Taking on water
Once the flagship franchise of the NFL, the San Francisco 49ers have become little more than the Bay Area Poseidon Adventure.
A sinking vessel that needs a crew.
Now that Dennis Erickson and Terry Donahue have been tossed aside by 49ers owner John York, the rest of the NFL world is left to wonder who has faith in an organization run aground. Trust is now the No. 1 issue with the 49ers, who have become accustomed to shredding new contracts, dumping salaries and generally looking lost on the pro football landscape.
According to a league source, York already has at least two candidates in mind to replace Erickson – USC coach Pete Carroll and Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren. Carroll is immediately available, although he has said repeatedly in recent weeks that he is not interested in a return the NFL. Holmgren could be fired or resign if the Seahawks lose in the first round of the playoffs this weekend.
Both men have San Francisco ties, Carroll having served as the 49ers' defensive coordinator from 1995 to '96, while Holmgren coached San Francisco's quarterbacks and was offensive coordinator before becoming the head coach of the Green Bay Packers in 1992.
Whomever York pursues, the primary hurdle will be trust. Specifically, can the next coach and general manager put their faith in ownership that has become widely viewed as a deceptive regime of accountants?
Asked whether San Francisco was still viewed as a desirable destination, one NFC executive said Wednesday night: "The first question you ask is ownership. Then it's [salary] cap situation. Then you get into money and such. There's not a lot of positives out there for someone asking those questions."
But the executive disputed the thought that the 49ers' coaching or general manager jobs would be a tough sell to candidates.
"There are 32 of those [head coaching] jobs, and less than that for GMs," he said. "[New England Patriots defensive coordinator Romeo] Crennel would jump on it. Any assistant who has been passed over would. How many perfect situations are out there anyway?"
Still, the Erickson and Donohue disaster will do little to dissuade the air of negativity surrounding the 49ers. According to a league source, York followed the vastly unpopular ouster of Steve Mariucci two years ago with a franchise-wide meeting. In that meeting, York told employees the team was going to become more cost-conscious, literally tapping his wallet at one point for emphasis.
As Erickson's tenure progressed, even he seemed shocked by the salary dumping. Though he never claimed he was lied to, Erickson said on a few occasions that he hadn't fully grasped the plan he had inherited. He seemed most irked by the roster turnover, particularly this past offseason, when the team rid itself of several starters, including quarterback Jeff Garcia, wide receiver Terrell Owens and offensive linemen Ron Stone, Derrick Deese and others. The 49ers' payroll in 2004 included nearly $30 million in "dead money" – cap space eaten by players no longer with the team.
There's seemingly nowhere to hide from reminders of the team's futility.
Mariucci has made steady progress rebuilding the Detroit Lions, while Jim Mora Jr. – the 49ers' defensive coordinator passed over for Erickson – led Atlanta to an 11-5 mark and a No. 2 playoff seed in the NFC this season.
Former 49ers around the league have blasted the team, with Deese being the most vocal.
"If you notice with [Donahue], you read stuff where he says, 'Well, you know, we are cap-strapped and we'll be OK next year.' And then when next year comes, he says 'Oh, we might not be out of this for another two years.' Well eventually those two years are going to come. What are you going to say then?"
Deese also criticized York, saying he ruled with "his pocketbook" while former owner Eddie DeBartolo "always put players first. Whatever he could do for the players is what mattered. Everyone else was second.
"Obviously that has changed."
