In limbo with 49ers, Manusky interviews with Carolina

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Jan. 9, 2011MAIOCCO ARCHIVE49ERS PAGE49ERS VIDEOMatt MaioccoCSNBayArea.comDefensive coordinator Greg Manusky, in limbo after the hiring of Jim Harbaugh as 49ers head coach, interviewed for more than four hours Saturday for the Carolina Panthers head-coaching position."The interview went well," Manusky told Comcast SportsNet on Sunday. "We talked a lot about football, so I enjoyed that. We talked about schedules and what we'd do if there's some kind of work stoppage (this offseason)."Manusky, 44, said he has not spoken with Harbaugh, whom the 49ers hired on Friday. Vic Fangio, who spent 11 NFL seasons as a defensive coordinator, is the logical choice for Harbaugh to bring with him from Stanford to run the 49ers' defense. RELATED: Panthers owner upset with QB play
Fangio, like Manusky, runs a 3-4 defense. Fangio was Dom Capers' defensive coordinator for two expansion teams: Carolina Panthers (1995-98) and Houston Texans (2002-2005). Fangio also served as Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator from 1999 to 2001.Manusky met with Panthers general manager Marty Hurney and president Danny Morrison in San Francisco. He was the fourth candidate -- all defensive coordinators -- to interview to fill the vacancy created when John Fox was fired after nine season. The Panthers went 2-14 and hold the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.Rob Ryan (Cleveland Browns) interviewed Wednesday, followed by Perry Fewell (New York Giants) and Ron Rivera (San Diego Chargers). Rivera reportedly is scheduled for a second interview.NEWS: Fewell to interview with Denver
It was Manusky's first head-coaching interview, and just the second interview of his 11-year coaching career, he said. Manusky played 12 seasons in the NFL and his former coach, Marty Schottenheimer, hired him as linebackers coach with the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers.Manusky's first interview was in 2007 with then-49ers coach Mike Nolan. Manusky got the job to replace fired Billy Davis as defensive coordinator. Manusky remained as coordinator with more autonomy after Nolan was fired during the 2008 season and Mike Singletary took over as head coach.In 2009, the 49ers' defense held the opposition without a touchdown in five games. The 49ers owned the 13th-ranked defense in the NFL this season. The 49ers were second in the league, allowing an average of just 3.5 yards per rush attempt. The 49ers ranked 24th in pass defense.

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