Happy New Year, Matt and all! Good read, Linehan seems a good fit, but we'll see. Am glad to hear that Sing isn't a "cloud of dust" type of guy. Sounds like Pioli isn't going to come to the Bay with the big offers and ridiculous demands. Is there any indication that the 9ers are going to add more executive types?

Comment: Sounds like Pioli isn't going to come to the Bay with the big offers and ridiculous demands. Is there any indication that the 9ers are going to add more executive types?

My response: Scott Pioli was never an option. The 49ers are happy with their own Scot (one-T). I asked Jed York about Scot McCloughan on Sunday and he said, "He's the GM, and he's doing a great job." So, no, there is no indication that the 49ers are looking for more executive types. --Matt M.

Matt -- what team was Linehan an OC for, and do you know what Linehan's record was as OC?

Matt,

Did you intentionally leave out Mariucci and Norm Chow? I think Mariucci has given up on being a head coach again (alhtough he did not expressly state he would not coach again) because of his stated intention for his family to remain in the Bay Area. I think that means only a west coast college job or a job with Seattle, SF, Oakland or San Diego. I realize there are issues surrounding his departure but those issues have been overcome before in both the NFL and MLB. And, I think Norm Chow might be willing to leave UCLA. Afte all he lost out to Rick Neuheisel for the HC job. He created and ran a dynamic NFL style power running and passing offense at USC and with the Titans. I would think he may want to return to the NFL after being let go in Tennessee. I see many similarities between Chow's being passed over for HC in college with Bill Walsh's early career. BYU was to Chow as Paul Brown was to Walsh. Why wouldn't the 49ers consider either of these two?

Happy New Year Matt & to the faithful! Since Linehan was brought up I liked his resume. Then I heard about the Bruce story but he also bumped heads with Torry Holt & other Rams Offensive players. Does he have a personality that rubs players the wrong way & do you think there might be a problem here Matt?

I would love to get Rathman back home here but am not sure as an OC because I think we should bring in that proven OC. Martz KNEW his stuff. The players knew it & from that they were confident. They WANTED to work for him, got the players excited, & he caused positive results on the field. I think we need someone with that same caliber who can COMMAND the players & our Offense. With Rathman though when is his contract finished? I think we should go after him in some capacity. Would he accept the same position (lateral move) to the team I'm sure he wants to come back to since we have that opening? If his contracts up Al can't control him.

Question: what team was Linehan an OC for, and do you know what Linehan's record was as OC?

My response: Linehan was OC of the Dolphins for one season before taking the Rams HC job. Under Linehan, the Dolphins improved from 29th in total offense to 14th. They went from 31st in rushing to 12th. Prior to that, Linehan was Vikings OC for three seasons. In '02, the Vikings' offense was second-ranked in the league, No. 1 in rushing. In '03, the Vikings led the league in offense; in '04, the Vikings were ranked fourth in the league. He's got an impressive track record as a coordinator. --Matt M.

Comment: Since Linehan was brought up I liked his resume. Then I heard about the Bruce story but he also bumped heads with Torry Holt & other Rams Offensive players. Does he have a personality that rubs players the wrong way & do you think there might be a problem here Matt?

My response: I've met Linehan a couple times and he comes across as a very down-to-earth guy, very likeable. However, let's remember who he was following with the Rams. Those players you mentioned put up huge stats because of Martz's free-wheeling approach. How do you think those players would respond when a new coach comes in with a more traditional offense? Their numbers are going to decline dramatically, and they're not going to be happy with the new guy. --Matt M.

thanks for the response Matt. After I wrote it I felt a little guilty becasuse I guess I could have looked it up myself if I wasn't feelinng so lazy. Thanks for not being as lazy as me on this begining of hopefully a beautiful new year. All the best to you and yours for the upcoming year, and thanks for all your stellar work!!!

btw - any sign of Berger lately. I really liked that guys common sense whenever he posted.

Matt, I know he's one of those "off limit" guys until after the season, however, I have to believe that Norv Turner goes near the top of the list if he is fired by the Chargers. He appeared to enjoy his time here and not only dramatically improved the offense but was well liked by the players. He would also make sense in helping to groom a rookie quarterback draft pick.

Matt,

Thank you for the information on Linehan's record as a coordinator. It is difficult to argue with those results. He clearly should be among the firt, if not the first, to be interviewed.

And, thanks for all your great work. Happy New Year to you and your family.

Scott Linehan seems to be a good choice... Matt, Is he under the branch of Dennis Green?

Happy New Year! Thanks for the great blog Matt! We have been talking about the players and coaches' hiring. Let's talk about yours. I just can't find any reporter out there posting and replying fan's email on the New Year day. This must come from your heart. You must have a great love for the work you do, and you are doing exceptionally well. The Press Democrat should lock you up for multi-years contract, and they should hang a franchise tag on you. Thanks again!

Matt, before we annoint Linehan, let's remember the players he worked with. Randy Moss, the best deep threat in the game and Culpepper, a big armed quarterback who was a threat to run. I doubt they saw very many 8 men in the box defenses with Moss stretching the field, and winning the battle against 2 defenders most of the time. I am not saying nay, just asking for some perspective. Ron

Matt;
Do you think we have the personnel to succeed with a run oriented offense? My perspective is that we need a RT, another running back, and a fullback. Given lack of success with the last two free agent RT's and sunk money in that position I wonder if they will they go that route again since there are some good free agent RTs available this year. If they are going to move to the run based offense, I hope they draft a RB in the 1st 3 rounds because it seems like most successful NFL running teams have gone to a 2 back rotation.

This is more fun than watching college football, plus all my grandkids have gone home (Matt, you should be spending time with your family today!). Maybe the right combination is Linehan as OC and Rathman as RB coach (note to Mike in ND – MM says that Rathman is still under contract with Davis the Devil). Davis would probably extract some ransom to let Rathman go but if we could get him as RB coach there would be a fairly natural succession should Linehan get another HC job in a couple of years. Agreed that Norm Chow ought to be in the mix unless MM knows some reason otherwise. Hiring from within isn’t totally out of the question; the Niner website show that Hoener, Sullivan and Foerstrer all have OC experience at either the pro or college level.

Question: Matt, Did you intentionally leave out Mariucci and Norm Chow?

My response: Mariucci as 49ers offensive coordiantor would rank as a SHOCKER. Chow is probably worth considering. But, to answer your question, I do not have any specific information that kept them off the list. After all, I entitled this post, "Partial O.C. list," so I covered my backside. --Matt M.

Matt, Why would you include a list that included Tom Rathman and leave off a person such as Rick Dennison? Dennison is a proven play caller that has proven time and again that he will run a smash mouth type of gameplan. Is that not the type of OC Sing spoke of yesterday? Why are we not pursuing this guy?

What are the legitimate chances on Chudzinski becoming the next OC? Is he someone you're just throwing out there as a possibility or is he someone that the front office thinks highly enough to be a top 2 or 3 candidate for the position? And if he is a strong candidate for the job.. what would be the chances of getting Derek Anderson somehow along with him?

I'm on board the Linehan train. Either way, I just hope they move fast... There are a lot of HC vacancies out there as we all know. OC's will be getting snatched up quick.

I'll throw a name in that nobody has mentioned: Jeff Tedford. It pains me to say that as I'm a Cal alum and would love to see him stay there. Although he has professed he's very happy coaching the Bears, and has turned down many other offers, this one could intrigue him if he's given the amount of control MS has indicated. And though he has a reputation as a pass-oriented coach, and a gift for making his QBs look good (Longshore notwithstanding), if you look at his game plans he really fits what Singletary wants, building his game around gifted running backs, wearing down defenses, and passing at will.

Romeo Crennel anyone?

Romeo Crennel anyone?

Comment: Matt, Why would you include a list that included Tom Rathman and leave off a person such as Rick Dennison?

My response: Because I knew people would be asking about Rathman if I did not include him. Did Dennison even call the plays or was it Shanahan? Anyway, wouldn't you think Dennison will wait to see Shanahan's next move? And if you're basing your final question about why the 49ers aren't pursuing him on his exclusion from my list, you're really jumping to conclusions. --Matt M.

Hey Matt, Happy New Year to you. I live in St. Louis and one of the things that should be noted about Linehan is his support for Alex Smith. I can recall a press conference in St. Louis when one of the reporters (I believe Jim Thomas) asked Linehan's opinion of Alex Smith as a QB. I remember Linehan saying that when Alex Smith was drafted, he was the coordinator for Miami. Linehan said if the 49ers would have passed on Smith, the Dolphins would have drafted him. I believe this will be a big factor in deciding on Linehan. In fact, I believe he knew Alex Smith when he was a kid.

Question: Romeo Crennel anyone?

My response: Singletary seems to be very pleased with Greg Manusky as defensive coordinator. --Matt M.

Oh please no more of the same ole same ole..
But then again look at Dan Henning and how he brought in the Wildcat and the next thing ya know...everybody is doing it...
So what the hell do I know...I guess as a fan I am never satified.

Anyway, Happy New Year to you Matt and your family. You are without the best sports writer I read or have read in my 40 plus years of reading sports pages. Including baseball boxing or whatever sports I happen to be reading. I am not blowing sunshine up your..where the sun don't shine either...I just think you are the best. I just love your style of writing.

Happy New year and god bless

Matt,
First, thank you for spending your new year answering the 49er faithful's questions. Also, thank you for your thoughts on Dennison.... Happy New Year and God Bless.

this disappoints me. Why fire Martz until we had a concrete replacement ready to go. That seems very ill conceived in my mind. Simple business model, dont make any change unless you have something better to replace.

Matt, good work and thanks. I'm curious to know yourself and the readers here thoughts on a guy like Chip Kelly. Young and a proven talent running an offense that ranks as
one of the tops in that regard.(run then gun)

Matt,

In furtherance of(On seeing a significant improvement inmy previous post, I have attached some quotes made by Linehan on Alex Smith in 2006, when Linehan was the Rams head coach:
***** QB Alex Smith from last year) “No question. I think I alluded to it yesterday. I’ve known quite a bit about this guy and if anybody’s going to get better and better, it’s going to be Alex. He’s a great quarterback. He was the number one pick for a good reason. Last year was a rookie year thing but that’s far behind him from what I can tell by the way he’s playing now.”

(On Alex Smith’s assets) “Physically he’s got a lot of talent because he’s a great athlete. He has a good, strong arm, very accurate. He’s got unbelievable intangibles. He’s extremely bright. Football’s really important to him. It’s not just something that came naturally that he was good at and just ended playing it. He loves football and understands it. He’s one of those guys that’s the first guy in and the last guy out of the building. He just grew up with football in his genes. He’s certainly going to affect his team in a positive way because he’s going to be the leader of that group.”

I'm sure Linehan is one of the top candidates on the short-list along with Norv T, but I think at the very top is....BILLICK! I have a sneakin suspicion SING is still trying to convince Billick to take a back seat, and help him build a winner. BB was a very successful OC, and set numerous offensive records running a more "Traditional" style offense with the Vikes. AND, he is a BW disciple too. He has my vote for CHANGE!
GO SMASH MOUTH/PASS TOO NINERS! Happy New Year all

I agree with the comment from JP. I sure hope that Singletary had some sort of verbal agreement in place with an OC prior to firing Martz. To have fired Martz blindly because of difference in philosophy would be idiotic.....but Singletary is no idiot.

Matt -

A lot of us heard your New Years Eve appearance on the Fitz and Brooks show. WE BEG of you, what did Martz say (or think) about Gore......I know Brooks probably said more than you wanted to share, but the cat is out of the bag, help us out, please!

Your the best!

We don't need to draft a RB too high. IF Shannahan is hasn't found a HC job, the 9ers should hire him as a consultant to help draft a RB and work on the zone blocking running scheme

Jon SoCal - Shanahan already announced he wants to be a HC again. All teams were probably waiting for his answer.

Not to be a smart a** but can someone please tell me why the Offensive genius Billick consistently had the worst Offense in Baltimore which is what he was supposed to fix??

Was he the one to blame for choosing their bust QB? (Forget his name)

Just hit me. Kyle Boller.

Hey Matt

I mentioned this in a previous post and not sure if you saw it, but what do you think about Bill Callahan?

Often times great OC's don't make great HC's, as proven time and again in the NFL(Not For Losers)...I'm not saying Billick is a "genious" by any stretch, but the number don't lie, and he has consistently put up phenomenal numbers as an OC/assistant....Whther or not he wants to play second fiddle, remains to b seen, but I can't think of anyone else SING has up his sleeve.

My understanding regarding Rathman is this: if you hire another team's RB coach to be your RB coach, you must have the other team's permission. If you hire him to be a coordinator, you don't need permission. That's a promotion, just as if you tapped someone's coordinator to be your Head Coach.

So Rathman as RB coach is highly unlikely since Al will never agree to it. But Rathman as OC would be possible.

Matt, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

Matt, what about Norv Turner coming back if he is let go by the chargers? I know Singletary said he liked Turner and it's hard to see him getting another HC job.

Hey Matt,

What about pursuing Jeremy Bates from Denver. He was the QB Coach not the OC, but he is the one who called the plays for Shanahan on Sundays not Rick Dennison; Bates has worked for both Gruden and Shanahan and if you read some of the current quotes from Cutler, Bates is the one coach he is most worried about losing...

I think he is ready to be an OC, he called some VERY good games for the Broncos until his top 7 RB's wound up on IR...

What is your take on him?

I think Chain Gailey should be included in the list. In all likelihood the new GM in KC will fire Edwards, leaving Gailey available. He did good things with a morbid KC offense this year, and he probably would have saved Nolan's job if he was hired here last year (thankfully Nolan blew it and hired Mrs. Doubtfire).

Comment: My understanding regarding Rathman is this: if you hire another team's RB coach to be your RB coach, you must have the other team's permission. If you hire him to be a coordinator, you don't need permission. Matt, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

My response: Teams can't stand in the way of an assistant getting a head-coaching position, but they can block a staff member who's under contract from interviewing for any other promotion. It happens. Remember, the 49ers could not get permission to speak with anyone for the O.C. position after Norv Turner left because it was February and teams did not want to let any assistants go that late in the process. So, if Rathman is under contract, the Raiders can decline permission to allow him to interview for an O.C. position. --Matt M.

Matt, love your work. Am I alone in thinking that Manusky's defense is a little passive and soft at times? With Singletary's background in the 46 I was really hoping for a more aggressive scheme. Did we really pay all that money to Clements to watch him give a 10 yard cussion to every wideout we face. He is as physical of a corner as Ive seen in a long time and yet our D doesnt allow him to jam at the line. Please correct me if Im missing something.

Is the Pats OC available? does he fit the scheme? what if the 9ers bring Cassel and Mcdaniels over

An interesting storyline, if Linehan gets the job, is that his mentor is John L. Smith, Alex Smith's uncle. Would he want to try and salvage Smith's career? Would hiring Linehan influence Smith to stay with the team.

rumor - M. Vick to niners

Bill Musgrave
Played for Walsh
Coahed under Shanahan and Kubiak.
Keep it in the family.
Go Niners!

Don Coryell (yes, he is still alive). We'll run the football in the 4th quarter after we're up 38 - 10. (Sing is just faking everyone out - truth is Martz wasn't passing ENOUGH to suit him.)

Let's drive the other teams totally insane. Mike Vick for the first and third quarters, Shaun Hill for the second and fourth. (No, I haven't been drinking today - actually I'm feeling VERY optimistic with Mike Sing as the coach.)

Matt --

I took a look at the playoff coaches, any of whom we must wait until their present commitments are over, of course. 2 QB coaches stand out for me as possible OCs:

1. BAL's Hue Jackson, who's worked in a number of systems but was once schooled in Paul Hackett's WCO (at USC); &

2. NYG's Chris Palmer, who's more of a Parcells crony.

Comments?

Matt,

What is your take on the people I listed in one of your previoous blogs?

from Dec. 31st (It's Official...)
Here are who I think might be interesting candidates for the job...IMHO. My criteria was strong running offneses that took advantage of 2 RBs, also a couple were involved with succesful rookie QB (in the play-offs), not that Hill isn't the starter next year, just that we have to groom someone beyond the next couple of years.
Bill Musgrave (ATL-QB coach)
Hue Jackson (BAL. QB Coach)
Jim Skipper (CAR. Asst. HC/ RB coach)
Chris Palmer (NYG QB Coach)
Jerald Ingram (NYG RB Coach)

I think Gore could be more effective if we had a change of pace RB (Foster is a B/U not a change of pace). That might be T. Clayton or Robinson, or it is someone in the draft. Gore maybe the only headliner RB that doesn't have this type of help. Thus he gets dinged-up allot and he ends up spelling himself in a game.

"Is the Pats OC available? does he fit the scheme? what if the 9ers bring Cassel and Mcdaniels over"

He'll end up as an HC this year or next.

the biggest thing is getting off the field on third down and Manusky did an outstanding job after Nolan's departure.

McDaniels won't come to the 49ers. It would be a lateral move.

Please forget about Norv Turner. We need a zone blocking scheme. One cut and go. It would be perfect for Frank Gore. We also need another back that is faster than Frank. I say they go defensive player in the first round, tackle in the second, QB in the third. Darren Sproles is a free agent. I would love the niners to get him.

No way the Chargers let Turner go and Sproles the year after. If you haven't noticed LT hasn't exactly been himself and has been quite banged up as of late. Plus even if they did let him go he is probably looking to be the number one somewhere where they pay him stupid money to bring him in.

Hey Matt, would Bill Callahan be a candidate coming back to the bay area? He was pretty successful as a coordinator before his stint as Head Coach of the Raiders.

Kelvin - Re: Franks perfect scheme, it is not the "one cut and go" scheme as you suggest. He's not fast enough for that, plus has far too amazing moves, vision, balance and strength. He would be better utilised in an inside running game with a lead FB, much like the 2006 season.

Some posters have asked about McDaniels of NE -- and the Merc genius, Kawakami, mentioned Cameron too. This, of course, make no sense at all. Would Matt Lauer leave the #1 ranked Today Show for the #3 ranked Early Show to do the SAME job? Would Keith Richards leave the Stones to play guitar for Simply Red? Of course not. Linehan is, by all accounts, exactly what Singletary is looking for. And like Cameron (who went 1-15 as an HC in Miami but is recreating in Baltimore what he did in SD), he is toxic enough as NFL head coaching material that SF should be able to get at least two years of continuity out of him at the OC position before suitors come calling again (unless, as a young guy, he'd be willing to bolt for a college job like Kiffin). SF may want to interview a candidate who is currently with a playoff team, but the risk is that Linehan gets away... My guess is, if Linehan is the guy, this deal gets done and announced quickly. (It would be hard to imagine discussions were not already under way while Martz was still OC.) The longer the announcement takes, the greater the likelihood it's not going to be Linehan.

I think that Qmo4949 guy may be on to something here... Musgrave is a run first kind of guy - however, he has struggled with play calling in the past when given the opportunity, although he was very new to coaching when those oppo's arose and now hass 11 years of coaching under his belt.

One thing that does standout is he has helped to groom a couple of outstanding, YOUNG QB's in Matt Ryan and Matt Schaub (when he was OC at UVA.) Maybe it's just Matt's he's successful with - ummm Matt Stafford anyone? Just kidding, back to business, if we want to have a guy stick around for awhile let's really look at a guy like Musgrave but I do think Linehan would be the best fit for the 49ers and could be around for 4/5 years - as I'm sure he's not too keen on taking on a team as an HC anytime soon.

Comment: would Bill Callahan be a candidate coming back to the bay area?

My response: Sure, let's put him in the conversation. He's interviewing for the Jets head-coaching job today after serving there for one season as assistant head coach/offensive line. His future is in limbo. --Matt M.

Question: Some posters have asked about McDaniels of NE -- and . . . . mentioned Cameron too. This, of course, make no sense at all. Would Matt Lauer leave the #1 ranked Today Show for the #3 ranked Early Show to do the SAME job? Would Keith Richards leave the Stones to play guitar for Simply Red?

My response: Yes, Lauer would leave in a heartbeat if the Early Show doubled his salary. As for Keith Richards, it depends on what might also be used to entice him, if you know what I mean. . . .

But, of course, the 49ers aren't getting McDaniel or Cameron. They are completely out of play. By the way, Mike Nolan wanted to speak with Cameron last year about the coordinator's job, but Cameron did not return his call until after he signed with the Ravens. --Matt M.

Happy New Years Matt ~
You forgot to add Norvell Turner. He will be available some time next week after they lose to Indy tomorrow.

c'mon now, why would Mariucci come back to the 9ers. He was fired by the Yorks after taking us to the playoffs -- which was the last time we were in the playoffs.

fo999-If I'm not mistaken Berger got fed up when the entries on this blog were at its nader-and the mean spiritedness of certain participants lost or mitigated the entries of a few important bloggers here-the problem is no longer acute since Matt changed the format(I'm glad to say)...I believe it is Berger one sees on Kevin Lynch's little blog -see RENOBERGER there!

Hi Matt,

Any news on the niner front? it's been very quiet for something that should have been dealt with "yesterday" (as Singletary put it in his end of season speech)

Are they interviewing coordinators from playoff Teams?

Steven Jackson's numbers were better under Linehan than they were under Martz. Yet Jackson was one of Linehan's biggest critics.

The players is STL literally quit on Linehan in his last game there after he benched Bulger.

Rarely in the NFL do you see a team intentionally lose but I really think the players on the Rams did just that losing 31-14 at home to Buffalo in Week 4.

If Linehan is the guy he is a severe downgrade compared to Martz