Not much changed: SF 49ers
Daniel Brown
Mercury News
It took some effort to set off Steve Mariucci on Wednesday. So steeled was he against the predictable questions -- about being fired by the 49ers, about owner John York, about combustible wide receiver Terrell Owens -- that he defused them with a diplomat's deft touch.
But then there was the one about his "conservative" play calling.
Three, two, one.
Liftoff.
"If you consider Jeff Garcia throwing 30 or more touchdown passes for two consecutive years, the first time any 49ers quarterback has ever done so, and him setting the yardage record, and T.O. leading the league in touchdown catches for the last couple of years and on and on," Mariucci said evenly, "Then, yes, I was conservative."
Mariucci's new employer, the Detroit Lions, visits Candlestick Park on Sunday in a matchup between one team that was expected to be 1-3 and one team that was not. The 49ers dismissed Mariucci in January, in part because they felt he was not the type of coach who could get them to the Super Bowl.
Enter the new boss, Dennis Erickson, who has talked openly since his arrival about souping up the offense. As Mariucci studies film in preparation for this weekend, however, a lot of what the 49ers do under holdover offensive coordinator Greg Knapp looks familiar.
"There are a couple of tweaks," Mariucci said. "It is mostly the same, but I know their playbook. . . . I'm sure Greg Knapp will have a few new wrinkles, but obviously I am familiar with most of it and they are probably familiar with most of what we are doing, too."
Under Mariucci last season, the 49ers averaged 356.3 yards per game. This year, they average 354.5 yards.
In 2002, they had 216.1 passing yards per game. This year it is 222.
So has anything really changed?
"I believe by play calls, yes, we have been more aggressive," Knapp said. "But are defensive schemes allowing us to take advantage of it? No, it hasn't been that way. I'm surprised how much we're seeing schemes designed to stop that thought of us being more aggressive."
The 49ers' dreams of going deep have taken a hit because of injuries to the offensive line, most notably to starting left tackle Derrick Deese and left guard Eric Heitmann. Also, opponents often are in the Cover 2, a zone defense in which two deep safeties split the field and keep the ball in front of them.
So, almost out of necessity, Mariucci's offensive hallmark -- short, high-percentage passes -- remains the 49ers' main mode of transportation.
"I haven't really seen a total difference in the mentality," quarterback Jeff Garcia said. "What you have is an overlap of Coach Knapp continuing to be the offensive coordinator. I think that we've played much the same in terms of play calling. We just haven't been consistent on the field. We haven't been effective."
Something else should seem familiar to Mariucci upon his return. Owens spent the past two weeks grumbling about the 49ers' lackluster play and indicating a desire to get more involved in the offense. Such sentiments ought to make Mariucci nostalgic; the two clashed frequently during their time together, with Owens knocking the coach for his lack of "killer instinct" and for not utilizing him enough in game plans.
Mariucci said Wednesday that he has not paid much attention to the latest Owens saga, saying he has his own receivers to think about. But he did recall an act of kindness by Owens, who stopped by the coach's office to say goodbye shortly after Mariucci was fired.
"We had spent six years together and he had a lot of success and growth as a wide receiver and 49er," Mariucci said. "We sort of did it together. You know, it wasn't always perfect, but I suppose deep down that there was certainly a mutual respect."
Mariucci went 60-43 (.583) in six seasons as the 49ers' coach, including 10-6 and a second-round exit from the NFC playoffs last season, before York let him go, citing philosophical differences. Mariucci said he has not spoken to York or to General Manager Terry Donahue since, and he sounded eager to put his 49ers connections in the rear-view mirror.
"Wounds? I don't know about wounds," he said. "In this coaching profession, if we stay in it long enough, we are going to have some detours and some roads. Some are smooth and some are bumpy, and all kinds of different experiences as we go through a coaching career.
"So, I look at my 49er experience as an awesome one. I loved it. I wouldn't trade it for anything. I learned so much from it. I met so many great people, from players to other coaches to the front-office staff to workers in the building to the fans.
"I loved it. . . . I've said it before, I don't look back nor do I look over my shoulder. I simply look forward, and I enjoy coaching this football team and building it to be a contender at some point."
