SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) -When Nate Clements returns Sunday to the city where his NFL career began, the San Francisco cornerback doesn’t have a whole lot of nostalgic plans. He’s more interested in stopping the 49ers’ fall than in going back to Niagara Falls.
“I saw that a couple of times, and I went to Toronto a couple of times,” Clements said. “Other than that, it’s just Buffalo.”
And that was a very good thing for Clements, who spent his first six seasons with the Bills before signing an $80 million free-agent deal with the 49ers last year. Clements never made a Pro Bowl or got into the postseason while playing on just one winning team in Buffalo, but he developed the skills and work ethic necessary to be a key defensive player worth a life-changing contract.
eer, where it started professionally. It was nice to be in an organization that had a lot of tradition.”
Clements heads into Sunday’s game hoping to rebound from one of the lower points of his pro career. Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens shredded Clements’ defense with seven catches for 213 yards in the 49ers’ loss at Dallas last Sunday, including a 75-yard touchdown catch on which Owens shook off Clements like a heavy winter coat.
Clements got precious little help from his teammates after interim coach Mike Singletary declined to double-cover Owens. But Clements, who has previously proclaimed himself the best cornerback in the league, made few excuses for his struggles.
Even after the disappointing game, Clements was back in the 49ers’ weight room Monday for his daily extra workouts with weights and the treadmill. Clements’ discipline and drive for self-improvement is remarkable to his coaches – but the Ohio State product said those habits were honed and perfected during his time in Buffalo.
football.”
Instead of spending weeknights in a South Beach dance hall or a Buckhead restaurant, Clements had hours of extra time to study in Buffalo. His few nights out were spent at a soul food restaurant or the Buffalo Chophouse, usually choosing a nice dinner over bottle service in a tony club.
Clements never had a problem with Buffalo’s forbidding winter weather, either. He knew all about snow from his youth in Shaker Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, and his college days with the Buckeyes.
“As a kid, it was always fun to play in the snow,” Clements said. “I guess it never died down for me.”
Clements also was a punt returner for much of his time with the Bills, and he could be back in that role Sunday for the 49ers. Allen Rossum is expected to miss the game with an ankle injury, and Singletary wants a sure pair of hands in the lineup.
Singletary lightly criticized Clements for his play against Owens, but he knows the cornerback is a key to any hope of a late-season surge for the 49ers, who have lost seven of eight.
“It wasn’t a mismatch. I think Nate Clements can cover T.O.,” Singletary said. “If we said, ‘Nate Clements, go over there and get on the line of scrimmage and (cover Owens),’ I would say nine times out of 10, Nate Clements would go over there and do that.”
a seventh-round draft choice. … Rossum will miss Sunday’s game with the ankle injury that occurred in last week’s loss at Dallas. S Dashon Goldson (knee) also is out for another week. … LB Patrick Willis missed practice Wednesday with an ankle injury, and CB Walt Harris sat out with a hamstring injury. LB Takeo Spikes sat out to rest, and rookie WR Josh Morgan participated in limited activities.
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