SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Even stoics such as defensive tackle Bryant Young can't hide their enthusiasm for the 49ers' surprising season. After posting a 10-22 record the past two years, the 49ers are winning again.

	Jose Cortez hasn't missed a field goal yet this season, connecting on all 11 attempts.

Young recently said this might be the most fun he has had as a 49er, besting even his rookie season in 1994 -- the last time the team won a title. What makes it more of a hoot is the unconventional means by which the team is winning. A team known for its vaunted passing game, the 49ers are winning with a grinding running game and a revived defense and special-teams unit -- an aspect of the club that didn't play well even in the halcyon years.

There are four reasons that the 49ers have improved so much this season.

1. Kicker Jose Cortez
Said special-teams coach Bruce DeHaven of Jose Cortez, while suppressing a chuckle: "Did I anticipate Jose going 10-for-10 with two 50-yarders and a game-winner? No.

"I'm sure happy he did, but he was an unknown quantity. I had no idea how he was going to react."

Cortez is 11-for-11 on field goals, and he led the NFC in scoring heading into Week 6 when the 49ers had a bye. Not bad for a guy who basically won his job by default in training camp. After Wade Richey rode the free-agent train to San Diego, the 49ers were left without a veteran kicker.

They signed Cortez, who tried for the past two seasons to hook on with the Chargers. Cortez kicked for the Los Angeles Xtreme of the XFL and helped lead them to the league's only championship last spring. Cortez's kicking résumé also includes a stint in NFL Europe.

But Cortez, who fled war-torn El Salvador as a youngster, wasn't even the 49ers' top-kicking prospect when the team reported to training camp. He was behind Kansas State rookie Jamie Rheem. But Rheem tore his hamstring on a field-goal attempt, and Cortez was handed the job.

"I was sick and tired of waiting (to get to the NFL)," Cortez said. "Now that I'm in, I'm just taking advantage of it."

2. Kick returner Vinny Sutherland
DeHaven's special teams have gotten a boost from Vinny Sutherland, a pint-sized, carrot-topped rookie reject from the Falcons. In the fifth round of the 2001 draft, Atlanta selected the Purdue wide receiver, a one-time favorite target of Drew Brees. The cocky Sutherland swaggered into Atlanta, promptly dropped a few punts and kicks and found himself booted off the team.

DeHaven, who closely kept an eye on Sutherland while he was in college, convinced the 49ers to pluck him off waivers. Sutherland is ranked fourth in the NFC in kick returns and has fielded punts flawlessly in the swirling winds of 3Com Park.

Sutherland credits the 49ers' tradition of helping rookies rather than hazing them, which dates back to the Bill Walsh coaching era. Sutherland has been embraced by wide receiver Terrell Owens in particular.

"These guys, they get along with anyone ... and they talk to you more," the 5-foot-8, 188-pound Sutherland said. "These veterans take you right in here. You really, really, really have to earn respect in Atlanta, and I'm pretty sure I never did that."

3. Running back Garrison Hearst
One player who has earned unfailing respect leaguewide is Garrison Hearst. For two seasons, Hearst fought a constant stream of setbacks in his long battle with dead bone in his left foot.

"We need him," head coach Steve Mar-iucci said. "We are depending upon him." Hearst leads a trio of runners that has the 49ers ranked second in the league in rushing yards per game. Hearst's 305 yards is closely followed by rookie Kevan Barlow's 211 yards and quarterback Jeff Garcia's 191 yards.

All this from a team that lost Charlie Garner, a 1,000-yard rusher in each of the past two seasons. Garner signed with the Raiders in the offseason.

"Of course our running game was a question, because we didn't know who our running back was going to be," Mariucci said. "The tailback (situation) is proving to be better than expected."

4. The defense
Despite being frightfully young, the defense has stiffened at key times late in games. Derek Smith, who was not re-signed by Washington because the Redskins thought he was too slow, leads a youthful corps of linebackers. Smith has been anything but slow and is an integral part of a defense that has greatly increased its speed over last year. Smith was on pace to break Ken Norton's 1996 tackle record of 165 until a knee injury sidelined him for two games.

"The thing that is encouraging is we like the way they play. They play hard, they fly around," defensive coordinator Jim Mora said. "That's what we tried to emphasize and that's the thing that we noticed happening. We like that part of it."

Not only do they like it, they're having fun with it.

Kevin Lynch covers the 49ers for the San Francisco Chronicle.

Material from Pro Football Weekly.
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