49ers Clubhouse

San Francisco Chronicle

Coach search open to interpretation

February 10, 2003

The word on 49ers' motives
David Steele
"Bullcrap" is a bit strong for these purposes. "Window dressing" and "token candidate" might be a little harsh, too. "Smokescreen" sets a milder, less accusatory tone, and we're all about building bridges here, right?
So -- was Ted Cottrell's second interview (as well as Greg Blache's) with the 49ers last week a smokescreen? Is he a serious candidate to be the 49ers' next head coach? Or is he the best candidate to get Johnnie Cochran off everybody's back?
Last week, Cottrell wasn't feeling conciliatory when describing his seven previous interviews for NFL head-coaching jobs. By his count, four were "legitimate," the other three "bullcrap." And he dearly hopes the 49ers don't pull "bullcrap" into a dead heat.
He's not alone. And thank goodness there are signs that this is serious, that the 49ers aren't joining the legions of their brethren who are paying lip service to the cause -- that this is not being done to satisfy a mandate issued by the league on minority hiring that's too easy to get around and ultimately insulting to everybody involved regardless of color.
Reports have surfaced that Cottrell is in the running with any number of college coaches being screened by Terry Donahue -- Rick Neuheisel being the most notable name floating about. Better yet, Cottrell isn't necessarily Plan B, in case the guys they really want say no or leverage their employers into raises (as was the case with NFL assistants Monte Kiffin and Brad Childress before them).
Cottrell, for one, is a Notre Dame guy, like John York. For another, he's a twig on the Walsh family tree, which always has done right by black coaches: Cottrell worked with Herman Edwards, who worked with Tony Dungy, who worked with Dennis Green, etc., etc.
Which all would be lovely, even if Cottrell doesn't get the job. The point, really, is to get someone besides the usual suspects into the mix, to prevent all the cronyism and nepotism and grandfathering and back-slapping and all the other tools the ol' boy network has used over the years to keep the jobs in the circle.
As long as Cottrell isn't being trotted out there solely for public consumption, to appease people and forestall pickets and boycotts, without being under serious consideration, then maybe there might be truly fair hiring some day after all.
Problem is, in a way, that's exactly what happened with Cottrell last week - - he was trotted out after his second interview for an impromptu news conference that wasn't impromptu at all, that was actually a complete reversal from the usual way of doing business. What normally happens in coaching hires is what's happening now with the college candidates: cloak of secrecy, no leaks from headquarters, ink-stained wretches like us skulking around for leads.
For Cottrell and Blache (and, in all fairness, Jim Mora Jr., too), the 49ers did everything short of putting up billboards and catering the event. It gave off a noticeable stench of window-dressing: showing the world they're not getting called on the carpet on this minority thing the way the Cowboys and Lions were.
Of course, what were those two teams supposed to do? They had no intention of hiring anyone else besides the men they hired, and parading anyone else out simply to avoid censure, or finger-wagging, or a mean glower, would have been transparent and a disservice to the tokens -- er, candidates.
If Cottrell seemed a little edgy when meeting the press, that's part of the reason. He has his suspicions, for the reasons listed above. He doesn't want to be the next Dungy, or Marvin Lewis, or Ty Willingham, or Sherm Lewis, or any of their legions of predecessors who got escorted out the back door year after year while a David Shula or Mike Riley or Chris Palmer got ushered through the front. Just because the NFL insists that blacks be escorted in and out of the front door from now on doesn't exactly signal progress.
On the other hand, the 49ers are being deliberate, painfully so, about this search. Of course, that's what happens when you fire a successful head coach, pretty much arbitrarily, without a replacement in mind. Then again, if they get the right guy, one who has them in the Super Bowl in short order, who will remember how long it took to hire him?
So the search crawls on. And Cottrell crawls along with it. As long as he wasn't brought in as an opening act, to be rushed off stage left when the main attractions arrive, the crawl is worth it.
As long as the 49ers' interest is legitimate, and not. . . . you know.

Tell us what you think on the new 49ers Clubhouse message board.

The word on 49ers' motives

David Steele

"Bullcrap" is a bit strong for these purposes. "Window dressing" and "token candidate" might be a little harsh, too. "Smokescreen" sets a milder, less accusatory tone, and we're all about building bridges here, right?

So -- was Ted Cottrell's second interview (as well as Greg Blache's) with the 49ers last week a smokescreen? Is he a serious candidate to be the 49ers' next head coach? Or is he the best candidate to get Johnnie Cochran off everybody's back?

Last week, Cottrell wasn't feeling conciliatory when describing his seven previous interviews for NFL head-coaching jobs. By his count, four were "legitimate," the other three "bullcrap." And he dearly hopes the 49ers don't pull "bullcrap" into a dead heat.

He's not alone. And thank goodness there are signs that this is serious, that the 49ers aren't joining the legions of their brethren who are paying lip service to the cause -- that this is not being done to satisfy a mandate issued by the league on minority hiring that's too easy to get around and ultimately insulting to everybody involved regardless of color.

Reports have surfaced that Cottrell is in the running with any number of college coaches being screened by Terry Donahue -- Rick Neuheisel being the most notable name floating about. Better yet, Cottrell isn't necessarily Plan B, in case the guys they really want say no or leverage their employers into raises (as was the case with NFL assistants Monte Kiffin and Brad Childress before them).

Cottrell, for one, is a Notre Dame guy, like John York. For another, he's a twig on the Walsh family tree, which always has done right by black coaches: Cottrell worked with Herman Edwards, who worked with Tony Dungy, who worked with Dennis Green, etc., etc.

Which all would be lovely, even if Cottrell doesn't get the job. The point, really, is to get someone besides the usual suspects into the mix, to prevent all the cronyism and nepotism and grandfathering and back-slapping and all the other tools the ol' boy network has used over the years to keep the jobs in the circle.

As long as Cottrell isn't being trotted out there solely for public consumption, to appease people and forestall pickets and boycotts, without being under serious consideration, then maybe there might be truly fair hiring some day after all.

Problem is, in a way, that's exactly what happened with Cottrell last week - - he was trotted out after his second interview for an impromptu news conference that wasn't impromptu at all, that was actually a complete reversal from the usual way of doing business. What normally happens in coaching hires is what's happening now with the college candidates: cloak of secrecy, no leaks from headquarters, ink-stained wretches like us skulking around for leads.

For Cottrell and Blache (and, in all fairness, Jim Mora Jr., too), the 49ers did everything short of putting up billboards and catering the event. It gave off a noticeable stench of window-dressing: showing the world they're not getting called on the carpet on this minority thing the way the Cowboys and Lions were.

Of course, what were those two teams supposed to do? They had no intention of hiring anyone else besides the men they hired, and parading anyone else out simply to avoid censure, or finger-wagging, or a mean glower, would have been transparent and a disservice to the tokens -- er, candidates.

If Cottrell seemed a little edgy when meeting the press, that's part of the reason. He has his suspicions, for the reasons listed above. He doesn't want to be the next Dungy, or Marvin Lewis, or Ty Willingham, or Sherm Lewis, or any of their legions of predecessors who got escorted out the back door year after year while a David Shula or Mike Riley or Chris Palmer got ushered through the front. Just because the NFL insists that blacks be escorted in and out of the front door from now on doesn't exactly signal progress.

On the other hand, the 49ers are being deliberate, painfully so, about this search. Of course, that's what happens when you fire a successful head coach, pretty much arbitrarily, without a replacement in mind. Then again, if they get the right guy, one who has them in the Super Bowl in short order, who will remember how long it took to hire him?

So the search crawls on. And Cottrell crawls along with it. As long as he wasn't brought in as an opening act, to be rushed off stage left when the main attractions arrive, the crawl is worth it.

As long as the 49ers' interest is legitimate, and not. . . . you know.

Tell us what you think on the new 49ers Clubhouse message board.