Will Sunday’s game be the last opportunity 49ers fans have to say goodbye to Bryant Young? More than likely. That was the phrase Young used today when asked whether the 49ers-Bucs game would be his last at Candlestick Point. If Young is anything, he is unselfish. So he feels a little bit funny about overshadowing the game itself with a retirement announcement. But if you’re holding out hope that he might reconsider and come back to play a 15th season, well, you're dreaming. “The question is when you leave the game,” Young said today. “Do you leave the game when they push you out or when you’re barely walking?” Neither is the case with Young, who after 14 years is still the 49ers’ best defensive lineman. Which is why he feels it’s a perfect time to say goodbye.
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Asked whether three days off helped heal his index finger, Shaun Hill raised that finger and in essence showed that three days indeed was not enough. It looks like a garter snake that has swallowed a bowling ball. That is, the middle knuckle is still badly swollen. Hill had an X-ray recently that he said showed the digit, injured more than a month ago, still is broken.
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Talked to tackle Damane Duckett, who was recently promoted to the active roster. The 49ers love his potential and he could push one of the current starters next season. The question is where? Duckett seems to believe he’ll be playing on the right side. If Joe Staley, as expected, moves to left tackle, that could mean Duckett could be pushing Jonas Jennings for the job at right tackle.
-- Matt Barrows
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