49ers, Blache meet again
February 08, 2003
If Bears defensive coordinator Greg Blache gets the 49ers' head-coaching job, he will have no problem handling the media. Blache was extremely comfortable standing before Bay Area reporters Friday night.
He is the third candidate to have a second interview for the vacant position. The others are Jets defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell and 49ers defensive coordinator Jim Mora.
Sources also say that interest remains in Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops and Washington coach Rick Neuheisel. Neither the 49ers nor the two schools would confirm that any contact has been made.
Stoops, who guided the Sooners to a national championship two years ago, has been connected to several jobs both in college and the NFL. While his team still celebrated on the field after winning the title following the 2000 season, Stoops was asked about interest in the Ohio State opening.
Stoops has also been mentioned in the past as a possible candidate for jobs at Florida and Notre Dame. In the NFL, the Browns and Jaguars expressed interest in him.
Stoops grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, and is close to the DeBartolo family. The high-profile college coach could not be reached for comment.
Neuheisel is apparently vacationing in Sun Valley, Idaho, with his family and also could not be reached. Both college prospects would presumably cost the 49ers more than their NFL candidates.
Stoops makes $2.1 million a year, which makes him the highest-paid coach in college football. Neuheisel would have to be bought out of his contract at a cost of $2 million. But 49ers owner John York has said in the past, if he and general manager Terry Donahue are impressed with a candidate, they would pay whatever it took.
Blache, who grew up in New Orleans, was impressed with the thoroughness of the 49ers' interview process. "These guys are worse than the FBI or the CIA," Blache said. "It was deep. They check it out."
Blache led a defense that was ranked 15th in the league and second against the run for a Bears team that went 13-3 in 2001. With injuries decimating the team last year, the Bears went 4-12.
Blache has, at times, been a controversial figure. Falcons quarterback Michael Vick claimed the Bears' defense was instructed to "take out" Vick's knees. Vick said he could hear Bears coaches from the sidelines yelling at players to go low when tackling him.
The Bears were called for three roughing-the-passer penalties in their loss to Atlanta.
"If he is going to run, what are you going to do?" Blache said after the game. "If he's going to run, why not?"
Nevertheless, Blache has apparently always seemed impressive to Donahue, who considered him as a defensive coach when Donahue nearly took the Cowboys' head-coaching job in 1997.
Blache also has a distant connection to York. Both attended Notre Dame at the same time.
"Honestly, John is a very, very brilliant man," Blache said. "John moved in a different circle than I did."
Young has surgery: Defensive tackle Bryant Young underwent shoulder surgery and might not be able to practice in pads until summer training camp.
Tell us what you think on the new 49ers Clubhouse message board.
