Jed York, the young CEO of the 49ers, got off to a rocky start when he took over control of the team in 2008.
Right off the bat, he made a two-part mistake.
- He hired the wrong head coach – Mike Singletary.
- He rushed to hire him.
As you may recall, York signed Singletary to a four-year contract extension after the Niners came back to beat the Redskins 27-24 on December 28, 2008. Typically, team owners hire a general manager who then hires a head coach, and they do this in the offseason so they can interview more than one candidate.
York skipped all those steps and went straight to hiring the coach.
But he learned from that mistake quickly, firing Singletary after the 2010 season and hiring Trent Baalke to be the General Manager. Baalke, as you know, went on to become the 2011 NFL Executive of the Year, partly because he hired Jim Harbaugh, who was the 2011 NFL Head Coach of the Year.
In the NFL, a good owner hires a good general manager and gets out of the way. That’s exactly what York has done since he hired Baalke, and he deserves tremendous credit for that.
York gets credit for one more thing, and it’s a big thing – he’s building a new stadium. Not even his uncle, Eddie DeBartolo Jr., the owner of the Niners through their five Super Bowl victories, could make that happen.
In the world of NFL owners, York started out as a junior partner, but he’s rapidly grown into one of the elite owners in the league.
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Jed’s Uncle Eddie made a few mistakes early on too; notably hiring Joe Thomas as GM. Jed’s focus on the stadium issue probably helped him keep his hands off the race car. Credit to him and others for getting that deal done.
Thought Jed’s legacy was sealed when Harbaugh got on a plane to “listen” to Steve Ross’ offer. Very glad I was wrong.
It’s clear he’s passionate about this organization, and it’s clear he’s more than willing to put in the work necessary to bring it back to greatness.
Dont be fooled by the passion…jims no dummy he looked at our roster and knew we were a one well coach team away from success..remember we DID!!! have basically the same team with a few minor tweaks added..so credit to jim n trent but we were beeeenn spose to be on top of the nfc west atleast
Minor tweaks? Let go Franklin, Lawson, Spikes, Clements, LaBoy and Mays and brought in Aldon, Rodgers and Whitner and re-signed and/or promoted McDonald, Brooks, Brown and Goldson.
Can’t argue with the results: got the coach he (and we) wanted in Harbaugh; got a new stadium underway. If I had to nitpick, it would be the process in selecting the GM. If I recall correctly, he didn’t really seem to go out of his way to interview anyone seriously other than Baalke. At the time, the jury was out on Baalke, at least publicly. So, perception-wise, it looked like we were getting more of the same mediocrity. But Jed seems to have picked the right guy, because Baalke’s turned out pretty well so far, especially with picks like Aldon Smith.
I hope for a 14-2 season and a Superbowl win. Then no more questions about Jed. I was worried when it was just his father and mother running the team and the bottled water fiasco them being cheap and all so GO Jed Go 9ers.
Reality check…of the last 19 teams that went 13-3 or better failed to win 12 games the next year
expectation check: the last team to win the Superbowl didn’t even win 10 games before the playoffs. I think we are definitely in position to make a hard run at getting a ring! Go Niners!
Great point Colonel!
Just an observation, the team that went 13-3 had a mediocre schedule in 2011. 2012 shows up with interest added. Wouldn’t be shocked if the team starts 2-6 or 3-5. Remember this 13-3 team wasn’t smart enough to pull Kyle Williams after two blown fielding tries. They lost to a subpar Giants team because of some bad decisions and conservative play calling. You might be able to dress the manikin in pricier clothes, but at the end of the day, it’s still the same bland manikin.
Thus is like it is. Giants. Lions. Ravens. Steelers. All playoff teams. In addition to Cowboys, Eagles who everyone thought would be postseason forces. We beat the Saints, the team everyone was certain was superbowl bound. Mediocre???? GTHO
And the “subpar” Giants???? The same team that beat the Packers, Niners and Patriots. All on the road??? Superbowl champs? Subpar? GTFO.
Ribico,
You forgot another playoff team they beat, Cincinnati.
You mention the cowboys and eagles….two huge NFL markets whose talent is always hyped to sell tickets. What did the combined teams do? Both teams finished 8-8.
Mediocre. Here is a quick history of the word to help you understand its meaning. Mediocre is derived from the latin word mediocris or medius which means middle. That would be 8-8. Cincy finished 9-7. The steelers were beat by an 8-8 denver team who’s QB isn’t even a starter in the nfl now or on the team. The same steelers who’s strength of schedule was ranked 27th in the league.
The Giants team that went 9-7 was subpar with a strength of schedule ranked at 19th. It was a completely winnable game for any team smart enough to pull Kyle Williams out of the return game.
Now lets continue disecting your argument.
You mentioned the playoff bound Ravens. 2o11 strength of schedule:31st. Just ahead of that team, 49ers 30th. The teams last year with losing records Colts strength of schedule 3rd. Panthers 1st. Bills 2nd. Jacksonville, NY Jets, Dolphins, Chargers.
Don’t read too much into the hype. The 49ers strength of schedule is 24th this year.
History repeats itself and for 2011, the titans(6-10) had that spot with the seahawks(7-9). 2010 The broncos(4-12). Seahawks(5-11) again in 2009. Falcons in 2008 (4-12). None of those teams were playoff bound… I am guessing this is where the 49ers pick up Matt barkely
So telling, you are basically saying all of last years playoff teams sucked and only got to the postseason due to the scheduling gods. Right. You’ll be back here for your crow later this season, right?
Right, Jack. Thanks. I knew I overlooked one of telling’s lousy playoff teams.
Fine. You guys keep saying how the Niners will be mediocre this year at best. Tell that to the Niners teams of old. Just because they lost only three games one year didn’t mean they would reverse and be losers the next year.
I saw something special last year. A Niners team succeeding on guts, passion and a never-give-up mentality.
They will bring it this year. Same mentality. Same Ronnie Lott-like just-doin’ my job humbleness. They will be great. They have great players, great coaches, great managers and now they seem even to have a good owner in Jed York, who seems to learn on the job and may chat a lot with his uncle Eddie, who once brought greatness to this franchise.
Go Niners. I stand by my prediction of 14-2.
Young Jed spent an lot of energy gathering support in the Santa Clara community for this stadium. He made mistakes but recovered well. As long as York, Sr. stays out of the way, the Niners are in good hands.
Jed followed the most basic rule of success “Lead, follow, or get out of the way”. Like uncle Eddie, Jed did all three
I agree with everything you said. Jed has stepped up big time and deserves the credit for turning this franchise around. To get the stadium built in California is incredible. He hired the right people and has stayed out of their way, which is what good owners should do.
I can’t help but see the stark similarities between Jed and Eddie. Just like I see them with JH and AS. And to some extent JM and AS, but not as strongly as the JH and AS link. Those two are the same.
Harbaugh and Smith are very similar.
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HarbJi00.htm
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SmitAl03.htm
Montana and Smith? Well, they’re both right handed.
msc
You will disagree, but AS has the same kind of coolness JM had. Not as much, but nobody does.
Compared to the Lions QB. The Lions were not out of that game, but his demeanor and inability to do something come crunch time in both our game and the NO playoff game,he payed worse with the pressure on. AS plays better, just like JM did.
As for JH, that is what I was thinking of as well. And plays avbig reason why he convinced TB to give him a shot last year. Not many HC’s would have done what JH did with AS before TC.
What is it with this guy trying to compare Smith to Montana?
Let Smith win more than 1 playoff game before you try comparing The Precious to one of the greatest QB’s of all time.
@DS Alex had a fantastic game against the Saints. There is no question about that.
When he has had several dozen great games, including super bowls, then he might be in the conversation with Montana.
You said Smith is a lot like Harbaugh. Look at what happened to Harbaugh after his one great season. He flopped and was replaced by Manning. Let’s see Smith manage a few good seasons – hell, let’s see him manage back-to-back good games – before we compare him to the greatest QB of all time.
No MS,Alex had a great quarter of football against the Saints. Before that he was his usual mediocre self. and the next week he was his normal self for the entire game .
DS:
You obviously are joking saying that Alex is as cool under pressure as JOE COOL !
Alex panics maybe more than any QB I can remember when he gets pressure.
I know you are blind when it comes to alex,but please,try to be sensable every now and then on the subject !
Tim
Please re-read the post.
I said “Not as much, but nobody does.” You mis-read it.
And please go beyond this blog when looking for AS stuff. AS in the 4th quarter last year was about as good as it gets. Not so unlike JM. There is a reason AS had as many comebacks as JM in a single season. Because neither man screwed it up and stayed cool. Can’t have a comeback if the QB panics. Eli has the same thing. His brother has none of it. Especially playoff time.
Tim
If AS wasn’t great in the NO game, no QB has ever been great. Because no QB has rushed for 4 TD’s/passed for 4TD’s, the last one of each quarter thrown so perfectly, it was amazing. Had it not been thrown where it was, the throw is Incomplete.
Only a few QB’s have ever done what AS did in passing 3TD/running for 1 and not throw for a single Int.
And only EM among the other 11 QB’s was better TD/Int than AS. You ignore that, you ignore the things that win games (Points and not commiting any TO’s).
Alex panics maybe more than any QB I can remember when he gets pressure.
You have a terrible memory. How much paint did you huff as a kid?
Both Montana and Smith have a ‘Catch’ legacy as well.
Mid…..Although the VD post was a great moment. Please stop now. Dont ruin your cred.
Just a small difference Catch one won the Super Bowl.
Catch one led to the Super Bowl is better clarification.
All I’m saying is that’s another thing they have in common. I really don’t compare one to the other because they belong to different eras on football. It’d be like comparing Roger Craig to Frank Gore. You can compare the past and present situations, but you can’t compare the players.
Of football, not on football. Stupid Android phone.
Midwest: You absolutely can compare player performances from era to era.
Jack: While Joe Montana is by far my favorite QB, I have tried to establish proof that he was the greatest QB ever and it cannot be done. Second or maybe 3rd, but not #1.
Midwest: Both JM and AS made critical playoff throws that have been mislabeled as great catches. Not that the catches weren’t great, but both the throws were better. Both QB’s put the ball where only their guy could get to it. Both throws were the type their guy was good at catching. Both throws would have been hard to miss.
AS is nowhere near JM. In fact, AS is not even near Steve Young, who was nowhere near JM.
@MW
Comparing Joe Montana to Alex Smith is comparing Lobster to Spam.Saying you can’t compare them because of different era’s is pretty dam lame. You remind me of the Song ” Stand by your man”
Neal,
Not only is it like comparing lobster to spam but like these guys say it’s insane.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAlNrtcPCLw
Thanks for the link Jack, pretty funny
Neal,
You made absolutely no sense with your comment towards me whatsoever. I was stating that I don’t compare past and present players, and you think I was referring to just Alex Smith? For real?!
I don’t compare players because of the circumstances then and now. With each era that passes the game changed, from the rules to the schemes to the style of play to the type of players. I also believe that each player (past and present) is only a one timer, if you pardon the bad grammar. There will never be another Joe Montana, Steve Young, Ronnie Lott, Bryant Young, Frank Gore, Patrick Willis, etc. Kids will try to fashion their play after their favorite player, but they will never be that player.
Funny MidWest I thought you were making no sense at all, trying to compare the great Joe Montana to the # 22 best Qb in the NFL right now, and I was not the only one.
@Neal:
… compare the great Joe Montana to the # 9 ranked Qb in the NFL right now …
Fixed.
“… compare the great Joe Montana to the # 9 ranked Qb in the NFL right now …” What a joke!
Claude,
If JH thought that Smith was the 9th best QB, he would not have flown 3000 miles to try to sign PM and give him a zillion dollar contract and not give a couple of million to JJ. But you believe what you want, and I will take Dilfer and ESPN review, over your hairy nuts any day of the week.
Uh no Neal, and I’m still trying figure out how you and the other came to that conclusion. All I did was list one thing Montana and Smith do have in common. Whether anybody likes it or not, those two are linked forever because of that, along with Steve Young. If you don’t like it, then get mad at the ones who chose to call the Vernon Post THE CATCH III. I personally would’ve liked a little more imagination put into it.
I don’t get mad on here MW, if you take this seriosly then you have no life, not a blog bum like BS.
MidWest,
Don’t forget Garcia. He did lead the biggest comeback in team playoff history.
Good point Jack,
Jeff Garcia played some great games for the Niners,and the Giant game could be equal to the Saint game he had a better team and a better coach then the REV and Nolan who could be two of the worst of all time.
Jack,
True.
Neal,
What I mean is that I had nothing to do with the Vernon Post being named THE CATCH III. But because of that, Montana and Smith have something in common besides both being right-handed. Do they have something else in common? I don’t know and I really don’t care. Like the old saying goes, I have other fish to fry. I’m just focused on the Niners having another great season, one that I hope ends with a sixth Lombardi Trophy in their possession.
ok MW,
I don’t see Smith and Montana similar at all, even with VD catch 3.
I haven’t even tried to delve into it. It goes against what I believe to be true about the game then and now. Joe is Joe and Alex is Alex. That’s my thinking on it anyway.
midwest
The compare idea has no right or wrong. If you don’t think you can compare players of different eras, you are just as right to hold that opinion as I do thinking you can to some extent.
When I brought it up, it wasn’t to start some fight. Though people here come here for no reason but to fight. As a reader of the blog for about 3 years and a writer for under 1, I can say that with 100% confidencce.
@Jack:
No joke; simple fact.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/player/_/stat/passing/sort/quarterbackRating
Claude,
Comparing AS to JM is a complete joke. AS can’t even sniff Montana’s jock. I playoff win and now AS is JM? Might as well compare Garcia to him too since he did something JM never did, bring the team back from 20+ down to win a playoff game.
I am not disagreeing that AS was #9 last year, I already knew that.
He did not play like the 9th best QB in the Playoffs other then Andy Warhol 15 minutes of fame.
The AS lovers on this site are out out of touch and dulesional, drink that Kool Aid, you sick turds, comparing JM to AS is stupid and even AS would say it is stupid.
@Jack:
I didn’t compare Smith to Montana. I simply corrected Neal’s inaccurate description of Smith’s 2011 season.
@Neal:
You’re right. Alex Smith wasn’t the 9th best QB in the playoffs:
http://espn.go.com/nfl/statistics/player/_/stat/passing/sort/quarterbackRating/seasontype/3
Claude,
My original comment had nothing to do with you. It is a joke to make that comparison whether he was 22nd or 9th last year, that is inconsequential.
@Jack:
You’ll have to forgive for thinking that your “What a joke” comment was directed to me. After all, you quoted my comment before writing “What a joke!”
@Neal:
Other than DS, who compared Smith to Montana?
No sweat Claude. Time to get out and enjoy this beautiful weather.
@ Claude,
Since you can’t go by playoff wins, you have to go down to meaningless stats, nothing in their about going 1 -13 in third down conversions against the Giants.
@Neal:
Sure, we can go by playoff wins if you want. Other than Manning and Brady, who had more playoff wins in 2011 than Smith?
That you would refer to the NFL’s official QB rating statistic as “meaningless” shows just how little you know about football and how desperate you are not to admit that Smith played well last year.
You should stick to writing about sniffing other men’s asses and jockstraps. It’s the only subject you seem to know anything about.
Many had one playoff win, hairy balls, the only difference between JM and AS one has 4 more Super Bowl wins, that is what you will say about AS. Your football knowledge is next to nothing, slightly more then BS.
Never ceases to amaze me how far people will go to try and disparage Alex Smith.
Smith did play well in the playoffs, the stats, the QB ranking, and most importantly the results speak to that. The bad game he had against the Giants featured two TD passes and a rating over 90. If you want to focus on the 3rd down problems that’s legit, but they aren’t all on the QB. 3rd down production is on everybody from the playcaller to the players on the field.
Jaws is ranking the top 30 QB’s right now, he’s up to 19 and no mention of Smith yet, so he’s already ranked higher than the naysayers on here think he is.
Instead of drawing a line in the sand and finding any reason possible to doubt Smith, why don’t you devote a little time and energy into looking into what he can do to improve on a pretty good season Neal.
Sorry rocket, just think keeping Smith will bite us in the ass, he reminds me of Steve Deberg minus the big yardage.
Neal,
The point is he isn’t as bad as some of you make him out to be and I don’t think anybody can argue he isn’t the best option at QB for this team right now.
I get it if you don’t think he’s the long term answer and that you feel Kap is going to take the job at some point. What I don’t get is why people go out of their way to slam the guy when he is the most logical choice at QB right now. Just accept it and if a change is made sometime during the season you can celebrate even though it will mean the team is losing games.
The point is you got the Smither lovers who actually think he is a top 10 QB and then you have other’s such as Jack, Jordan, Bay, Nickrowe and others including me think not. We will continue to state that until we are proven wrong. That day won’t happen
@Neal:
I understand that you have no comeback for the actual facts and argument that I presented, but please stop making things up just so you can continue the argument. I never compared Smith to Montana. I didn’t need to in order to demonstrate that Smith played well last year.
You, jordan, Bay, etc. were proven wrong about Alex Smith last season. Just because you aren’t man enough to admit it doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.
And based upon the uninformed nonsense that you continue to spew, you will be proven wrong once again next season.
You should quit while you are behind.
Neal,
You don’t have to sing the guys praises, but to continue to slam him for not having more passing yards which all the naysayers seem to do, is dishonest and incorrect in assessing his season. You can’t pass for 4000 yards if you aren’t attempting the amount of passes necessary to do it. With his average yards per pass, Smith would have easily eclipsed 4000 yards if he had attempted as many passes as some of the guys ahead of him.
Yards are meaningless when looked at in that context. The idea behind effective QB play is to distribute the ball where it needs to go and ultimately win games. Smith did that this year. Now no one is going to confuse him with Manning, Brady or Rodgers the way he played this season, but he clearly showed he can play and win football games.
The redzone and 3rd down problems are a concern no question about it, but you can’t pin all of that on the QB. There are many reasons that go into why struggles take place in those areas and the QB is only one element of that.
Oh and Jaws is now up to #17 on his ratings list and still no mention of Smith. He’s already ahead of Dalton, Palmer, Bradford, Freeman etc on Jaws list. Open your mind to the possibility that this guy was a late bloomer for many reasons and he is not as bad as you think he is.
If you look at JH and AS you would see completely different personalities at play. If anything Alex is being molded to take on more of Harbaugh’s confidence and fighting spirit. You can see that when Jim gives Alex the shoulder shakedown prior to every game. The Alex we’ve all known is a quiet, less than confident QB, not one to grab the bull by its horns. Jim on the other hand grew up in a fiercely competitive household. His personality is rubbing off a bit on Alex.
The JM and AS similarities? Well I’ll just leave that alone except to say AS is closer to Jamarcus Russell than Joe Montana on the list of NFL QBs past and present.
What a stupid, stupid comment. Russell?? that’s idiocy even for this crew…
Who knows. Maybe Alex will be getting a flashy car soon.
Alex is nowhere near Montana but he is equally distant from JaWalrus. Comparing Alex to JRuss is even worse than comparing him to Montana.
Russell failed because he didn’t care and didn’t try. No one can say Alex’s failures have come from a lack of effort or desire. He works his butt off. Heck, look at Camp Alex – he didn’t have to put out all that time and money but he did. It’s one thing to fault his accuracy or pocket presence but questioning his heart is way out of line.
Someone has a selected memory, he or she or it, thinks of one game and now he is comparable to JM. Then the following week he played liked the AS we all know and someone on here loves more then any other player of mankind. In her mind AS stands for ass sniffer, because she loves doing that.
You’re the one obsessed with that body part.
And nothing says fan like you do.
Neal,
If AS stands for that, what does DS stand for?
I am a fan, you love everything about AS, you are truly fanatic over him, that it what fan stands for dulusional one.Thankfully JH and TB don’t share your view, if they did they would not try to sign PM or JJ.
Neal
As a non-fan, I wouldn’t expect you to kow that during JM’s time here, the Niners got other QB’s. They had more QB’s on the roster than JM. In fact BW traded for Steve Young. Before JM won his 3,4th Super Bowl. Did BW show lack of confidence in JM by doing so?
But you don’t know that. If you did, the whole idea of getting other QB’s would mean nothing. And you couldn’t hate. But hate is all you know. So, what you wrote is consistent.
What happens when the Niners draft another MLB? Pick up a new DE? Does that mean they don’t thik PW/JS are any good? Do you think before you post, or does the hate drive you to not think?
“Meanwhile, the 49ers were looking for someone to back up star QB Joe Montana, who would be 31 years old by the start of the ’87 season and had been sidelined for part of 1986 with a back injury that required surgery. While he amazingly missed only eight weeks, his passes lacked the usual velocity when he came back, his running ability was hindered, and he was knocked out of a playoff loss to the Giants with a concussion.
“We think that Steve’s style of play will fit into our system and he will be able to display his vast talents,” San Francisco Head Coach Bill Walsh said. “This move is not a reflection on Joe Montana. We fully expect Joe to continue as the leader and mainstay of our team,” Walsh added.”
DS,
Quite different. Trying and failing in getting PM is very different in getting SY. But ofcourse you don’t know that having a man crush on AS.
Grant
I must admit, I was all in to hire MS. Our D was looking good, and how could it not with “Iron Mike” lol in charge of it. And the offense finally had some balance. Earlier that year, Martz was all “mad Martz” and the Niners got a lot of yards, but lots of TO’s, and we all know which is more important. (YARDS :- )
I thought MS would continue to work with Martz, and Martz seeing as how he has been fired a few times as HC, would not get another offer soon, and would want to stay here and make things work. Hill came on in and did a great job, and AS was a complete unknown again.
But, then MS did something really stupid. He got rid of Martz. Where the two were polar opposites and bad, the combo of the two worked! I started doubting then. After that, things went pretty much downhill.
Had MS kept Martz, I think we go to the playoffs before last year. I think MS is still the HC and we are a contender every year.
WOW I totally agree, and thought the same as you did. But if Martz was kept, Smith would have been gone. Martz was not a fan of Smith in his system. I couldnt imagine NOW MS coaching this team. It happened for a reason, and that reason was now we remember what bad coaching is. Man I hope we dont go back to those days for another 20+ years.
Martz has been a bust everywhere he has gone since the Rams era long ago. He stunk ans an OC.
Martz had Warner, that was a big difference
cody, H couldn’t have known that. You are forgetting that a quite a few of the players who led the team to such a great record were not on the roster when H was hired. On defense, Witner and Rogers had not been signed. Aldon Smith had not been drafted. Bowman had never started a game. Culliver had not been drafted. We had lost Franklin, and Soaps was unproven as an NT (the few times he had played it he had been average at best). On offense, we had no real receivers other than Crabtree, who had been uneven. Alex Smith had not been healthy for 3 years and had a completion percentage under 60% (with 10 ints.) in ’10 and was generally considered a bust. We had two linemen who had played one season only and a journeyman at right guard. There is no way H could have seen we were a player away from a playoff-caliber team. We ended up needing 5 or 6 players before we got there, and he would not have known they would have been available because FA had not opened. The roster he inherited was predicted almost universally to have a losing record.
DS94. Jed and Eddie talk at least once a week. There’s no mystery why there is similarity. Jed is seeking out a lot of advice.
And thank goodness for that. I think he’s done a great job.
@stewjack
I don’t know about you, but I talk with my parents a lot. But I am more like several other relatives who I don’t/can’t speak to than I am like my parents.
And why would Jed repeat his uncles mistakes coming to HC? I know they talk, but it goes deeper than that. More like kindred spirits.
With Singletary’s initial success and the fact he would be the first African American coach of the team, York had no other choice but to hire him. The media would have crucified York otherwise.
I don’t think so. I remember many of Singletary’s ex-teammates having reservations about him coaching. He didn’t have the experience and he just runs too hot. I would imagine that Ronnie Lott would struggle with coaching in the same manner. I wasn’t adamantly against the hire though. The first red flag for me was when offensive coordinators started turning down the job.
I drank a giant bucket of the Singletary kool-aid when he was hired.
He didn’t tell us he peed in that kool-aid.
Why do you think he pulled his pants down at halftime of that Seattle game msc?
MSC!! You’re not the only one!! I was drinkin’ the Kool-Aid by the barel!!! I just ignored the salty taste ’cause I was an ignorant bastard. I was able to dig up one of his old press conferences, for $H!ts and gigs!! Ahhh … the good ol’ days ;-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4DyTnqfH5k
I still have my I want winners Tshirt, its in the back of the closet next to my Bench Alex Smith shirt. I was going to get rid of them last season, but decided that now we’re back I like to remember where I dont want my team to be back too. Man. Call this man a die hard. Still went to games and sported my gear and flags. lol
@ Jack
I thought he had a wedgie.
I didn’t like the hiring of Singletary because it seemed like Jed was doing so based on a fan perspective more than a Coaching ability perspective.
Sing had interviewed for multiple HC positions already and hadn’t gotten any of them. That’s a red flag to me, and as it turns out there was a good reason he didn’t get hired before York promoted him. Way too emotional, no x’s and o’s ability, not enough experience, the list goes on and on.
I think the team may have made the playoffs had Martz been retained, but they wouldn’t have been a contender set up for the long term like they are now.
I am thankful for Harbaugh. That’s all I can say.
Many teams were actually shocked that the Niners pick the Rev, I heard him on a Radio interview, saying that he will be one of the greatest coachest of all time, funny never heard Bill Walsh and other great coaches say that. I just rolled my eyes on that one. I will bet my 401K that he will never get a Head coaching job in the NFL again.
HALLELUJAH Rocket!!!
I agree with you on the Martz thing, but they are now set for an extended run.
Jed has been nails since week 16 of the 2010 season. Funny how when you get the people right, everything else falls into place.
Jed has been the rejevenuation of the franchise from a marketing perspective and hiring the right people. Thank God Dr. York has stayed out of the way and let his son roll with all the frnachise decision.
If Jed does not hire Harbaugh were not talking about last year playoffs and the turnaround of Alex Smith. What we would be talking about is having either a young inexperienced coach and a rookie QB trying to get to .500 next year.
jed is eddie all over again. early very bad mistakes then the hiring of a franchise changing coach. i only hope the super bowl will follow. jed is making the morabito brothers proud.
I’m just happy Jed has the wherewithall to listen to Uncle Ed and get the hell out of the way. He has very little if any ego and has been humbled in this process. If he was as stubborn as he has every right to be, we’d still be swimming with the sharks.
A little bit of fact. Big Ben in his career, in four of those seasons he threw 17 tds, four other seasons consisted of 18, 21, 26, 32 tds. Two of the years that he threw 17 tds they went to the super bowl. Another note Clay Mathews of the Packers is now lining up on the right side. Its gonna be a long five weeks.
undercenter
Statistical fluke there. Twice he threw for the same number of TD’s as AS did in getting us to OT Title game, and Pitt did well going to the Super Bowl.
Nothing meaningful in that.
Ask me in 10 years how I feel about Jr, by then time will really tell what kind of job he has done for the 49ers…imho.
Grant:
“Right off the bat, he made a two-part mistake.
1. He hired the wrong head coach – Mike Singletary.
2. He rushed to hire him.”
IMO, I see these two as being one in the same Grant.
But if I recall the consensus was almost unanimous in favor of Sing when he was hired. The players, FO, and the majority of the faithful were good with Singletary. I remember his media presser after his hiring when he made his infamous physical with an ‘F’ remark bringing a smattering of applause from the audience. JY just did not have the foresight that Sing would be outcoached when he hired him.
I believe the 2nd mistake Jed York made was to virtually cede complete autonomy to Sing.
Had JY been more experinced he might have been more hands-on and astute in hiring a good Off-Cord’r. Allowing Sing to hire J.Raye was the death knell for Sing.
Singletary was unprepared to handle the big leagues and it showed on most Sunday’s.
Jed has certainly redeemed himself with hiring of Harbaugh and soon the Singletary experiment will be a distant memory.
Wow. Not one lucky sperm comment. Jed has come a long way in the court of public opinion.
As far as the Mike Singletary discussion, I was never on the MS bandwagon. I prefer to have the Head Coach come up through the offensive ranks as Bill Walsh did. Singletary never really even coached a defense. He was a motivational guy with no X’s and O’s which I felt like was a major weakness. There were yahoo’s on this site who were saying Sing would make a great offensive coach because he watched so much film of offenses when he was playing. That’s about as intelligent as the guys who say AS is an accurate passer. Or AS is even in the same universe as Joe Montana. It’s ridiculous.
So now Jed has landed the guy I feel is one of the best coaches in the NFL. Jed’s wagon is tied to the success that Harbaugh brings which IMHO will be a Superbowl victory. For Jed to make the next step is to become a leader amongst the owners. It seems obvious to me the 9ers are pushed around by the league. We get fined and lose a draft pick because of an alleged phone call to Lance Briggs while the Pats allow guys on IR to practice and have conversations with guys under contract to other teams but no fine. When Jed can get the preferential treatment received by Robert Kraft then he will have truely arrived.
@ Houston
My tattered memory cells have a different take on that conversation you recall. The conversation I remember was about whether or not Nolan, as a defensive guy knew anything about offense; not Sing. Nobody said either would be a good OC, rather that they could be. And where did that stupid idea come from? That a DC could be a competent HC and run a good offense? It came from an unintelligent, no-nothing yahoo named Don Shula, but what does he know?
…houston’ goal was to knock Alex, he knows no-one said MS was going to be an offensive genius
The nightmare is over……Thank you JY , TB ,JH and all the players for sticking through all the terrible leaders with no vision
Grant – Eddie DeBartolo Jr. would’ve probably had the new stadium if not for that riverboat casino screw up. Remember the license bribe? Well, you were probably only about 10 years old then Grant.
Eddie pleaded guilty to a felony charge. The Candlestick Point stadium project/shopping mall fell apart after that.
Bad memories…..
http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Mall-Deal-Still-a-Go-Cautious-Brown-Says-2792101.php
BigP – Thanks for the refresher link. Yes….bad memories.
One other rookie mistake that Jed made was when he boasted in Dec of ’08 that “This is the last time our season ends in December.” Although it sounded nice at the time the fact that we ended the next season at 8-8 and missed the playoffs followed by a 6-10 season certainly was an egg in the face for York and only ended up making the boast sound immature and naive.
He has since learned his lesson and no longer tries to prognosticate the teams future successes.
He was correct Hank. They have played into January every season since. ; )
The last regular season game that year was in January,so Jed was right ! :)
It was funny the first time the joke was told but thx for trying it again Tim.
If you guys were half as interesting as you think you are funny we’d have some decent conversations around here.
What do you think about calling the 49ers defense “MIGHTY MEN”!
Charlie,
We already came up with a nickname for the D, “Red Swarm”
Hey Hammer,
I believe I missed it. When was it voted on or decided that the D become the Red Swarm?
Just asking?
About a month or so ago AES.
Cool. Do you remember some of the other possible names that were in the running?
Thanks…
Jed did what any owner would have done in hiring Sing as permanent HC,after Sing improved the team so much in such a shoprt time as interum HC. It was a mistake but a mistake everyone else would have probably also made at the time. (the players were 100% behind Sing and it looked like the fortunes of the team were turning.).
After that one glitch Jed has done the following…
- Hired the executive of the year in Trent Baalke !
- Hired the Coach of the year in Jim Harbaugh !
- Secured financing and started building a new stadium in a bad economy and in a State that makes it hard for any business to do any expansion or even stay in the State doing business at all.
-restructured the entire front office personnel to now be recognized as one of the best front offices in the game !
-has the team as one of the favorites to win the SB,after making it all the way to an OT loss in the Championship game !
…And he has done all this in 2 years !!! He is just getting started my friends !
Nice! Tim…
Offensive nickname: Gold Members
YEAH BABY! YEAH!
http://www.moviesounds.com/austin/yeahbaby.wav
I refuse to read articles by Mr. Cohn Jr.. Occasionally I forget the specific reasons and read another, only to regret it halfway through. I hate that I just gave his URL another hit.
And not only do you hate that you gave it a hit, but you continued on to type in a comment. You must really hate yourself now.
You forget the specific reasons? That makes so much sense. Thanks for clarifying what your brain is like.
Justin,
Go kick rocks.
Here’s a good question. Which is Jed York’s better accomplishment: hiring Trent Baalke or getting Jim Harbaugh?
I’d say Harbaugh off the top of my head. Baalke was on board in 2010 and the 49ers went 6-10. Harbaugh took basically the same team to the championship game.
My only question is how much did Baalke do in convincing Harbaugh to come to SF? If Baalke was a key player in convincing Harbaugh then I’d have to change my vote to Baalke.
Gitting a Harbaugh type coach does not happen very often.
Exactly correct. We here in Ninerland forget how lucky we were to have Walsh & Montana together. Then to have SY follow was beyond reasonable expectations. We still haven’t gotten over the QB issues yet. Harbaugh may turn out to be as good as Walsh, and how fortunate are we for that!
I don’t think he will be as good as Walsh until he gets a QB, don’t see AS joing JM and SY into the Football Hall of Fame.
What a wake-up call.
http://www.mercurynews.com/southbayfootball/ci_20926306/county-suddenly-yanks-30-million-tax-funds-from
Column says it is only 3% of the total and the 9er’s will eat that cost, stadium will be builted. MidWest did you ever work for the New York Post, your headline and the story were quite different, much about nothing.
Once again it shows you that one can not ever trust any level of any government. I dont care if its the liberals or conservatives, they all suck. Their word is no good, period.
Let the 30 million go to the teacher’s, I have no problem with it except the timing.
They broke their commitment to the team, that is the problem. This guy will enjoy his fifteen minutes of fame while the county racks up money in legal fees.
Neal,
Take a look at the time I posted it. Then you should understand what I mean by a wake-up call.
oh sorry MW about that I don’t look at times much.
No biggie. :-)