49ers notebook: Willis owns 49ers mark for longest interception return by a linebacker
JENNINGS' SHOULDER TO BE EVALUATED TODAY
By Daniel Brown
Mercury News
Article Launched: 09/14/2008 09:47:51 PM PDT


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Sep 14:
49ers win a wild one in SeattlePurdy: O'Sullivan passes audition with gustoSEATTLE â€" Patrick Willis got credit for an interception Sunday, but it looked more like a punt return.

The ball fell from the heavens into his arms.

And the 86-yard chase began.

Willis raced around the field looking like a cheetah being pursued by dinosaurs. He blew past lumbering Seattle Seahawks guard Mike Wahle (304 pounds), center Chris Spencer (312 pounds) and tackle Ray Willis (315).

The last man Willis had to beat was fullback Leonard Weaver, who made a desperate dive inside the 10 to no avail.

The only man capable of making the tackle had the ball.

"He looked like a Pop Warner running back," marveled receiver Bryant Johnson.

"I bet he ran about 120 yards to get those 86," Coach Mike Nolan said.

"The only thing I had in my mind was to hold the ball high and tight and run until somebody brought me down," Willis said.

It was by far the longest-ever interception return for a 49ers linebacker. The previous longest was 56 yards, also for a touchdown, by John Johnson in 1982.

Willis, listed at 240 pounds, said he couldn't remember scoring a touchdown since high school. He had just one interception at Mississippi â€" and it didn't come until his senior year.

This one came because cornerback Walt Harris deflected a pass intended for Billy McMullen. The ball popped high in the air and into Willis' waiting arms.

"I thank my teammates for blocking for me downfield," he said. "That


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is one of the things we work on in practice: When someone gets the ball, go block for them."

n"‰Right tackle Jonas Jennings walked out of the locker room with his arm in a sling after suffering a shoulder injury.

There was no official word about his status, but Jennings did not return to the game after halftime. It is the latest setback for a player who has missed 27 games since signing with San Francisco in 2005.

Jennings will be evaluated today, as will safety Dashon Goldson (knee) and cornerback Shawntae Spencer (knee). Willis suffered a leg injury during the third quarter but promptly returned.

n"‰The 49ers might look to collect on insurance policy in the wake of Alex Smith's shoulder injury. The policy, standard for high draft picks, technically expired after Smith's third season. The 49ers will have to make the case that Smith's broken shoulder can actually be traced back to an original injury suffered last Sept. 30 when the Seahawks' Rocky Bernard buried him on a sack.

It could be a tough sell. Smith passed a physical over the summer and played in all four preseason games.

n"‰The 49ers passed up a chance to get Joe Nedney a few yards closer at the end of regulation. It was only second-and-one with more than 20 seconds left. Instead, Nolan let the clock wind down and called a timeout. Nedney missed from 41 yards.

Referring to difficulty in communicating through the crowd noise, Nolan said, "I didn't want to press that issue and force something when we were within Joe's range."

n"‰In five previous games against the Seahawks, running back Frank Gore had 512 yards. That's the most by any NFL back against Seattle during that span.

This time, though, Gore managed just 61 yards on 19 carries.

"We stopped the run," Seattle linebacker Leroy Hill said. "But it opened up some things for J.T. O'Sullivan."

n"‰The 49ers list of inactive players included three members of their draft class: guard Chilo Rachal (second round), center Cody Wallace (fourth round) and cornerback Reggie Smith (third round).

Other players inactive were cornerback Marcus Hudson, cornerback Donald Strickland, linebacker Ahmad Brooks and linebacker Tully Banta-Cain.

n"‰Late in the first half, the 49ers benefited from one of the new rule changes. Bill McMullen jumped to catch a ball at the 49ers' 17, but cornerback Nate Clements popped him out of bounds before the receiver could put both feet down. The NFL eliminated the force-out rule before this season.

• http://www.mercurynews.com/sportsheadlines/ci_10465560?nclick_check=1

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