Wednesday, June 7, 2000

49ers should have just started over

Keeping Rice on the roster will slow down rebuilding

By Keith Schleiden, Managing editor

Terms of the new contract call for Rice to get $31 million over the next five years. Of course, contracts aren’t guaranteed in the NFL, so Rice won’t see most of the $31 million. The way the new contract is structured, it saved the team $1.2 million in cap space this season.

With Rice on board for another season, the focus will turn to the Steve Young saga. Earlier this week, Bill Walsh indicated that Young would not be back with the 49ers. Not only was it a cap issue, but the team is worried about the quarterback’s health. Walsh has since backed off those comments a bit, but considering he granted Young permission to speak with the Broncos, it’s safe to bet the house that Young has played his last game as a 49er.

In my opinion, the 49ers have made one good decision and one poor decision in their dealings with Rice and Young.

Letting Young move on — whether it’s to play for another team or to take a spot in the broadcast booth — is the wise decision. Not only do the 49ers not want blood on their hands if Young is permanently disabled, it’s just time to move in a new direction. Even with a healthy Steve Young, the 49ers would be ultra-long shots to go far into the postseason.

I mean, have you looked at their roster recently? It’s a who’s who of who hasn’t played in the NFL. Of the 98 names I counted on a roster that was out in late May, 52 of them were rookies. Fifty-two rookies. You think the 49ers are ready to challenge for a Super Bowl with that much inexperience? Not a chance.

That’s why I say the 49ers not only should be passing on Young, they should have passed on Rice. Take as much of the cap hit that you can absorb now and get on with the rebuilding. Yes, some of the cap problems will carry over until next year, too, but that’s OK. At least the franchise would be moving on, getting itself in position to strengthen itself with a youth movement.

Furthermore, with Rice on the roster, the team is doing an injustice to some of the younger receivers on the roster. J.J. Stokes and Terrell Owens are already established weapons, but they could be even more dangerous given more opportunities. And where does young speed receiver Tai Streets fit in? With Rice around, Streets is relegated to the No. 4 slot.

While the 49ers are saving face and avoiding a public-relations nightmare by not releasing Rice, they are slowing down the "start over" process. Keeping Rice on the 49ers one more year means this franchise is just one more year behind in its plan to rebuild, so that it can once again rise to the top of the NFL.

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