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Bucs to talk with Mariucci

49ers give Glazers permission to discuss coach/GM combination.

By RICK STROUD, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published February 16, 2002

Steve Mariucci has two years remaining on his current contract with San Francisco, where he has coached for the past five years.

TAMPA -- In the end, they may steal a young offensive genius from a San Francisco Bay area team.

Forget the Raiders' Jon Gruden.

The Bucs believe 49ers coach Steve Mariucci is all that and more.

Tampa Bay received permission Friday from the 49ers to talk to Mariucci about becoming Bucs coach and general manager.

Team vice presidents Joel and Bryan Glazer, already on the West Coast at a prearranged family gathering, plan to talk with Mariucci today in Southern California. Mariucci, 46, has two years remaining on his contract that pays him about $2-million per season.

Despite leading the rebuilding 49ers to 12-4 and wild-card playoff appearance, Mariucci had a much-publicized rift during the season with general manager Terry Donahue. His acrimonious relationship with Pro Bowl receiver Terrell Owens and talks with Notre Dame about its head-coaching position contributed to the team's decision to allow him to interview with the Glazers.

"We gave Steve permission to go and talk to Tampa Bay because this is an opportunity that is unique," Donahue said. "If it had just been for a head-coaching position, my own personal belief is that we would not have granted that position."

Talks between Mariucci and the Glazers are expected to take several days. If the Bucs and Mariucci can agree on a contract, and if the 49ers are able to strike a deal with Tampa Bay involving draft picks and/or players as compensation, Tampa Bay's soap opera coaching search may end.

"I've been convinced that I think it's the right thing to do to at least listen and keep an open mind," Mariucci told the San Jose Mercury News. "It's something that has come up sort of unexpectedly.

"Right now I see myself getting home late for dinner and let the chips fall where they may."

A Mariucci deal would mean the end of general manager Rich McKay's tenure with the Bucs. McKay interviewed for the Falcons' GM position Thursday and is thought to be the favorite of new owner Arthur Blank. The Bucs are believed to be seeking a No. 1 pick this year and possibly another high choice in 2003 in exchange for McKay. If no accord can be reached, he is expected to resign.

Though Mariucci never has had final say about personnel decisions in San Francisco, 13 other NFL teams last season deployed the coach/general manager system.

The whirlwind courting of Mariucci began almost as soon as the Glazers arrived on the West Coast..

Thursday night, Joel Glazer telephoned Donahue to ask for permission to talk with Mariucci. After talking the matter over with owners John and Denise DeBartolo York that night and again Friday morning, Donahue emerged from a two-hour meeting with Mariucci on Friday with the news.

"Late last night I then phoned Steve to inform him," Donahue said. "I spoke with John again this morning and he and Denise allowed Steve to speak with Tampa Bay.

"Steve has done an outstanding job with us and I would like him to stay on as our coach."

But Mariucci's falling out with Donahue last season is well chronicled. Mariucci reportedly was upset he had not received enough credit for the 49ers' turnaround in 2001 and was stung by Donahue's assessment that salary-cap management and a successful draft strategy had led to the team's resurgence.

The situation was bad enough to prompt York to call all the parties for a meeting in his office to clear the air.

There also has been speculation that Donahue has his sights set on returning to the sideline with the 49ers. Although that scenario seems likely if Mariucci joins the Bucs, Donahue denied interest in coaching earlier this year.

"I don't covet his job," Donahue said. "I've got my own job, and if I wanted to coach, I would've gone and coached."

It's hard to imagine anyone coaching the 49ers better than Mariucci. In five seasons, he has a 47-33 record, a task made more difficult by salary-cap woes that led San Francisco into a rebuilding mode with young players. In 1999 and 2000, the 49ers were a combined 10-22.

But Mariucci brought the 49ers back sooner than expected, evidenced by a 2001 season that ended with a 25-15 loss at Green Bay in the NFC wild-card game.

He incurred problems, however, along the way.

In addition to feeling slighted by Donahue, Mariucci tangled with Owens on and off the field the past few seasons, and their relationship deteriorated to the point where they rarely spoke.

Problems began in 2000 when Owens was suspended for a week after twice celebrating touchdowns against Dallas at midfield. Last season, Owens accused Mariucci of pulling in the reins offensively in an overtime loss at Chicago.

If the Bucs land Mariucci, it would represent a huge victory for the Glazers, who took over the head-coaching search from McKay last week after rejecting his choice of then-Ravens defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis.

But convincing Mariucci to come to Tampa Bay won't be easy. He is said to prefer living on the West Coast and had shown no interest in leaving the 49ers.

"I'm going to stay here. I'm a 49er, and that's that," Mariucci said last month.

Last season, Mariucci also expressed no interest in becoming a general manager.

"No. I like what I'm doing," he said. "This is just a real small example: I'm up in Tahoe in the summer, vacationing with my family for a week, finally. And then, there are a couple of contracts that need to get done. ... I have a limited amount of time with my family as it is."

Called "Mooch" by his players, Mariucci is regarded as one of the best offensive minds in the NFL and is a protege of Seattle coach Mike Holmgren. Mariucci coached quarterbacks for Holmgren in Green Bay from 1992-95 and helped develop Brett Favre.

Since joining the 49ers, Mariucci's teams rank third in offense behind the Broncos and Vikings.

- Times staff writer Roger Mills and researcher John Martin contributed to this report.

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