Jimmy Raye Join Niners

Several Web sites including SI.com and NFL.com are reporting that Jimmy Raye,the new offensive coordinator for the 49ers. Raye has been coaching in the NFL for 32 years including a 1977 stop for a year with the 49ers.

After several other candidates interviewed for the position, the San Francisco 49ers hired Jimmy Raye II to become the team’s new offensive coordinator, according to Adam Schefter of NFL Network.

Jimmy Raye, an NFL assistant for the past 32 seasons, was hired Wednesday evening.

Raye served as the Jets’ running backs coach in 2008. As we reported on Tuesday, his contract was not going to be renewed.

Raye, 62, earlier in the day became the eighth candidate to interview with 49ers coach Mike Singletary, who fired Mike Martz on Dec. 30. Scott Linehan turned down the 49ers’ offer Jan. 18 to replace Mike Martz as offensive coordinator. Linehan later accepted a position with the Detroit Lions.

Earlier this month, former Rams coach Scott Linehan turned down the job. The team then interviewed Jeff Jagonzinski, Rob Chudzinski, and Hue Jackson.

It is not known if others declined offers. On Tuesday, Baltimore quarterbacks coach Hue Jackson had his second interview with the club. But Raye emerged with the job, the NFL Network reported.

The 49ers also hired former Baltimore, Atlanta and San Diego quarterbacks coach Mike Johnson, Sports Illustrated reported. Johnson did not coach in the NFL last season.

Coincidentally, Raye’s first NFL job was with the 49ers — before the Bill Walsh era began. Raye coached 49ers receivers under Ken Meyer in 1977.

Raye has served as offensive coordinator for 12 seasons with six organizations: Raiders (2004-05), Washington (2001), Kansas City (1998-2000), Los Angeles Rams (1983-84, 2001), New England (1990) and Tampa Bay (1985-86).

He worked the past three seasons as New York Jets running backs coach, but was not going to be retained on new coach Rex Ryan’s staff.

Superbowl Time

Super Bowl XLIII is a professional football championship game conducted by the National Football League. Participants include the champions of the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC) of the National Football League. The winning team wins the Vince Lombardi Trophy.Super Bowl XLIII will be the fourth time Tampa Bay has hosted a Super Bowl. Tampa Bay previously hosted Super Bowl XVIII in 1984, Super Bowl XXV in 1991, and Super Bowl XXXV in 2001.Super Bowl XLIII will be held at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.
SuperBowl 2009 Date & Start Time: Sunday, February 1, 2009 at 6 p.m.

One week out and the Super Bowl is sold-out.Of course, folks can still get tickets online and, as it turns out, even hotel rooms While the big hotels, like Marriotts and Hyatts, are booked, it is the smaller, more independent hotels having a hard time booking up.On South Dale Mabry Highway, the Tahitian Inn still has almost a dozen rooms available and the same goes for the Westshore Hotel on Westshore Boulevard. Both are only minutes from Raymond James Stadium.

"It's still really a moving target from the hotel side, they are waiting on those people who haven't decided if they're going to come here yet, " said Steve Hayes of Tampa Bay and Company.

Hayes says area hotels saw a spike in sales the day after the teams were decided, then sales slowed a smidge for a couple of reasons. "One, being the teams involved, and two being the economy."

Even the beautiful Belleview Biltmore is not booked up yet. Although, the club just started selling Super Bowl packages on Thursday. "I've only released them this morning and I've already sold forty and I only have to sell two-hundred-twenty-six," said hotel director Martin Smith.

The Biltmore expects to be booked solid by the weekend.

Despite a slight dip in Super Bowl sales, Hayes says the big game will still be super for our economy.

"Could it have been better? Yes, but given today and where we're at, we're so grateful we've got this event coming to our community."
Superbowl 2009 Tickets:

The demand for tickets to Super Bowl XLIII greatly exceeds the NFL's ability to accommodate the majority of fans interested in attending the game. The vast majority of Super Bowl tickets approximately 75% are distributed to the 32 NFL teams. The participating teams each receive 17.5% of the tickets, the non-participating teams receive 1.2% and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as the host team, will receive 5%. The remaining 25.2% are controlled by the NFL and are distributed primarily to NFL affiliated companies, the broadcast network, corporate sponsors, media, VIP's charities, fans and the Host Committee.The NFL distributes approximately 1% of the tickets to fans through an annual Super Bowl random drawing. The drawing is not considered a lottery. This is the NFL's only method of distributing tickets to the general public. The NFL does not sell tickets to travel or ticket agents.