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49ers need a Walsh-like visionary to lead them out of latest mess

Sporting News, The, Dec 27, 2004 by Brian Baldinger

Near the end of my playing career, the 49ers flew me to San Francisco for a physical. This was in 1994, when the 49ers were a powerhouse and every player in the league would have loved to wear the red and gold.

I remember walking into their practice facility in Santa Clara. There were the Vince Lombardi trophies. There were lockers belonging to Steve Young and Jerry Rice. There was Bill Walsh on the practice field, no longer a head coach, but still The Man in the model organization in the NFL. I felt like I was on hallowed ground.

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I felt much different when I visited the 49ers last week. From the fading "SF" on the awning atop the entrance to the practice facility to the absence of star players to the presence of a head coach who isn't wanted, it's a whole new atmosphere--an atmosphere of defeat, despair and hopelessness.

The 49ers are a mess. The roster is light on talent, especially at quarterback. Ken Dorsey and Tim Rattay are good kids, but neither is reminiscent of Joe Montana or Young. Other positions are similarly thin.

Their coach, Dennis Erickson, actually prefers the college game and, frankly, would be a better fit there. He talked to Ole Miss, and the 49ers would have liked him to go. If Erickson leaves, it would get them off the hook for about $10 million--the amount they'll be paying Erickson and his staff for the next three years. But Erickson decided Ole Miss wasn't right for him.

The 49ers were struggling about five years ago, in the middle of Steve Mariucci's six-year tenure. But Mariucci got them out of salary-cap hell and into the playoffs after the 2001 and 2002 seasons. Ownership's response? Fire the coach. What a huge mistake. The organization has been reeling ever since.

For players, the excitement and mystique about being a 49er are gone. Fans, meanwhile, are finding other ways to spend their time than going to Monster Park. It wouldn't be a surprise if home games start getting blacked out in the Bay Area next season.

I don't see much hope for the near future. The 49ers need a Walsh-type visionary, someone who can set a direction for the organization and lead them with a firm hand. Such visionaries exist; witness John Fox in Carolina and Andy Reid ]n Philadelphia. It's just a matter of finding the next one.

Sadly, I'm not sure the 49ers know how to do that.

Brian Baldinger, an offensive lineman for 12 NFL seasons, can be heard on Sporting News Radio and seen on FOX Sports. Listen online at radio.sportingnews.com.

49ers need a Walsh-like visionary to lead them out of latest mess

Sporting News, The, Dec 27, 2004 by Brian Baldinger

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