SANTA CLARA
The 49ers are No. 1 … when it comes to following the rules.
They have a league-low 31 penalties and are on pace to finish with just 71 this season, which would be the fewest ever for the team in a 16-game season.
This is a rare example of good news in an otherwise dismal year, right? On offense, for example, they have only five accepted holding penalties -- lowest in the league -- and they are on track for just 11 this season. Last year they had 25, their most frequent foul.
Remember the delay-of-game whistles during the Mike Singletary and Jim Harbaugh eras that drove fans bonkers?