SAN FRANCISCO Erickson begins quest for title as 49ers' pilot

The 49ers take on the Bears.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The trip from Montana's Billings Central High School to the San Francisco 49ers took more than 30 years, but one thing hasn't changed.
Dennis Erickson still loves opening day.
"I don't care where you are, that feeling then as a head coach is no different than it is now," he said.
Erickson, who won two national championships in a stellar college coaching career, will be on the sideline at Candlestick Park today to begin his second shot at an NFL title. San Francisco faces the Chicago Bears in Erickson's first game since being hired to keep the 49ers on the path to title contention.
Erickson's wife and family might be nervous, but the coach doesn't expect butterflies -- only anticipation. He doesn't even plan to say anything profound to his players before his debut.
Preparation
"My speech is everything I do during the week in preparation," he said. "I think that the pre-game speeches are highly overrated. If they're not ready by the time we come out of that locker room or by the time I get to talk to them, then we have a problem.
"Knute Rockne, I'm not. If we had a Gipper, then we'd be all right."
That cool professionalism is just one reason 49ers owner John York and general manager Terry Donahue decided Erickson could keep the team on track after York fired Steve Mariucci last January.
While Erickson enjoys his new beginning, Chicago coach Dick Jauron might be nearly out of fresh starts. The Bears plunged from an NFC-best 13-3 record in 2001 to a 4-12 mark last season, and Jauron hasn't delivered a playoff victory in his four seasons running the team.
Job security
His job security is a topic of major speculation in Chicago, but the coach is used to it.
"Every year is a big year for our team," Jauron said. "We don't look at any year or any game as being more particularly vital than another. Our goals are always the same: to win that week, and to play well that week."
The Bears are making their first trip to San Francisco since 2000, when Owens set an NFL record with 20 receptions in Jerry Rice's final home game with the 49ers. Chicago avenged that 17-0 loss with a 37-31 overtime victory at Soldier Field in 2001, winning on Mike Brown's interception return for a touchdown.
The 49ers' offense under Erickson is expected to have key differences from the schemes Chicago faced in the teams' earlier meetings. San Francisco will use more down-field throws and aggressive play.
The same is expected of the Bears and new quarterback Kordell Stewart, who has promised to make the Bears more versatile. Stewart arrived from Pittsburgh as a free agent after eight up-and-down seasons.
Bears eye change
While San Francisco searches for continuity, Chicago hopes to change nearly everything about last season. The 49ers believe they can maintain their steady revival, but the Bears think last season was an aberration caused by injuries and their one-year exile down-state while their stadium was rebuilt.
"The main thing is that we are healthy," All-Pro linebacker Brian Urlacher said. "We're back at Soldier Field. We're confident, and we have a new quarterback who is confident. We have different stuff that we do offensively, and we're excited. We're doing a few different things on defense."
Urlacher and the Bears' solid defense, led by coordinator Greg Blache, a finalist for the 49ers' head coaching job, will concentrate on 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia, who seems to be healthy after missing much of training camp with a bulging disc in his back.
Garcia and All-Pro receiver Terrell Owens have been promised more chances to hook up on long passes, thanks to a coaching staff determined to be more aggressive this fall -- though Erickson didn't change much of the playbook.
"I just see a different range of formations, things like that," Garcia said. "We're seeing things in a different light. We're finding new ways to run the same plays."
Urlacher is obstacle
The 49ers are particularly concerned by Urlacher, whose speed and aggressiveness have earned him three straight Pro Bowl selections. San Francisco fullback Fred Beasley typically meets Urlacher head-on during running plays, and he looks forward to the challenge.
"It's a good task for me, because all eyes will be on me and him," Beasley said. "Every week, there's a big-name linebacker I've got to match up against, but he's one of the best. He's bringing that old identity back to the Chicago Bears."
Urlacher can't wait, either.
"Any time I get to play a team that runs a lot of lead [blocking], it's fun," he said. "He stays low to the ground, he's solid and he doesn't mess around when it comes to blocking. ... I'm trying to be more physical this year, so we'll see if I get off to the right start."