Bye Week Time to Ponder How West Will Be Won

The NFC West at the bye week--what we’ve learned so far:

That the San Francisco 49ers are finally Steve Young’s team, his and his alone, and no longer simply on loan to the understudy until the master returns from sabbatical. At this point, the master looks as if he’s never coming back. And at this point, why would the 49ers need him? Young has quarterbacked San Francisco to the second-best record in the league--6-1, behind only 6-0 Miami. He has driven the 49ers to the most points in the league--216, or 48 more than Miami. He currently leads the league in passing--for the second year in a row. Question for George Seifert, if and when Joe Montana returns: How do you go about benching the 1992 National Football League MVP?

That Montana could have never rallied the 49ers against the Rams the way Born-To-Run Young did. But then, who, other than maybe Fran Tarkenton, could have?

That Montana would have never rallied the 49ers against the Rams because he never would have trailed these Rams by seven points in the fourth quarter.

That the Steve Bono for Starting Quarterback campaign has boarded up the home office.

That Jim Everett, more than ever, remains the weather barometer in Anaheim. When he shines, all is sunny for the Rams. When he’s overcast, the Rams go running for the hurricane shelter.

That Everett, more than ever, is a quarterback who relates to events on the field, rather than one who dictates them. It is no coincidence that Everett’s two best games this season, against the 49ers and the New York Giants, were the same ones in which Cleveland Gary rushed for 100 yards. Just as it is no coincidence that Everett’s two best seasons as an NFL quarterback, 1988 and 1989, were the same ones in which Greg Bell rushed for 1,000 yards. Give Everett the time and the ground support, and he can play “winning quarterback,” to borrow John Robinson’s term, in this league. Don’t ask him, however, to go it alone.

That these New Orleans Saints would really be something with Archie Manning at quarterback.

Or Billy Kilmer.

That the Saints will never be more than road-to-the-Super-Bowl fodder for San Francisco or Washington or Dallas until Jim Mora seeks professional help about this problem he has with the forward pass on first and second downs.

That Jerry Glanville, if he hasn’t worn out his welcome in Atlanta, has at least had the mat pulled from the front porch.

That Elvis really is alive but keeps ignoring the tickets Glanville leaves for him because he doesn’t have to see a bad football team to know one.

That Deion Sanders is an interesting kick-return man, an unreliable presence at cornerback and the fourth-best outfielder on the Atlanta Braves roster. Why the fuss?

That the main difference between the 49ers of ’91 and ’92 is Ricky Watters.

That the main difference between the Seattle Seahawks of ’91 and ’92 is Chuck Knox.

Followed closely by Dave Krieg.

That the Rams are three victories better than I thought they would be at this point.

That the Rams still haven’t beaten anyone with better than a 2-4 record.

That the Rams have beaten three teams with starting quarterbacks named Millen, Nagle and Hostetler--and none with starting quarterbacks named Kelly, Marino and Young.

That Sports Illustrated’s Paul Zimmerman is spending far too much time alone with a film projector in a dark room. Zimmerman recently named his all-time NFL “Dream Team” and his two wide receivers were Don Hutson and Lance Alworth. Either Zimmerman blacked out on Jerry Rice or this dream team has a serious sleeping disorder.

That Zimmerman must have gotten some bad clam chowder in San Francisco once. Ronnie Lott didn’t make the cut, either.

That Pro Football Weekly’s “Power Ratings” poll needs new batteries. After beating the Giants by 21 points last week, the Rams slipped from No. 14 in the league to No. 17. Who’s No. 16? The Giants.

That Knox would have the running game of his wildest fantasies if he could run against his own defense.

That Knox and Mora, in the same stadium or dome at the same time, are horrible influences on one another.

That Atlanta’s starting running backs are named Keith Jones and Tony Smith. I know this now because I looked it up.

That ex-Packer Don Bracken, the punter who came in from the cold, has been the most pleasant constant for the Rams so far.

That Atlanta has three receivers with more catches than anybody on the Rams--and once Michael Haynes gets warmed up, it’ll be four.

That Vaughn Dunbar will mean more to the Saints than Jubilee ever did.

That New Orleans linebacker/holy terror Rickey Jackson deserves a Super Bowl before he’s through. Time might be running out, though. Jackson is 34 and Bobby Hebert is still starting at quarterback.

That Jeff Fisher could have landed worse jobs than secondary coach for the 49ers.

That Cleveland Gary is on a 1,100-yard pace and that the term “1,000-yard back” has attained the same new status as the U.S. dollar has overseas.

That San Francisco will win the NFC West going away and play either Dallas or Philadelphia in the conference title game.

That New Orleans will get a wild card and lose in the first round.

That the Rams will finish 7-9 or 8-8 and young couples in Orange County will begin naming their first-born sons “Chuck.”

Daughters, too.