The rumors regarding the San Francisco 49ers coaching search are flying fast and furious – and they still haven’t hired a general manager.
Depending on who you read, the 49ers want Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh (preferable), ESPN analyst Jon Gruden (great choice) or Giants assistant coach Perry Fewell (say what).
But the oddest report yet has the 49ers calling across the Bay Area to the Oakland Raiders for permission to talk to offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. Huh?
First, Jackson may be an experienced OC, and he may have helped the Raiders (8-8 this season) avoiding their first double-digit loss season since 2002. But he is also reportedly up for the Raiders’ head-coaching job.
In case you haven’t heard, Raiders Coach Tom Cable is in limbo with owner Al Davis trying to decide if he should pick up a two-year option on Cable’s contract. The odds are that Cable is gone and Jackson could be Davis’ top choice.
Second, the 49ers badly need a big-name coach to turn around the franchise from the 6-10 finish the carnage left by Mike Singletary. And that big-name coach also will give them a boost in building a new stadium. If it’s privately funded, investors want to know that the main tenant is in good hands before they fork over money.
It seems that talking to Jackson, who is African-American, is more than 49ers’ effort to comply with the NFL Rooney Rule, which requires every team to interview one minority for a head coaching job. After all, Fewell also is black.
No, this smells of the 49ers just messing with the Raiders. And, in some ways, doing the current Raiders coach a favor because it may force Davis to make a decision on Cable’s contract. That’s because if Davis says “No,” to the 49ers, it means Jackson may be well on his way to being selected as the Raiders’ head coach.
Jackson may have the moxie to turn around the Raiders, but he will not sell tickets and that is something the 49ers desperately need to do. That’s especially true if they don’t want Candlestick Park to become the ghost town that is Oakland Coliseum.
In other words, it would be shocking if Jackson was hired to coach the 49ers. It wouldn’t be surprising if the 49ers are just poking at Davis.
What do you think? Comment below.
