Niners fire Mariucci

[Jedieb]

I think this is a boneheaded move by SF. Without Mariucci they'd still be in rebuilding hell like the Cowboys. They're talking about hiring Dennis Green or their defensive cooridinator, Jim Mora Jr. I don't think they'll hire Green because he's going to want too much control. Holgrrem is apparently staying put in Seattle. So who's left? It'll probably be Mora Jr. or some hot offensive minded college coach. My gut tells me the guy they REALLY want is Holgrem.

[jjwr]

Ouch.....what is so bad about Mariucci? Hasn't he put together 3 straight 10 win seasons and basically rebuilt the team?

[Jedieb]

He hasn't won a ring and thinks the running the ball is actually a good idea. So in SF that makes him the devil! :rolleyes They want someone who's going to build an offense around Owens and is going to win SB trophies. They're just too damn spoiled to know when they have a good thing in front of them. This will probably hurt them in the long run.

[Taylor Millard]

Yes but SF is like Dallas in that they want a Super Bowl and they want one now.

Mariucci'll end up at Jacksonville (I THINK)...or he'll go to a college.

Too bad Michigan State all ready got their new coach...since Mooch went to school there.

[Taylor Millard]

From ESPN.com

49ers release Mariucci from final year of contract

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ESPN.com


Steve Mariucci was fired Wednesday as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, sources have told ESPN.

Sources within the 49ers organization said there were philosophical differences between Mariucci and the club and that he wanted more authority, including asking for the title of vice president of football operations.

A source close to Mariucci denies that he asked for more authority.

Mariucci will be paid for the one season left on his contract of $2.25 million.

Former Vikings coach Dennis Green and 49ers defensive coordinator Jim Mora Jr. might be candidates to replace Mariucci. The 49ers will conduct a nationwide search and will consider current staff members as well to replace Mariucci.

The 49ers' season ended on a disappointing note with a 31-6 loss to the Buccaneers on Sunday in the NFC divisional playoffs.

After Sunday's loss, York reiterated that the 49ers wanted Mariucci to return for the 2003 season. At the time, Mariucci was also adamant that he wanted to coach the team next season -- even if the two sides could not agree on an extension.

[Jedieb]

Both organizations have gotten rid of coaches they shouldn't have. (Dallas=Johnson, SF=Mariucci) But when you think of what Mooch has done there it's kind of ridiculous for them to cut him loose. I think they're going to miss him when he's gone. Hell, letting go of Johnson probably cost the Cowboys a title or two.

[CMJ]

Hell I'm not even sure the Cowboys firing Switzer was a great move. He was a helluva lot better than Chan Gailey at least. :p

[JonathanLB]

God I am really, incredibly bummed about this. I hadn't heard about it until this thread and I went to ESPN before I opened the thread.

I really, really like Steve Mariucci. I know I'd root for him no matter where he went. He's just the nicest guy, very reasonable, and he's a great coach. He took that team from a lousy 4-12 record one year to 12-4 two years later, into the playoffs, and then this year 10-6 despite injuries and to their first playoff win after rebuilding in spectacular fashion.

They will not find a better head coach. Those IDIOTS. I want to use a lot of other words to describe those bunch of bantha herders, but the censor would just take them out. UGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG.

I hate sports teams sometimes. It's always the management screwing it all up.

[Figrin D'an]

Bottom line, Mariucci got fired for one reason (and stupid one at that)...

Bill Walsh.

Walsh, even in his consultants role, has been breathing down Mariucci's neck for years... Walsh was a great coach, but he has always unfairly judged Mariucci because, like Jedieb said, Mooch does things differently that his predecessors. He isn't of the same mentality as Bill Walsh or George Siefert. Different personality, different way of running things. So many people in the 49ers organization couldn't handle that. Bill Walsh, being the "genius" that he is, has everyone's ear in the 49ers upper management, and has made it known for a while now that he thought Mariucci should get the boot.

Regardless of what "experts" like John Clayton say about Mooch wanting to stay, I seriously doubt that was the case. Mariucci asked for more power because he knew that it was the quickest way to get out of the contract.

Jacksonville would be a perfect fit for Mariucci. I expect those two sides to be in contact as early as tomorrow.

[JonathanLB]

Then I will be a Jag fan next season to some degree because I would like to see him do well.

I think this whole mess just proves that nice guys finish last. Hopefully Mooch can win a Super Bowl with another team and prove there are exceptions. :)

[Denali Gue]

I suppose Seifert is out of the question? I have no idea what happened to him or where he went after he left SF. What about Walsh?

[JMK]

What a mistake. Mariucci was a terrific coach considering te cap problems they've had. If they think they have someone better waiting to take his place, I'd like to hear about it.

[Figrin D'an]

Siefert coached the Carolina Panthers after he left San Fransisco. He's been out of football for the past few years.

There aren't a lot of big name choices around really. There are a few coordinators that are looking to step up to head coaching jobs. Dennis Green will probably be a serious candidate, since he's from that the 49er lineage of coaches. Beyond that, it's anyone's guess at this point.

[Darth23]

Niners fire Mariucci

Idots.


But then I thought the Tampa Bay Bucs were fools to get rid of Tony Dungee

[Taylor Millard]

Originally posted by Darth23
But then I thought the Tampa Bay Bucs were fools to get rid of Tony Dungee

Considering who they got in return...I didn't think the Bucs were foolish to get rid of Dungy. They just handled badly.

Besides...does Dungy ever say, "Now Philly's still in America. Jiminey Christmas."

;) :D :lol

[Taylor Millard]

Originally posted by JMK
What a mistake. Mariucci was a terrific coach considering te cap problems they've had. If they think they have someone better waiting to take his place, I'd like to hear about it.

Yeah I agree...Mariucci helped rescue the Niners from Salary Cap hell. He handled (barely) Terrel Owens and helped bring along Jeff Garcia.

I'm no Niners fan...but I am a Steve Mariucci one.

I know he'll land on his feet somewhere.

And suceed too.

[Jedieb]

PTI had the old Niner Gary Plummer on their 5 Good Minutes segment. He basically echoed most of what many of us have said. Mooch had the Niners in the playoffs 4 out of the 6 years he was there and won 12 games 3 times! 3 TIMES! People were talking about a rebuilding process that could 5 years and he did it in 2. He went a round further this year than last, and they STILL fired him. That degree of improvement would be a dream for most franchises. But the Niners are living in the past. They're living in an NFL where they could spend as much money as they want and win Superbowls every other year. That NFL doesn't exist anymore. I'll say it again, this is going to bite them in the rear.

[CMJ]

By the way...Pardon the Interruption is the best show on Television. :D

[Figrin D'an]

Originally posted by CMJ
By the way...Pardon the Interruption is the best show on Television. :D

I will very much agree with that statement.

[Jedieb]

Am I the only one that thinks the reason Lupica has never been on the show is because none of the other writers can stand him? :evil

[CMJ]

I kinda like him on the SportsReporters. I used to love that show, but on the West coast I just have a hard time getting up for it. :\

[JonathanLB]

"But the Niners are living in the past. They're living in an NFL where they could spend as much money as they want and win Superbowls every other year. That NFL doesn't exist anymore. I'll say it again, this is going to bite them in the rear."

Agreed, agreed, and agreed. What are they THINKING?!

You can't expect someone to win the Super Bowl every year, especially when the Niners have been rebuilding now for some time. That process is not over, it just happened very quickly when they managed to go 12-4 the year before this last, which was a stunning comeback from 4-12 just two seasons earlier. Tough to pull that off. They're still working on that rebuilding process, IMO, with the defense especially.

I really am bummed about them firing Mooch, just ruins my day.

[JMK]

It's sad to say, but I wish the coach of my NHL team would get canned. He doesn't know a thing about hockey.

I just don't know why you would fire someone who takes a team from 4-12 and reverses that record in such a short span. It's mindboggling. Technically though, wasn't he released from his contract instead of flat out fired? If so, isn't there a mojor difference. As in Mariucci finally had enough of the zero respect game and basically asked to be fired?

[Denali Gue]

Wasnt/isnt Dennis Green with the Vikings? They did alright but he never impressed me that much. Hopefully they'll bide thier time and get someone really good. I dont care if it takes them two or three years to get back on thier feet.

[Jedieb]

No, they flat out fired him. They have to honor his contract and pay him over 2M for that last year. I think he may go to TV and sit out a year and wait for just the right job to open up.

[JMK]

Oh, I guess the radio report just phrased it differently.
Off topic, but it also quite confounding that Mariuccu makes 2M a year then someone like Spurrier gets 5M. :x

[Figrin D'an]

Originally posted by Jedieb
Am I the only one that thinks the reason Lupica has never been on the show is because none of the other writers can stand him? :evil

lol...

I've never really had a problem with Mike Lupica... I disagree with him sometimes, but at least he can make reasonable arguments to back up his stances... the one I dislike is Mitch Albom... he never has anything original to say, and he rarely even considers multiple sides of an argument before opening his loud mouth.

[JMK]

Mitch Albom is also the one that bashed Star Wars fans for lining up for TPM, I've disliked him ever since.

[Jedi Master Carr]

I think the 49ers made a huge mistake, also I thought it was more Donahue (sp) that didn't like him but I could be wrong there. They could hire Coughlin but I am not sure he would make it with them, they might even go after Bob Stoops but I doubt he will leave OU right now. As far as Mariucci, if I were him I wouldn't go to Jax they have a lot of problems especially with the cap, they were lucky to win 6 games this year. I think he will take Parcelles place at ESPN for a year and wait there are several jobs that could open up in 2004 amoung them

San Diego, Marty could retire easily, and it wouldn't take much, this is a young team and would be a great place to go

Kansas City same deal Vermiel is 68 and if they don't win the SB he might call it quits (if they won the job would go to Saunders in my opinion.)

Detriot, actually this would be an excellent place to go they have a great young QB and are starting to build personnel

Seattle, another bad year by Holgrome and he is gone but Seattle is loaded with problems

Atlanta same with KC, and SD Reeves is up there and he could retire any time.

[JonathanLB]

"I think he may go to TV and sit out a year and wait for just the right job to open up."

I think this would be the right thing to do, personally. I mean... the Jags, that is his only option in the NFL now, so why take just one option? Seems you have to take a year off in a case like this. That's too bad, IMO, but at least he can sit home and watch TV and still make that $2 million. Stupid Niners, jesus. I've never been so mad at the Niners before, and that after I was very proud of them just a week ago. Even against Tampa Bay, I was still proud of my team, not because of the way they played, but I didn't see the loss as that big of a deal. They were so depleted and it was just a bad day, but they were going to lose anyway as soon as they knew they weren't going to have Webster and Plummer went out. That, for me, said this game is over...

Mitch Albom is a retard. It's not the fact that he criticized people for lining up for Star Wars, it's really the manner in which he did it. Actually, to a large extent, it IS the fact that he criticized other people at all for something they enjoy doing that doesn't hurt him one bit.

It shows his utter intolerance and lack of understanding, which for someone his age is totally unacceptable. People should learn by the time they are in college or a bit beyond to be tolerant and understanding of other cultures, other societies, other countries, and other people. If would have simply said, "I do not understand anyone lining up for a movie. That seems really absurd to me," then I would think he was free to express his opinions and it wouldn't bother me. I'd just say, "Well he doesn't understand." The way he said it, though, was that ALL people who lined up early had no lives, had no girlfriends, were not worthy of the name human, basically, and were just below him. The way he approached the matter was so inappropriate and disgusting that I would not respect one other thing that guy said unless he fully apologized for his earlier statements and not just apoligized because they offended people, but apologized because he knew they were wrong and has realized that. Fact is, he will never realize it, though, because he's an arrogant, idiotic man who is always right, or at least thinks he is always right.

It comes down to the same matter of homophobia, really. I personally think being gay is unthinkable and I find those activities disgusting, but I do not condemn the people who are gay because it is NOT my business and it is not harming me and I don't think it is morally wrong. It's not a matter of ethical relativism, but just simple common sense. It's not "wrong," it's just different, and it's not my business to judge people for participating in activities that I personally detest. In the case of Albom, he is basically saying not only that he detests said activities, i.e. Star Wars fandom or waiting in line for days for a movie, but that people who engage in said activities are worthless, stupid, confused, or whatever else. The guy is truly a pathetic excuse for a person in my opinion.

[Jedieb]

What bugs me about Lupica is that he's sometimes flat out rude. Yet he'll be the first one to criticize an athlete or owner for the same kind of behavior. He's also got a BIG TIME inferiority complex. I remember he once took a potshot at Jim Leher(sp?) who does the news broadcast for PBS. Apparently Jim wasn't tough enough on Bill Clinton during an interview at the White House. Give me a break. I've seen Lupica coddle athletes and kiss up to guys like Patrick Ewing so badly you'd swear they were putting his kids through college for him. He makes great arguments at times, but he can be so snide about it.

John Saunders is doing a great job on the Sports Reporters. D. Schapp was a class act and Saunders is doing a heck of a job following a legend. I try to watch them every Sunday morning. It's kind of a ritual during the season.

I think Mariucci will be on ESPN's NFL Countdown next year in Parcell's seat. Then he'll probably end up in Detroit. That team ISN'T going to turn things around next year IMO. Mariucci also isn't gonig to make the demands that Donahue is now accusing him of.

[JonathanLB]

Well it would be cool to see him on TV, if not just because I wouldn't have to watch him on another sideline and every time think about the Niners organization, "Oh my god! They killed Moochy! You b@st@rds!"

[JediBoricua]

This morning Sportscenter said that he refused the Jaxsonville seat. Seeing him on NFL countdown would be very cool, sitting next to Steve Young!

At times like this you have to hate the Niners...

[Jedi Master Carr]

And Jax hired somebody with no coaching experience Del Rio who was an LB with Minnesota (what idiots they are and it shows where they are going) I agree with about Detriot Jedieb, that seems to be the best place for him, I wouldn't mind to see him succeed Vermeil in KC but that would mean Vermeil would have to fail or win the SB, and if it is the later they will go with the Offensive cordinator. How about the Rams if they have the season they had this year, Martz will be fired, he could go there.

[CMJ]

Kind of off tangent, but related to the discssion on Pardon the Interruption. Did anyone see today's show? The man versus beast stuff was classic...even for PTI. :lol

[JonathanLB]

I don't hate the Niners, I love my Niners. I hate this decision, though, and it really leaves me disappointed and bummed. It goes beyond just sports, because IMO this wasn't a sports issue. If it were purely about sports, I'd just be like, "Ok whatever, this is too bad, but I'm not going to let the NFL influence my life to much degree." But in this case, it's sad to me because it's about real people, not about the profession. Obviously Mariucci did a great job while he was there. Nobody is questioning that, literally nobody. Still, what seemed to get him canned was just this disgusting scheming behind his back, IMO, and that's what disappoints me.

My teams have often had problems behind the scenes. The Blazers are a key example of a team where I literally HATE the management. I hate Witsitt, I think Paul Allen is an idiot for keeping the guy, and the bonehead decisions they have made include recently trading away Jermaine O'Neal, who could have made the Blazers a Title contender, honestly, and if you go back, the Blazers had a chance at MICHAEL JORDAN! Arguably the greatest athlete in sports history, but almost surely the greatest player ever to touch a basketball. Jordan, to me, is God-like. I love Jordan. The idea that the Blazers could have had him and didn't is just sickening. What I cannot imagine is Jordan combined with Terry Porter and Clyde Drexler. Good lord. That's way better than the Jordan-Pippen combo! Drexler was ten times the player that Pippen ever was, IMO, and Terry Porter was about equal to Pippen. I actually met Porter once, got his autograph, when I was very young, but I went up to him at breakfast in Lincoln City (near the coast of Oregon) and I didn't really want to interrupt him, but I said, "Hey... I'm sorry to bother you, and you can wait until after you are done eating, but I was wondering if you might sign this piece of paper." He was really nice about it and did sign it, but I was reluctant to bother him at all. I was like 10. Still, it must be really annoying to be eating with your wife and get bothered like that. I'm sure at first it is great, but it would get old really quickly.