Young Makes Passion Play

The 49ers have been overwhelmed by self-doubts, but the Saints arriving without banged-up Ricky Williams might be the cure-all.

“There’s got to be a passion for football,” 49er quarterback Steve Young said. “I’m not sure this team [has] the passion to play football, 49er style. We need to be able to do so every week, starting on Sunday. We didn’t play with the passion we needed to play with [at Jacksonville].”

Passion? If you can’t have passion for the season opener. . . . It’s not so much passion that the 49ers lack, but a running game to provide operating room for Young.

It has now been determined that last year’s Super Bowl appearance by Atlanta was officially a miracle. Any team relying on Chris Chandler has to figure it will be home golfing when the playoffs begin. Chandler has never avoided injury long enough to play a 16-game schedule and now, with a sore hamstring, is highly doubtful to start against Dallas on Monday night. The Falcons are 19-5 with Chandler, 4-7 without him the last two years. Tony Graziani takes over, if needed, and Dallas thanks the football gods for its good fortune.

When Mike Ditka traded almost everyone within arm’s reach in New Orleans for Williams, fortunately Lamar Smith escaped. After all, someone has to start in Williams’ place if Williams’ tender ankle doesn’t allow him to play.

“We’re going to have to deal with [the injury],” Ditka said. “He’s going to have to deal with it. Nobody wants to play more than him, believe me. As much as I want him to play, he wants to play more. And it’s not about [contract] incentives. It’s about honor.”