49ers Devastated by the Loss of Rice

One game into the NFL season, and the San Francisco 49ers, upset by Tampa Bay on Sunday, must now play on without Jerry Rice, the game’s leading pass catcher.

Rice, who has never missed a game in his 13-year career, underwent reconstructive knee surgery Monday and will be lost for the season.

Team physician Dr. Michael Dillingham performed a 2 1/2-hour surgery on Rice’s knee.

“The surgery was extensive. But we can expect Jerry to play football again,” Dillingham said. The 49ers, meanwhile, may not recover.

Quarterback Steve Young, while expected to return from yet another concussion to start against the Rams on Sunday in St. Louis, will be throwing the football to a bunch of guys who have yet to be issued hands.

San Francisco lost Rice in the second quarter of a 13-6 loss to the Buccaneers, and failed for the first time in 97 games to record a touchdown. Rice finished the game as the team’s leading receiver with four receptions, while J.J. Stokes, Terrell Owens and Iheanyi Uwaezuoke combined for three.

The only pass thrown in the direction of Stokes bounced off his chest and was intercepted.

“It’s going to test our mettle,” Young said.

Rice, running a reverse, had been dragged down by the facemask by Tampa Bay defender Warren Sapp, and tore the anterior cruciate and medical collateral ligaments in his left knee.

“We had never seen Jerry Rice stay down before,” said Steve Mariucci, the 49ers’ new young coach. “There will never be another Jerry Rice, but we have to move on.”

Rice, who will be 35 in October, is the NFL’s all-time leader in touchdowns, receptions and receiving yardage and has prepared himself each season as a potential target with a rigorous conditioning program.

Said San Francisco tight end Brent Jones, “In professional football, to be a marked man for all those years, guys making late hits on him and [to] be able to do what he has done, yeah there’s a side of me that thought Jerry Rice was just never going to get hurt.”

Rice and Young, one of the most explosive scoring duos in NFL history, combined for 74 touchdowns, striking fear into defenses across the league and making the 49ers a perennial Super Bowl contender.

But now Rice is sidelined and Young, who will turn 36 in October is taking a beating. The Buccaneers sacked him seven times, and Jeff Brohm had to replace him briefly. But Brohm cracked a bone near the base of the middle finger on his passing hand and chipped a bone in his lower back and his status is uncertain for Sunday’s game. Rookie Jim Druckenmiller is the No. 3 quarterback.

San Francisco, while creative in employing the salary cap, has spent to the limit with the recent acquisition of linebacker Kevin Greene, who broke his toe in his 49er debut. The 49ers will have to regroup, and more than likely rely more on Garrison Hearst to run the ball and Terry Kirby to catch the ball out of the backfield.

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Rice at a Glance (Southland Edition)

* 1,054 receptions

* Has caught a pass in 176 consecutive games, seven games short of Art Monk’s NFL record.

* Since beginning the streak, Rice has established 21 team records and 26 NFL records, including 11 Super Bowl records.

* Needs 313 receiving yards for 16,727 in his career, surpassing in total yardage former Chicago running back Walter Payton’s all-time rushing record of 16,726. The last time the NFL’s all-time receiving leader had more yards than the all-time rushing leader was in 1962.

* Rice and Steve Young need to connect on six touchdown passes to become the all-time duo, surpassing the Dolphins’ Dan Marino and Mark Clayton (79).

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* SAY CHEESE

Green Bay used two Brett Favre touchdown passes to defeat Chicago, 38-24. C5

* WEEK 1 REWIND

If Coach Steve Mariucci couldn’t beat Navy, why did anyone expect him to beat Tampa Bay? C5

DAILY REPORT: C5