49ers' Erickson Dismisses Ole Miss

Coach Dennis Erickson informed the San Francisco 49ers today that he does not plan to accept the vacant head-coaching job at the University of Mississippi, a source familiar with the situation said. Erickson interviewed for the position Tuesday night.

The decision, barring a reversal by Erickson, means that he likely will make good on his pledge to coach the 49ers in their remaining three games, beginning Saturday night against the Washington Redskins in San Francisco, before meeting with co-owner John York and General Manager Terry Donahue after the season to determine his future with the organization. But he still could be fired or resign at that point over the issue of the changes to his coaching staff that 49ers management apparently wants to see made. Erickson has said he doesn't want to make such changes, and he told reporters after Tuesday night's meeting with Mississippi officials that he is interested in returning to coaching the college game.

Erickson's decision to stay, even if only temporarily, surprised some members of the organization who believed after Tuesday night's interview that Erickson probably would resign this week to take the Mississippi job, said the source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the situation still could change if Erickson reverses course.

Erickson, with the knowledge of the 49ers, met for about two hours with the school's chancellor, Robert C. Khayat, and athletic director, Pete Boone, at a hotel a block from the 49ers' training facility. He told reporters afterward that he is "disillusioned'' by the 49ers' record of 2-11, tied for the worst in the NFL. He said he still planned to coach San Francisco's final three games of the season but added "that could change.''

Erickson told reporters that he interviewed for the Mississippi job because of his "interest in maybe getting back to college football. I'm disillusioned by being 2-11. A lot of things have happened.''

The interview came one day after Erickson met with York but postponed a decision on his future with the 49ers until after the season. There was speculation before Monday's meeting with York that Erickson might resign or be fired then. He is nearing the end of the second season of a five-year, $12.5 million contract with the 49ers.

"I've talked to Terry,'' Erickson told reporters Tuesday night. "I've talked to John about this, that I was going to meet with these guys, that I have an interest in going back to college. . . . It's just more of me wanting to investigate what's there and not do it behind anybody's back. Dr. York and I have talked. I can be the coach here for the next year. We all know the story: I'm going to have to evaluate changes and so forth. But I've never been told that I'm not going to be the coach here, so I'm not out lobbying for a job.''

Erickson said that he and representatives of the school would "probably be in contact in the next day or so.'' School officials said no offer was made to Erickson on Tuesday, and other candidates remained under consideration. The school reportedly was prepared to pay Erickson a salary of $1.7 million per year, the highest allowed under state law. Mississippi's other candidates reportedly include University of Miami defensive coordinator Randy Shannon and USC assistant head coach Ed Orgeron.

"I think it's a good situation there,'' Erickson said Tuesday night. " . . . We'll see what happens. . . . I'm not planning on [leaving the 49ers before the season ends], but that could change. My gut feeling is that our talks are very preliminary.''

Erickson, who never has had a winning season as an NFL coach, is 9-20 with the 49ers and is 40-53 in the NFL after going 31-33 with the Seattle Seahawks between 1995 and '98. He went 7-9 with the 49ers last season after being the club's surprise choice to replace Steve Mariucci.

Erickson has had far better success as a college coach, going 144-57-1 in 17 seasons at Idaho, Wyoming, Washington State, Miami and Oregon State. He won two national championships and went 63-9 at Miami between 1989 and '94. He led Oregon State to national prominence, going 31-17 at the school between 1999 and 2002.

It was not clear who would have coached the 49ers for the rest of the season if Erickson had left, with his coaching staff filled with many of his longtime associates. Offensive coordinator Ted Tollner is the former head coach at USC and San Diego State and was with the 49ers before Erickson arrived.

Miami Interviews Saban; Saints, Browns on Tap?

LSU Coach Nick Saban met with Miami Dolphins officials Tuesday to discuss the club's head-coaching job.

Saban confirmed in a written statement released by LSU that he had met with the Dolphins, saying: "No decisions were made in this meeting and they will continue their search for a coach. I will continue to be committed to LSU . . . and totally focused on our bowl game versus Iowa."

Saban also is thought to be a leading contender for the Cleveland job and there is a growing belief around the league that the New Orleans Saints will fire Jim Haslett as their coach and make a strong bid to hire Saban, who has an NFL background that includes a stint as Bill Belichick's defensive coordinator with the Browns.

If Saban leaves LSU, he perhaps could be replaced by ousted Browns coach Butch Davis. Davis has said that he plans to take a year off coaching, but his representatives were gauging the possible interest in him at LSU and the University of Florida, which has hired Urban Meyer as its coach, even before he left the Browns. . . .

The Minnesota Vikings reportedly are contemplating asking Coach Mike Tice to extend the Jan. 1 deadline for the team to decide whether to exercise its option for next season in Tice's contract. The Vikings' regular-season finale is Jan. 2 against the Redskins at FedEx Field. Owner Red McCombs said Monday that he would not make a decision regarding the option until after the season, but the language in Tice's contract precludes that. The Vikings allowed that to be the deadline when they negotiated the contract because they believed that date would come after the regular season, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

If the option is not exercised, Tice's contract expires Jan. 31. He is the lowest-paid coach in the league, with a salary of $750,000 this season. His salary next season would be $1 million if the option is exercised, and the Vikings would owe him $800,000 of that if they exercise the option and then fire him. The Vikings probably would negotiate a contract extension with Tice if they decide to retain him beyond this season.

The Vikings have lost five of seven games since their 5-1 start, but remain in strong playoff contention. If they win their remaining three games, including a Dec. 24 matchup with the Green Bay Packers, they would win the NFC North. They missed the playoffs last season after a 6-0 beginning, and Tice has been under intense scrutiny this week for allowing wide receiver Randy Moss to throw a pass on a trick play with just over two minutes remaining in last Sunday's four-point loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The pass, which came on a first-down play from the Seattle 20-yard line as Moss was being chased out of bounds, was thrown into tight coverage and was intercepted in the end zone by Seahawks rookie safety Michael Boulware. . . .

There had been whispers around the league in recent weeks that the Tennessee Titans and their coach, Jeff Fisher, might consider parting ways after the club's disappointing season. The Titans are 4-9, and Fisher reportedly had been upset that the team had not extended the contracts of those members of his coaching staff whose deals were set to expire after this season. But the chances of Fisher leaving the Titans were diminished considerably Friday, when owner Bud Adams met with Fisher and agreed to extend the assistants' contracts -- including those of offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz -- through the 2006 season to coincide with the expiration of Fisher's contract. . . .

The Titans are considering ending the season of quarterback Steve McNair because the reigning NFL co-most valuable player repeatedly has aggravated his bruised sternum whenever he has attempted to play. Fisher plans to discuss the issue with McNair within the next few days. McNair has sat out of the past two games, and the Titans are mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. McNair has thrown eight touchdown passes and nine interceptions this season and has a passer rating of 73.1, 29th-best in the league. He has said he will consider retiring in the offseason because of his inability to stay healthy.

Palmer Update Today

The Cincinnati Bengals expect to know more today about the status of quarterback Carson Palmer as they prepare for Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills.

Palmer hurt his knee in Sunday's loss to the New England Patriots and was on crutches and wearing a heavy brace through Tuesday. But Coach Marvin Lewis has left open the possibility of Palmer playing this week.

Backup Jon Kitna would get the starting nod if Palmer is sidelined. Palmer did not play at all last season as a rookie while Kitna nearly led the Bengals to the playoffs, but was given the starting job by Lewis in the offseason and had taken every snap this season until getting hurt last weekend. Kitna completed nine of 13 passes, with one touchdown and one interception, in his relief outing against the Patriots.

Lewis has said he expects Palmer to play again this season, even if it's not this weekend. . . .

Arizona placed right tackle L.J. Shelton on the injured reserve list because of a knee injury. He'll be replaced in the Cardinals' starting lineup by Anthony Clement. . . . Tampa Bay placed tight end Will Heller on the IR list because of a sprained hip and promoted tight end Nate Lawrie from the practice squad. . . . The 49ers placed cornerback Ahmed Plummer on IR because of a bulging disk in his neck that had kept him sidelined since mid-October. . . .

Ligament damage in his ankle made center Jeff Faine the 18th Browns player -- and ninth starter -- to go on the IR list. Left tackle Ross Verba is the only member of the starting offensive line still playing. . . . Chicago placed guard Rex Tucker on IR and signed safety Jason Shivers from the St. Louis practice squad. . . . Buffalo rookie Tim Euhus's knee injury led to him being placed on IR, where he joined fellow Bills tight end Mark Campbell. Buffalo signed tight end and long snapper Bradford Banta. . . . Philadelphia defensive tackle Hollis Thomas is to be sidelined for three to six weeks because of a dislocated elbow. He could miss the playoffs for a fourth straight year because of an injury.