His heart (and job) still in S.F.

With a 1-9 record and persistent rumors about his future, Dennis Erickson says 49ers management has assured him his coaching job is safe for 2005. When asked if he had been told he would be back next year, Erickson said: “Oh, yeah. I mean, there’s no question about that. Like I’ve said, we have a long-term plan, and we go ahead and go from there.” But he immediately added: “People can change their mind, you know that. A lot of people change their minds.” Over the weekend, reports resurfaced linking Erickson to the vacancy at the University of Washington. Erickson has vehemently denied interest in the Washington opening, saying, “I’m going to finish this thing and do what I came to do.”