49ers notebook: Eddie DeBartolo celebrated in soggy halftime ceremony

SANTA CLARA - Eddie DeBartolo's big moment at Levi's Stadium got soaked.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame took a field trip to Silicon Valley on Sunday to honor DeBartolo, the former 49ers owner who is a member of the hall's Class of 2016. Hall of Fame president David Baker came to show off DeBartolo's bronze bust, and many of the 49ers' greatest alumni gathered for the occasion, including the likes of Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Dwight Clark.

But the weather did not cooperate. A steady rain fell at halftime, and the crowd took cover. Hardly any seats were filled when Baker paid his respects to DeBartolo at midfield amidst a crop of umbrellas.

“I was told all these years I brought rain, thunder and lightning to this franchise, and today proved it,” DeBartolo said.

At least one of the visiting New England Patriots took notice. Quarterback Tom Brady was born in San Mateo and attended Serra High School there.

“They've got a great organization, they always have, and it inspired a lot of kids here in the Bay Area in my time growing up, and I was one of them,” Brady said after the game. “To see (49ers running backs coach and former fullback) Tom Rathman before the game, I mean, I idolized him. Dwight Clark and Joe Montana, to see them at halftime, it was a pretty, pretty great day for me.”

Like the weather, though, Brady was not sentimental. He threw four touchdown passes in the Patriots' 30-17 win.

HERE COMES THE RAIN AGAIN

Where the heck are we, anyway? Are we not in awe of the California drought anymore?

Sunday was a wet day at Levi's. A lot of windshields got soaked heading to the game. And while the precipitation let up early in the contest, it fell hard - like, New England hard - in the third quarter.

“There was one point where it was coming down pretty good,” 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick said. “The ball got a little slick. So we had to rely on the run game a little bit more.”

“I've got to hand it to our field guys. The field held up really well,” San Francisco kicker Phil Dawson added. “But obviously the balls were water-logged. Everything was just messy. It was a challenging day.”

No one was more challenged than 49ers center Daniel Kilgore. He rolled one shotgun snap to Kaepernick, and lost his grip on another just as he started to hike the ball; that one hit Kilgore in the ankle. Fortunately for the Niners, they recovered both fumbles.

Even an adopted East Coaster was impressed. “I would prefer 72 (degrees) and sunny, that's what you expect when you come to the Bay Area,” Brady said. “We haven't had rain in a long time, but I'm glad. We need rain out there, that's what my parents said, so I'm very glad about that.”

DAWSON: 400 AND COUNTING

If you're looking for silver linings in the 49ers' 1-9 start, turn to Phil Dawson, who continues to advance through the ranks of the NFL's most productive placekickers. Sunday, Dawson converted his 400th career field goal, a 33-yarder in the first quarter. He's No. 10 on the all-time list.

“In a team game it's hard to feel good about individual accomplishments,” Dawson said. “Probably when it's all said and done and I'm no longer a member of the team I'll enjoy it a little more. My focus today was not on the 400 but trying to help this team win the game, and we came up short in that area.”

Just ahead of Dawson on the career field-goal list is his Bay Area counterpart, the Raiders' Sebastian Janikowski, who takes the field Monday night in Mexico City with 401 field goals.

“Obviously he's doing great, he's climbing the charts himself,” said Dawson, who noted that he doesn't know Seabass outside of competing against him. “It's fun to have a little active competition.”

THE MEDICAL CHARTS

Several 49ers hobbled off the field with injuries. A couple could be worrisome. Cornerback Jimmie Ward left the game with a head injury. And NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported afterward that safety Eric Reid tore his right biceps. Rapoport added that Reid will undergo an MRI exam Monday to confirm the injury, which potentially could knock him out of the remaining six games.