SAN FRANCISCO – Coaches who drop seven of the first eight games of a season are likely to be questioned about their professional status, but it was a different job that had Dennis Erickson on the defensive Sunday.
Following the San Francisco 49ers’ 42-27 loss to the Seahawks, Erickson was asked about an impending opening at the University of Washington.
“No, no, shoot, no,” said Erickson, an Everett native who is in his second season as the 49ers’ head coach. “I’m going to finish this thing and do what I came here to do. I see a lot of improvement to be made in this organization over the next three years, and hopefully I will be a part of it.”
Rumors have been circulating around Erickson because of his ties to the state and his precarious situation with the 49ers. A Sunday report from ESPN’s Chris Mortensen stated that Erickson had “confided to friends that maybe getting fired isn’t necessarily a bad thing.” His name was tied to the UW opening in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer as well, although that story used Erickson’s name only in speculation.
Erickson, 57, has an 8-16 record with the 49ers after posting a mark of 31-33 in four seasons with the Seahawks from 1995-98.
He has served as head coach at five different college programs, with an all-time record of 144-57-1 (.713).
As for his struggling 49ers, Erickson has not given up.
“The problem is not our effort,” he said. “We’re getting beat and giving up big plays, and we can’t keep doing that. We don’t have a problem with emotion out on the field.”
UW is looking for a replacement for head football coach Keith Gilbertson, who will resign at the end of this season.
Rice returns: In what may be his final game in the place he still calls home, Jerry Rice gave the San Francisco fans an ever-so-brief glimpse of the past Sunday.
Following his only catch of the day – a five-yard reception in the second quarter – Rice was treated to an ovation from the fans that followed his 16-year career as a 49er.
“It was fun coming back here to Monster Park,” said Rice, who played in the stadium when it was known as Candlestick and 3Com. “When I pulled up, it hit me that I was coming home, and it’s always good to come back. The crowd cheered for me, and they made me feel at home.”
Rice hadn’t played a regular season game against San Francisco since 2002, when the 49ers faced Rice’s Oakland Raiders on the other side of the Bay. Rice caught six passes for 74 yards in that game, while his performance Sunday was much more low-key.
He played the game on a sore ankle and was on the field for just nine snaps, all in the first half.
Rice’s only other two games as an opponent in the stadium came in the preseason.
“It’s different because it’s a regular season game, and you know that almost everything is on the line,” he said. “We have to win ball games.”
Dodging bullets: While Seattle receiver Darrell Jackson had one of his best games of the season, he was a couple calls away from a forgettable afternoon.
Jackson nearly had a 10-yard reception wiped out in the second quarter, when Erickson challenged a call. Jackson’s left foot clearly landed out of bounds on the play, but officials let the catch stand after ruling that he was pushed out.
A few minutes later, Jackson had a ball knocked out of his hands by linebacker Jamie Winborn. Although replays showed that Jackson had caught the ball and established both feet on the ground before losing possession, officials ruled the apparent fumble an incomplete pass.
Jackson fumbled once the previous week, with another near-fumble wiped out because it was ruled to be an incomplete pass.
Not so special: Seattle’s coverage team got off to a rough start, although it made a couple key plays.
The Seahawks’ first punt traveled just 31 yards, and was returned 27 by San Francisco’s Arnez Battle. That set up a San Francisco touchdown to put the 49ers ahead 7-0.
But Donnie Jones’s next punt ended up at the San Francisco 1-yard line after cornerback Kris Richard saved it from going into the end zone. Richard, linebacker Tracy White and receiver Jerheme Urban all saw time at the outside “gunner” positions after Pro Bowl special teamer Alex Bannister was placed on injured reserve.
Seattle’s kickoff coverage team got a break in the second quarter, when 49ers return man Maurice Hicks fielded a squib kick near the goal line and immediately stepped out of bounds inside the 1. Had Hicks stayed in the end zone to field the ball, San Francisco would have taken possession at its own 20.
Weathering the blitz: San Francisco’s pass rush created all sorts of problems in the first half, when Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck was sacked three times.
But thanks to a halftime protection adjustment, things settled down in the second half. Hasselbeck completed six passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns after halftime.
Seattle continued to burn the 49ers with deep passes, with six that went for 20 yards or more.
Quick slants: Urban made his first NFL reception, catching a 17-yard pass in the second quarter. He was added to the active roster Friday after spending the first eight weeks of the regular season on Seattle’s practice squad. …Tight end Ryan Hannam ended a draught of nearly two years, catching a 17-yard pass Sunday. He hadn’t caught a pass since Nov. 10, 2002. Hannam now has two in his career. … Seattle safety Michael Boulware hurt his right foot early in the fourth quarter but eventually returned to the game. … The Seahawks had season highs in total yards (453), points (42) and third-down conversions (nine). … Shaun Alexander’s two touchdowns Sunday moved him ahead of Curt Warner and into sole possession of second place on the Seahawks’ all-time list. Alexander now has 64 career touchdowns, 37 behind leader Steve Largent.
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