(Sportsbooks) - San Francisco head coach Dennis Erickson stated on Monday that Ken Dorsey will likely once again be behind center this Sunday when the 49ers play the
Seattle Seahawks at Seahawks Stadium.
"Until he (Rattay) can practice without putting something in his shoulder, we won't practice him," Erickson said. "Ken will be the starter (against Seattle)."
After getting off to an ugly start in his first NFL start, Dorsey rebounded to complete 18-of-32 passes for 205 yards in his team's 30-27 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
"After a game like that it was tough for me to find any positives," said Dorsey, who lost just two games in four years as the starter for the University of Miami.
Dorsey would like to see Rattay get healthy, but he is not complaining at getting another shot at starting,
"From my personal standpoint, I'm hoping Tim gets healthy as soon as he can, because he's a good guy and he's done a lot to get to where he's at now," Dorsey said. "But at the same time, even if he's back or not, I've got to prepare like a starting quarterback, because that's the position I'm in. No matter what, I'm going to prepare as a starter."
Erickson has the utmost faith in Dorsey, who was 38-2 with the Hurricanes, winning the national championship in 2001.
"We can talk about a lot of things, but until he becomes a starter and plays in his first game, which he did Sunday, nobody knows," Erickson said. "You saw him play at Miami at a very high level on a very good football team...so you know he has the intangibles. But to take it on the field in the NFL on the road against a darn good football team and perform like he did proves a lot of things."
Dorsey was almost a winner on Sunday, as Jamal Robertson's one-yard touchdown run midway through the fourth quarter put San Francisco ahead 27-23. The run capped a 15-play, 94-yard drive that was extended when Talman Gardner was penalized five yards for running into the punter on fourth down.
But a fumble by Robertson with 3:42 to go at the Saints' 41 led to New Orleans' decisive touchdown. Safety Jay Bellamy fell on the loose ball, and Aaron Brooks led New Orleans on a nine-play, 59-yard drive. He completed four passes on the series, including three to Donte Stallworth, who scored on a 16-yard strike with 61 seconds to play to win it for the Saints.
The loss erased a fabulous effort from Kevan Barlow, who ran for 114 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, as the 49ers slipped to 0-2 for the first time since opening the 2000 campaign with three losses.
On the injury front, an MRI exam on offensive lineman Kwame Harris revealed an MCL sprain in his knee and an ankle sprain. He will be listed as doubtful for this Sunday's game.
