Mr. Laz
11-30-2004, 01:18 PM
49ers' G.M. says he deserves blame
By Daniel Brown
Mercury News
In his most public soul-searching to date, 49ers General Manager Terry Donahue on Monday said he deserves his share of blame for the team's 1-10 season and openly questioned some of his most important personnel moves.
Speaking on his weekly KNBR radio show, Donahue said the organization must take a hard look at why first-round draft picks such as left tackle Kwame Harris and receiver Rashaun Woods have failed to pan out, and why the big contract given to running back Kevan Barlow has yet to pay off.
Looking at the team's dismal record, Donahue said that ``everybody in the building is at fault'' -- including himself.
``If you're going to stand up and take the accolades when you're winning, you've got to stand up and take the criticism when you're not,'' said Donahue, who received a four-year contract extension in September. ``Certainly I'm involved in it up to my neck. I don't shirk that responsibility. I'm the general manager of the team and this is a very, very disturbing circumstance.''
His comments came a day after a 24-17 home loss to a terrible Miami Dolphins team, a defeat that paves the way for one of the worst finishes in NFL history. Only seven teams have finished 1-15 since the league adopted a 16-game schedule in 1978.
Donahue conceded being troubled by the 49ers' lack of first-round success in the draft. He called standout linebacker Julian Peterson, the No. 16 overall choice in 2000, the team's best pick of the past five years.
Other selections look like misfires, although Donahue pointed out that late-round gems such as tight end Eric Johnson and receiver Cedrick Wilson help ease the problem.
Still, he acknowledged being mystified by the poor play of his past two first-round picks.
``Kwame Harris last year looked like a promising player,'' he said. ``This year, he's really struggling and you have to ask yourself why, what happened? Why is this particular athlete not getting it done?
``Why isn't Rashaun Woods getting it done? He's healthy. He's either getting it done or he's not. And right now he's not.''
Woods, the No. 31 selection last April, has three catches for 67 yards, a total that lags behind other receivers in his draft class. Coach Dennis Erickson has given Woods more playing time in recent weeks but to no avail. Woods dropped the only pass thrown to him against the Dolphins.
Donahue also acknowledged his concern about Barlow, who received a five-year, $20 million contract extension last off-season. The 49ers also cut veteran running back Garrison Hearst to pave the way for Barlow as the undisputed No. 1 back.
But Barlow has disappointed, averaging only 3.2 yards per carry and rushing for more than 80 yards in only one game. Part of the problem is a slumping offensive line. But Donahue noted that Barlow has surrendered much of his playing time to undrafted and unheralded free agent Maurice Hicks.
Hicks averages 4.6 yards per carry, and steals a few more carries from Barlow each week.
After invoking the names of Harris and Barlow, Donahue said, ``We've got to find out why and what happened. If that means we invested in the wrong player, we've got to stand up and say we invested in the wrong player.''
Donahue backed off one of his familiar refrains by refusing to blame the team's problems directly on the salary cap. The 49ers entered this season with $29 million in dead money because of an off-season purge of high-priced veterans.
Donahue said that the cap problems are only partially to blame.
``Of course it's related to the cap, but it's also related to a bad personnel decision we made, a bad call we made in the game, a bad play a player made in the game,'' Donahue said. ``It's all of that.''
By Daniel Brown
Mercury News
In his most public soul-searching to date, 49ers General Manager Terry Donahue on Monday said he deserves his share of blame for the team's 1-10 season and openly questioned some of his most important personnel moves.
Speaking on his weekly KNBR radio show, Donahue said the organization must take a hard look at why first-round draft picks such as left tackle Kwame Harris and receiver Rashaun Woods have failed to pan out, and why the big contract given to running back Kevan Barlow has yet to pay off.
Looking at the team's dismal record, Donahue said that ``everybody in the building is at fault'' -- including himself.
``If you're going to stand up and take the accolades when you're winning, you've got to stand up and take the criticism when you're not,'' said Donahue, who received a four-year contract extension in September. ``Certainly I'm involved in it up to my neck. I don't shirk that responsibility. I'm the general manager of the team and this is a very, very disturbing circumstance.''
His comments came a day after a 24-17 home loss to a terrible Miami Dolphins team, a defeat that paves the way for one of the worst finishes in NFL history. Only seven teams have finished 1-15 since the league adopted a 16-game schedule in 1978.
Donahue conceded being troubled by the 49ers' lack of first-round success in the draft. He called standout linebacker Julian Peterson, the No. 16 overall choice in 2000, the team's best pick of the past five years.
Other selections look like misfires, although Donahue pointed out that late-round gems such as tight end Eric Johnson and receiver Cedrick Wilson help ease the problem.
Still, he acknowledged being mystified by the poor play of his past two first-round picks.
``Kwame Harris last year looked like a promising player,'' he said. ``This year, he's really struggling and you have to ask yourself why, what happened? Why is this particular athlete not getting it done?
``Why isn't Rashaun Woods getting it done? He's healthy. He's either getting it done or he's not. And right now he's not.''
Woods, the No. 31 selection last April, has three catches for 67 yards, a total that lags behind other receivers in his draft class. Coach Dennis Erickson has given Woods more playing time in recent weeks but to no avail. Woods dropped the only pass thrown to him against the Dolphins.
Donahue also acknowledged his concern about Barlow, who received a five-year, $20 million contract extension last off-season. The 49ers also cut veteran running back Garrison Hearst to pave the way for Barlow as the undisputed No. 1 back.
But Barlow has disappointed, averaging only 3.2 yards per carry and rushing for more than 80 yards in only one game. Part of the problem is a slumping offensive line. But Donahue noted that Barlow has surrendered much of his playing time to undrafted and unheralded free agent Maurice Hicks.
Hicks averages 4.6 yards per carry, and steals a few more carries from Barlow each week.
After invoking the names of Harris and Barlow, Donahue said, ``We've got to find out why and what happened. If that means we invested in the wrong player, we've got to stand up and say we invested in the wrong player.''
Donahue backed off one of his familiar refrains by refusing to blame the team's problems directly on the salary cap. The 49ers entered this season with $29 million in dead money because of an off-season purge of high-priced veterans.
Donahue said that the cap problems are only partially to blame.
``Of course it's related to the cap, but it's also related to a bad personnel decision we made, a bad call we made in the game, a bad play a player made in the game,'' Donahue said. ``It's all of that.''