49ers Are Halfway to a Great Year

It is an Oriental custom to contemplate the year of the lizard, or perhaps the year of the horse, but in the NFL, this has been the half-year of the 49er.

The league is approaching the midpoint of a season in which the San Francisco 49ers have resumed a 1980s custom of domination.

Led by their remarkable running-passing quarterback, Steve Young, a 31-year-old left-hander who has made the city almost forget Joe Montana, the 49ers are averaging 31 points a game.

They are the only NFL team with more than 200 points in a season when only seven other pro clubs have surpassed 150. Five have yet to score more than 99.

The individual stars of the league’s 73rd season have been Young and Jerry Rice of the 49rs, Emmitt Smith and Charles Haley of the Dallas Cowboys, Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins, Cortez Kennedy of the Seattle Seahawks and Wilber Marshall of the Washington Redskins, among others, but there haven’t been that many exceptional teams.

Only the Dallas Cowboys have shown the power and consistency to stand up to the 49ers. And if the season continues as it began, Dallas and San Francisco will be the opponents in the real Super Bowl game on Sunday, Jan. 17, the day of the NFC championship.

Two weeks later, the AFC champion seems destined to lose for the ninth consecutive time in the Super Bowl, which will be played at the Rose Bowl.

Unaccountably, the AFC seems weaker than ever. Its six best teams--Miami, Houston, Buffalo, Kansas City, Pittsburgh and Denver--have clearly performed less effectively than the NFC’s six best: San Francisco, Dallas, Washington, Philadelphia, Minnesota and New Orleans.

Perhaps only Houston could give the NFC champion a fight in the Super Bowl, and the question again this season--as it was last season--is whether Houston can even get there.

Buffalo, which had to go all out to beat the 1-6 New York Jets on Monday night, has regressed since out-pointing San Francisco in the second week, 34-31.

“I’m disappointed with the way we played that day,” 49er Coach George Seifert said.

Pass defense remains a San Francisco weakness.

“If you can exploit it,” said former Ram Coach John Robinson.

The trouble for opponents trying to do that is, Young keeps exploiting them.

The NFL’s early leaders:

Team of the half-year: 49ers.

Player of the half-year: Young.

Runner of the half-year: Ricky Watters, 49ers. The Watters threat has made Young a commanding passer.

Ablest running back: Smith of Dallas.

Coach of the half-year: Seifert.

Coach of the half-year until last Sunday: Dennis Green, Minnesota. In the final seconds against Washington, Green failed to remind his special-teams coach to kick the kickoff away. On his own, Minnesota’s soccer-style kicker decided to squib it. When the ball went out of bounds, the Redskins were on their 35-yard line, just far enough along, in the time that was left, to set up a short field-goal drive and kick one 49 yards for the 15-13 victory.

Depth report: Don’t look for San Francisco or Dallas to fold if they lose Young or Troy Aikman. There are starting-type quarterbacks on both benches, Steve Bono at San Francisco and Steve Beuerlein at Dallas.

Depth report II: The Redskins’ strength is still their offensive line, even with most of it lost to injury.

Optimists of the half-year: Coaches Jimmy Johnson of Dallas and Marty Schottenheimer of Kansas City. Said Johnson: “I think we have a Super Bowl team.” Schottenheimer: “I think we can go all the way.” The Cowboys (6-1) could. It will be harder for the Chiefs (4-4).

Offensive coordinator of the half-year: Mike Shanahan, 49ers.

Defensive coaches of the half-year: Rich Kotite and Bud Carson, Philadelphia.

Defensive coach of the era: Richie Petitbon, Washington.

Receiver of the half-century: Rice, the game’s only active, authentic, all-time all-pro.

Receiver of the half-year: Keith Jackson, Miami. A player with the moves of a wide receiver and the size of a tight end, Jackson, 6 feet 2 and 250 pounds, changed the NFL’s balance of power in one day when he left Philadelphia for Miami. Jackson’s transfer, as a free agent, ruptured Philadelphia’s offense and made Miami’s.

Labor leader of the half-year: Gene Upshaw.

Tantrum of the half-year: Mike Ditka’s.

Bust of the half-year: AFC.

Parity progress report: It’s gone. Eight of the NFL’s 28 teams have won two or fewer games. Twelve, including the Rams and Raiders, have won three or fewer.

Defensive player of the half-year: Haley, Dallas. When the 49ers unexpectedly gave away Haley in the week of their last exhibition game, the Cowboys suddenly had a Super Bowl-type defense, just what they needed to complement their Super Bowl-type offense with Aikman and Smith.

Other defensive standouts: Lineman Kennedy has been as dominating on his side of the ball for Seattle as Young has been on his for San Francisco. Lineman Chris Doleman has steadied Minnesota. There are four extraordinary linebackers: Marshall of Washington; John Offerdahl of Miami and Rickey Jackson and Pat Swilling of New Orleans.

Rookie of the half-year: Santana Dotson, Tampa Bay. Runner-up: Mark Wheeler, Tampa Bay. In the Buccaneer defensive line, Dotson, a fifth-round choice from Baylor, and Wheeler, a third-round choice from Texas A&M;, play side by side. Most of the league’s first-round choices this year have been conspicuously unsuccessful.

Probable champions (NFC divisions): San Francisco (West), Minnesota (Central) and Dallas (East).

Next best (probable wild cards): Washington, Philadelphia and New Orleans.

Probable champions (AFC divisions): Denver (West), Houston (Central) and Miami (East).

Next best (probable wild cards): Buffalo, Pittsburgh and Kansas City.