Erickson has his eyes on Owens
February 18, 2003
The hiring of Dennis Erickson as coach should mean a more wide-open offense, and that's good news for Jeff Garcia and Terrell Owens.
Erickson says he wants to put the downfield pass back into the offense and says he would be “stupid” not to get the ball to Owens as much as possible. ...
The continued development of right end Andre Carter will be the key to improving the defense, which was the league's worst on third down in 2002.
As he learned pass-rush techniques, Carter became a more complete player in 2002. The 49ers need Carter to generate a stronger pass rush next season. ...
For most of his career, Erickson has used a one-back offense and even a lot of no-back offense, with four wideouts spreading the field. However, fullback Fred Beasley's value would be minimized if the 49ers went to a one-back or no-back.
Beasley is one of the NFL's best. He's a good short-yardage runner and a superb blocker.
Erickson insists he will continue to use Beasley, but it's not clear how he will do that. The 49ers could use Beasley as a blocking H-back; he rarely carries the ball anyway.
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