Mooch

I enjoy most of the NFL Network's cast of characters. They seem like a fun bunch that routinely brings serious football talk to their audience. Sometimes they, Rich Eisen, bring a little too much of the gossip. The side stuff of the game. I guess that's their job but I don't really see the need to create stories. The play on the field should be the story. Still, the best football on TV between the games is found on NFL Network and the characters that bring it are at least half of the fun. One of those is Steve Marriucci. Mooch.

I first became aware of Marriucci while he was the University of California Golden Bears offensive coordinator under Bruce Snyder from 1990-91. That 1991 Cal team featured an unpredictable, explosive offense called by Marriucci. They dismantled Clemson in the Citrus Bowl to earn the #8 ranking in the final AP poll. As he would be throughout his coaching career Marruicci was loved by his players. His success at Cal led to an NFL job as the quarterback coach of the Green Bay Packers and a young football player named Brett Favre. Marriucci made a home in Green Bay and earned the trust and appreciation of Favre. In fact, Favre offered to pay the difference in salary to keep him in Green Bay when Cal came calling in 1996 with an offer of their head coaching job. Marruicci made the move up the coaching ladder by taking the top job at Cal. He was an offensive coach that was clearly drawing a lot of attention. His name was so hot that he was only at Cal for one puzzling year. His Cal team got off to a fantastic start in going undefeated through the first half of their schedule. They never won again, including their bowl game. Not long after that season ended the San Francisco 49ers got rid of the always unappreciated George Seifert to hire that rising star at Cal. This move always bothered me. I didn't think that Marriucci was ready. His one, way up and way down season showed that. I also thought that he could do some great things at Cal. I really just didn't want him to leave Berkeley so soon. Still, I never thought that Cal would have him for long. I just thought that it would be longer. You can't fault Marriucci for jumping at the opportunity. Worst of all, I thought that what the 49ers did to Seifert was ridiculous. He deserved better. The 49ers obviously felt that Marriucci wouldn't be available for long. They had to move. It's a business. Marriucci had an up and down coaching career with the 49ers. Much like his one year at Cal he had some excellent moments and some fairly low moments. After six years he moved on to the Detroit Lions for three mostly low years. It's hard to fault him for that as the Lions were in the middle of being destroyed by general manager Matt Millen.

All that leads me to his current time at NFL Network. I've always liked Mooch. It started with his early days in charge of a terrific offense at Cal. I didn't care much for his days with the Packers but was ecstatic about his hiring as Cal's head coach only to be disappointed with his jump across the Bay a year later. Marriucci has an infectious, almost Madden-like presence about him. He loves football and it's so clear on the NFL Network set. He fits in well with that goofy, football-loving group. I love hearing the stories of the backstage high jinks. I love hearing about Mooch never passing by the catered tables of food. He's a funny football lifer and I'm glad that he's with a group that appreciates what he brings. I certainly appreciate what he does.