49ers Clubhouse

San Jose Mercury

Search yields myths, mirth

February 11, 2003

By Mark Purdy
Mercury News Staff Columnist
Time flies when you're interviewing defensive coordinators. The 49ers fired Steve Mariucci on Jan. 15. Which means we're coming up on the one-month pole for their coaching search.
Speaking for myself, I hope they go another month, maybe two. The whole thing has been much too entertaining. Sadly, it will conclude this week. But as we wait, let me take time to explode some myths that have taken root during this Month of Mooch Replacement Surgery. And then I'll make a wild stab at how I think it will end.
MYTH ONE: DR. JOHN YORK IS AN IDIOT.
Wrong. York married eventual 49ers owner Denise DeBartolo, but York is no trust-fund husband. As a young physician, York started a chain of medical labs in the Midwest and built them into a $25 million annual business before selling out in 1993.
Stupid, this man ain't. But in some ways, York has been terribly naive about the NFL's grapevine and the ways of 49ers fans. He has been taken aback by the flame-throwing reaction to the sluggish Niners coaching hunt. He's surprised that so many potential prospects withdrew after being asked to interview. York seemed to believe worthy candidates would flock to the 49ers and would kill to coach the team.
Now he knows better. York's awkward and abrupt handling of Mariucci's departure created trepidation around the league. When both Philadelphia coordinators withdrew their names from the 49ers' hunt, you had to wonder if it was because Eagles Coach Andy Reid is a good pal of Mooch's.
Meanwhile, the more vocal Niners fans have savaged York for not immediately finding the next Jon Gruden. York shouldn't be stunned, but he still lives in Youngstown, Ohio. He might have thought he understood the depth and width of 49ers fans' high expectations. He didn't, in much the same way that a non-resident of Columbus cannot totally fathom that city's passion for Ohio State football.
MYTH TWO: IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS.
You know, the dollars. Sorry. Not as I see it. York has taken legitimate heat for the stuttering start to the coaching search and for not pursuing a high-profile name, but it's wrong to say York has been thinking only about money, both in firing Mariucci and pursuing a successor.
Come on, people. If Bob Stoops (from the University of Oklahoma) says he is not interested and if Jimmy Johnson (from the University of Pregame TV Blather) is making himself unavailable, just exactly which candidate should the 49ers smother in big bucks? Last I heard, Vince Lombardi was still dead.
According to my information, the 49ers tried to lure Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin with a $2.4 million salary. That's more than Mariucci would have made in 2003 if he hadn't been dumped. But Kiffin decided to stay with Tampa Bay as an assistant for $1.7 million because he didn't feel the 49ers showed him enough love quickly enough after the Super Bowl.
MYTH THREE: CASH CAN CONQUER ALL.
This is football, true. But it's still a lot about personal relationships. Do you think a female NFL owner is going to be comfortable hiring Dennis Green, as talented as he might be, when Green is still haunted by those sexual harassment allegations in Minnesota?
And as for Stoops . . . well, he was definitely approached by 49ers General Manager Terry Donahue. But Stoops rejected the overtures before money was even mentioned. He allegedly told friends he was leery of the 49ers' front-office setup. This seemed odd, given that Stoops is a native of Youngstown, home of York and the DeBartolo business empire.
Indeed, Denise York was once taught in school by Stoops' father. But my sources say Stoops is much closer to the Eddie DeBartolo side of the family than to the York side. And given the recent nasty words exchanged between the Eddie camp and the York camp over the stadium situation, it's clear the sides have not mended fences. So if Stoops consulted Eddie about what it would be like to work for the Yorks, you can guess what Eddie might say.
As for Johnson, he really doesn't want to coach again. And he really, really, really doesn't want to coach in the same building where Bill Walsh works. Last fall in his TV job, Johnson jabbed Walsh for taking too much credit for the 49ers' success. Beyond that, there's no way Johnson would want to play second fiddle to Donahue in personnel decisions.
MYTH FOUR: THE SEARCH FOR A 49ERS HEAD COACH HAS BEEN A CONFUSING, DIRECTIONLESS SHAMBLES.
Look, there are two ways to choose an NFL head coach. And both ways have produced Super Bowl-winning coaches. Choice one is to target a guy and go after him with a vengeance. Choice two is to methodically seek job applicants, interview each one, then make a choice.
The 49ers have taken the latter approach. And except for the candidate-withdrawal glitches, Donahue has organized well in his process. You can certainly argue whether this was the right plan -- and I will, because I would have targeted a top college head coach. But you can't dismiss the 49ers' method as a joke or even a failure . . . yet. That is the beauty of the NFL. Ultimately, the answers will arrive on Sundays, beginning in September.
MYTH FIVE: JIM MORA IS OUT OF THE PICTURE.
To the contrary. Those close to Donahue believe that of the three candidates, he would prefer Mora, the 49ers' defensive coordinator under Mariucci. Mora has spent more than 20 hours with York or Donahue or both in the past few weeks. That doesn't sound like a man with no chance. Donahue likes him.
York, however, is supposedly not quite as excited about Mora. He leans toward Bears assistant Greg Blache or Jets assistant Ted Cottrell, and not because they are minority candidates the NFL would love to see hired. York is said to have been impressed by Cottrell but is concerned by his soft-spoken manner. Could such a man handle the likes of Terrell Owens?
Blache is more boisterous, more of a risk taker, and was a classmate of York's at Notre Dame. So the hunch here is, if Blache can find a way to sufficiently impress Donahue, Blache will be the choice. But the compromise pick could be Cottrell. And Mora could still be the wild card. Does this fun actually have to end?

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

By Mark Purdy
Mercury News Staff Columnist

Time flies when you're interviewing defensive coordinators. The 49ers fired Steve Mariucci on Jan. 15. Which means we're coming up on the one-month pole for their coaching search.

Speaking for myself, I hope they go another month, maybe two. The whole thing has been much too entertaining. Sadly, it will conclude this week. But as we wait, let me take time to explode some myths that have taken root during this Month of Mooch Replacement Surgery. And then I'll make a wild stab at how I think it will end.

MYTH ONE: DR. JOHN YORK IS AN IDIOT.

Wrong. York married eventual 49ers owner Denise DeBartolo, but York is no trust-fund husband. As a young physician, York started a chain of medical labs in the Midwest and built them into a $25 million annual business before selling out in 1993.

Stupid, this man ain't. But in some ways, York has been terribly naive about the NFL's grapevine and the ways of 49ers fans. He has been taken aback by the flame-throwing reaction to the sluggish Niners coaching hunt. He's surprised that so many potential prospects withdrew after being asked to interview. York seemed to believe worthy candidates would flock to the 49ers and would kill to coach the team.

Now he knows better. York's awkward and abrupt handling of Mariucci's departure created trepidation around the league. When both Philadelphia coordinators withdrew their names from the 49ers' hunt, you had to wonder if it was because Eagles Coach Andy Reid is a good pal of Mooch's.

Meanwhile, the more vocal Niners fans have savaged York for not immediately finding the next Jon Gruden. York shouldn't be stunned, but he still lives in Youngstown, Ohio. He might have thought he understood the depth and width of 49ers fans' high expectations. He didn't, in much the same way that a non-resident of Columbus cannot totally fathom that city's passion for Ohio State football.

MYTH TWO: IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMINS.

You know, the dollars. Sorry. Not as I see it. York has taken legitimate heat for the stuttering start to the coaching search and for not pursuing a high-profile name, but it's wrong to say York has been thinking only about money, both in firing Mariucci and pursuing a successor.

Come on, people. If Bob Stoops (from the University of Oklahoma) says he is not interested and if Jimmy Johnson (from the University of Pregame TV Blather) is making himself unavailable, just exactly which candidate should the 49ers smother in big bucks? Last I heard, Vince Lombardi was still dead.

According to my information, the 49ers tried to lure Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin with a $2.4 million salary. That's more than Mariucci would have made in 2003 if he hadn't been dumped. But Kiffin decided to stay with Tampa Bay as an assistant for $1.7 million because he didn't feel the 49ers showed him enough love quickly enough after the Super Bowl.

MYTH THREE: CASH CAN CONQUER ALL.

This is football, true. But it's still a lot about personal relationships. Do you think a female NFL owner is going to be comfortable hiring Dennis Green, as talented as he might be, when Green is still haunted by those sexual harassment allegations in Minnesota?

And as for Stoops . . . well, he was definitely approached by 49ers General Manager Terry Donahue. But Stoops rejected the overtures before money was even mentioned. He allegedly told friends he was leery of the 49ers' front-office setup. This seemed odd, given that Stoops is a native of Youngstown, home of York and the DeBartolo business empire.

Indeed, Denise York was once taught in school by Stoops' father. But my sources say Stoops is much closer to the Eddie DeBartolo side of the family than to the York side. And given the recent nasty words exchanged between the Eddie camp and the York camp over the stadium situation, it's clear the sides have not mended fences. So if Stoops consulted Eddie about what it would be like to work for the Yorks, you can guess what Eddie might say.

As for Johnson, he really doesn't want to coach again. And he really, really, really doesn't want to coach in the same building where Bill Walsh works. Last fall in his TV job, Johnson jabbed Walsh for taking too much credit for the 49ers' success. Beyond that, there's no way Johnson would want to play second fiddle to Donahue in personnel decisions.

MYTH FOUR: THE SEARCH FOR A 49ERS HEAD COACH HAS BEEN A CONFUSING, DIRECTIONLESS SHAMBLES.

Look, there are two ways to choose an NFL head coach. And both ways have produced Super Bowl-winning coaches. Choice one is to target a guy and go after him with a vengeance. Choice two is to methodically seek job applicants, interview each one, then make a choice.

The 49ers have taken the latter approach. And except for the candidate-withdrawal glitches, Donahue has organized well in his process. You can certainly argue whether this was the right plan -- and I will, because I would have targeted a top college head coach. But you can't dismiss the 49ers' method as a joke or even a failure . . . yet. That is the beauty of the NFL. Ultimately, the answers will arrive on Sundays, beginning in September.

MYTH FIVE: JIM MORA IS OUT OF THE PICTURE.

To the contrary. Those close to Donahue believe that of the three candidates, he would prefer Mora, the 49ers' defensive coordinator under Mariucci. Mora has spent more than 20 hours with York or Donahue or both in the past few weeks. That doesn't sound like a man with no chance. Donahue likes him.

York, however, is supposedly not quite as excited about Mora. He leans toward Bears assistant Greg Blache or Jets assistant Ted Cottrell, and not because they are minority candidates the NFL would love to see hired. York is said to have been impressed by Cottrell but is concerned by his soft-spoken manner. Could such a man handle the likes of Terrell Owens?

Blache is more boisterous, more of a risk taker, and was a classmate of York's at Notre Dame. So the hunch here is, if Blache can find a way to sufficiently impress Donahue, Blache will be the choice. But the compromise pick could be Cottrell. And Mora could still be the wild card. Does this fun actually have to end?

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