.

Henry Ellard is streaking down the right sideline, but it’s no problem. The 49ers have it covered. Hicks is sticking to Ellard like glue as the ball leaves the hand of Ram quarterback Dieter Brock.

Lott, the free safety, races over to see if Hicks needs any help. He doesn’t, but Lott offers a hand anyway. Hicks has the ball in his chest, but Lott tips it in the air inside the five-yard line.

As Hicks is falling, he can see the ball hanging in suspension. It’s like a bad dream because Hicks can’t reach up and grab it.

“I just saw it hanging there,” Hicks said, “I tried to knock it down, but I was too far down to hit it.”

Ellard reached out and snagged the ball and then backed untouched into the end zone for a touchdown. The 39-yard scoring play tied the game, 20-20, with 5:08 left, but more than that, it cut the heart right out of San Francisco.

Minutes later, Ram cornerback Gary Green grabbed another tipped pass off the hands of Carl Monroe and ran 41 yards for the winning touchdown.

But that wasn’t the one that Lott was thinking about as he stared straight into the locker room floor.

It was that tip play to Ellard that cost the 49ers the game. And Lott knew it. Everyone knew it.

“I knew I had the angle,” he said of the play. “I just came to the ball. I had a great break to it. I didn’t know that Dwight had that good a position.”

Yes, a tough night for the 49ers all around. Everyone up here had them convinced they were just going to plow through the Rams on their way to another Super Bowl.

If you read the newspapers up here this week, you’d know that the Rams had as much chance of winning this game as someone does trying to skinny-dip to shore from Alcatraz.

“San Francisco lost a tough game tonight for a number of reasons,” 49er Coach Bill Walsh said. “And unfortunately one of those reasons was the tipped TD pass.”

The 49ers, to their credit, handled the loss with dignity. Though they might have thought it, no one called the Rams lucky. No one cried about revenge or about what might happen to the Rams should the teams meet again.

San Francisco quarterback Joe Montana came the closest.

“The way we lost makes it even more depressing,” he said. “The kickoff return, the interception they ran back and that tipped touchdown pass. It’s tough to lose when all of those things happen in the same game.”

Just the way things have been going for the tough-luck 49ers (8-6) all season, right?

“No,” 49er tight end Russ Francis said. “One game does not make a season. Don’t tell me that one game epitomizes a season. It’s over with. The Rams played well. They’ll have a fun ride home tonight, and we’ll be wondering what happened.”

Lott and Hicks can tell you what happened. Just call it an inside tip.