Former 49ers Director of Player Personnel Vinny Cerrato joined Joe, Lo & Dibs on 95.7 The Game to discuss the situation surrounding the San Francisco 49ers.
Cerrato was asked about the report that surfaced on Sunday by Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. He reported that the Jed York's parents, Denise and John York, will be taking "a more hands-on approach with the team" as they determine how to reposition the franchise. Mike Shanahan could join the 49ers in some capacity as well. Head coach Chip Kelly's job security may hinge on the outcome of whatever shakeup occurs following the season.
"I wouldn't be totally shocked at all," said Cerrato about the report. "Mike's got familiarity with the Niners, won a Super Bowl there. If Mike's a [general manager], I would expect Kyle [Shanahan], his son who is the offensive coordinator in Atlanta, to be the head coach. That's what I can see happening and, to me, it probably wouldn't be a bad combination because Mike's always been in the personnel. When I was there, Mike and I used to meet by ourselves and watch all the film of all of the offensive players in the draft and everything. Spend a ton of time doing that. And I know when he was with the Broncos, he had his hands in all the personnel stuff. So, he's got familiarity with that and I don't think it would be a bad move.
"To bring in a guy like Mike, it would probably be good for Jed York and I think it would give them some credibility. And Chip Kelly's got to go though. His offense hasn't worked in Philly, it hasn't worked in San Fran. If they're going to keep him this year, they're just delaying it for another year -- what's going to really happen."
When asked about the issue of eating all of these coach contracts, Cerrato said that was the price of making bad decisions. He then looked back at the bad decision of firing former 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh, which kicked off the team's demise.
"I think I came on your show when they fired Harbaugh," said Cerrato. "I said, 'They fired the wrong guy.' When you have a coach that can win, you've got to put up with some stuff. It's like when you have a player that is kind of a nut case kind of guy -- when the problem becomes bigger than the production, you get rid of the problem. When the production is bigger than the problem, you kind of find a way to deal with it. With Jim Harbaugh, you should have found a way to deal with it because you were winning games and everything was good. And you got rid of Harbaugh and it's the worse it's ever been."
You can listen to the entire interview on 95.7 The Game.
Cerrato was with the 49ers for nine seasons, starting as a scout in 1991. In 1995, he was promoted to Director of Player Personnel.
