With Steve Young, the San Francisco 49ers were an offensive powerhouse. For the next month, they'll find out if they can win without him.
"It's a huge impact to lose Steve Young," tackle Harris Barton said Monday after learning Young would miss four weeks because of a damaged throwing shoulder."We all managed to get a Super Bowl ring out of him last year," Barton added. "Our defense responds to the way he plays. The offense certainly responds to the way he plays, and by losing him and having him standing on the sideline, it could really hurt this team. Everybody has to pick up the pieces. Everybody has to reach down deep and help make up for that missing link."
Young, a four-time passing champion and last season's Super Bowl MVP, used San Francisco's bye week to recover from a bruised left shoulder, but no sooner had he gotten better, he reinjured it.
Under constant pressure in Sunday's 18-17 loss at Indianapolis, Young was roughed up for a six sacks and took two more serious hits on his already tender left shoulder, causing a sprain and a deep bone bruise, according to team physician Dr. Michael Dillingham.
Coach George Seifert said Dillingham told him not to expect Young to return for a month, and backup quarterback Elvis Grbac said he expects to start the next four games, including the Nov. 12game at Dallas pairing the winners of the last three Super Bowls.
Young, who spent time in an oxygen chamber Monday as part of an effort to try to speed the healing process, said he hopes to beat the prognosis and return sooner than the Nov. 20 game at Miami. But he admitted his shoulder is still very sore, and he didn't sound confident about being able to return ahead of schedule.
"It's my throwing arm, so I have to be patient with it, but I'll push it as hard as I can," Young said.
Grbac, a third-year pro out of Michigan, will be making his first career start at St. Louis on Sunday, when the 49ers (4-2) play the NFC West-leading Rams (5-1).
"I'm going to go out and prepare each week like I always do and just go out there and execute the plays," Grbac said. "Especially this week, we've got a big ball game, and if we can just pick it up a little bit I think things will work out for us."
Meanwhile, the 49ers are searching for a kicker to replace Doug Brien, who was waived Monday after missing a 46-yard field goal try in the final moments of the one-point Indianapolis loss. Brien also missed a 40-yard field goal in the final seconds of a 27-24 loss at Detroit.
Kickers Roger Ruzek and Jeff Wilkins were scheduled to work out today.