by MadScott » Thu Jan 13, 2005 5:21 pm
I've got to throw in my .02 on this whole mess.
The firing that I agreed with wholeheartedly was....Donahue's. I was a big Donahue fan when he was brought on board initially. He had the time to learn the business from the greatest mind in this generation, Bill Walsh. It seemed that he grasped the business and would make a fine choice initially. It became apparent quickly though that he lacks an eye for talent. The biggest indicator of that was last season when the 49ers played the Ravens near season's end. Apparently, before the game started, Donahue shook hands and met some of the personnel people from the Ravens. During this exchange, both team's representatives were talking about their respective teams and possible additons that they were looking to make in the offseason. When asked about the 49ers, Donahue stated that he didn't plan to make any offseason moves with the 49ers as they were already very close to being in contention, even if they lost TO. Warning lights went off in my mind right there and of course the rest is history.
Erickson is a different story. I didn't like the hire in the first place and thought he was the wrong person for the job from the get-go. That being said, the team's record this year is not a very accurate reflection on his coaching. Injuries to key personnel are too numerous to mention and of course there were all of the key personnel losses to boot. That being said, I did not see one game this year that he overmatched 49ers laid down and didn't try and compete with anyone. The same can't be said in Cleveland for instance. I think that deserves some credit and for that reason alone I think that he warranted another year. That being said, there was no way he was going to win his very open tug-of-war with the Yorks.
I like simple pleasures, like butter in my ass, lollipops in my mouth. That's just me.