Former 49ers Hall-of-Fame quarterback Steve Young joined John Lund on Wednesday afternoon, and gave his two cents on what the organization should be looking for in a new head coach.
Young stressed the importance of the new hire reflecting the offensive philosophy of 49ers teams of the past, as well as somebody who comes from a winning culture. Young feels Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels fits both of those criteria, and believes that he would be the perfect person to help turn things around in Santa Clara.
“I’m on for that one,” Young said when asked if McDaniels is his top choice. “Absolutely. I like the scar tissue of going to Denver. Everything I’ve just talked about, that one meets the criteria.”
“McDaniels does fit the resume. He does fit the – I made a mistake, but now he’s a good coach and he can fix it – so that’s gotta be number one.”
Young is not turned off by McDaniels’ struggles when he was head coach of Denver Broncos in 2009-2010, where he went 11-17 before being fired midway through his second season. Young compared those early coaching struggles to McDaniels’ co-worker Bill Belichick, who himself had a forgettable tenure as the coach of the Cleveland Browns before turning the Patriots into a juggernaut.
“I watched Bill Belichick struggle in Cleveland and then dominate,” Young said. “You don’t set a culture and then win. You win and that becomes the culture.”
“With the coach, with Josh, I think they’re gonna do everything they can. That one just resonates with me. With the second chance, and the offense, and having success and seeing the Patriot way. Maybe not the 49er way of 1990 or 1995 — the Patriot way is us now. So the idea that we’re gonna take someone from the Patriots is almost like full circle for who we were. I like the symmetry of that one.”
McDaniels has spent two separate stints as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator from 2006-2008 and again from 2012 until now. New England has won at least 10 games every season with McDaniels in charge.
The 49ers have reportedly scheduled a meeting with McDaniels for this Saturday.
Listen to the full interview below.