Posted: Wed December 24, 1997
GARRISON HEARST: FITTING THE BILL
The 49ers' signing of Hearst to a two-year, incentive-laden
deal, one that ultimately figures to pay him more than $3
million, was indisputably one of the best moves of the
off-season. The only question is, Who got the better of the deal?
San Francisco desperately needed Hearst, its first rushing
threat since Watters jumped to the Philadelphia Eagles as a
restricted free agent following the '94 season. But whereas
Watters was reviled for his selfishness—a 49ers teammate once
altered a team photo by gluing cutouts of Watters's face over
those of everyone pictured—Hearst is a locker room favorite,
whom one coach calls "the anti-Watters." Hearst "has made a
huge difference," says offensive line assistant Bobb McKittrick.
"People can't play us the way Green Bay did the last two years,
using various types of the nickel defense for 60 to 70 percent
of the game."
Having spent his first four seasons playing for two of the worst
organizations in the NFL, the Arizona Cardinals and the
Cincinnati Bengals, Hearst is as excited to be with the Niners
as they are to have him. He laughs when asked to compare San
Francisco owner Eddie DeBartolo with Arizona counterpart Bill
Bidwill. "When I first got here, Mr. DeBartolo introduced
himself, and he knew everything about me," Hearst says. "The
only time you'd see Bidwill was when it was time to eat—then
he'd appear out of nowhere. I don't even think he likes football
players. You'd see him coming down the hall, and he'd do
everything he could to avoid you."
The third pick in the '93 draft, Hearst severely sprained the
medial collateral ligament in his left knee during his rookie
season and had surgery. He ran for 1,070 yards in '95, but he
mostly struggled while playing for the Cardinals, who cut him
for salary-cap reasons before the '96 season. "That organization
was the worst," he says. "Guys hated coming to work. One time
two players got into a fistfight in our locker room a couple of
hours before the game."
In his first season with San Francisco, Hearst rushed for 1,019
yards, despite missing the last three games with a broken left
clavicle. Now the 49ers might have to win at least one playoff
game without him. Hearst, who turns 27 on Jan. 4, might not be
available until the NFC Championship Game, if San Francisco gets
that far. Without him the Niners must rely on Terry Kirby, an
effective receiver who lacks Hearst's explosiveness at the line.
"We have to have the running game to go where we want to go,"
says Kirk Scrafford, the Niners' right tackle. "Garrison's the
key to that."
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The 49ers' Ground Game
Philosophy: Keep Steve Young healthy by going to the run more.
First-year coach Steve Mariucci wanted to balance the attack,
and by relying more on the run he also instilled a toughness in
the offense and took pressure off Young. But after halfback
Garrison Hearst was sidelined with a broken clavicle on
Nov. 30 (he may miss at least the Niners' playoff opener),
Mariucci restored the aerial attack to prominence. "At this
point," he says, "we'll do what we've got to do."
Leading the Way: Bucking team tradition, the 49ers have turned
from finesse guards to beefy ones, Ray Brown (305 pounds) and
Kevin Gogan (325), who power a running attack geared to the
inside. Gogan made the Pro Bowl, but Brown and right tackle Kirk
Scrafford probably had better seasons. Hearst says of the quiet
Scrafford, "He's old-fashioned mean, like, I'm gonna go fishing,
and if you mess with me, I'll rip your head off."
X Factor: Young is 36 and possibly one concussion away from
retirement, and he has finally consented to using the feet-first
slide. But he still has those halfback instincts, and on a
crucial play in an elimination game, do you really expect a man
who has averaged 6.3 yards on 81 postseason rushing attempts to
exercise restraint?
Prime Numbers: Before Hearst went down, the Niners averaged 3.9
yards per rush. In three games without him, the average dipped
to 3.2 yards. Nevertheless, they finished the season with more
rushing attempts than passes for the first time since 1984, when
they won their second Super Bowl.
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Next: Dorsey Levens
Also: Jerome Bettis | Marcus Allen | Garrison Hearst
| Rush to the Super Bowl
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