Parting benefits Mooch, Niners

Steelers fans clamoring for Bill Cowher's hide after last Saturday's overtime loss to the Titans should be careful what they wish for -- just ask San Francisco 49ers fans.
Although it was known that 49ers coach Steve Mariucci and general manager Terry Donahue didn't get along, Mooch's firing on Wednesday after four playoff appearances in six years stunned many NFL observers.
Mariucci's firing became a possibility last summer when 49ers owner John York of Canfield declined to negotiate a contract extension for one of the NFL's most popular coaches.
York also said his organization would prefer not to have a lame-duck coach; Mariucci has one-year remaining on his contract worth $2.25 million.
Do the math and it adds up to a search for a new coach.
The one surprising thing about Wednesday's firing is how quickly it came even after Sunday's 31-6 loss to the Buccaneers in Tampa. The Niners were expected to try and arrange a Mariucci trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the only other NFL team looking for a coach on Tuesday.
But on that day, the NFL issued a memo banning coach trades for draft picks (like the one where the Oakland Raiders sent Jon Gruden to the Buccaneers last February).
Once the trade possibility evaporated, there was no need to wait and the ax fell swiftly.
Both will benefit
As strange as it sounds, Mariucci and the Niners probably both will benefit from this change.
Mariucci has enough head coaching experience to deserve a pay increase he would never get in San Francisco. Because the Niners are structured so that the GM and consultant Bill Walsh call the personnel shots, the team doesn't need a head coach earning $3 million or more (like Cowher or the Browns' Butch Davis).
The biggest mistake Mooch made in the past year was sleeping on Tampa Bay's offer last February that would have paid him $3.75 million per year (but it's hard not to admire a man who weighed the impact of a move on his family before grabbing the gold).
While Mariucci slept, the Bucs and Raiders made a deal, Gruden took over in Tampa and Mooch achieved lame-duck status.
The feeling around the NFL is that Mariucci will only be out of coaching for as long as he wants to be. Several NFL teams will be knocking at his door next winter (the possibilities include the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs).
ESPN booth waiting
In the meantime, ESPN would hire him in a heartbeat.
If Mariucci is anything, he's media savvy. Mariucci was one of ESPN's many analysts during Super Bowl week in New Orleans. A television gig he can handle.
Best of all, Mariucci no longer has to tolerate the antics of wide receiver Terrell Owens, whose criticism of the Niners' coaching staff is ridiculously legendary. That pleasure will go to whomever York, Walsh and Donahue select to replace Mariucci.
Among the names being considered are former Minnesota Vikings coach Dennis Green and current Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren, both of whom were once assistants with Walsh.
Holmgren isn't available, but Donahue or Walsh could serve as interim coach until he is.
After a year away from the NFL, Green has too much time on his hands. It's hard to imagine Green, who was power hungry when he led the Vikings for 10 seasons, being willing to work strictly as a head coach with little input on personnel decisions.
Then again, the fact that neither the Jags nor the Cincinnati Bengals showed much interest in him perhaps has been humbling.
Green had a terrific on-the-field record in Minnesota, but his office behavior left a lot to be desired. If he's the pick, Niners fans can only hope that he's matured since his Vikings days.
XTom Williams is a sports writer for The Vindicator. Write to him at williams@vindy.com.