PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : NFC : No Butts About It, 49ers Cut Former Charger Star

Running back Marion Butts and veteran defensive end Burt Grossman were among seven players cut by the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday as NFL teams trimmed their rosters to the 53-man limit.

Butts, 29, a six-year veteran who rushed for 1,225 yards with San Diego in 1990, had a poor exhibition season with the 49ers, gaining only 28 yards in 13 carries.

Grossman, 28, had hoped to make a mark as a pass rusher with San Francisco, but saw limited duty in the exhibition season and was chastised for lack of intensity.

Other 49er cuts included veteran linebacker Darin Jordan, rookie linebacker Antonio Armstrong, fourth-year guard Theo Adams and sixth-year tight end Tim Jorden.

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The St. Louis Rams cut quarterback Tommy Maddox, but are leaving a roster spot empty in hopes of re-signing him to a long-term deal with a base salary lower than his current $600,000.

The Rams also cut veteran defensive back Anthony Newman, who lost his starting free safety job to Keith Lyle in the exhibition season. Newman, who started 46 of 48 games the last three seasons with the Rams and also played for new Coach Rich Brooks at Oregon, was reportedly cut because of salary cap considerations.

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Wide receiver Nate Lewis, running back Lincoln Coleman and defensive end Dunstan Anderson were among the players cut by the Atlanta Falcons, but rookie quarterback Perry Klein made the 53-man roster. Klein, who suffered a sprained ankle against Buffalo Friday night, is one of four quarterbacks still on the roster. The others are starter Jeff George and backups Bobby Hebert and Browning Nagle.

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers cut third-string quarterback Todd Philcox. . . . Dallas owner Jerry Jones said third-year outside linebacker Darrin Smith had reached an impasse in contract negotiations with the club and won’t play in the team’s opener against the New York Giants on Sept. 4.