San Francisco 49ers coach Steve Mariucci ponders a query as he talks about Sunday’s loss to the Inexperienced Bay Packers within the NFC Championship, throughout a information convention at 49ers headquarters, Monday, Jan. 12, 1998, in Santa Clara, Calif. (AP Photograph/Paul Sakuma)
Within the three a long time since former 49ers head coach Steve Mariucci grew to become a Inexperienced Bay Packers season-ticket holder, the franchise has loved unparalleled stability on the quarterback place.
Mariucci bypassed tens of 1000's of keen followers on the season ticket ready checklist when he grew to become Brett Favre’s quarterbacks coach in 1992 and 30 years later, Favre’s substitute, Aaron Rodgers, is in his 14th season as Inexperienced Bay’s beginning signal-caller.
“He’s superb,” Mariucci stated of Rodgers in an interview on KNBR Wednesday. “The league is in fine condition with plenty of good quarterbacks, however he’s a lower above. He simply doesn’t flip the ball over, it’s superb how correct of a thrower he's.”
Mariucci labored underneath a pair of San Francisco natives in Inexperienced Bay — Packers head coach Mike Holmgren and offensive coordinator Gil Haskell — and was a part of the workers that helped knock off the 49ers in a 27-17 defeat within the playoffs in January 1996.
After a one-year stint because the Cal Bears’ head coach, Mariucci led the 49ers for six seasons earlier than being fired following a 31-6 loss to the eventual Tremendous Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January 2003. Throughout his tenure in San Francisco, Mariucci helped the 49ers transition from Steve Younger to Jeff Garcia, however present Tampa Bay quarterback Tom Brady nonetheless holds a grudge towards him for bypassing the Serra Excessive and Michigan product within the 2000 NFL Draft.
“I misplaced my allegiance for the Niners after they passed over me six instances 22 years in the past and drafted Giovanni Carmazzi,” Brady stated on the Let’s Go podcast this week. “And after that they had me do an area exercise with Steve Mariucci and determined I wasn’t adequate to play there.”
Throughout his KNBR interview, Mariucci laughed and identified that each NFL group handed over Brady a number of instances.
“Tom was type of a dropback class for us and we have been trying extra for the athletic type of quarterbacks, and they're laborious to seek out,” Mariucci stated. “Heck, we had a few swings and misses, and ended up discovering Jeff Garcia.”
Mariucci expressed an appreciation for the way tough it's to succeed for lengthy intervals of time within the NFL, which is why he’s to see the long-term ramifications from Saturday’s Divisional Spherical showdown between a pair of his former groups, the Packers and the 49ers.
It’s doable this season will mark the final for Rodgers in Inexperienced Bay and Jimmy Garoppolo in San Francisco as every franchise has used a first-round choose in recent times to draft potential successors, Jordan Love and Trey Lance.
“After Favre and Rodgers are gone, after 30 years of nice quarterbacking, I don’t know if Jordan Love is the reply,” Mariucci stated of the Utah State product. “So I hope he stays with the Inexperienced Bay Packers, however you know the way it goes. Favre left, (Joe) Montana left, (Dan) Marino left and folks depart, and it’s not as a result of they don’t love them. It’s as a result of they'll’t afford them.”
As for Garoppolo, Mariucci eschewed the prospect to criticize his late interception towards the Cowboys and as an alternative highlighted his observe report as a winner.
“I tip my hat to the man as a result of he's the Rodney Dangerfield of quarterbacks in our league and I don’t know why he doesn’t get credit score for that nice profitable report?” Mariucci stated. “You pay your quarterback to win. Yeah, they throw for yards and get type factors and do that and tremendous, however you pay them to win and when he performs, he normally wins. He doesn’t look over his shoulder like some guys would.”
Mariucci stated he gained’t make a prediction on Saturday’s recreation till he sees the ultimate harm report as he believes the standing of 49ers linebacker Fred Warner and move rusher Nick Bosa in addition to Packers defensive again Jaire Alexander and edge rusher Za’Darius Smith will affect his last name.
As for the season tickets, Mariucci stated his son is packing a thermal and taking his spouse and his finest pal from highschool to Lambeau Discipline for this weekend’s recreation.