Turnover massive for Niners

When Dennis Erickson became coach of the San Francisco 49ers in mid-February 2003, it was too late to do much shopping for assistant coaches, as just about all of the NFL positions had been filled.
So the franchise, which is owned by John and Denise DeBartolo York of Canfield, had little choice but to stick with former coach Steve Mariucci's coordinators -- Gregg Knapp (offense) and Jim Mora (defense).
Mora was one of the finalists York had considered to replace Mariucci, who was fired after the second-round playoff loss to the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay.
Since the 2003 season ended with a 7-9 record and a third-place finish in the NFC West, the 49ers have undergone many changes.
Because of a salary cap problem, many veterans were released. Among them were offensive starters quarterback Jeff Garcia (Cleveland Browns), tailback Garrison Hearst (Denver Broncos), tackle Derrick Deese (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and guard Ron Stone (Oakland Raiders).
After an aborted deal with the Baltimore Ravens, controversial wide receiver Terrell Owens was eventually traded to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Mora, Knappnow Falcons
Change included the coaching staff, as Mora was hired to replace Dan Reeves as the Atlanta Falcons coach. His first move was to hire Knapp as his offensive coordinator.
Erickson wasted little time replacing them. First, he promoted quarterbacks coach Ted Tollner to offensive coordinator. Then he raided Bill Cowher's staff to hire Steelers secondary coach Willy Robinson as defensive coordinator.
"I've known Ted for many years," Erickson said earlier this week as the team prepared for Sunday's opener against Mora's Falcons.
"He once was the coordinator [for the Chargers] and he has a wealth of football knowledge," Erickson said. "He and I share a lot of theories."
Tollner, 64, is loaded with experience. Over the past two decades, he was coach at the University of Southern California for four seasons and San Diego State for another eight.
Robinson has served on Erickson's staff with the Seattle Seahawks and at Fresno State, Miami (Fla.) and Oregon State.
"Robinson has been with me on many teams," Erickson said of his top choice to replace Mora. "He's a very emotional guy, someone that I trust."
Erickson said he and his staff are continuing to overhaul the team. "We've made a lot of progress trying to put this team together, but we're still not finished, particularly on the defensive line. We're a little thin."
Defensive lineshuffles players
Monday, the Niners signed defensive end Otis Leverette, who had been cut by the Chargers after two seasons as a backup.
Defensive end Brandon Whiting -- the player San Francisco received from the Eagles in the Owens trade -- is doubtful for Sunday's game. Whiting is recovering from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for the entire off-season. He practiced for the first time on Monday.
On Tuesday, the Niners released veteran defensive linemen Riddick Parker and Josh Shaw and replaced them with defensive tackles Tony Brown and James Atkins.
Brown was claimed off waivers after his release from the Miami Dolphins. Brown spent most of 2003 as a member of the Carolina Panthers practice squad before joining the Dolphins for the final three games.
Atkins spent the 2003 season with the Tennessee Titans, where he played in 13 games and started four. The 6-foot-5, 325-pound tackle finished the season with 20 tackles and one fumble recovery.
Because most of the defensive personnel are returning, Erickson expects that unit to be the better one early in the season.
But he agreed that linebacker Julian Peterson's holdout, in which he missed most of training camp, could be a detriment.
"Peterson will be ready to go," said Erickson of the team's best player. "Is he totally there? I don't know. We'll see."
Erickson said that if there's an edge for Sunday's game between his current staff and his former coordinators, it goes to Mora and Knapp.
"We know each other football-wise, so that's kind of a wash," Erickson said of the coaches. "The one advantage they have is they know our personnel."
XTom Williams is a sportswriter for The Vindicator. Write to him at williams@vindy.com.