When the 49ers decided to cut ties with head coach Jim Harbaugh, it was questioned by many. After all, successful NFL coaches such as Harbaugh don’t come around often.
But once the deed was done and new head coach Jim Tomsula announced, 49ers watchers were at least hopeful there was a master plan in place. That the change in coaching regimes would bring with it a better offensive scheme and a talented coordinator who could put sizzle into San Francisco’s attack.
So far, however, that hasn’t happened.
It was thought that the 49ers wanted Indianapolis Colts special assistant Rob Chudzinski to come aboard as offensive coordinator. That the reason they were waiting so long was to allow Chudzinski to get free of his contract, which expired this week. That Chudzinski – a former Browns head coach and Panthers offensive coordinator who seemed to be able to get the most out of two-way quarterback Cam Newton in Carolina – was the guy the 49ers had targeted as a perfect fit for Colin Kaepernick, a QB with similar abilities to Newton.
But early Tuesday, the Colts announced they are retaining Chudzinski. He will now be the associate head coach to head coach Chuck Pagano.
So now where do the 49ers go? If Chudzinski was No. 1 on their list, who’s No. 2? And does this mean the 49ers will simply be settling for whoever is available now, or are they still excited about the next man on their list?
Former NFL head coach Mike Shanahan has been reported to be a person of interest for the team, but if he were truly of interest, why haven’t the 49ers yet made a move in that direction? It was reported back on Jan. 3 that Shanahan, 62, already had interviewed for the 49ers’ head coaching position. And it was reported recently that Shanahan – the 49ers’ offensive coordinator from 1992-1994 – might be open to being in that role again. And he, too, has experience coaching mobile, two-way quarterbacks, having coached Steve Young in San Francisco, John Elway in Denver and Robert Griffin III in Washington.
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But if Shanahan truly is interested, how will he feel about taking the job after the 49ers have waited so long to make a move – especially if he believes the Niners’ No. 1 choice was Chudzinski, (or Lane Kiffin, who decided to stay at Alabama) and not him?
The Niners do have some assistants on staff with offensive coordinator experience in the NFL, such as Tony Sparano (now the tight ends coach) and Geep Chryst (the former coach of the quarterbacks who has been retained), but both would seem to be fallback hires at this point.
As San Francisco Chronicle columnist Ann Killion wrote recently: “The staff will probably be experienced. But its assemblage seems fragmented, the process confounding. If there’s a coherent plan, it’s well hidden.”
