Nolan plans to restore Niners to glory days

By Hugo Guzman  |   Thursday, January 20, 2005  |  Comments( 0 )

San Francisco 49ers
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Mike Nolan remembers the drive across the city and through the Haight-Ashbury district to Kezar Stadium. He formed some of his earliest football memories there while his father coached the San Francisco 49ers.

Nolan hopes to give his children similarly fond experiences with the 49ers, who hired him to rebuild a franchise that started to win under Dick Nolan, flourished under coaches Bill Walsh and George Seifert -- and plummeted this season, finishing 2-14 under Dennis Erickson.

Nolan has a daunting task in his first season as a head coach -- but after 11 seasons as a defensive coordinator for four teams, he can't wait to show how much he has learned about the job he has craved for years.

"It's been proven again and again in this league that you can turn around programs very fast," Nolan said at a news conference in a posh downtown hotel. "It's reasonable to think we can turn things around very quickly."

Owner John York has given the veteran assistant plenty of power to fix things: a five-year contract, control over personnel decisions and a voice in the hiring of San Francisco's next general manager.

York was won over by Nolan's high-energy style, his personable manner and his history in San Francisco, where his father coached from 1968-75, winning three division titles and shepherding the Niners' move to Candlestick Park. Though Dick Nolan eventually struggled and left, Nolan has a valuable history with the 49ers.

"Mike Nolan understands what it means to be a San Francisco 49er," York said. "That wasn't even on our criteria list when we started this process, but the more I talked to Mike and learned about what drove him to become a football coach, I realized it's very important. He understands what makes this organization special."

Nolan knows all about the dysfunctional mess the 49ers have become during York's tenure, and he quizzed York about things he had heard. But after spending three seasons with the Washington Redskins (1997-99) at the height of their turmoil under owner Dan Snyder, he figures he has seen much worse.

After Nolan spent three hours speaking to York and his 23-year-old son, Jed, on the evening prior to his interview in St. Louis on Jan. 13, Nolan called his agent, Bob LaMonte.

"This is the man I want to work for," Nolan told him. "We've got to make it happen."

Nolan also was the defensive coordinator with the Giants (1993-96) and the Jets (2000) before spending the last four seasons with the Ravens, the last three as defensive coordinator. His defenses consistently have ranked among the NFL's best, with Baltimore finishing sixth overall last season.

When Nolan spoke about his early memories of the 49ers, his excitement was obvious when he rattled off a list of more than 25 former players -- from John Brodie to Dave Wilcox -- who inspired him. He recalled fond memories of attending training camp in Santa Barbara, or visiting the 49ers' old training complex in Redwood City.

"I realized that growing up around these guys and the way they played the game, that was the reason I loved it," Nolan said.

Wilcox attended the news conference along with several other former and current players. York clearly has decided the 49ers' history and past successes are among the team's most valuable assets, consulting several Niners alumni during the coaching search.

Nolan also plans to reach back into the 49ers' recent past on offense. After two years running Erickson's hybrid offensive schemes, Nolan anticipates a return to a stronger form of the West Coast offense, which originated with Walsh in San Francisco.

Nolan will interview the 49ers' remaining assistant coaches on Jan. 20 before starting to hire his staff.

"I have a list (of candidates)," Nolan said. "I've been putting together a list in my mind for 12 years."

The 49ers hope to hire a general manager or personnel executive as soon as possible to replace Terry Donahue, fired along with Erickson. The franchise has the top pick in the upcoming draft, and Nolan expects the 49ers to use it, not trade it -- but only on a player who fits his vision for the franchise. In Washington, he learned the folly of acquiring players that don't fit.

"I learned that personnel is about more than a pretty girl who's 6-5, 240 and runs fast," Nolan said. "It's hard to have chemistry on a football team that you haven't built on the best character. Character is just as important, and we'll have that."
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About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
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