Offense:What now for 49ers?
February 12, 2003
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
SANTA CLARA -- Dennis Erickson's forte is the passing game.
The 49ers already have their offense in place, so Erickson will be incorporating his own ideas into a system that has served the organization quite well since Bill Walsh installed the ball-control passing game in 1979.
Quarterback Jeff Garcia and receiver Terrell Owens have reason to be happy, according to some coaches who have worked with Erickson.
"I think it'll be a great fit," said Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, who played quarterback for Erickson at Idaho. "Not many coaches understand the passing game better than Dennis Erickson. The terminology will be a little different, but he's got a good staff around him and he'll make that transition.
"As I've followed his career, he's adjusted his spread offense to a lot of concepts that even the so-called West Coast offenses have been running. He does such a great job of utilizing the whole field. He spreads the field out and creates mismatches for offensive players."
Erickson is known for running a spread offense that generally uses one back and three wide receivers. But Erickson has changed with the personnel he has at his disposal, as he went more with two backs last season at Oregon State because of protection breakdowns.
One team source said 49ers general manager Terry Donahue liked the idea of Erickson using his creativity in the passing game to build on the team's existing West Coast offense.
Offensive coordinator Greg Knapp, quarterbacks coach Ted Tollner and offensive line coach Pat Morris are expected to be retained and help Erickson in the transition -- the morphing of his system with the one he is inheriting.
"I think it'll be an easy mesh," said Cincinnati offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski, who held the same position under Erickson with the Seattle Seahawks.
"There are so many things that go back and forth between the West Coast offense and other offenses. The terminology is different, so I don't know how that's going to work out. There's enough stuff that Dennis does and what I've seen from San Francisco over the last few years, so I don't see it being an issue."
Erickson's Seahawks owned the league's No. 1 passing offense in 1997.
Under coach Steve Mariucci, the 49ers ranked No. 14 in passing each of the past two seasons. Garcia and Owens were outspoken critics of the offense.
The hiring of Erickson is a signal that Donahue wants the 49ers to get more aggressive on offense. In 2002, Garcia averaged 10.2 yards per completion -- the lowest average from a starting quarterback in team history.
Erickson has been a winner at nearly every stop, including national championships in 1989 and '91 at the University of Miami.
"I definitely remember watching Miami and the way they used to throw the ball around," 49ers offensive lineman Dave Fiore said. "I think it'll be a good fit for us and our offense.
"I don't know what kind of changes will take place to the offense, but we've run more one-back sets over the past couple years just to show defenses different looks, so I think we can handle that adjustment. I'd think we'll probably keep a little bit of tradition in our offense."
The first order of business for Erickson is to assemble a coaching staff with the 49ers. He is expected to meet with those on the staff today or Thursday.
Among the coaches in limbo are running backs coach Tom Rathman, tight ends coach Tom Batta and defensive backs coach Brett Maxie. Erickson must fill vacancies to coach receivers, defensive line, linebackers and special teams.
But the big question is what happens with defensive coordinator Jim Mora, who was one of the finalists for the head-coaching job. Mora will have opportunities to become defensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions but said he expects to speak with Erickson about possibly remaining with the 49ers.
"He deserves that," Mora said, "and I deserve that, too. I know him from the past. I'll have some pretty good options. It just depends."
If Mora leaves, Erickson would most likely consider Texas Tech defensive coordinator Greg McMackin and Pittsburgh Steelers defensive backs coach Willy Robinson for the position.
Erickson is expected to bring assistant head coach Gregg Smith with him from Oregon State. Smith might coach tight ends. Smith has followed Erickson to jobs at Idaho, Wyoming, Washington State, Miami, the Seattle Seahawks and Oregon State.
He might also bring Eric Yarber from Oregon State to coach receivers.
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