San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers have been the NFL's most successful team over the past 20 years, establishing a standard of excellence that carries an unusual burden: It's not enough that they win, they have to win with class and style, or their fans start screaming about the death of a dynasty. Even though San Francisco, which dominated the '80s with four Super Bowl championships, has put up the best record of the '90s as an encore, there's a last-days-of-Rome pessimism in the air—a sense that when the fall finally comes, it will be by the 49ers' own hand.

That's why there was so much significance attached to the two-week span in July during which the team signed running backs Charlie Garner and Lawrence Phillips plus defensive end Charles Haley—three free agents whose baggage made them potential threats to San Francisco's locker room harmony. To many northern Californians, already repulsed by the power struggle that resulted in Denise DeBartolo York's seizing control of the team from her brother and co-owner, Eddie DeBartolo, the Niners had become soulless mercenaries. The signing of Phillips, who while at Nebraska pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges after dragging an ex-girlfriend down a flight of stairs, played horribly in the politically correct Bay Area. The team's higher-ups spoke of second chances and positive peer pressure and teaching Phillips the 49er way, but this was the stark truth: Dealing from weakness and staring up at defending conference champion Atlanta in the NFC West, San Francisco felt it had no other choice.

With All-Pro halfback Garrison Hearst still recovering from a broken ankle and possibly out for the season, the 49ers, who had the league's best rushing attack in '98, became willing codependents in Phillips's quest to revive his career. "We've earned our classy image, and we enjoy the fruits of that image," says Steve Mariucci, the team's third-year coach. "We won't even consider some draft prospects because they don't live up to our standards. But it's harder to be picky in free agency, especially when you have a need—and our need cropped up at a difficult time. We felt we had to take a risk."

In late June doctors declared Hearst's career in jeopardy after discovering that a bone in his surgically repaired ankle had begun degenerating. Panic ensued. Suddenly San Francisco, already thin at cornerback and along the defensive line, had only one active back on its roster who had gained rushing yards for the team last season: quarterback Steve Young, who causes heart palpitations on the Niners' sideline every time he crosses the line of scrimmage. Mariucci, vice president and general manager Bill Walsh and other executives assessed their limited options and settled on Garner, whose unreliable behavior during his five years in Philadelphia annoyed the Eagles' coaches, and Phillips, whose disappointing stints in St. Louis and Miami had been slightly redeemed by an MVP performance in NFL Europe last spring.

Neither back is likely to approach the team-record 1,570 rushing yards Hearst established last season, but all the 49ers really want is a ground game respectable enough to allow Young to throw to his trio of big-play receivers—emerging star Terrell Owens, rangy J.J. Stokes and 36-year-old legend Jerry Rice, who quietly seems to have regained his pre-knee-surgery burst—without getting brutalized.

There are plenty of football-related concerns about Phillips. His success at Nebraska and in Europe came when he had ample running room against slower defenders, and many question whether he can hit holes quickly and be a tough inside runner in the NFL. Mariucci hopes to use the 5'9", 187-pound Garner to spell Phillips and to showcase his open-field skills on third down. Fifth-round pick Terry Jackson and free-agent signee Travis Jervey are big backs with speed who might be added to the mix.

The Niners also have concerns at fullback. Walsh, who worked magic with the team's strained salary-cap situation in the off-season, raised eyebrows internally by shipping last year's starter, Marc Edwards, a second-round pick in '97, to Cleveland for a fourth-round pick this year. Free-agent signee Tommy Vardell and second-year man Fred Beasley will attempt to fill the void.

At the outset Garner and Phillips made favorable impressions in terms of demeanor, dedication and deftness. "A few weeks ago we were in deep trouble, but they are both dynamic runners and could create a phenomenal situation," says Young, who turns 38 in October." 'The 49er way' is not metaphorical, it's tangible, and if someone here behaves inappropriately, he stands out and is shunned. The attitude is, We're taking another shot at winning a championship, so come join the group."

There may not be many chances left.

[This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]