Author:
TrevortheGreat of Trevor's Corner
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Date Posted: 17:42:59 01/12/03 Sun
David-
I'm inclined to agree with you on pretty much everything you've said. But forget about Marvin Lewis, he's supposedly a "lock" as Cincinatti Bengals head coach (and I'm sure he's thrilled. *cough*).
I mean, looking at the 49ers defense personnel-wise, these guys were built to be a baby Tampa Bay Bucs. Think about it:
Andre Carter is Simeon Rice.
Bryant Young is a much quieter Warren Sapp.
Jamie Winborn could have begun his development as a young Derrick Brooks type of player, were it not for a season-ending injury.
Ahmed Plummer and Jason Webster are the types of corners who thrive in the 2-Deep zone. Donnie Abraham and Ronde Barber were at the same place these guys are three years ago.
Tony Parrish isn't as savage a hitter as John Lynch, but his success is just as linked to his defense's success.
Julian Peterson is a type of player even the Bucs don't have.
With personnel like this, it comes down to two things: scheme and conditioning. I agree, Mora's schemes are pretty freakin' bad. While the front four showed the ability to create pressure this season (a dimension missing last season), Mora never adjusted when an offensive line played well against the 49ers. "Blitz" seemed like a swear word among defensive coaches. Indeed, it seems as though Mora was handed the defensive coordinator on name value alone, like I always suspected. A change should be made, and I agree that Ray Rhodes could definitely be a viable option, assuming he's not being pursued for a head coaching vacancy anywhere.
Something never mentioned, though, is conditioning. Injuries were a problem this year, just like in past years. In fact, it seems the 49ers never go through a season when all their players are healthy. Is it just me, or at some point doesn't it make sense that the strentgh & conditioning coordinator's job come under review? In today's NFL, teams can't establish stellar depth like they could in the 80s, and the teams who beats the injury bug has a leg up on other teams. Take the Jets: their starting lineup is no more talented than the 49ers, but the 49ers were missing players across the board all year: (note Dave Fiore, Zack Bronson, Ronnie Heard, Jason Webster, Ahmed Plummer, Jamie Winborn, Saleem Rasheed, etc.) The ability to keep players healthy is paramount these days.
Much as I thought last week's win over the Giants would save Steve Mariucci's job, I can't help but think that, after seeing the looks on the faces of Bill Walsh and Terry Donahue midway through the 3rd quarter that maybe they've finally had enough.
My idol John Madden mentioned earlier this week that he thought the Jacksonville Jaguars would come up and offer the 49ers a similar compensation package to the one the Raiders got for Jon Gruden for Mariucci. Mariucci's in much the position Gruden was last year: staring the last year of his deal in the face, knowing that management is disenchanted with him, seeing other suitors lining up around the league. I think right now it's 50-50 as to whether the 49ers are coached by Steve Mariucci next year.
I love Mooch and I respect what he's done with the team, but at some point a good situation goes sour. Mariucci's a good coach and the 49ers are a good team and a classy organization, but I think I finally see that these two are just wrong for one another. It'll be interesting to see how the Niners handle the offseason this year. They're going to gain some wiggle room under the cap to start filling holes, and the coaching situation is one that must be addressed. Either Mariucci gets his extension or he's gone. Bar none.
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