Dec 18, 2004 4 min read

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – A few days ago, coach Dennis Erickson honestly didn’t know whether he would be on the San Francisco 49ers’ sideline this weekend. Usually, he spends game days only wishing he was some place else.

It’s hard to say how Erickson’s flirtation with Mississippi affected the 49ers in their preparations for Saturday’s game against the Washington Redskins, but Erickson must have figured it couldn’t make their 2-11 season much worse.

San Francisco’s undermanned roster has been beset by injuries and infighting, and Erickson’s interview with Ole Miss on Tuesday night was just the latest in a long list of distractions for players and coaches.

“I just felt that (Mississippi) wasn’t the right situation for me,” Erickson said. “I feel like I want to finish this thing, if we have that opportunity. I would like to see what we decide we’re going to do when it is all over with at the end of the season.”

The 49ers need at least one victory in their final three games to avoid matching the worst record in franchise history. That might be difficult to get, even against the low-scoring Redskins (4-9), whose season has been nearly as disappointing.

There are plenty of similarities in the clubs’ struggles this season: bad offenses, poor discipline, key injuries and rosters somewhat ill-fitted to the coaching staffs’ desires.

There’s also one big difference: With Dan Snyder and Joe Gibbs in charge in Washington, at least the Redskins have the deep pockets and savvy on-field leadership to give their fans some hope – unless you believe Gibbs’ own assessment of his first year back in charge.

“I have no clue. I don’t have an idea,” Gibbs said when asked if he could restore the Redskins’ glory days. “I’d like to do something good for the franchise and help the franchise get back to winning football games, but there are no givens in this sport. I might go through a lot of lumps and a lot of adversity.”

Further polishing his Lou Holtz impersonation, Gibbs also said of the woeful 49ers: “I watch them on film, and I think they are certainly a team that can easily, easily beat us.”

But it’s safe to say Washington’s fans have more confidence in their leadership team than the West Coast faithful watching the Niners’ steady decline under the stewardship of owner John York, who now seems to be searching for a cost-effective way to make Erickson into the fall guy for his underachieving team.

Ken Dorsey, the 49ers’ backup quarterback, will get his fifth NFL start in place of injured Tim Rattay. After struggling in his previous appearances this season, Dorsey got his first victory last week against Arizona – and this will be the first home start for the native of nearby Orinda.

“It’s kind of a relief just to be able to go out and perform and play well again,” Dorsey said. “It’s kind of a load off your mind and lets you realize that you can still play this game, have success out there and understand that the hard times aren’t always going to be so hard.”

Running back Maurice Hicks, who had 139 yards in his first NFL start last week, also will start in front of $20 million disappointment Kevan Barlow.

Erickson is impressed by each part of Washington’s defense, even citing safety Sean Taylor as one of the most impressive rookies he has ever seen.

But if the 49ers’ struggling offense can’t maintain last week’s improvements, the Redskins might not even need to score more than 17 points – something they haven’t been able to do on the road this season.

Running back Clinton Portis has been one of the few bright spots on Washington’s offense, rushing for 1,137 yards behind a patchwork line. He has seen positive signs since Patrick Ramsey took over for Mark Brunell five weeks ago, but not enough.

“We have found a rhythm in our offense and we’re trying to score all of a sudden, and it’s too late,” Portis said. “Our offense came together too late. … We have all the key ingredients. It’s just (about) getting everybody healthy and going at the same time.”