While we profess agnosticism towards the Stathead approach to sports, this is another one that makes us think they're onto something. NFL ESPN guru Len Pasquarelli describes McCarthy thusly: "regarded league-wide as a very creative offensive mind, McCarthy is also known for his communication skills and ability to develop a quick rapport with his players." This despite all the evidence to the contrary. McCarthy's previous stint was the O.C. of the Saints; a team known for its underachieving offense and notorious fantasy football tease Aaron Brooks. He is also hailed as a QB guru for his work over the years with Joe Montana (after he was legendary), Rich Gannon (before he was great), Elvis Grbac (never great), Alex Van Pelt (long-lost brother of Linus?), Jake Delhomme (not bad), Jeff Blake (sucks), Matt Hasselbeck (not bad), Marc Bulger (whatever) and Aaron Brooks (see above). Interesting.
Also in the coaching merry-go-round is linebackers coach Mike Singletary, who you might remember from helping the Niners achieve the 32nd ranked defense.
For members of "the Faithful," this isn't necessarily great news as one of the most important things in trying to get a young team to win is consistency on the coaching staff. Losing your staff in Year 1 of the rebuilding program isn't what the doctor York ordered. Among other things, it'll mean poor Alex Smith will have to completely relearn a new playbook. But cheer up, Niners fans as this shows the Niners are in some sort of right direction. After all, it took the coordinators of Bill Belichik's dynasty-esque Pats years to get new head coaching gigs despite all their proven success. We guess this means that the Niners staff was just that much better. Hmmm...maybe Paraag Marathe is a genius?
In other coaching search news, the Rai-duhs have been interviewing the offensive coordinator of the K.C. Chiefs. Saunders is a really intriguing candidate because unlike McCarthy Saunders has a record of success not just with the Chiefs but also as a coach with the Superbowl winning Rams. We shall see.