SANTA CLARA – Delanie Walker will have a shot at history in Buffalo.
According to STATS LLC, while a number of tight ends have handled kickoff returns in a game, none has ever returned one for a touchdown.
The all-time leader in that category is Emery Moorehead, who played in the NFL from 1977 to 1988 and is a former Chicago Bears teammate of 49ers coach Mike Singletary. Moorehead returned 31 kicks during his career for a 20.2-yard average.
Walker, however, already is ahead of the pack in terms of consistency. His 21.8-yard average is the most for any tight end with 12 or more returns. Walker also returned a kick 101 yards for a touchdown in an exhibition game in August.
Walker said Thursday he doesn't think of himself as a tight end while awaiting a kick.
"I'm just a kick returner," he said. "I go back to college and kind of think that I'm 20 pounds lighter and I've still got the moves."
Manny happy returns – Manny Lawson has two sacks and an interception in the past two games, and Singletary acknowledged this week that the linebacker is starting to return to form.
"The last three weeks or so, he's really been coming on, and you can see the confidence," Singletary said. "He's not having to think when he's making a move or to try and make a play. It's just happening. It's just instinct. And that's what you want to see."
Lawson suffered a torn knee ligament last year, and at times this season the former first-round pick has been a bit player as he has come back from the injury. Lawson is usually on the field in the 49ers' base defense, but he heads to the sideline in passing situations.
The question now is whether a healthier and more confident Lawson will have an expanded role over the last five games.
"We're trying to get him on the field more," Singletary said. "And we'll get him on the field more. He deserves that. He's been doing that. But he's had to work toward that. It's not like Manny's been doing great all year and all of a sudden, 'Why isn't he playing?' Obviously we want to win, too. So we're trying to get him on the field."
Read Matthew Barrows' 49ers blog at www.sacbee.com/ninersblog.
What You Should Know About Comments on Sacbee.com
Sacbee.com is happy to provide a forum for reader interaction, discussion, feedback and reaction to our stories. However, we reserve the right to delete inappropriate comments or ban users who can't play nice. (See our full terms of service here.)
Here are some rules of the road:
• Keep your comments civil. Don't insult one another or the subjects of our articles. If you think a comment violates our guidelines click the "report abuse" button to notify the moderators. Responding to the comment will only encourage bad behavior.
• Don't use profanities, vulgarities or hate speech. This is a general interest news site. Sometimes, there are children present. Don't say anything in a way you wouldn't want your own child to hear.
• Do not attack other users; focus your comments on issues, not individuals.
• Stay on topic. Only post comments relevant to the article at hand. If you want to discuss an issue with a specific user, click on his profile name and send him a direct message.
• Do not copy and paste outside material into the comment box.
• Don't repeat the same comment over and over. We heard you the first time.
• Do not use the commenting system for advertising. That's spam and it isn't allowed.
• Don't use all capital letters. That's akin to yelling and not appreciated by the audience.
You should also know that The Sacramento Bee does not screen comments before they are posted. You are more likely to see inappropriate comments before our staff does, so we ask that you click the "report abuse" button to submit those comments for moderator review. You also may notify us via email at feedback@sacbee.com. Note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us the profile name of the user who made the comment. Remember, comment moderation is subjective. You may find some material objectionable that we won't and vice versa.
If you submit a comment, the user name of your account will appear along with it. Users cannot remove their own comments once they have submitted them, but you may ask our staff to retract one of your comments by sending an email to feedback@sacbee.com. Again, make sure you note the headline on which the comment is made and tell us your profile name.
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.