Is Holmgren's Heart in San Francisco?

by: Michael Steffes

There has been a lot of talk recently about Mr. Mike Holmgren. Clearly, his "lame duck," "win one for the Gipper" retirement tour has been a train wreck. Despite the Hawks' claim that they could manage this situation differently, it turned out to be the disaster many unbiased football writers speculated it could be. Now, with Mike Nolan being shown the door, the talk is that Holmgren is set to take on a role with the 49ers. This will likely be a huge distraction this week, and a growing story going forward. Clare Farnsworth has a nice article on the subject today.

I expect this will be a big topic of conversation today at noon, when Holmgren meets the media. I also expect he will give the same general answer that he has given all along. He is going to head to AZ, talk to Kathy, and make any decisions after the season. The chances of him stepping down are slim to none, UNLESS the Hawks encourage it. However, they have consistently given Homlgren the room to call his own shots in regards to his coaching legacy, and that probably won't change. He wanted to come back and finish out his contract, and Ruskell and co. agreed to it. They have resisted any decision that would make it look like they are running a HOF coach out of town, and I doubt they are going to start now. It is possible, somewhere deep inside in places they don't talk about at parties, that they knew this wouldn't work. I believe, and many of you agree, starting anew next season will be beneficial for the team. Ten years is a long time to coach a team, and sometimes the message begins to fall on deaf ears.

So, on to the San Francisco rumors. How do you feel about Holmgren returning to a role with a division rival? Does this bother you as a fan? I am not opposed to it. I never thought Holmgren was a great GM, and I am not sure he would be one now. Also, Holmgren seems stubborn to a fault sometimes in my opinion, and I am starting to think that maybe his brand of football has simply seen its time come and go, at least for a little while. It seems physicality is back in vogue, and that has never been his forte. Parcells taking over Miami added instant attitude to that team. I am not sure Holmgren could do that. In summary, if he went to SF, I think it would up the rivalry between the two teams, but not necessarily be the best move for SF, especially if he takes his longtime coaches with him. But, I guess only time will tell how this situation works out. ~END~