Versatile Niner is top target

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Before the 49ers take the practice field, Eric Johnson kneels and stretches. Then he bends his muscled 6-foot-3 frame into the plank, the downward dog and a handful of basic yoga positions.

Behind him, a chunky defensive lineman is laughing his head off.

"Anthony Adams thinks I'm hilarious," Johnson said. "Double-A is really flexible naturally, so he'll come up and pull his arm behind his head or something to make fun of me. . . . He thinks some of the things I do are crazy."

Johnson probably isn't nuts, but he's a different kind of football player. The San Francisco tight end is a Yale graduate, a yoga devotee and a keen observer of presidential politics and current events.

He also was the NFL's surprise receiving leader entering the weekend's games, with 45 catches for 484 yards and two touchdowns. He has earned a reputation as one of the league's toughest skill players, never missing a step despite playing with cracked ribs in his last two games.

After missing all of last season with a broken collarbone, the former seventh-round draft pick has become quarterback Tim Rattay's favorite target — and a rare bright spot in a dismal season for the 49ers (1-5), who went to their bye week off to their worst start since 1979.

"Eric has done everything we asked him to, and he's really improved his game this year," coach Dennis Erickson said. "He's got all the tools you need to be a great tight end in this league, and there's no doubt he's got the mind for the game. He's a Yale guy, right? He might have too much mind for the game."

With his precise routes, soft hands and blocking acumen, Johnson is the prototypical West Coast tight end, the modern version of former Niners star Brent Jones. That's exactly how the 49ers imagined him when they drafted the Ivy League's leading wide receiver in 2001.

The 49ers no longer run a recognizable version of the West Coast offense, however. Johnson has evolved along with the club's game plan to the point where he has become quarterback Tim Rattay's favorite target, particularly with the pocket collapsing and time running short.

Though Johnson was an immediate success as a rookie starter, Rattay spent the past three seasons as Jeff Garcia's backup. Still, Rattay developed a bond with Johnson while the tight end recovered from his injury last year.

"We've been throwing and catching with each other a lot in the last year or so, and you can see the results of that," Rattay said. "He's a great target. He runs precise routes, he gets his hands up and he gives you his eyes so quick. I feel like we're on the same page almost all of the time."