Wrapping up his second season in the NFL, wide receiver 
I was one of the first receivers to approach Coach Singletary and tell him that I thought it would be great to see Isaac Bruce play against the Rams in our final game. I just wanted to play with him one last time. He was a great addition to this team. He was also a big help to me. He came in when I was drafted two years ago and since then, he’s been my mentor and my friend. He’s been everything that Coach Singletary has wanted him to be. It’s been great to have a guy like that.
Isaac said that he hadn’t earned the right to play in that final game, but it was bigger than that. He’s a Hall of Fame guy who’s been doing this for 16 years. He’s the ultimate professional on and off the field. When you’ve had a career like that, you deserve to play, regardless. I told Coach Singletary that he could start in front of me and everything. I wanted to see him play one more time.
Between Isaac and our wide receivers coach Jerry Sullivan, I don’t know what I would have done without those guys last year. I would have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Isaac was like a coach on the field. He was like Bill Russell back with the Celtics. He’s like a player-coach and that was the best thing for me. I just stuck with him and I was kind of his shadow. I tried to imitate everything he did. He helped me out a lot and it was a big plus to have that guy around. I got to pick his brain all the time. I’m sure I got on his nerves a lot last year. I would ask him close to 20 or 30 questions a day. He got used to it and started giving up the information before I could even ask. Isaac is a guy who doesn’t say much. So, when he does say something it catches you and you listen.
Isaac thinks a lot of
What better way is there for a guy to finish up his career in St. Louis, where he had so much success? I’m thinking he’s going to retire this offseason, but I don’t know how that’s going to go. But, just to do that, in front of family there and everything would be a great thing if St. Louis was his final game.
Vernon Davis is another guy I am excited for.
Vernon and I grew up together in D.C., so to see him get his first Pro Bowl was great. He actually got baptized a couple weeks ago. It’s like watching my little brother grow up with all this stuff going on for him. It’s like watching your brother grow up into what he is now. But, I’m really happy for him. We are very close. It’s great to see all of his hard work pay off. The talent has always been there, but he has still had to work hard. He had to get a feel for the game. He’s always been talented.
I remember at his combine when everybody was amazed and said he was going to the Pro Bowl in his first year. He took some bumps and bruises and that’s why I think he appreciated it that much more. It’s all because of what he went through these past four years. You look at him no and he’s fun and exciting to watch.
The sky is the limit for our offense with Vernon, myself, Crabtree and Frank gore. We just have to stay consistent. Every week, we’ve been getting better and better. Every game we’ve each gotten a better feel for the NFL. Every game you’ve seen Crabtree become more comfortable. The same goes for myself. I became more comfortable as the games were played. This year, it’s felt like second nature. Once everyone is comfortable with what they’re doing, we’re just playing football then.
You have to be excited for next year.
We showed that we can be explosive.
When we didn’t execute, it was more so, mental errors. It was the things we did. So, it’s great that we get to come back with Jimmy Raye’s offense next year so that everything will be second nature.
This will be the first time in the last seven years that the 49ers will get to go into the next season with the same offense. With the consistency of having the same plays, the same offensive coordinator, and the same players, we’ll just go out there and execute.
