Oh, how the mighty have fallen: the 49ers, once synonymous with success in the NFL, have hit rock-bottom

Football Digest, Jan, 2005 by Dennis Georgatos

Dennis Erickson succeeded Mariucci as coach but has been dealt a tough hand, particularly this season. Determined to rein in what they regarded as overly reckless salary cap spending, the 49ers under York and general manager Terry Donahue pursued a more restrained approach focusing on young talent and maintaining fiscal discipline in the signing and retention of veterans.

Their adherence to that philosophy was largely behind the offseason purge of veterans that included the trade or release of such stars as Garcia, wide receivers Terrell Owens and Tai Streets, running back Garrison Hearst, and offensive linemen Derrick Deese and Ron Stone. It also figured in a substantial run-up of the team's dead money, with a league-high $29 million going to players no longer with the team.

"No one wants to lose those players, but you have to make some decisions when you come to a crossroads," Donahue says. "The reasons we did it was because of the salary-cap hell we were in. We had to decide, 'Were we putting ourselves back in it or dealing with it, going forward and at some point be financially sound and in good position to win for a longer period?'"

Steve Young says all the departures made the 49ers' slide this season "inevitable." He says the lack of a veteran presence has been especially tough on inexperienced quarterbacks Tim Rattay, Ken Dorsey, and rookie Cody Pickett.

"There's really no one around to kind of give them a sense of what it takes or how you get there," Young says. "I wish I could be there to mentor them a little, give them some good advice. Right now, they're doing it without a net."

Hall of Fame tackle Bob St. Clair says a youthful, banged-up 49ers team is doing the best it can under the circumstances. "You get rid of seven starters, you're starting from ground zero," St. Clair said. "They're being outmanned right now. But I can remember when Bill Walsh started, they didn't do very well at first, either. They're starting fresh again, and I'm optimistic. All I can say to the fans is you've got to be patient."

Donahue says he believes the team will have little or no dead money by 2006, giving the organization the financial freedom it has lacked in recent years to lock up players it wants to keep while charting a more stable, rewarding and upwardly mobile course on the field of play.

"We're on the road to recovery," Donahue says. "We're very optimistic, and we have to see it through and get to the point where we become cap-healthy. But the whole point is to win. That's the marching orders we're given by ownership. Those are the marching orders we plan to carry out."