| Out goes Steve Young, in comes Rick Mirer. That
sounds fair.
One day after Young called it a career, the 49ers signed the much-maligned Mirer to a
one-year contract worth $440,000. Mirer, who is expected to back up Jeff Garcia, becomes
San Francisco’s most experienced signalcaller.
Such is life in the City by the Bay these days.
Mirer joins his fifth team in five years, having played for the Seahawks, Bears,
Packers and Jets. He might have looked his best in Green Bay. Of course, that was only as
the scout-team quarterback.
But he’s been around the block long enough for the 49ers to take a flier on him.
The Niners were in search of an experienced backup for Garcia, who is line to succeed
Young. Garcia, who starred in the Canadian Football League, completed 60 percent of his
passes last season for 2,544 yards and 11 touchdowns.
That means that if Garcia should struggle or succumb to injury, Mirer would take over.
Think Jerry Rice still wants to play for these guys?
"If something should happen to Jeff," 49ers head coach Steve Mariucci asks,
"you have to make a decision: Do you go with a rookie or two rookies, or do you try
to train another veteran quarterback who has had some of this already?
"So in some ways, this is an insurance policy, a security blanket for us, and
we’ll see where it takes us."
I’ll tell you where it takes you, Steve. Right into the gutter.
For whatever reason, teams still believe in Mirer. Or maybe it’s just that the QB
cupboard is bare, much like pitching in baseball. Whatever it is, Mirer should feel darn
lucky to be collecting a paycheck.
If you saw how he played with the Jets last season, you know what I’m talking
about. He was indecisive, uncomfortable … just take an adjective and put the prefix
"in" or "un" in front of it, and that’s how Mirer looked.
"We know what his career was," Mariucci said. "He’s been through a
lot of different coaches and coordinators. He’s had very little continuity. Maybe
he’s been unfortunate a little bit and not fit into some other systems. But he seems
to be able to do everything we want our guys to do. Maybe our system will be good for
him."
Mirer says he’s best-suited for the West Coast-style offense San Francisco runs.
But Mirer will have to dispense with the hesitancy that plagued him in New York. If the
49ers are lucky, though, Mirer won’t have to take a snap of significance all season.
Let’s not forget, Mirer has a career passer rating of 63.1 and a TD-interception
ratio of 46-71.
But those numbers don’t mean a lick to the Niners, who simply need an experienced
quarterback. Mirer may have the wrong kind of experience, but beggars can’t be
choosers. With rookie QBs Giovanni Carmazzi and Tim Rattay also on the roster, the team
had to find someone.
Maybe I’m being too harsh. Maybe Mirer deserves another chance. Maybe all
he needs is the right system and the right coaching. Look at Vinny Testaverde, Tony Banks,
Jim Miller.
"It’s a long season. Crazy things happen," Mirer said. "But
I’m very supportive of however it’s going to go. Jeff has been here, and
he’s proven he can play. Hopefully, whoever is playing is doing well."
If it’s Mirer who’s doing well, that might be the craziest happening of all. |
