Brown will battle old friend

<p>SANTA CLARA — Cornerback Tarell Brown has a national championship ring because of the quarterback he’ll be facing Sunday.</p><p>Brown makes his second start of the season Sunday for the 49ers, and he’ll be looking across the line at a good friend, Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young.</p><p>“We’re friends off the field but once we get on the field, we’re no more friends,” Brown said. “At the end of the day, I’d love to see him do a good job. I’ve always had the utmost respect for Vince. But once we step on the field, it’s all business.”</p><p>Young and Brown were teammates at Texas. On January 4, 2006, Young threw for 267 yards and ran for 200 yards, including two touchdowns in the final four minutes, to lead the Longhorns to a BCS championship over USC.</p><p>On Sunday, Brown’s job will be to limit Young’s success in both the pass and run at Candlestick Park. While teammates at Texas, Brown said the team’s defenders were never allowed to touch Young during practice. So how difficult will it be to tackle him if he breaks out of the pocket?</p><p>“I can only imagine with his size and speed and strength,” Brown said. “He’s a lot stronger than a lot of people give him credit for. You don’t see that too often — a guy with that speed and quickness is special.”</p><p>Brown is expected to be a fixture in the 49ers’ starting lineup for years after his promotion corresponded with the demotion of veteran cornerback Nate Clements last week against the Indianapolis Colts. Brown last week signed a contract extension with the 49ers through the 2013 season.</p><p>“I feel it’s my job,” Brown said. “Coaches gave me the nod. I want to go out there and produce. Everything else will take care of itself. I’ve got good players around me. I just have to stay consistent.</p><p>“Any time you get an opportunity to step on the field, you have to make the most of it. For me, this is my opportunity and I have to seize the moment.”</p><p>Coach Mike Singletary said Brown was elevated into the starting lineup because he matched up better against the Colts’ receivers. Brown came through with a strong performance. He was targeted in coverage seven times, and the receivers he covered caught just four passes for 21 yards.</p><p>Clements sustained a broken shoulder blade while returning a punt in the second quarter. He is expected to miss up to two months, so the starting job at left cornerback goes to Brown.</p><p>“Oh, yeah, he is ready,” Singletary said. “He is ready.”</p><p>EXTRA POINTS</p><p>Former Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon watched practice as part of the CBS TV announcing team. Gannon said it is “underestimated” exactly how difficult it is for a player, such as 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, to have five offensive coordinators in five years.</p><p>Gannon said offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye, for whom he played, is balancing his offense with his personnel. He said it generally takes two full offseasons before a coordinator can get a team playing up to his specifications.</p><p>Safety Reggie Smith (groin) and linebacker Takeo Spikes (shoulder) took part in full practice and both are expected to be available for Sunday’s game. It’ll be a game-time decision, though, whether Smith suits up. He has missed the past four games.</p><p>Rookie defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois is expected to see limited playing time in his regular-season debut Sunday. But if he is called upon to play a lot, he should be fine. After all, he said he is in tip-top physical condition after he missed his flight back from the bye week and missed the team’s Oct. 19 practice. Singletary had Jean-Francois run until he couldn’t run any more as punishment. </p><p>“I did some running,” Jean-Francois said. “Let’s just say I’m shape for a long game. If we have a long game, I’ll be good to go.”</p><p>For more on the 49ers, go to Instant 49ers at http://blog.press</p><p>democrat.com/49ers. You can reach Staff Writer Matt Maiocco via e-mail at matt.maiocco@press</p><p>democrat.com.</p>