Dre' Bly Apologizes for Showboating; Michael Crabtree Finally Activated

SAN FRANCISCO -- In the midst of a pride-swallowing performance that ended with the 49ers on the wrong end of a 45-10 blowout loss to Atlanta, veteran cornerback Dre' Bly became emblematic of a self-important San Francisco team that wasn't nearly as good as its 3-1 record.

After fumbling on a showboating interception return and offering little contrition for his carelessness Sunday night -- "I have fun. Dre' is going to be Dre'" was his explanation -- Bly apologized profusely on Monday for an on-field celebration he admitted was "a poor choice."

Bly, who first approached coach Mike Singletary as well as his teammates, used Singletary's news conference as a stage to announce his public apology.

"I wanted to come to you all and publicly apologize for yesterday. My comments were totally inappropriate. I apologize to coach. I'm not a selfish guy. I didn't mean to embarrass him, my team, ownership, or the fans," said Bly, who joined the 49ers as a free agent hoping to compete for a starting right cornerback job, but instead has been relegated to nickel duty. "I'm a prideful guy. I like to have fun and it was totally inappropriate. I got caught up in the moment and it was wrong."

With just under 10 minutes remaining in the third quarter and the 49ers trailing 35-10, Bly intercepted a Matt Ryan pass intended for wide receiver Roddy White -- who was, incidentally, on his way toward a franchise-record 210-yard receiving game.

Rather than tuck the intercepted ball tight and run with it, Bly put one hand up to his helmet and cocked his arm like a showman, shortened his steps and performed a Deion Sanders-style celebration during his return.

That left the football vulnerable, and White punched the ball loose from Bly's one-handed grasp. Falcons center Todd McClure recovered the fumble at the 49ers 44-yard line. Seven plays later, Atlanta padded its lead to 38-10 on a 40-yard Jason Elam field goal.

The takeaway was Bly's 41st career interception. But his fumble ruined what could have been a momentum-changing play for his team.

"After I had a chance to look at it last night and look things over, it was wrong." Bly said Monday. "I've played this game for 11 years. I played it well and have been a prideful guy. I like to have fun. If you know anything about me, I'm a happy guy. I like to interact with my teammates and guys I'm playing against. I just got caught up in the moment, but it was totally inappropriate, for what coach is looking for in a player, being a veteran guy, I should have been smarter and it was a bad choice of mine and I'm sorry."

Singletary said he didn't believe Bly should be made a scapegoat for a horrendous overall 49ers' effort that saw the team tumble, both in the NFL standings and in the view of fans.

"I'll put it this way: I don't think that's fun, OK? It was not fun. It was not fun," Singletary said of Bly's Sunday night assessment of his celebration-turned-fumble. "It's not fun at 35-10. Fun is when you're ahead and you may get an interception, and hey, that's great. That's fun.

"But, you're not having fun when you're behind 35-10, and that's a little something that he and I have to clean up, because that's not fun."

The Falcons racked up 477 yards of total offense (329 passing) against San Francisco, dropping the previously-impressive 49ers' defense from sixth overall in the NFL to 16th. The pass defense slid from 10th in the league to 23rd, while the already sputtering offense fell from 28th to 29th overall.

The 49ers are entering their bye week, but Singletary – who assured everyone that the Falcons' loss was an aberration -- already is making moves to shake up the roster.

Late-signing wide receiver Michael Crabtree was added to the 53-man roster Monday, and the 49ers cut veteran return man Allen Rossum to clear room for their first-round draft pick. Singletary said injured running back Frank Gore, who has missed two consecutive games with an ankle injury, may return to practice this week as well.

The 49ers, meanwhile, are monitoring the health of safety Michael Lewis, who sustained a concussion in Sunday's game -- his third this season. The 49ers already were without veteran linebacker Jeff Ulbrich, who is recovering from post-concussion symptoms. Both players are being examined by neurologists and could be done for the season.

While most 49ers players will get some off days during the bye weekend, Crabtree will not. He'll be reporting for work every day at the 49ers' practice facility in Santa Clara.

"Yes, he's already had his bye week," Singletary said. "He's had a long bye week."