49ers' coaching reboot to feature a company man that Jim Harbaugh never could be

Say yes. Schmooze. Engage the media. Play office politics. Don't be overly independent. Be flexible with compensation. Do all of this, and you might be the proper head-coaching fit for the San Francisco 49ers.

But read your history before signing on. It's ugly. And it repeats itself.

Jim Harbaugh is out, and it seems the chief requirement for this franchise will be: Just don't be Jim Harbaugh. If there is some way to be the complete opposite of Jim Harbaugh, do that. All the time, if possible. Appease the power structure first, win second.

Forget Camelot and all the championships, when Bill Walsh micromanaged his roster on a molecular level. A new 49ers program has been coded. And you don't skip commands.

We think things like this can't happen in the NFL, that the biggest part of appeasing ownership and the front office is winning. But with 49ers egos in play, you must win with a smile and a salute. Or this happens: a four-year run can include three NFC title games, one Super Bowl appearance, zero losing seasons … and end in what amounts to be a firing.

Places like this exist in the NFL, despite the league constantly starving for great coaches. It's why Jimmy Johnson couldn't coexist with Jerry Jones in Dallas. And why Bill Parcells couldn't seem to coexist anywhere. And it's why Harbaugh was floated off into the Bay by the 49ers. In some places, winning isn't the end game. Power and credit matter more.

Harbaugh had to win and slap backs, and make everyone feel good in the process. Maybe things would be different if he had won a Super Bowl early, like Bill Belichick did in New England. But he didn't, so he got the same sendoff Belichick got in Cleveland, except with a whole lot more winning on his résumé.

When it was initially floated that this could happen back in September, the response was shock. The response was no way the 49ers would let go of Harbaugh. Maybe we didn't pull back enough. It's not like San Francisco hasn't done this before.

The next round of coaching candidates should keep in mind that this is the second time the 49ers dumped a winner in 11 years. Does the Steve Mariucci divorce ring a bell? The names have changed (sort of), but the rudderless bottom-line decision-making seems familiar.

Consider: Mariucci took over the 49ers in 1997 and picked up where George Seifert left off, going 25-7 in his first two years, leading the franchise to two playoff appearances and an NFC title game. He then hung tough through two brutal years of salary-cap hell and came out clean on the other side, guiding the franchise back to two more playoff appearances.

But like Harbaugh, he couldn't get a contract extension late in his tenure. Why? Because like Harbaugh, the power structure changed underneath him. A still hands-on Walsh was re-inserted into the front office as a vice president. Terry Donahue followed as a general manager. And Mariucci made the mistake of feeling his success had earned him better pay and the right to run the football team. He made the mistake of feeling his plan could supersede the ideology of the men above him.

He was wrong. And the writing was on the wall when in 2002 it leaked to the media that the Jacksonville Jaguars had called about Mariucci and were potentially interested in acquiring him. The red flag was raised, and the thought of Mariucci getting pushed out became a mainstream concept. By the end of that season, team owner John York had backed Donahue in the power struggle, and barring a Super Bowl run, Marucci was toast.

Certainly, the politics have changed in 2014, but the egos and personality clashes haven't. This time around, it's team CEO Jed York (John York's son) and general manager Trent Baalke who have reigned in power and chafed alongside Harbaugh. And despite more success than Mariucci, the bottom line has stayed the same – win with a salute, or find the door.

Early in the season, word leaked of a potential trade of Harbaugh to the Cleveland Browns, and the levee broke …

Harbaugh never built a strong relationship with ownership.

Harbaugh is losing the locker room.

Harbaugh is burning people out.

Harbaugh's management style isn't suited for professional players.

Harbaugh can't live with someone else giving orders.

Harbaugh wants title-winning money but hasn't won a Super Bowl.

And finally …

Harbaugh can be traded.

Harbaugh can be fired.

So the search begins for someone more programmable, a coach seemingly off a Silicon Valley assembly line, ready to take a software download from the front office and ownership. A coach locked out of the most vital parts of the command structure, but who stands outside that door and waves the franchise colors.

Next up? A very specific type. A Dennis Erickson or a Mike Nolan or a Mike Singletary. A college guy or a coordinator or a trusted in-house name. A type of guy similar to what got sandwiched between Mariucci and Harbaugh: solid coaches who make far better soldiers. Guys who go 45-82 in eight seasons and never make the playoffs. But they do it sticking with the program.

This is the upgrade, 49ers way, 2.0. Jed York and Trent Baalke are poised to delete the Harbaugh era. And now 49ers fans are left to hope this reboot doesn't turn out like the last.