ST. LOUIS � After all the training-camp speeches, the Mike Singletary billboards, the nutcracker drills, the quarterback competition, the Michael Crabtree negotiations, the offensive coordinator debate and 16 up-and-down games, the San Francisco 49ers barely budged.

They are one game better than last season.
The 49ers eked their way to a .500 finish with a 28-6 victory over St. Louis on Sunday, a season finale that crashed to the shore with all the momentum of a beached whale.
Sluggish on offense for three quarters, the 49ers scored a trio of touchdowns in the final 7:29 to pull away from the lowly Rams (1-15).
The victory got the 49ers to 8-8. And to coach Mike Singletary, it felt a lot better than the finish that ate and ate at him last year.
�What I�m very excited about is that on both sides of the ball, we�re not far away,� he said.
For the glass-half-full crowd, there was a 73-yard touchdown grab by Vernon Davis, which tied Antonio Gates (13 in 2004) for an NFL record for tight ends.
There were also Frank Gore�s two late touchdown runs and an aggressive defense led by Justin Smith�s career-best 3.5 sacks.
For the glass-half-empty types, there were the 49ers� three unsightly quarters on offense. The 49ers struggled for first downs, let alone points, against one of the NFL�s worst defenses. Alex Smith had 23 passing yards at halftime.
�This is not the style of game we wanted to have. This is not the way we wanted the game to go,� Singletary said.
In other words, there was some good and some bad.
Just like the 49ers� year.
�We need to take a very honest look at what we have to take to get better,� Singletary said.
The 49ers were 6-2 at home and 2-6 on the road. They were 3-3 with Shaun Hill as the starting quarterback and 5-5 with Smith.
They won back-to-back games to start the season and back-to-back games to finish�but didn�t do it once in between.
Now, they will begin searching anew for the winning formula.
�We have all the guys. We have all the talent,� Davis said. �I believe in the coaching staff. I believe that there are guys ready to pick it up.�
Davis represents proof of how far a player can come in a short time. In the doghouse a year ago and a disappointment as a high draft pick, Davis emerged in his fourth season as team leader and top playmaker.
With the 49ers nursing a 7-6 lead midway through the fourth quarter Sunday, Davis blew past safety James Butler and cornerback Ron Bartell on a go route. Smith hit Davis in stride down the right sideline. It was the longest career play for both of them.
�My number was called and coach told me if there was a DB out there, do what you do best and just run by him,� Davis said. �That�s what I did, I just ran as fast as I could.�
It also gave Davis a share of Gates� NFL record and highlighted his transformation from the guy Singletary banished to the locker room last season.
�He�s a fine young man who just needed some direction. His heart is great,� Singletary said. �This happened because of his work ethic.�
Gore described Davis more bluntly: �He�s growing up.�
The long touchdown gave the 49ers a 14-6 lead and, at long last, the rout was underway. Gore scored on runs of 3 and 6 yards, even as Davis joked in the huddle that they need to throw it to him one more time.
(Davis resisted saying it to offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye. �I almost bit on my tongue,� the tight end said.)
The late offense was plenty for a 49ers defense that registered eight sacks for the first time since 1998. Smith had 3.5, followed by one each from Dashon Goldson, Demetric Evans, Dre� Bly, Manny Lawson and a half-sack by Parys Haralson.
In all, the 49ers finished with 44 sacks. That�s a 14-sack improvement from last season and the most by a 49ers defense since 1998 (51 sacks).
The 49ers also held an opponent to 10 points or fewer for the seventh time this season, best in the NFL.
�We did pretty good for the most part,� Smith said, talking about the defense overall. �We had some letdowns in a game or two, but for the most part we felt like we played decent enough.
�As a team, we played good enough to be 8-8. And that�s not good enough. Next year, we have to come back and play better.�