Notes on a Scorecard - Jan. 29, 1990

The only difference between a San Francisco 49er postseason game and a Mike Tyson heavyweight title fight is 3 1/2 hours. . . .

Clearly, Terry Bradshaw overrated John Elway. . . .

You have to wonder how the Rams were able to beat the 49ers and lose to them by only three points during the regular season. . . .

Both coaches stayed with their starting quarterbacks too long. There was no reason for George Seifert to send in Joe Montana again after the fumble that put the ball on the Denver one-yard line with San Francisco clinging to a 48-10 lead in the fourth quarter. And Dan Reeves should have put Elway out of his misery. . . .

Now maybe the San Francisco defense, which has allowed only three touchdowns in its six postseason games the last two years, will get its just due. The fourth touchdown was given up by the special teams on a kickoff return. . . .

Like the Lakers and Magic Johnson, the 49ers will be a power as long as 33-year-old Joe Montana performs at peak efficiency. . . .

Roger Craig avoids tackles the way his brother-in-law, Michael Nunn, avoids punches. . . .

No wonder they call it the Stupor Bowl. Fourteen of the 24 have been decided by at least 16 points. . . .

Look-alikes: Matt Millen and Jack (Hacksaw) Reynolds. . . .

Denver has been outscored, 54-0, in the second quarter in its four Super Bowl appearances. . . .

The Raiders goofed when they drafted tackle John Clay on the first round three years ago instead of Harris Barton, who is a mainstay of the 49er offensive line. . . .

Montana made more money for his diet soft-drink commercials Sunday than for the game. . . .

Give the CBS announcing duo of Pat Summerall and John Madden credit for not trying to make the game into something it wasn’t. As early as the opening minute of the second quarter, Madden said the Broncos were getting frustrated. . . .

The camera work was good too. No gimmicks. . . .

Wonder what Minnesota Viking Coach Jerry Burns thought about Dick Butkus’ glowing tribute to him during the pregame show. . . .

Mike Ditka’s predictions were as lousy as his coaching this season. . . .

Many of the players looked tense during the introductions, but coaches Seifert and Reeves were all smiles. . . .

I never did like the shovel pass. . . .

This was one game in which time of possession was meaningful. . . .

Put Bobby Humphrey on the 49ers and he would have had a great day. . . .

The Broncos could finish anywhere from first to fourth next season in the improving AFC West. . . .

Thumbs up to referee Dick Jorgensen and his staff for working a competent, controversy-free game. And not a single instant replay review. . . .

Is Jerry Rice still open? . . .

The only suspense was packed into Bud Bowl II. . . .

If you’re going to elect Jack Lambert and Franco Harris to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, you have to put Lynn Swann in there at the same time. . . .

The 49ers and those old Steeler teams would match up a lot better than Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers, who, by today’s standards, lacked speed and quickness. . . .

The NFL should play 18 regular-season games and only two exhibitions instead of spreading the 16-game season across 18 weeks, as it’s talking of doing. Of course, it won’t happen because the players would have to be paid more. . . .

What event draws bigger crowds on the average than the Rams in Anaheim Stadium? Motocross, which attracted 66,141 Saturday. . . .

Now the pro football focus switches to Al Davis, who has to make up his mind any day now about where the Raiders are going to play their home games next season.