When properties of Dennis Erickson's sympathetic division of the Autonomic Nervous System kicked in, he chose "flight" in the choice of "fight or flight." Outrage, disgust, annoyance and fear of the Beavers' future were all emotions running through OSU loyalists' heads on Tuesday, while Niners fans were more bewildered than anything else. Being torn between both sides is a common story to some students. Let's take a look inside one conflicted head.
Zepp: This smells. Why did he pull an Idaho on us now? To most of Beaver Nation, Erickson was a god.
CZ: Oh! Hah! How do you think I feel? You're so inconsiderate. I have this whole "losing record at Seattle" thing looming over my head -- as if we have anything else to go off in terms of NFL experience and success, or lack thereof.
Zepp: Nice glasses. Erickson dropped his a while ago; when are you gonna drop yours like he dropped us? The NFL is totally different than college ball. Erickson said it himself. May I note that he liked the "pageantry" and most of all the recruiting and responsibility he has for his players?
CZ: You're right. It is different. He'd already accomplished what a lot of college coaches never will -- conference championships and a national title -- two of them. So what's to stop him from wanting a bigger piece of the pie? Don't tell me that if ESPN came knocking on your door tomorrow, you wouldn't ditch OSU for Bristol.
Zepp: His name still isn't any closer to looking like Bill Walsh's than Mooch's was. Erickson is a novelty to colleges. He was an icon to the Raising Reser campaign. Talk about tripping over a stone in the path and losing momentum -- in Rick Neuheisel's eyes, it would be a Boulder. Fact of the matter is, keep him where he belongs. He isn't a true fit, especially with the 49ers.
CZ: You're so bitter. Wouldn't you be glad to get rid of someone who runs a notoriously undisciplined program? You know you get made fun of all the time for racking up more penalty yardage than most teams gain in total offense. High-octane doesn't always equal high class.
Zepp: Shouldn't that be a reason for you to worry about? You know the Niners run a different organization party based on character. He ran Jimmy Johnson's team into the ground and got them slapped with probation, kept the Seahawks in the wine cellar and gave the Beavers a prominent name in the Fiesta Bowl record books.
CZ: As if you have a right to compare the Seaducks to the 49ers. Erickson is going to a completely different franchise and he won't be acting as general manager also. You know that was half the problem with the coaches who went to Seattle. Look what happened to Holmgren. Instead of being revered, he just gets made fun of for looking like a fat guy reading a menu instead of being a smart play-caller.
Zepp: That still doesn't justify how Erickson is built to coach in the NFL. You don't put a four cylinder engine in an F450. At least I can be consoled by the fact that he didn't pull a true Idaho and go to another college to win them a national title. He's just going to a franchise that's still trying to wade in the wake of the Bill Walsh and George Seifert eras. I'd rather answer to Beaver Nation than those psycho Bay Area fans who are still stuck in the past.
CZ: The West Coast offense is dead and Erickson has new plans and the healthy tools to carry them out.
Zepp: Not like he can hit up the nearest juco and recruit some overlooked Speedy Gonzales-type of linebacker. Worry about your defense, not the offense. Donahue must be blind if he couldn't see what needs more attention. Besides, the Buccaneers proved this year the old credo: Offense wins games, defense wins championships.
Candace Zepp is a sports writer for The Daily Barometer. She can be reached at baro.sports@studentmedia.orst.edu.