In Weighing Pros and Cons, Mariucci Went With Latter

A review of the first weekend of NFL playoff games, and who would want Mike Holmgren when you could have a con man like Packer killer Steve Mariucci misleading your team?

The details of Mariucci’s brilliant “Win one for me” strategy are only now beginning to surface.

It began last Monday at a news conference at the 49ers’ practice complex in Santa Clara. Mariucci, acting annoyed, advised the media that the team had stopped talking contract extension with him weeks ago, his future seemed so uncertain.

Poor Mooch, as his players call him, although everyone seemed to overlook the fact he still had three years remaining on a contract he signed two seasons earlier.

The media immediately drew the conclusion that if the 49ers lost to the Packers, Mariucci would lose his job and be replaced by Holmgren, a San Francisco favorite son. No one in the 49er organization said anything to the contrary, and the players went about preparing for the Packers, knowing their performances might very well determine Mooch’s fate.

Mariucci, bravely saying it was more important to focus on the Packers than his personal situation, said he would no longer discuss his contract status.

Two days later Mariucci received a new contract proposal from attorney Larry Thrailkill on behalf of Denise York, acting owner of the team until her brother, Eddie DeBartolo, resolves his legal problems.

The 49er management--whoever’s in control--had obviously reacted to Mariucci’s Monday news conference and had moved to take the uncertainty away from Mariucci’s future. Four days before playing the Packers, the 49ers were offering to extend his contract through 2005--win or lose.

But Mariucci, the master motivator, told no one. He allowed his players to look upon him as a sympathetic figure, fighting to save his job and keep Holmgren out of San Francisco.

“I don’t think there’s a guy on this team who didn’t have a piece of him while we were out there playing [against the Packers],” said safety Tim McDonald, who bought into the “Win one for me” strategy like everyone else in the locker room.

But there was nothing to worry about, as Mariucci noted in this Monday’s news conference. He had received assurances early last week that the 49ers wanted him, wanted him so badly they were willing to add more years of guaranteed employment on top of the three he already has in writing.

“I believe I had [a vote of confidence] last week when I was told we were going to get this done,” Mariucci admitted. “You know there’s something about believing someone’s word. I know it’s not a written contract, but my word means something, and I know the club’s word means something. Even though it’s not done, I have faith it will happen.”

He could have told his players that last week and taken a load off their minds. The 49ers could have issued a press release to stop the flood of media commentary suggesting poor Mooch had to beat the Packers or start packing, but it was all kept quiet.

As a result, Holmgren never had a chance. He was outcoached.

No Signature Yet

Mariucci said there are still a few points to be agreed upon before signing a contract extension, and most of those have to do with who ultimately will be working in the 49ers’ front office.

Mariucci said he expects Bill Walsh to join the team in some management capacity, but it could be some time, he said, before other positions are filled.

Snap, Crackle, Pop

Buffalo quarterback Doug Flutie is unhappy because Miami Coach Jimmy Johnson, not as sophisticated as Mariucci when it comes to motivating a team, stomped on a box of Flutie Flakes to celebrate a win over the Bills.

Flutie was upset because the money from the sale of Flutie Flakes goes to help autistic children, and Flutie’s son, Doug Jr., has autism.

“That’s like stepping on my son,” said Flutie, going just a little overboard himself.

Johnson said he would send a letter to Flutie to soothe the unhappy quarterback, who might have played better had he eaten his Wheaties.

Little-Known Fact

Only the best officials in the NFL earn the opportunity to make bad calls in the playoffs.

Question: Which call was worse?

1. Buffalo wide receiver Andre Reed being ruled down at the one-yard line although he landed in the end zone with the ball.

2. San Francisco wide receiver Jerry Rice fumbling, the Packers recovering, but the play being ruled no fumble.

Answer: No. 2

Reed got angry, bumped an official and was tossed. The Bills were penalized 15 yards for the bump--that’s Reed’s fault. They would have had the ball at the one with a chance to score a touchdown. They settled for a field goal and needed to score a touchdown on their last drive, which ended on a fumble by Flutie.

But it was only Buffalo. The Bills weren’t going anywhere in these playoffs.

But Rice’s fumble was something else. Two officials--Jeff Bergman and Keven Mack--stood right there and watched the play and reacted as if they had orders not to let the 49ers lose.

The Catch

As most Californians know, the folks up north sometimes simply lose it. The 49ers, favored to beat the Packers, beat the Packers with Steve Young throwing a 25-yard touchdown pass to Terrell Owens with three seconds to play.

The Bay Area media wrote it up as the greatest game ever played, going so far as to suggest that it was bigger and more important than “The Catch,” Dwight Clark’s end zone grab of a Joe Montana pass in 1982 to send the 49ers to the Super Bowl with a surprise win over the Cowboys.

“Owens surpassed Dwight Clark [Sunday] afternoon,” wrote San Francisco Chronicle columnist Tim Keown. “Can we say that without fear of being rash? Young surpassed Joe Montana. Can we say that around these parts without being branded the heretic?”

What a heretic. What a memory, short as it is.

Owens’ grab wasn’t even the second most important catch in 49ers’ history. John Taylor made that in the closing seconds on a pass from Montana to win Super Bowl XXIII.

Owens made a nice catch. It won a wild-card game.

You Can Believe the Rumors

The Jaguars knocked off the Patriots, who were playing without Drew Bledsoe, and figured this was some kind of monumental achievement.

“We heard rumors coming out of New England that we were a finesse team,” said Jacksonville running back Fred Taylor, who ran 33 times for 162 yards and scored a touchdown. “This let’s you know who’s soft and who’s smash-mouth.”

Did he say, “big mouth?”

The Jaguars now move on to New York, and the Jets really are a tough team, reflecting Coach Bill Parcells’ personality. Jacksonville in comparison is, well, a finesse team.

Slow Down There, Big Guy

The Arizona Cardinals remain in the playoffs. Some people might say stranger things have happened, but they wouldn’t be able to think of anything.

Now the Cardinals play the Minnesota Vikings, thanking their lucky stars they were matched against the Cowboys in the first round.

“A win like this is a win to be reckoned with,” said Cardinal wide receiver Frank Sanders, playing for a team that would have celebrated a win over the Rams a year ago.

Coach Vince Tobin said, “I don’t think anybody’s afraid of the Cardinals. Everybody thinks it’s a pretty good break in the schedule to get the Cardinals.”

Hard to argue with history when a team wins a playoff game every 50 years or so.

And Finally

Dallas Coach Chan Gailey said he met with each player on his team for 10 to 15 minutes Monday; a short work day for Gailey, because after watching the Cowboys against Arizona, it didn’t look as if they had any players.