SAN FRANCISCO Niners on track for worst season

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) -- Unless the second half of the San Francisco 49ers' season is better than the first, they're headed for the worst record in franchise history.
A strong offensive performance couldn't overcome porous defense and a handful of key mistakes in a 42-27 loss to Seattle on Sunday. The Niners fell to 1-7 with their third straight defeat.
So it was more of the same for the players and coaches Monday: patching new holes in their schemes and trying to stay motivated during the club's worst start since 1979. San Francisco finished 2-14 that season for the second straight year.
Nobody really expected the Niners' season to be pretty, but it gets uglier with every losing week.
"You never foresee going 1-7," said coach Dennis Erickson, who emphatically denied rumors of his desire to leave the spiraling club after the season. "That's not what I expected. That's not what I expect the rest of the season. I also didn't expect some of the injuries that we have.
"I can only worry about this team. It'd be nice to go 2-7."
Rattay returns
The 49ers got a boost from the return of quarterback Tim Rattay, who missed the previous game with a strained forearm. He was 23-of-35 for 259 yards and two touchdowns, but Seahawks linebacker Anthony Simmons intercepted his ill-advised throw and returned it for the clinching touchdown in the fourth quarter.
That's been the story of the 49ers' season -- a bunch of small improvements overwhelmed by the enormity of their deficits in talent, coaching or experience.
"We need to stick together as a team," Rattay said. "Everybody has to get through this thing and make sure there's no lapses in practice or intensity. We've got to just stick together and keep working, because we've got a lot of games left."
Receiver Curtis Conway, one of the 49ers' few veterans, inspired his teammates with a superb effort to score a 28-yard touchdown on a short pass in the first quarter. Conway caught the ball underneath the secondary after a blitz left the middle of the field empty -- and instead of taking the ball out of bounds inside the 5, he bulled over a defensive back to reach the end zone.
Rattay got fired up just watching the move.
"He's been an asset to us ever since he got here," Rattay said. "He's always where he's supposed to be, making plays and catching the ball."
"I'm not real vocal," Conway said. "I try to lead by example in practice in every aspect. I just hope the good things are rubbing off. I'm not perfect, but I've been around long enough to know we've got a lot of games to play. I've been in this situation on both sides."