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Consulting Bill
March 27th 2002
By Bryan Hersh of 49ers Paradise
After last season's draft Bill Walsh stepped aside for his heir apparent Terry Donahue. Walsh moved from General Manager to a consolatory role and everything seemed to be in order. But with the draft approaching - and the draft being the one day of the off-season Walsh has notoriously excelled at - it's hard to see him in a consolatory role.

There's little doubt in my mind that Walsh will have an opinion on this years draft group. I know he will be in the 'War Room', and I know he will have his hand in trades, and selecting players. And I know he wont really have final say - but can Walsh really sit back and watch the 49ers, "his team" make a move he doesn't agree with? And if he can't - do the 49ers really have someone to stand up to the legend.

Walsh working in a diminished role has never really sat well with me. His first return to the team in such a position was a disaster ending with Marc Trestman being fired through the media. I don't want to see the organization shaken up simply because someone disagrees with the master.

It may sound weird, but perhaps the 49ers should have let Walsh do whatever he wanted to do until either he began making mistakes, or was simply to tired to continue. Has the point happened already? I really don't think so. Walsh is still to involved with the team, in my mind, to be given the role of consultant.

We wont really know how Walsh handles his diminished role until the stories emerge from draft day. One thing is for certain though. Terry Donahue has immense shoes to fill and this draft, will be a good indicator as to how quickly the 49ers can regain supremacy in the NFL.

Talk about it in the 49ers Paradise Forum

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