GARY PETERSON: TIMES COLUMNIST

DENNIS ERICKSON SAID he plans to keep the offense Bill Walsh planted more than 23 years ago, right down to the terminology. No big deal, he said, since it's similar to the offense he has favored at his various stops the past 20 years or so.

Erickson said he never dreamed he'd have a chance to coach the 49ers until he got a call from general manager Terry Donahue last Friday. Still, he said, it was difficult telling his Oregon State players he was leaving for another job.

Donahue said he thought the 49ers had "outstanding personnel," the inference being there is enough talent on board to make a serious run at a Super Bowl. He reiterated that "the Steve Mariucci situation was not performance related."

Bill Walsh referred to the new coach as "Eric."

Erickson was introduced as the new head coach of the 49ers on Wednesday. It was not an occasion to believe everything you heard.

The picture the 49ers and their new employee attempted to paint was of an orderly transfer of power, a smooth seek-and-interrogate process and undeniable domino logic that led to the hiring of a brilliant head coach who is everything his predecessor wasn't. And vice versa.

Erickson said he looked forward to working with owner representative John York, Donahue, and legend in residence Walsh. Especially Walsh.

"I'm going to take advantage of him, believe me," Erickson said.

Which is interesting, in that Mariucci had pretty much the opposite experience.

You want a sentiment you can hang your hat on? Try this riff from Walsh:

"(Erickson) is extremely confident, semi-laid back. He doesn't need to promote himself with the media. He's not a Tom Cruise type."

Believe that. Erickson is affable, but not forthcoming. He is, in matters of football, extremely aggressive. We know this because he reminds us every 90 seconds. He is, in the eyes of the 49ers, a 180-degree departure from Mariucci. And that's the point of the month-long charade that began when York stuffed Mariucci into a black van, slammed the door and pounded twice upon the roof.

Hey, it's a free country. If you're going to pay a coach seven figures, you have a right to pay it to the coach of your choice. You just wish the 49ers weren't so duplicitous about they way they went about it.

If you have any emotion -- or, in the case of season-ticket holders, disposable income -- invested in the 49ers, you'd like to know why the move was made and how Erickson is going to make things better. It's a fool's errand trying to deduce that in the wake of recent events, which teem with oblique references, pH-balanced platitudes and outright lies.

The offense? Erickson favors a three-receiver set with no fullback. In point of fact it is not similar to the West Coast offense.

The timeline? The other suitors for the 49ers job -- including minority candidates Ted Cottrell and Greg Blache -- were subjected to a three-plus week process that included background checks and multiple interviews. And Erickson breezed from first contact to news conference in less than five days? One way or another, that smells like sour milk.

Difficulty leaving Oregon State? "There's never a good time to leave," said Erickson, who ought to know -- he now has bailed on five college jobs.

The talent base? The 49ers are blowing smoke up their own pantlegs if they think their current roster is championship caliber. Yet Mariucci's failure to deliver said championship is a big reason he was asked to take a hike.

On and on it goes. The 49ers didn't like that Mariucci tried to use other job openings to leverage a better contract from his current employer. Yet Erickson recently signed his second Oregon State extension in two years, in part by attaching his name to openings at LSU and USC.

The 49ers believed Mariucci to be power hungry? When Erickson was fired by the Seattle Seahawks four years ago, he said he'd never return to the NFL unless he had control of personnel decisions. Yeah, this is a dead issue.

Here is something else you can believe -- in the end, the 49ers and their new coach got everything they wanted. They have their jocular fraternity of Pac-10 refugees -- Walsh, Donahue, Erickson and assistant coach Ted Tollner. The 49ers are rid of that Tom Cruise guy with the blue eyes and ready smile. Erickson is back in the big city after four years in Hooterville.

Again, owners are free to hire the GMs and consultants of their choice. GMs and consultants are free to surround themselves with old friends who make them feel comfortable. And they're all free to tell the fans whatever they please.

It's a bad sign, though, when they have trouble looking you in the eye while they do it. A very bad sign indeed.

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