SANTA CLARA
If push comes to shove Sunday, Jimmie Ward plans to push and shove back.
The 49ers cornerback didn’t do enough of that the last time he tangled with Brandon Marshall, the New York Jets’ big, physical wide receiver. As a result Ward received his first and most lasting lesson in the NFL.
Ward was playing his second game as a rookie early in 2014 and was the 49ers’ nickel cornerback. Marshall, with the Bears at the time, lined up in the slot. He ended up catching three touchdown passes – one of two three-score games of his career – with Ward in coverage on each.