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Chilo Rachal will start at right guard. 49ers First Drive Shaun Hill looks sharp. He only had one incompletion and that was on third down when the 49ers didn't block Ware for some strange reason. Hill had to throw it away. Nedney missed a long field goal on the first drive. Cowboys ...

9:14 a.m.-- Delanie Walker is going through warm-ups, and from the looks of things he will play. Jacob Bender, Cody Wallace and Ahmad Brooks are on the inactive list. Dashon Goldson, Arnaz Battle and Josh Morgan also will be inactive and Jamie Martin is the 3rd QB. That leaves one more inactive, which will be Reggie Smith.

9:19 a.m. -- Am looking at Tony Romo throught the binocs. He has his right pinkie heavily bandaged, just like last Sunday against the Redskins.

9:23 a.m. -- From the way the offensive line is lining up in warm-ups, I'd say Chilo Rachal is starting at right guard

9:32 a.m. -- You might see a lot of Sean Ryan today at fullback. Ryan is a former Cowboy who spent a while chatting up fewllow tight end Jason Witten before the game. click here to read more about Ryan.

9:35 a.m. -- For the Cowboys, Brooks Bollinger is the 3rd quarterback. WR Miles Austin, RB Felix Jones, CB Quincy Butler, LB Justin Rogers, G Montrae Holland, G Joe Berger and T Doug Free are inactive.

1Q
-- 49ers begin with three-receiver set, Hill fires 21-yarder to Isaac Bruce over a linebacker ...... Chilo starts ... 3rd and 14, Hill hits Bruce again for 17 yards ... Bruce apparently has blood coming from the back of his head after the hit; doesn't appear to be serious... Joe Nedney's 53-yard attempt is .... no good. Short.

-- Cowboys take over at their own 43 ... Bruce has a head laceration; his return is probable ...Romo completes to Wiiten on 3rd and 5. (very wobbly pass) ...Romo misfires to T.O. on 3rd down, ball is nearly picked off by Mark Roman... Punt goes into the end zone ...

-- No Bruce; Jason Hill is substituting. ... Gore runs twice for 1st down ...Bruce is back ... In fact, Hill hits him for a third time, this one a nine-yard gain ...Hill to Bryant Johnson ... Hill throws wobbly duck to the goal line and is hauled down by Bruce at the 4, gain of 34 ... Not bad for a guy with staples in the back of his head ... Niners lose a yard on Gore run ... 3rd and goal from the 5 ... Hill calls t.o. ... Pass to Johnson inc. P.I. on Anthony Henry? ... Nedney knocks in a 20-yard field goal ... SF 3, Dallas 0 ...

-- Romo to Owens, but nate Clements shoves T.O. out of bounds. No catch ... Romo has good time, goes deep to T.O. but great coverage by safety Keith Lewis ... Punt ...

-- Shaun Hill fins Vernon Davis deep and the tight end makes an over-the-show catch (?!) for 47 yards to the 4 ... Niners again having trouble at the goal line ... 3rd and goal ...Blitz and Hill's rushed pass to Johnson is incomplete ... Nedney 23 yarder as quarter expires .. SF 6, Dallas 0

-- 1Q Summation. Mike Martz is being very aggressive, throwing deep and challenging the Dallas secondary. The Cowboys obviously were expecting a lot of Frank Gore and will have to adjust. Meanwhile, the Romo-Owens connection looks a bit off kilter ...

2Q

-- Deep pass to Witten, which was ruled out of bounds, is being challenged ...Ruling stands ....3rd down and 8 ... 49ers blitz, Romo steps up and hits -- who else? -- Owens for a 75-yard TD. So much for T.O.'s bad feeling about the offense ... Owens got behind Clements, who had no help from Keith Lewis, who never caught up to the play ...Clements tries to strip the ball after the catch instead of concentrating on the tackle, and Owens breaks free for the last 15 yards ... 49ers 6, Dallas 7

-- Hill sacked by Anthony Spencer and DeMarcus Ware on back-to-back plays ..49ers have to punt from their own 5. Ruh-roh. Punt is blocked out of the back of the end zone for a safety... Carlos Polk burst in from the middle... Looks like the special teams won't be getting an "A" today ... 49ers 6, Dallas 9

-- 49ers do a good job at the after-safety punt. Michael Robinson tackles Patrick Crayton at the 31 ... Nice recovery by the defense. After a holding penalty, the Cowboys go nowhere and have to punt ... during punt, Allen Rossum drops to the turf and clutchesright ankle. Achilles or cramp? ... Ball is downed at the 1 yard line ... Rossum is walking (slowly) into the locker room ... initial report is right ankle sprain ...

-- Frank Gore brought down at the 1/2 yard line ... Gore runs three straight times and gets 2 yards. Another tight punt that is returned to the SF 35 ...

-- Cowboys have 3rd and 5 from the SF 30 ...Incomplete to Roy Williams ... Dallas will attempt long field goal, 48 yards. It's good. SF 6, Dallas 12

-- -- Delanie Walker back for kickoff but Folk's kick goes out of bounds. 1st down at the 40 ...Wildcat formation gains three yards .., Hill to Bruce for short gain ... 3rd and 2 ...Hill tries to float pass to Gore, but it's incomplete ...Punt ... 49ers almost down punt at the 1-ich line but it doinks off Marcus Hudson's hands for the touchback ...

-- Romo again finds T.O one-on-one with Nate Clements and burns the CB for 25 yards ...49ers hem in Barber short of the 1st down on third down ... Folk attempts 41-yard field goal and it's good. 49ers 6, Dallas 15

-- 49ers fumble snap on first down. Zack Thomas recovers and no one touches him. He runs into the end zone but the officials say the whistle has blown ...

-- Cowboys begin at the 19-yard line ... Pass to Owens for eight yards ... Barber gets the first down, setting up 1st and goal from the 5 ...Barber down to the 1 yard line ...Romo tosses 1-yard pass to Martellus Bennett. SF 6, Dallas 22

2nd quarter summary. So much for that shaky Romo-to-T.O. connection. Owens now has 128 receiving yards. The 49ers currently have minus-two yards of offense ... The second half will be a real test of Singletary's coaching prowess ..

3Q

-- Romo misses T.O. on a slant to start the second half ... Barber gains 1, bringing up 3rd down and 9 ... Romo escapes and finds -- who else? -- Owens deep over Roman for 52 yards ... Romo to Williams to the 10 ...3rd down and goal from the 10 ...Neutral zone infraction on Willis ... 3rd and goal from the five ... False start on Flozell Adams ... 3rd and goal from the 10 ... Pass to Crayton going across the middle, TD. 49ers can't bring romo to the turf and he's making them pay .... SF 6, Dallas 29

-- Hill misses Davis on what would have been an easy TD. ... SF is 1-7 on third-down conversions before Hill hits Bryant Johnson for 18 yards ... Hot read to Bruce for 14 .... Gore gains six, Hill to Zeigler for 1 ... Third and three, Hill inc. to Bruce, setting up 36-yard Nedney attempt, which is good. SF 9, Dallas 29

-- Romo might have thrown his most recent incompletion behind the line of scrimmage. 49ers -- who are 0-6 on challenges this season -- are challenging. Looks like Lawson intercepted the ball nonetheless ... The 49ers win the challenge; hell freezes over ...

-- 49ers take over at the 17 and Hill immediately throws an interception in the end zone. Anthony Henry picked off the underthrown pass intended for Bryant Johnson ...

-- Owens gets another one, this time in front of Donald Strickland ...Romo could have gone deep to Owens again but chooses a short dump off to Barber for a first down at the SF 44 ...Witten, who is just coming back from a rib injury, gets crunched by Clements. Witten talkes a while to get up but eventually goes off under his own power ... Lawson sacks Romo for a loss of seven ...

4th Q
-- Witten's back in but Romo's 3rd-down pass to Owens is broken up. ... Cowboys settle for 47-yard field goal by Nick Folk. 49ers 9, Dallas 32

-- 49ers go three and out with a seven-yard sack. Punt

--

Terrell Owens is upset he isn't getting the ball. That's news? He's always ticked off about the lack of leather ever since he soared to stardom in San Francisco. It has become news for two reasons. First, NFL.com and NFL Network are shamelessly promoting Owens's interview with former 49er ...

Vernon Davis. Trouser-Gate. The fullback flop. Mike Singletary's first month in office has been a roller coaster. What the interim coach needs now is a freight train - steady, uncontroversial, moving in one direction, perhaps into 2009. At the end of the season, his best argument for keeping his job will be continuity. If he can convince the Yorks that the team is heading in the right direction, he will be the coach next year. (The argument worked for Mike Nolan, after all). Of course, that will mean wins - three? four? - over the last six games. Here's more unsolicited advice on how Singletary can turn his audition into a starring role:

1. Win on the Road. Yeah, it's obvious. Four of the 49ers' last six games are on the road. A lot of ink has been spilled on just how bad the 49ers have been as visitors over the last six years. Perhaps Maiocco had the best stat this week when he noted that since Steve Mariucci was ousted the 49ers have won a grand total of three games that began at 10 a.m. Pacific. Three. Consistently losing on the road means either you have a young team or a mentally weak team. The 49ers have been both in recent years.

Singletary is taking an interesting approach to the problem. He's not overthinking it. Asked about his team's road woes this week, he's bristled. He said he doesn't care if games begin at 10 a.m. or 1 p.m. or midnight. The start time is a non-issue. Singletary's attitude seems to be that if you identify something as a problem, it becomes a problem. The strategy is similar to a player who sloughs off a nagging injury. I remember when we spoke to Patrick Willis immediately after he broke his hand last year. He was wearing a cast on the hand but he refused to talk about or even recognize the injury. If he acknowledged it existed, it would affect his play. He didn't and some of his best games in 2007 came with him wearing a club on his hand.

Singletary and the 49ers have four more 10 a.m. starts, beginning tomorrow. If he can win two of them, he'll have a good argument for keeping his job. If he can win three - matching the total of Dennis Erickson and Nolan combined - he'll have a great argument.

2. Play the Youngsters - Singletary already has begun to do this. It makes good sense from a strategy standpoint. After all, the more rookies and first-year players get in the game, the better they'll be next season (Remember: "Continuity" should be his mantra). It's also a wise move politically. Why? Because it makes the GM, who drafted David Baas and Chilo Rachal and Jason Hill, look smart. The GM will be whispering in Jed York's ear at the end of the season. It doesn't hurt to cozy up.

3. Hope like Hill - Singletary has tied himself to quarterback Shaun Hill, which seems like a brilliant move considering last week's game against St. Louis. Hill is smart but self-effacing, which is usually an excellent combination in a leader. He and Singletary also have a similar blue-collar spirit. The two are a good match. But if Hill should falter, that would undermine Singletary, whose first major decision as head coach was giving J.T. O'Sullivan the hook and sending in Hill. Singletary's chances also would be damaged by an injury to Hill. Remember, Hill started only two games last season yet suffered a broken finger and a broken back. Maybe he shouldn't be diving into piles for loose footballs when the outcome is decided.

4. Like Mike. This is a tough relationship to figure out. Every time Singletary opens his mouth about offensive coordinator Mike Martz, you go away with the impression that the two men can't stand each other. Asked directly about this, both insist it's not the case. And perhaps they're still trying to figure each other out. The bottom line is that they need each other.

Singletary is weak where Martz is strong. Singletary is a motivator, a team builder, a unifier. For lack of a better term, he's a "big picture guy." He's not an Xs and Os guy and offense, the 49ers' biggest issue in recent years, is certainly not his forte. Martz, meanwhile, excels in minutia. The 49ers also want to avoid having to find their seventh offensive coordinator in as many seasons. If Singletary's best argument for keeping his job is continuity, then having Martz on board only will amplify that message.

And what of Martz? Singletary's preference for a game-management style of offense runs counter to Martz's high-risk, high-reward mentality. Someone with Martz's experience and Martz's ego also must have a hard time playing under someone as green, coaching-wise, as Singletary. But there's also a sense that the moderation Singletary insists upon is just the medicine Martz needs. Let's face it, the Greatest Show on Turf jumped the shark years ago. The crowd started leaving in 2000 and the auditorium's been emptying out every year since. Martz's signature attack may put up staggering numbers in spurts, but for the last four years those gains have been more than outweighed by turnovers, sacks, quarterback injuries and defenses that spend too much time on the field. If Martz indeed wants to be a head coach again, he must show that he can evolve. He's got a perfect opportunity to do so over the last six games.

-- Matt Barrows

Eric Heitmann needs 30 tickets. Allen Rossum is seeking 22. Arnaz Battle will have friends and family in the stands. So will Tarell Brown. Sunday's game in Dallas will be a homecoming of sorts for several Texas-raised 49ers, including coach Mike Singletary, who grew up in Houston and who went to college at Baylor University in Waco. Singletary has a son and a daughter who go to school at Baylor. His son, a member of the football team, has team obligations this weekend. Singletary will visit briefly with his daughter. Otherwise, he said it's strictly a business trip for him. "I've got tons of family there being the last of 10 kids," Singletary said. "They come from everywhere. ... I've already told them - we'll get together after the season."

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One of the head coaching jobs for which Singletary interviewed was the Cowboys' job that was filled by Wade Phillips. Singletary said he was impressed with the interview, especially with the honesty of Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. "He said, 'Mike, it's just a matter of the fit. I don't know you as (well) as I know the other guys.' He was very honest. He said I wish I knew you more."

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The mother of former 49ers offensive lineman Thomas Herrion will be a guest of the 49ers at Sunday's game. Herrion, a Fort Worth native, collapsed and died immediately following an exhibition game in Denver in 2005. The team created an award in Herrion's honor that is annually given to the rookie or first-year player who best exemplifies Herrion's positive outlook on life.

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Rams tight end Anthony Becht was not fined for what appeared to be a late hit on safety Michael Lewis that caused Lewis to briefly leave Sundaay's game. Lewis said that Becht apologized for the hit following the game. "For him to apologize, I just put it behind me at that point," Lewis said. Becht was not penalized on the play.

-- Matt Barrows

I had a friendly, one-on-one interview with No. 81 this week. No, not that No. 81. I'm talking about tight end Sean Ryan, who was recently added to the roster when the 49ers released fullback David Kirtman, who in turn had been signed to fill in for injured fullback Zak Keasey. With neither Kirtman nor Keasey on the 53-man roster, the 49ers have no true fullback.

Ryan (6-5, 260 lbs.) was a fifth-round draft pick by the Cowboys in 2004. He's also been on the Jets, Saints and Dolphins rosters before this season. He's in the mold of Billy Bajema, which is to say he's been used purely as a blocker in five seasons. Against the Rams on Sunday, he lined up as a fullback in goal-line situations and seems to be the guy the 49ers call on when they need a bruiser in the backfield.

Is that how you see the 49ers using you over the next six games?
SR: Well, I've always been a blocker. Obviously, I don't have a lot of catches to my name. I have 11 in my career over five years now, so it's not like I'm out there ripping up the stat sheet. You've got to do something to get on the field, and blocking was that thing.

Was what you did Sunday a new role for you?
SR: Yeah, we did it a bunch in New York (Jets) and also in Dallas when you were the second tight end. In certain formations, you're in the backfield. It's a little bit different than being on the line of scrimmage. But it's something to get used to.

Are they feeding you the offense one phase at a time?
SR: Learning an offense is an ongoing thing, obviously. They're giving me stuff in installments and telling me what to look at and what to learn that will be beneficial to myself and to my team.

And this offense seems particularly dense.
SR: It's good though. Because no matter what situation comes up, you know you've got a play for that situation. You can attack certain things. In some offenses that aren't as detailed or not as voluminous, you have to go with what you have.

When are we going to see you do the fullback dive from one yard away?
SR: (Laughing). I have never gotten a handoff in a game. So, I don't know. You'd have to ask coach Martz.

He's probably got it in the playbook somewhere.
SR: Probably.

*******************
Patrick Willis is practicing today and will be listed as probable. Tarell Brown, Michael Robinson, Mark Roman, Delanie Walker and Barry Sims also are probable. Arnaz Battle, Dashon Goldson and Josh Morgan won't play.

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The NFL has started a pretty cool tradition - a competition among players to see who has the best story. Joe Nedney and Tony Wragge are representing the 49ers in the annual event, which whittles down the contenders until there is one left standing in the Super Bowl. To view the ads, and to vote, click here ...

-- Matt Barrows

Mike Martz speaks every other Thursday to the media and he's never boring. Among the news of his Thursday chat: -Wide receiver Josh Morgan might not come back this season from the groin injury he sustained against the Cardinals. -Martz said Tony Wragge , although he didn't mention him by...

Linebacker Patrick Willis missed his second day of practice this week, this time because he was feeling under the weather. Willis missed Wednesday's session with a hip strain. Neither issue, coach Mike Singletary said, will keep the middle linebacker out of Sunday's game against Dallas. "He's got a little nick here and a little nick there," Singletary said. "... But he'll be OK."

Along with Willis, Josh Morgan, Dashon Goldson and Arnaz Battle all missed practice. All three don't figure to play against the Cowboys. Tarell Brown, Michael Robinson, Mark Roman and Delanie Walker were limited in practice. Barry Sims went through a full practice.

For the Cowboys, Terrell Owens was back in practice after missing Wednesday with flu-like symptoms. Rookie running back Felix Jones missed practice with a hamstring injury and is out for the year.

-- Matt Barrows

Mike Martz spoke today about several topics, including the progress Shaun Hill has been making, whether Chilo Rachal would start and how soon some of his injured receivers could return to the lineup. One thing he declined to talk about was the $20,000 fine he was hit with yesterday for criticizing the officials after the loss to Arizona. "I just won't discuss that," he said when asked if he would appeal the fine.

As far as Hill, Martz said that the quarterback struggled to pick up the offense in the offseason and even into the regular season. But he said Hill really benefited from watching J.T. O'Sullivan over the first six and half weeks. "He's further along than I would have expected. Ted's (Tollner) done a great job with him , too, when he wasn't playing." One area in which Hill has really surprised Martz is in how quickly he is releasing the ball. That is the biggest reason the 49ers have reduced their sacks allowed total over the last 2 ½ games. "That's why I'm a little surprised," Martz said, "You've got to really know what we're doing to do that. He's further along in that regard than I would have expected him to be."

Martz, however, is not satisfied with Hill's mechanics, which why he's been riding him so hard in practice. "He's not there yet. He's aways away with that. We've still got to groom him mechanically. Sometimes he's good but the consistency of his mechanics just isn't there yet. He's been doing it so long in a different way, sometimes that's hard." Martz said that the fact that Hill looks ragged in practices is a function of installing that week's game plan. Which is to say that practices look cleaner as the week goes on. "Wednesday was awful for Kurt (Warner), Marc (Bulger), Jon Kitna. Wednesday is not a good day. ... Thursday they look better and Friday they look really good."

He said there was no rift between him and Mike Singletary and that the seemingly heated exchanges television cameras pick up during games are isolated and often misleading. "He treated me outstanding. We see things the same. ... I told him the other day, it's fun to have him on the sideline because he's so under control. There's a real nice exchange going."

On rookie Josh Morgan, who has missed the last two games with a groin injury: "That was a pretty significant injury. I'm not sure we're going to get him back in the near future." Martz said he's been impressed with Jason Hill, especially Hill's wheels. In fact, he said that when Hill and Morgan are in the lineup, he might have more team speed than he had when he was coaching the Lions. Not bad for the future, huh?

And don't go writing Rachal's name into the starting lineup in pen just yet. Said Martz: "I'm not sure. We've upped his reps. There's a maturity aspect involved. I'm not sure he's ready."

- Matt Barrows

Mike Singletary and Shaun Hill appear determined to forge a different kind of relationship than that of predecessors Mike Nolan and Alex Smith. That bond proved ruinous, with Nolan misreading Smith's shoulder injury and the abandoned Smith turning to the media to say, in essence, that his...

Mike Martz wasn't happy with how the officials handled the final minutes of his team's 29-24 loss to Arizona on Nov. 10. The NFL in turn wasn't happy with Martz's comments, fining the 49ers offensive coordinator $20,000 this week. The fine was first reported on CBS Sporstline. On the Tuesday following the game, both Martz and coach Mike Singletary questioned the officiating protocol at the end of the game. The pivotol final play involved a fullback dive from what the 49ers beleived would be inside the 1 yard line. In fact, upon reviewing the final play, officials moved the ball to the 2 1/2 yard line. They announced the move over the loudspeaker, but the 49ers insisted it could not be heard over the crowd noise. Martz said officials typically will walk to the sidelline and explain such a move to officials. The 49ers, of course, lost the game when the fullback dive was stopped a yard short of the end zone.

-- Matt Barrows

Safety Mark Roman, who was originally expected to miss today's practice with a lingering groin injury, instead practiced on a limited basis. It shouldn't come as a surprise. Roman has become the Cal Ripken Jr. of the 49ers' roster, playing in 89 consecutive games.

The 49ers' most serious injuries heading into Sunday's game against the Cowboys appear to be to Arnaz Battle (foot), Dashon Goldson (knee) and Josh Morgan (groin).

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Terrell Owens did not practice today, according to the injury report. It seems the illness that prevented him from taking part in the morning conference call with reporters was legit. As far as some other prominent Cowboys (I'm looking out for you, Fantasy Football owners), TE Jason Witten was limited with his rib injury while QB Tony Romo went through a full practice with his injured pinkie. For a full update on Cowboys practice, click here.

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Mike Singletary has added a sixth edict to what was originally a five-point mantra. Today when a team employee trotted out the signboard to Singletary's after-practice huddle with the players, it contained the word "heart" written in red in italics. After all, you gotta have heart ...

-- Matt Barrows

Shaun Hill's perfect first half against the Rams on Sunday earned him the title of NFC offensive player of the week. Hill, who steered the 49ers to 28 second-quarter points, is the first 49er to get the honor since Frank Gore got it last year following the team's overtime win in Arizona. Said Hill: "It's a great honor. But it's an honor that you share with the whole team."

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Asked today whether he had the composition of the offensive line the way he wants it, Mike Singletary paused and then started talking about one of his favorite topics, Chilo Rachal. "Chilo is doing a good job. This week, Chilo may get more reps. Depending on how things go, he may get a chance to start." Over the last two games, Rachal has been substituting for a series or two for Tony Wragge at right guard. If Rachal does start against the Cowboys, it will be at Wragge's expense. Said Wragge: "I don't have anything to say about it. I'm sorry."

******************
Patrick Willis and Justin Smith are among the seven players who aren't practicing today. Willis has a hip strain while Smith is merely being given rest. In addition, Arnaz Battle (foot), Dashon Goldson (knee), Walt Harris (rest), Josh Morgan (groin) and Mark Roman (groin) will miss practice. No one has been ruled out of Sunday's game at this point.

Tarell Brown (neck), Michael Robinson (stinger), Delanie Walker (shoulder) and Barry Sims (foot) will be limited in practice.

-- Matt Barrows

It was going to be like Christmas morning for the 49ers beatwriters. At 9:50 a.m., we were going to have a conference call with Terrell Owens, the first time we've spoken to the controversial wideout since he left town early in 2004. (Actually, he had a media embargo during the 2003 season (was it something we wrote?), so most of the reporters here hadn't conversed with him since 2002.) The expectation was that Owens, noticeably more mellow now than in his San Francisco days, would speak philosophically about his time with the 49ers. That he would go deep about Jeff Garcia, the quarterback he mercilessly slammed early in 2004. That he'd reminisce about the Sharpie, the Dallas star and the Steve Mariucci years. That he'd supply an endless amount of quotes that would would fill our notebooks like a stocking full of goodies on Christmas morning.

Then the Grinch called. A lady from the Cowboys PR staff phoned in at 9:25 a.m. to say that T.O. was under the weather and that Tony Romo would be filling in on the conference call. Christmas was ruined. Ok, Romo salvaged it a bit by talking at length about his relationship with T.O., who tearfully defended Romo at the end of last season. In many ways, you might consider Romo the anti Garcia - someone who is beloved by Owens and who doesn't get upset when Owens says things in the heat of the moment. "I'm not a prideful guy," Romo said. "I can accept certain things." About Owens' lugubrious defense of him, Romo said: "I just think it showed how much he cared about his teammates. ... We're lucky to have him on this football team. I wouldn't trade him for another receiver in the league." Can you imagine Garcia or Donovan McNabb saying that?

And don't get your hopes up, 49ers fans. The illness that prevented Owens from spending 15 minutes on the phone this morning probably won't keep him from Sunday's game. In fact, he may practice today. Asked about Owens' availability Sunday, coach Wade Phillips said, "We don't know right now. He may be at practice. So I don't think he'll miss a whole lot. But he was sick this morning."

Romo also said that his injured pinkie, heavily bandaged during the Cowboys' Sunday night win over the Redskins, was improving by the day. Romo admitted that the digit may have affected him on some throws against the Redskins but that he didn't anticipate any problems against the 49ers.

-- Matt Barrows

Tackle Jonas Jennings had surgery this morning, for the third time, on his frozen right shoulder and will be placed on season-ending injured reserve. Jennings played two games this year before his shoulder popped out of joint in the third game against Detroit and was listed an emergency third...

Jonas Jennings' 2008 season lasted one and a half games. The 49ers' right tackle -- their marquee free-agent acquisition in 2005 -- had surgery this morning to secure the right shoulder he dislocated in Week Two. The question now is whether Jennings ever will play a game for the 49ers again. He has two years remaining on the $36 million contract he signed in 2005. But he has now had three surgeries to the same shoulder. Jennings also suffered dislocations in 2005 and 2006.

Jennings' lack of durability has been well documented. He never made it through a full season in four years with the Buffalo Bills, and he's missed 35 of 58 possible starts since joining the 49ers. He missed time in the preseason with a broken hand. Jennings was the first player the Mike Nolan-Scot McCloughan regime ever acquired, and it's clear that they vastly overpayed for his services. Still, general manager McCloughan did not rule out the possibility that Jennings could return to the 49ers. He said Jennings' future with the team would be dealt with in the offseason.

"There's no reason why he can't come back from this once the surgery is done," McCloughan said during a conference call. "When he's played for us, he's played very well. He played 13 games for us in '06."

McCloughan said that Jennings and the team knew that surgery was inevitable once the the injury occurred during a game against the Seahawks. Because the rehabilitation will take six months, both Jennings and the team figured it was wise to get it out of the way. Jennings has practiced the last two weeks with a harness, but McCloughan said Jennings was not able to practice at 100 percent effort. On the team web site, McCloughan said it was "a matter of pain tolerance."

The decision to have surgery also was prompted by how well Adam Snyder has been playing at right tackle and by the fact that Barry Sims is scheduled to return from a foot injury this week. The team also filled Jennings' roster spot with tackle Jacob Bender, who was signed from the New England practice squad. Bender (6-6, 315) was drafted by the New York Jets last year in the sixth round out of Nicholls State. Bender will be the team's No. 4 tackle over the last six games.

-- Matt Barrows

Right about now, you're probably thinking that linebacker Patrick Willis is having a nice season, but not the MVP-caliber year he had last year. Statistically speaking, you'd be right, but not by very much. Through 10 games, Willis is second in the league - to Cleveland's D'Qwell Jackson - with 90 tackles. Through 10 games last season, Willis had 92 tackles. Willis, of course, led the league in that category in 2007, and it was at this point last season that he began putting a lot of space between him and the No. 2 tackler. In the last six games, his tackle totals were 18, 18, 8, 6, 20 (!!) and 12 - astounding for a guy who had a broken hand and who was supposed to hit the rookie wall in mid November.

Will Willis approach 174 total tackles this year? I'm guessing he won't, but not because he's is not playing as well as he did last season. Tackle numbers usually are inversely proportional to the caliber of your defense. That is, defenses that can't get off the field are the ones that produce the top tacklers. The top five tacklers from this season, for example, all play for teams that are ranked in the bottom half of the league in defense.

Though the 49ers are losing just as much as they did a year ago, they have been in more games. That means opposing offenses aren't as content to run the ball - and run the clock - in the second half of games. Indeed, the fact that the 49ers' offense is better this season has a positive effect on the team as a whole but probably reduces Willis' tackle total.

Another factor is Willis' supporting cast. Fellow inside linebacker Takeo Spikes is an improvement over last year's "ted" linebacker, Derek Smith. Spikes is averaging six tackles per game whereas Smith last year averaged 4.9. That is, Spikes may be getting a tackle here and there that a year ago might have gone to Willis.

A bigger issue is the play of the defensive line, which should be shielding Willis from offensive linemen and allowing him to make tackles near the line of scrimmage. Remember all the "stuffs" - tackles behind the line of scrimmage - Marques Douglas had last year? He finished with 13 of them and the 49ers as a whole finished with an impressive 81. Through 10 games this year, that number is just 29, an indication that the defensive line is not as stout along the line of scrimmage as it was a year ago.

Top 5 tacklers

D'Qwell Jackson, CLE 99
Patrick Willis, SF 90
Gary Brackett, INDY 88
Kirk Morrison, OAK 87
Gibril Wilson, OAK 86

-- Matt Barrows

Can Mike Singletary conduct a non-eventful press gathering? Today the answer is a resounding yes. Singletary's comments were relatively short after recording his first win of his head-coaching career on Sunday after beating the Rams 35-16. Previous coach Mike Nolan would grant players the...

After victories against Seattle and Detroit earlier this year, Mike Nolan rewarded his players with two days off - a "Win Monday" in addition to their normal Tuesday off. Not so with Mike Singletary. The interim head coach didn't rule out "Win Monday's" in the future, but for now he wants to see his players the day after a victory. Think of it as spending quality time with your mom, dad, brothers and sisters at the dinner table.

"It's just a matter of, I feel like I'd like to see the players the next day, I'd like the players to come in and talk about it," Singletary said. "Who else are you going to talk to the win about? You can call Mom, you can call Dad. 'Hey, we won the game.' Congratulations. But your teammates the next day, you can come in and talk about it, and laugh about it, watch it together, grow from it and put it behind you."

The underlying theme for what Singletary is trying to do over the last half of the season is team building or what Singletary called "thinking as a family." Having players come in on Monday and share their victory is part of that. Singletary also touched on the family theme when talking about the offense, defense and special teams all complimenting one another other on game day.

When he played for the Bears, Singletary said, he used talk to quarterback Jim McMahon in the week leading up to games to make sure the offensive game plan matched with what the defense was planning to see. "That's how we talked, and it got back to the coordinators and coach Ditka. And those things would happen because we were thinking about winning. We weren't just thinking about stats or just how good the defense could be. .. That's really when you begin to win. And that's when you begin to think as a family and a team. Because that's what it's all about."

Singletary was quick to point out that the idea of marrying the offense with the defense was not a put down of offensive coordinator Mike Martz, whose aggressive downfield philosophy often has put the defense on the field for long periods. "I've got to be very, very honest," Singletary said. "When I look at Mike Martz, I'm very, very pleased with what he's doing."

Other notes:

Singletary didn't seem to think that any of the injuries - Michael Lewis (knee), Tarell Brown (neck) and Michael Robinson (shoulder) - were very serious. Asked about the seemingly late hit that briefly put Lewis out of action, Singletary said, "Sometimes if the ref calls it, it's late. If he doesn't, you don't worry about it."

The defensive radio receiver has gone from Mark Roman to Patrick Willis back to Roman. Singletary said that Willis was relieved. He said it had been difficult for Willis to get the defensive call to the secondary in time. "It just wasn't getting there fast enough. At the back end, you can get beat like that (snapping fingers)."

Singletary attributed the improved sacks allowed totals - two in the last two games - to a combination of better offensive line play and Shaun Hill releasing the ball more quickly than J.T. O'Sullivan. Martz also seems to be calling far fewer seven-step drops for Hill.

-- Matt Barrows

Following Sunday's game, Mike Singletary lamented that his team didn't score in the second half, committed turnovers and penalties and allowed the Rams 13 points. The reality is that the second half couldn't have worked out any better for the interim head coach. Because while you never want your players thinking they stink, you really don't want them thinking they are better than they are. A sloppy second half allows Singletary to keep his team grounded, humble and hungry as they prepare to play a good team on the road.

After all, it was only two months ago that the 49ers, their fans and the media had a similar feeling of elation. Remember the convincing 31-13 win earlier this year over the Lions? J.T. O'Sullivan was awesome, throwing two touchdowns and finishing with a stellar 123.3 passer rating. Mike Martz not only was the answer at offensive coordinator, there were whispers - loud ones - that he could replace Mike Nolan as head coach at season's end. In one fell swoop, the 49ers would solve three of their biggest problems: 1. Martz would provide championship-level leadership; 2. He'd finally give the 49ers continuity on offense 3. And his hand-picked quarterback, O'Sullivan, would be the passer the 49ers searching for since Jeff Garcia left town. It all seems absurd now, but it made perfect sense on Sept. 22.

Today - one day after the 49ers' most convincing win in five years - the future also seems obvious. Singletary should be the head coach. He's honest and brutally candid. The players love him. He's a winner. And Shaun Hill should be the quarterback. After all, he had a perfect passer rating in the first half and keeps showing an uncanny knack of moving the offense. He even allowed Eric Heitmann to spike the ball after a touchdown. (OK, that was a pretty cool move.)

The 49ers followed that home win against Detroit with a 31-17 road loss to New Orleans, the first of six straight losses that cost Nolan his job, O'Sullivan his starting status and Martz his standing as the offensive savior of the organization. Next up for the 49ers is Dallas, a team that just won a gritty game against a division opponent and one that will be as healthy as it's been in two months. Will lightning strike twice? Singletary, at least, is doing his best to insure that it won't.

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Rookie watch:

-- Chilo Rachal played in his second-straight game and cornerback Reggie Smith, the team's third-round pick, saw action at the very end of the contest. He even was credited with a tackle, his first official defensive stat. That means the only rookies who haven't played this year are fourth rounder Cody Wallace, who has been inactive in every game, and seventh rounder Larry Grant, who is on the practice squad.

-- Newcomer Sean Ryan, a tight end, lined up as a fullback on the goal line yesterday. He was Frank Gore's lead blocker on Gore's 1-yard TD run in the second quarter, although the touchdown can be attributed 97 percent to Gore's running ability and 3 percent to the blocking on that particular play.

-- Sure, the Rams stink now. But 49ers fans have to be a bit concerned by how good rookie receiver Donnie Avery looked. Avery led all receivers with nine catches for 93 yards and couldn't draw a P.I. call despite LOTS of downfield contact from Walt Harris. Tough luck, rook. ... Still, it seems as if the Rams, who had one of the best WR tandems in history in Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt, might have another on their hands.

-- Matt Barrows