49ers can Erickson after 2 years.

[SirFozzie]

The San Francisco 49ers fired coach Dennis Erickson on Wednesday, with the official announcement coming at a 5 p.m. ET news conference.

Erickson was informed of his fate shortly before noon on the West Coast after three days of short meetings with team owner John York. Erickson has three years and $7.5 million remaining on the contract he signed in 2003.

The 49ers will be honorable in paying off the contracts of Erickson and his assistant coaches, who each have a year remaining on their deals.

"His mind was made up," Erickson said. "It's a shame. I tried to get back to the NFL trying to win. Too bad this didn't work out."

ESPN.com's Len Pasquarelli reports the 49ers have reached a settlement on general manager Terry Donahue's contract and he will step down as GM.

York will make an announcement about organizational changes at the news conference.

Erickson finished 9-23 with the 49ers after two years, but he really didn't have much of a chance during his 2-14 season in 2004. The 49ers had $29 million of dead salary cap money, which restricted their payroll to $64 million, lowest in the league. His team was young at many key spots including quarterback, and didn't have the depth to handle the multitude of injuries it suffered to starters during the season.

This was Erickson's second tour in the NFL. He was 33-35 in four seasons with the Seahawks from 1995 to 1998. Considered one of the best college coaches for turning programs around, Erickson will likely be one of the top coaches considered for vacant college positions along with Butch Davis, his replacement at the University of Miami.

York likes Erickson but wanted changes on his coaching staff. Erickson has final say on all coaches on his staff and was willing to consider some changes, but that apparently wasn't enough to sway the decision.

Donahue, the longtime UCLA coach, was the hand-picked successor to Bill Walsh. Since taking over the team in 2001, he has been criticized for mediocre drafts and his unorthodox strategies, from his difficult salary cap relief plan to his reliance on unusual player evaluation methods.

Last month, York said he was extremely disappointed with the 49ers' season, and he expected to make big changes to the organization. Erickson will be the second coach fired by York in slightly less than two years, following his abrupt dismissal of Steve Mariucci just days after a second-round playoff loss at Tampa Bay.

So.. Norm Chow as head coach and #1 draft pick Leinart?

[Desnudo]

http://dynamic2.gamespy.com/~fof/for...ad.php?t=34171

[tanglewood]

For a minuite there, I thought Erickson had become a new verb.

To Erickson: Taking a fairly talented team in a difficult situation and turning it into an awful team in a horrendus situation.

[dawgfan]

Cue the Jeff Tedford to the 49ers rumor machine...

[Sharpieman]

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jerem77]

Dennis Erickson = Tim Floyd

[I. J. Reilly]

Originally Posted by tanglewood

For a minuite there, I thought Erickson had become a new verb.

To Erickson: Taking a fairly talented team in a difficult situation and turning it into an awful team in a horrendus situation.

SACRILEGE!!!


As an Oregon State season ticket holder take my word for it, the man can win with less then top notch talent. Just ask Bob Davies and Notre Dame.

[Vince]

In college, perhaps.

I'm pretty happy about the move, but I believe the 49ers had a lot of capital invested into those two guys (Donahue, the GM, was also fired). Not sure if/how that will affect their future signing, but let's just say I'm a little worried about who they might bring in.

[Maple Leafs]

Can it get any worse for 49ers fans?

We have the worst season of all time, wind up with the #1 pick... and it's in a crappy draft year without any franchise players.

Great. So we can't trade down, and we'll end up paying #1 money to some guy who should be a #10.

[Sharpieman]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Can it get any worse for 49ers fans?

We have the worst season of all time, wind up with the #1 pick... and it's in a crappy draft year without any franchise players.

Great. So we can't trade down, and we'll end up paying #1 money to some guy who should be a #10.

I doubt it, I think and hope that the new GM or whoever is in charge trades down.

It will be very, very interesting who the Niners go after to be their next coach.

[Tigercat]

Originally Posted by jerem77

Dennis Erickson = Tim Floyd

Except Tim Floyd took a hornets team that is one of the worst ever this year and got them to the playoffs last year.

[ZXTT]

Originally Posted by tanglewood

To Erickson: Taking a fairly talented team in a difficult situation and turning it into an awful team in a horrendus situation.

Hmm, can you actually point to the talent on this team? Let's see, cheap QBs, tough-as-feathers RB, best (even if total jackass) WR gone, best defender on IR, 1/3 (or something huge) of payroll in dead money...sorry, but I doubt if we've seen a bunch with less as talent.

People also forget he was average with the Seahawks, which means that he performed better than about half of the other coaches. And with York falling all over Pete Carroll, who has about the same resume as Erickson...

[Sharpieman]

where did you hear that york wants carroll?

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Can it get any worse for 49ers fans?

We have the worst season of all time, wind up with the #1 pick... and it's in a crappy draft year without any franchise players.

Great. So we can't trade down, and we'll end up paying #1 money to some guy who should be a #10.

Matt Leinart is a franchise player if he comes out and gets good coaching in the NFL.

[ZXTT]

Originally Posted by Sharpieman

where did you hear that york wants carroll?

Well, ESPN.com has this in an AP article:

York didn't deny an interest in speaking to former Patriots and Jets coach Pete Carroll, who wrapped up his second straight national championship with Southern California on Tuesday night.

"I think we all watched the game last night. That was a tremendous game," York said. "They were very dominant, and he's a great coach."

and Tim Kawakami writes:

Then York will try to hire USC national-title-winning coach Pete Carroll, who may be interested but is hardly an NFL sure thing after his mediocre stint running the New York Jets and the New England Patriots.

and finally this quote summarizes another article:

Dave Albee, columnist for the Marin Journal, the city where Carroll is from, said the Trojans head coach has accomplished all he can at SC, and should move on to a bigger challenge, turning around what was one of the top teams in the NFL.

Now as a Seahawk fan, I must disclose that I prefer the 2-14 49ers over most any other variety...

[Sharpieman]

Oh God no...Carroll is medicore in the NFL. I want Tedford.

[Sharpieman]

Actually I would love to see someone like Brad Childress who's done a great job at Philly or Romeo Crennel.

[BigJohn&TheLions]

Originally Posted by ZXTT

Hmm, can you actually point to the talent on this team? Let's see, cheap QBs, tough-as-feathers RB, best (even if total jackass) WR gone, best defender on IR, 1/3 (or something huge) of payroll in dead money...sorry, but I doubt if we've seen a bunch with less as talent.

People also forget he was average with the Seahawks, which means that he performed better than about half of the other coaches. And with York falling all over Pete Carroll, who has about the same resume as Erickson...

But look at what Holmgren has been able to do with the Seahawks... Oh wait...

Seroiusly, he was stupid to leave a good situation in Oregon to enter the mess that the Fourty-whiners has become. Just about anyone could see what was happening to the team. Now he has been made the scapegoat for a team that had little talent, and even the few guys they had were injured. And don't forget that he was brought in to get rid of the short passing game "west coast" offense, but still had to run it somewhat because he had no QB with an arm.

PS. The term "West Coast Offense" never made sense to me since Walsh brought it to SF from Cincinnati...

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

I''heard'' from not so reliable sources that Bob Davie will be coaching the 49ers and Ron Powlus will qb the 49ers into multiple victories.

[Darkiller]

This is great news.
Donahue is responsable for this miserable season. He chose Erickson back in 2003 and signed Plummer to a fat contrat which was not deserved, while cutting players and assembling the worst roster ever in 49er history.
We came out of Cap hell in 1999-2000 only to jump right back in there, in 2003...That's Donahue's fault from the ground up. And to make things worse, he kept excusing himself continuously claiming it was the former "regime's fault"...sure...Carmen Policy is of course responsable for the Niners' 2-14 season of 2004.

What I liked in York's speech is that for the first time since he became owner in 1999, I heard him talk about "Dominance, agressiveness (used that word three or four times")...saying we are now goingto be "agressive" in our approach of the off-season, and make sure we restore the 49er pride"...

may not seem like a lot, but from York's perspective: this is the first time I hear him speak like this.

Has me full of hope once again.
GO NINERS

[RendeR]

HRm, building up the largest "dead money" cap deficit in the league was in fact carmen policiy's fault, every penny of it. The whiners didn't come out of cap hell in 99-00 they simply restructured some contracts and did what policy had done for a decade, shoved the dead forward. Last season, this season and NEXT season have and will be wasted for this team by finally elliminating that overhead. next years dead cap money will still be the highest in the NFL barring some people retiring and screwing their teams caps up.

While I will be the first one to cheer a decade of losing for the fourty-whiners, I don't place the blame directly on any one head. Donahue is a good GM, when allowed to do his job. With the cap limitations they had and the serious non-existance of real talent on this team I'm honestly surprised they won 2 games (both overtime wins over the cardinals, might as well be 0-16)

Erickson I've nevr been impressed with, but what other coach would have taken this job? Erickson KNEW going into this he was just being hired to get them through the cap problems. He wasn't EXPECTED to win football games. He was the last patch on a sinking tub that had been floundering for the last few years.

The ship sank, build a new ship.

After 2005 is through, you can expect to see a real push to get back to the elite level by this team, but then again, it will still depend on them finding the right people to manage it and I'm not sure anyone wants to be involved with this administration in San Fran.

[rlfreeze]

Rumor has it here in SoCal that the 49ers want Carroll, Norm Chow, and would be willing to draft Leinert with the first pick.

[Franklinnoble]

Originally Posted by rlfreeze

Rumor has it here in SoCal that the 49ers want Carroll, Norm Chow, and would be willing to draft Leinert with the first pick.

Grenoble, France is in SoCal?

Anyhow, nothing good would come of that arrangement. Mark my words - if that happened, it'd be a train wreck.

[rkmsuf]

Erickson is the genius here. Gets out of that craphole and away from that dummy York and gets 13 or so million to watch Judge Judy all day.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Sharpieman

I doubt it, I think and hope that the new GM or whoever is in charge trades down.

With who? What team would possibly want to give up multiple picks to trade up to the #1 spot?

[rlfreeze]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

With who? What team would possibly want to give up multiple picks to trade up to the #1 spot?

Brings up a good question. In a weak draft class like this looks to be, do you shoot for quality or quantity and hope for the best?

[Suicane75]

Maybe they can trade down and draft JJ Stokes and a 30 year old QB.

[Eaglesfan27]

I think it's interesting that people keep calling this a weak draft class. I think Leinart is going to be better than Palmer and quite a few of the recent highly picked QB's. Rodgers looks like he has the potential to be a very good QB. There are a plethora of good RB's. I think when all is said and done, this is going to be a solid draft class.

[Suicane75]

I get the feeling Leinart may not come out.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by Suicane75

I get the feeling Leinart may not come out.

Maybe if Shorty teabags him he'll change his mind.

[Suicane75]

Originally Posted by rkmsuf

Maybe if Shorty teabags him he'll change his mind.

[moriarty]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I think it's interesting that people keep calling this a weak draft class. I think Leinart is going to be better than Palmer and quite a few of the recent highly picked QB's. Rodgers looks like he has the potential to be a very good QB. There are a plethora of good RB's. I think when all is said and done, this is going to be a solid draft class.

Don't forget Edwards and Mike Williams at WR, both solid picks IMO.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by moriarty

Don't forget Edwards and Mike Williams at WR, both solid picks IMO.

Believe me I wasn't. In the interest of brevity, I didn't list all of the solid guys on the draft board. I think this draft is getting shortchanged by some people.

[cuervo72]

Originally Posted by tanglewood

For a minuite there, I thought Erickson had become a new verb.

I can Erickson in....three notes!

[Suicane75]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

I can Erickson in....three notes!

The 49ers pulled a Munson this season.

[Glengoyne]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Erickson was informed of his fate shortly before noon on the West Coast after three days of short meetings with team owner John York. ...

"His mind was made up," Erickson said. ...

Ala Mariucchi He had me fired at "Hello"