Is Jim Tomsula worse than the worst head coach of all time?

This is  my Wednesday column.

Is Jim Tomsula worse than Mike Singletary?

Fair question, even though some (most?) consider Singletary the worst head coach in the history of the NFL. Let’s compare him and Tomsula.

Singletary was a linebackers coach before becoming the Niners’ head coach. He was articulate — he could have been a preacher. But, he often said vague things like, “I need to look at the film,” or “I want winners,” because he didn’t know what he was doing. Never understood the intricacies of his craft. Had zero concept of offensive schematics.

Tomsula was a defensive line coach before becoming the Niners’ head coach. He is not articulate — often he can’t complete a sentence. But, he says lots of football jargon, like “four technique” and “edge-three rushers,” because he wants you to think he knows what he’s doing. Wants you to understand he’s been a coach for a long time, even though this season is his first full season as a head coach in the NFL.

Singletary was arrogant. Hall-of-Fame ego. Thought he was a great coach because he had been a great player. Wore a giant cross on his chest during games and thanked God for victories. One time in front his players during a training-camp meeting, Singletary wrote “19-0” on a grease board, according to a source who was in the room. Singletary was serious. He really thought the Niners would win the Super Bowl AND go undefeated that season.

Tomsula is humble. An Average Joe — he’s friends with Joan in Payroll. He doesn’t have a Hall-of-Fame ego. He calls as little attention to himself as possible.

Singletary loved calling attention to himself. During his first game as the Niners’ head coach, he dropped his pants at halftime to show his players what he thought of their performance.

Singletary had standards, even if he expressed them in a strange way.

Tomsula has none. After losses, he praises players for working hard and playing well in practice. Week 2, when the Pittsburgh Steelers obliterated the Niners 43-18 — Tomsula’s first loss as a fulltime NFL head coach — he walked around the locker room, shook every player’s hand and thanked them individually for their effort.

What effort?

You would have thought Tomsula was handing out participation trophies to little kids. Players grinned nervously as if they were thinking, “Is this guy serious?”

Singletary worked players hard. Made them run up a hill he had installed on the side of the practice field, and made them do the “Oklahoma Drill” — two players colliding at full speed. Singletary’s players were tough. They always played hard for him.

Tomsula doesn’t work his players hard. During meetingS, he gives them breaks every 30 minutes so they can check their cell phones. During training camp, he scheduled practices for the late afternoon because that’s when the players wanted to practice. As if what they wanted mattered.

Tomsula’s training camp was extremely light. Practices rarely lasted longer than an hour and a half, as if 90-minute practices could prepare a team for three-hour games.

Tomsula’s players are soft, and do not play hard for him. On the road, they don’t even show up until the second quarter — they take about an hour to ramp up to game speed because their practices are so easy. Tomsula can’t prepare his team to play a full game. Singletary could.

Singletary took over a team that was 2-5, had lost four games in a row and 20 of its previous 29. After he became the head coach, the Niners’ went 5-4 in 2008, and 8-8 in 2009. Singletary turned around a bad a team.

Tomsula turned around a good team. Before he became the Niners’ head coach, they had won 44 of their previous 64 games. After he became the head coach, they have won just three of 10 games.

The Niners fired Singletary after Week 16 of 2010 when the team’s record was 5-10. He deserved to get fired.

Tomsula deserves to get fired, too. The Niners would have to win two of their next five games just to achieve a record of 5-10. Fat chance. They play the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday — that’s a loss. Then they play two road games — they’re 0-5 on the road. Then they play the 8-2 Cincinnati Bengals at home — another loss. Then they play one more road game. Then they play the St. Louis Rams, who blew out the Niners earlier this season.

If that comes to pass, it will be 13 losses and only three wins. Singletary won 18 games as the 49ers’ head coach. No way Tomsula wins that many before he gets fired.

Tomsula is no Singletary.

Grant Cohn writes sports columns and the “Inside the 49ers” blog for The Press Democrat’s website. You can reach him at grantcohn@gmail.com.

This article has 305 Comments

      1. My 5 take aways from this team

        1. Denise idiot

        2. John idiot

        3. Jed idiot

        4. Paarge idiot

        5. Trent 2016 scapegoat

    1. Kind of agree with that. Mike Nolan is one coach that never had a talented team. Had talented players, even though a small amount but by the time their was actual talent, he was fired

    2. Nolan would have told an injured player that he was too soft for not playing through thr pain.

          1. The play of the QBs and WRs were a major limiting factor. He took over a team with very little talent.

            His OCs were better than what we now have – McCarthy, Turner and Martz.

              1. You can’t say that. No one knows what would have happened had Rodgers been chosen 1st, how being passed over by 23 teams inspired him, how sitting behind Farve for 3 years let him learn, grow, and work on his game. He wouldn’t have had the same coaching in SF as he did in GB (McCarthy left sf for gb after 1 season). He wouldn’t have had the talent around him that he has had in GB (no Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, James Jones, Randall Cobb…all MUCH better WRs than SF ever had during that time). He would have clashed with Nolan so much, there were stories of Nolan asking Smith and Rodgers to do something pretty simple but pointless and Smith did it, Rodgers questioned it…how many times do you think they would have butted heads year in and year out until one, or both, were gone (see Don Nelson v. Chris Webber).

                And lastly, its not like its going to ever change so why even bring it up. We could talk about how SF traded their 1st round pick in 96 to Cleveland to get Stokes in 95, only to have that pick be used on Ray Lewis. Or how they chose Drukenmiller over Plummer, Giovanni Carmazi over Tom Brady, etc etc etc….Won’t change, move on.

              2. I know I’m going to hear from the peas and the nuts, Alex Smith has some talent, and certainly looking at it now, Aaron Rodgers is going to go down as an all time great. What doomed Alex was he started way too soon. He was just a kid, I think 19-20. He also went from being coached by Urban Meyer, probably an all time great college coach, to Nolan.

                Nolan had a better staff, but he was also about smoke and mirrors, wearing as a suit.

                They got lucky with Harbaugh, and now the franchise is set back at least a 5 years with Tomsula. Who is going to want to coach and play here?

                Kaep was the last connection to a player who could sell tickets.

                No one wants to pay money to see Gabbert. unless the team starts to win and that’s not happening when the coach plays not to lose.

                So sad.

              3. Fan, I know you did not like Kaep, but putting Alex on a pedestal is going way overboard. Alex is doing well, but he went to a team with a good coach and a lot of talent.
                So now posters are coming out of the woodwork touting Goff, when we both know that the best path for success is to have a veteran QB ahead of him so he can study and learn for a couple years before being thrown into the ringer.
                Niners need a pass rusher and OL in the worst way, or no rookie QB will have a glimmer of hope on this team.

              4. MJ, why bring it up? because if Nolan had chosen Rodgers, the Niners might have a couple more rings, especially during the JH years when the defense was elite.
                We are discussing the coaching futility, and Rodgers was not only a swing and miss, it as a swing and throw the bat into the dugout that incapacitates their best pitcher.

              5. Fansince77, a splash hire by the Yorks will forgive all. It worked with Jim Harbaugh. Now the question is, do they have the influence and willingness to pay top dollar to attract a real coach and a real General Manager. I don’t think they have a choice not to pay top dollar. Tom Gamble should move into the GM role and then hire the following choices:
                1.Sean Payton
                2.Adam Gase
                3.David Shaw
                4. Jim Mora jr.
                5. Hue Jackson

              6. I hate to get involved with this, but how exactly is mentioning that Smith started too soon (a fact supported by the stream of QBs coming out of spread offenses in college plus Smith’s draft profile) putting him on a pedestal?
                Stop with the ‘the Niners would have a couple more rings shtick already Seb. He would have most likely struggled just like Smith did and not be where he is today.

              7. Yeah and if Kyle Williams had not dropped 2 punts they would have another ring (or if the ref didnt blow the bradshaw fumble dead). The 49ers would have another ring if the Garrison Hearst hadn’t Exercisted his ankle vs Atlanta. The 49ers would have another ring if Craig didn’t fumble vs the Giants.

                Between 1982 and 1998 the 49ers went to 10 NFC Championship games, obviously 5-5, but they could very well have won more. If you want to say the 49ers could have had more rings, you should concern yourself with those 5 loses and not the possibility that if they drafted Rodgers he’d be the guy he is today…who, by the way, only has ONE ring.

  1. This season has a singletary feel to it. Next year we will hire a real head coach who can came in and utilize the talent we have. Just me but I would definitely go after Josh McDaniels. Reunite him and mangini. Maybe it will be some fire there. Just my opinion

  2. Apples and oranges!
    Singletary took over a team on the rise. May have thought that Nolan had no clue but he startted to put the pieces on the field.
    Tomsula gets a team that is in desent,Trent has and is taking the team apart…
    But nice try !

  3. Behind Curtain #1: MIKE SINGLETARY
    Behind Curtain #2: JIM TOMSULA
    Behind Curtain #3: A CLIFF OVERLOOKING A 600 FT. DROP

    See ya at the bottom.

    1. Rocket,

      Have you ever had shingles? It’s pretty bad.

      Or are you saying Tomsula and Singletary are other bad, but one is way worse than the other?

      1. ex,

        I’m saying neither choice is favorable. Picking which HC is worse is pointless as they are both bad.

        1. Rocket,

          I think what you were going for is two undesirable things that are equally bad, neither providing a good choice. My point is, shingles is light years worse than hemorrhoids.

  4. I think Tomsula could go down as one of the lease qualified head coaches (initially auto-corrected to headaches) of all time. I can’t even imagine him having the wherewithal to be a college head coach. This speaks of Jed York’s incompetence.

    Sadly, I doubt any competent head coach in this league would want to work under York/Baalke. Especially with this level of talent. While Baalke has done somewhat well in drafting defensive players, he’s been absolutely terrible with his offensive players. That’s the Bill Parcell influence, sans the Parcell competence. The true colors of the Yorks is this.. Singletary, Erickson, Nolan, Tomsula. Harbaugh was an aberration only to secure the stadium deal and season tickets. Now that he’s got the super bowl and all the money, York couldn’t care less if the Niners win.

  5. I would be concerned if Tomsula was responsible for assisting the janitor on the team. York values harmony and compliance and so he surrounds himself with inexperienced and mild mannered sycophants. Baalke’s drafting and free agent management is some of the worst in the league. Tomsula can’t win a game of bingo and he has the charisma and demeanor of a supermarket butcher. Paraag and Jed are better fits to be in an episode of Happy Days than to be running a multi-billion dollar football operation.

    Singletary was over his head but didn’t know it. Tomsula is over his head, but in his case, I think he knows it. I’d like to say that gives Tomsula the edge, but since the net result in either case is utter incompetence, I would have to call it a draw.

    1. I want to thank you for the laugh. I needed that after the day I was having and the season we are having again thank you

  6. Wondering why his cross and faith have anything to do with this article, the subject of it, or how it measures his coaching stint.
    If he was gay would you factor his lisp? His feminine ways? His grip on a purse?
    Wtf? Is that?

    1. Singletary put a gigantic “in your face” cross on display like a billboard for the world to see, so it is on the table for discussion. He didn’t have the common sense to separate his religion from his work, and so he has to live with the consequences.

    2. Md
      I get your question, but Sing’s Cruxifix was ostentatious in its sheer size. It’s a shouted statement. I think many people respect people of faith and understand enthusiastic, joyful living. In secular business or government leadership situations it can be a bit intimidating or annoying or alienating to persons not of the same religion or ferver.
      Sing personally chose to use his faith to define himself, so it was fair game for Grant in that sense. I thought Sing was over the top with it and I know some fans who took a bit more umbrige to it than I did.
      To your point though, I wouldn’t have included it in this comparison either; think it, but keep it to myself. shrug

      1. Bless you my son.

        Ostentatious is a good word, and he clearly was not, at the time, one of the meek who will inherit the earth what ever that means.

      2. Seems like a shot at the mans faith to me. And in his faith no matter what he does in life he gives praise to God. His coaching job was no exception and we don’t know if other coaches do the same. The size of his “Jesus piece” is his wear. I don’t think his faith really had anything to do with the job he did on the field. Meaning he didn’t lose because he gave praise to God. He lost because he didn’t know how to coach. thats just my take at least.

        1. Religious folks like MD and Sing think that atheists are disrespecting their faith, but that’s not right. Atheists are laughing at fools who attribute coincidences to some sort of guiding presence. There is no difference between a priest and a mullah. Both are crazy for their beliefs. Mullahs espouse terror upon the world by martyrs while priests just bang little boys. I don’t see how anybody with religion in his life can get on a soapbox and tell an atheist to respect religion. Do I have to respect poop on the sidewalk? Only inasmuch as it means I avoid it, because if I can’t I will most certainly curse it.

          1. Lol E you got it all figured out.
            Truth is I don’t give a damn what you believe in, what you follow or who you are.
            Obviously you hate people for their choices. And yet while standing on your own soapbox feel free to insult people for their faith. Oh the irony!

            1. MD

              I was being satirical. Obviously there is no more room for hatred of any kind in this world that already has way too much in it. It’s just that your first post, berating Grant for attacking a man’s faith, was just so self-righteous, and it put religion in a higher position than it deserves. There is nothing “sacred” about religion, no reason it can’t be laughed at or ridiculed. I could say it’s exactly like a person’s decision about his choice of hairstyle, but hairstyles don’t lead directly to genocide or war, as religion does. Hairstyles don’t lead people to act with blind rage toward others as religions do. Jews and Muslims, Christians and Jews, Muslims and Christians; always in conflict, and for what? None of these religions is any more valid than the Church of Scientology, or Wicca, or any other misguided belief about fairy tales. Sanctimonious people, such as Singletary, invite ridicule, and anybody that stands to defend this guy’s “faith” is equally subject to it.

              1. Amen, E, amen. Ask any “religious” person to look up the word “superstitious”, and they’ll tell you it describes every religion…but theirs.

              2. nice opinion you have E.
                But if you want to be shallow enough ridicule someone for their belief..
                By all means… Wipe when you’re done.
                Your OPINION on religion doesn’t make it true.
                It easy to look at the bad, and sweep the good under the rug.
                Don’t know what priest touched you, but ridiculing someone for belief is an a**hole move! Again have at it!

              3. Again, MD, I don’t give a hoot; it’s just that sanctimonious fools such as Sing (and obviously you) seem to believe that religion is sacred and not to be ridiculed. And that is false.

                As for the priests and their rampant sexual abuse of little boys, if you can really minimize that, then you are actually sick. The church is well-documented to have simply relocated offending priests when it knew beyond a doubt what they were doing; and this was global.

                I just had at it.

      1. I mean, most NBA players are tatted and while some are merely for the art work, some tattoos represent something important in the players life.
        I’ve noticed players that have a tattoo of their children or parent. This seems to be acceptable in this day in age.
        So if a person wants to wear a cross to represent something important in their life, I don’t see why it should be frowned on.
        Maybe it would be more acceptable if Sing had a cross tattooed on his neck, right?
        Go figure.

        1. It is a stupid practice. Why can’t his religious belief be a private matter? Why did he need to display his religious affiliation as or more prominently than his team affiliation? The concept of “team” is not enhanced by an in your face display of personal religious belief that may, in fact, be different than that of other team members. I’m sure Jesus was very happy with Sing when he dropped his pants in the locker room.

          1. Are you for real? Who gives a @$it if Singletary chose to display his religion or not? It’s his choice, and freedom of choice was still legal last time I checked.

          2. Because it’s America and I thought one of our rights was freedom of religion.
            Why did Michael Samm have to come out and say he was gay?
            I wonder how E took that.
            Must suck for a religious belief from someone else really bothers you and E.
            Hey E. Do you have a problem with the choice of being gay too?
            How about the choice to pick what car to drive?
            Or what cereal to buy?
            It’s funny! When did a belief in something good become so bad?
            And again you can point out the few who call themselves worshippers of God and the bad things they’ve done.
            But the bottom line of their teachings is love, forgiveness and kindness for your fellow human beings.
            If you judged folks in a certain group for what others did then you are mad at everything and everyone in this huge world!
            Again good luck with that lifestyle. And E didn’t say putting down a religion was wrong. You can do what you want. If Sing was gay and grant pointed that out to make a point for something off the wall different I’d question that too.
            So don’t make this about your hatred for religions.
            Good news is we all die, and we will someday all find out who was wrong and right. Until then let people be who they want to be. Jeez!

          3. Well Leo,
            It’s a little something called freedom of religion. There is a difference between proselytizing and just wearing a cross.
            I never heard a story that Singletary was preaching and trying proselytize any players while he was coach. It would have been a game changer if he was doing this on the clock imo.

  7. Both are terrible coaches. But Tomsula giving up in the 4th quarter by punting while down by a couple of scores shows a loser mentality. And he obviously does not prepare his players to play the game. Singletary was awful but at least he tried to win. Tomsula may be the worst coach in the history of pro football.

  8. Not saying Tomsula is a good head coach, but:
    a. He was a better position coach then Singletary;
    b. This team has very little talent. I think other coaches could get more out of the team, but it wouldn’t be much more. At best they would have beat the Giants.
    One other point; just because a coach doesn’t rip a player in public it doesn’t make him soft. Harbaugh did not rip players to the press, but he was clearly a coach who drove his players hard. At the game the sideline reporter said Tomsula let his players have it at half time about their poor tackling.

    1. Always felt that Dennis Erickson was the single worst coaching choice. It was a confirmation that the franchise was broken. The choices that came after just were more of the same.

  9. Three more losses and I’ve got $250! If they’re going to subject me to this train-wreck of a season, then I might as well make some $$ form it!

  10. That’s not fair Grant because we are winning with CLASS!
    All the players like Domsula, when they retire they won’t have any permanent injuries from playing too hard!

  11. Doesn’t really matter who’s worse. They’re both bad and shouldn’t be/have been head coaches. I don’t think there’s really a right or wrong answer either way.

  12. Bill Walsh raised the bar so high anything less then his excellence isn’t enough to satisfy the Niner fan base. Sing or Tomsula – I prefer toughness to softness when it comes to football.

  13. I think you’re being too hard on Tomsula…look at the hand he inherited. The loss of a ton of vets, a rash of injuries, a starting QB regressing, etc. I’ll agree they’re not a very good team, but to blame Tomsula for that is crazy. Compare this season’s starting lineups to last year’s…there’s no comparison. A lot of seasoned head coaches have failed in similar situations. Any head coach deserves more than one season to prove himself…or have you writers forgotten that? Give Tomsula a roster close to what Harbaugh had last year (and went 8-8) and then it’s a fair playing field. Then you can realistically judge him…until then, you’re simply shooting arrows into a guy who’s been dealt a crappy hand.

    1. Yep. I remember the time when Singletary called a time out to give his defense a pep talk. Atlanta used that time out to call a play that scored a TD next play.

    2. Frank

      I am in total agreement with you…blaming Tomsula for the degradation of the 49ers is like blaming Nolan for the poor performance of the team while he was HC. They were dealt poor hands, and forced to play them. Nolan because he kept hiring very good OC’s in Norv Turner and Mike McCarthy and getting them stolen by San Diego and Green Bay as HC’s…and Tomsula who had to live with the ‘jailbreak’ of players leaving due to retirement, injury, trade, or being sent to jail., etc. So just what could either of them do to change their situations ? We question their choices, their intelligence, their oratory and even their football knowledge… they are professional coaches, and personally, I’ll live with their decisions over journalists and bloggers who vent their spleen at will with their expertise….Good post

  14. Singletary has a force of will, high standards or whatever, but he wasn’t a good coach. We wasted time-outs. That said, Tomsula is far worse. A coach leads, and makes those tough decisions and puts his team in a position to win.
    Tomsula is a lackey. And more interested in covering his ass then actually coaching in the 4th quarter of the Seattle game. The Niners have not been competitive with Seattle since the NFCCG. To not even try to win when they had a chance shows he clearly is out of his league and element.
    Can’t believe we chased Harbaugh out of town.
    Like a lot of town time fans, I’m sick of this team. The only we watch this team is we all are drawn to train wrecks! What an embarrassment!

    1. I liked this quote from Brent. He was talking about trading Kap:

      ” well if we did get something for him it would be like a fourth or fifth round pick, and we’d pick somebody that can’t play anyway so it wouldn’t really matter.”

      Obviously he’s not a Baalke fan.

      1. Until this season I had not been a Baalke basher, but dang! Look where “we” (yeah, spare me) are. Nice.
        ’11: Aldon flamed
        ’12: Catastrophe
        Couldn’t afford the Lattimer fail.
        Thomas?
        VMac? Hm, maybe, tbd.
        Carradine?
        FAs? Mixed.
        Accountability?
        6&7 Round Draft Choices?
        Out-Mfg-Standing!!

  15. Yogi Berra received an award posthumously today as an exemplary American. Willie Mays was among a large group of others from all walks of life and endeavors. Anyway in the story I heard another new (to me) Yogi quote:
    -If the world was perfect, it wouldn’t be.-

    1. I think Jed and company have been able to systematically and officially disconnect us from the days of from Walsh, young, rice etc.

      Before any kind of Super Bowl caliber class returns to San Fran it will be at least 7-10 years. If we don’t just become the browns or the jaguars that is. Best case scenario 8-8. For the next 30 years

      Steve young is 54 years old today. He will be 64 by then.

      1. Shish

        Seriously, who the fark is Steve Young, other than the guy who kept Joe Montana and the 49ers from winning more Superbowls? Fix your comment by replacing “Young” with “Montana” and we’ll be talking. Steve farking Young. Smdh

  16. Tomsula is so bad that there are a number of HS’s in the area that wouldn’t even hire him as their Head Coach.

    1. Hammer,
      Is it to early to start throwing names of possible head coaches for the team?

      Well, I’ll take a shot anyway (lol): Art Briles. He is a winner, an offensive innovator and has a good eye for talent – he believed in a somewhat small WR named Wes Welker.

        1. Well, maybe throwing a name for possible HC this early could fall in the joke category.
          But I’m serious about Briles!

            1. E,
              I would like either of those two but would any coach with a significant pedigree come to this dumpster fire?

              Vetted oaches like Payton and McDaniel will look at Baalke’ poor draft record and think twice about working with him.
              If Baalke is dismissed from his GM duties and given a role that doesn’t interfere with drafting or free agent signings perhaps a top-shelf coach would interested.

              What Jed decides to do with Trent will be the game changer when it comes to hiring a new head coach.

              1. AES

                Baalke and Payton are both Parcells disciples, so there’s no blockage there. But in all other cases, I think you’re right, and I think the effect of that will be Jed having to face the reality that he has to fire Baalke. Jed will face a steady stream of candidates who, if they could override Baalke (and likely Marathe), would take the job in a heartbeat, but if not, would run like lightning in the other direction.

                Jed is still young, and capable of gaining wisdom. The real problem exists if, as is becoming more and more believed, John and Denise are still pulling the strings.

  17. Who gives a f of who was better. They were unqualified idiots and it started with Nolan (do I look good in my suit). Then came Trent and I thought John York was so unfootball like, here comes, I can’t go out on my own Jed. Niners will suck until Jed can find a person who is sucker enough to be a General Manager (so long Trent) and they can hire a head coach that knows what the heck he’s doing, and by the way Jed just do what you are doing now don’t talk about football cause you surely have no idea.

          1. Eddie’s sister is not going to let Eddie back in to spend what is now her money. She was very upset with him when he used money that belonged to both of them to run the 49ers his way.

            If she was interested in selling the 49ers back to Eddie, she could have done that long ago. Right now she is enjoying a new $100M per year increase in her cash flow, and she is very happy with the job that her son Jeb is doing.

            1. Yet when the Niners won, they made money and raised the value of the team. If they go 4-12, the stadium will be like a mausoleum, and the profits will shrink.
              Ya get what ya pay for.

  18. Hopefully Jed is so embarrassed by this season that he sells the team. Tomsula seems more intent on making the players comfortable so they will like him. Let’s face it, most nice NFL head coaches don’t last long. Players don’t want to be cuddled by their coaches, they want to be challenged and put in position to win. It’s obvious that the current coaching staff is missing the mark on this count.

    Singletary was probably on the other end of the pendulum. But he did have his teams respect because he had achieved Superbowl and HOF celebrity. His pants dropping episode probably never was meant to leave the locker room, but in any event, it was a strange and questionable gesture on his part.

    Jim Harbaugh was someone in the middle of MS and JT. He was a former player and a motivator who had his team ready play most often then not. He also surrounded himself with good coaches. I wonder if Harbaugh would be lugging a 3-7 record if he were still coaching the 49ers.

    Tomsula probably had no say in his asst. coaching staff so I give him a pass in this department.
    I felt that Singletary’ biggest mistake was pressuring Mike Martz to leave the Org. Martz’ offensive scheme may have been somewhat outdated, but it was better then Jimmy Raye’ and Mike Johnson. I felt that Martz was not given enough time to assimilate his scheme.

    I would venture that Singletary was threatened by Martz and believe that Martz would have been given the HC title after Sing was fired.
    But alas it’s all speculation and just some evening musing before the Warriors game tonight.

          1. It wouldn’t be called “fired” it would be called moved on to a new challenge that removes him from being the 49ers CEO.

            Jed could still be the CEO but he could hire a consultant that oversees the draft and free agent signings along with the daily operations of the team, coaches and front office.
            Ok, I guess what we really need is a new GM and for Jedie to continue to keep a low profile.

    1. My friend, I think it’s a widely held false premise that Tomsula is too soft on his players. Verbally he jumps their sh*# all the time, always has. Grant put that out their on their short week, when Duh!, it’s a short week. Thin evidence from someone who doesn’t vette anything he posts.
      Jim T is toast, but let’s accuse him of what he’s guilty of.

      1. BT,

        Great post.

        Reading Grant’s post and most of the related comments has brought to mind the scene in Monty Python and the Holy Grail in which the king conducted a “trial” of a “witch”.

          1. Ha! That’s true. Although I never imagined the black knight sweating or looking like someone who had to tell a neighbor he ran over their beloved dog.

            The Black Knight didn’t get that he was a dead man walking (stationary stump?). Tomsula knows it’s just a matter of time.

      2. BT

        Love you, bud, but really, really dumb post. Tom Shuler, it is widely known, cut down on the length of practices (and study sessions to allow for players to play with their social media toys). He’s a moron. And no matter how or whether he screams at players, they know they own him, and therefore tune him out.

    2. Unfortunately the Yorks won’t be going any where anytime soon AES. They used Harbaugh and his coaching staff while also tricking the fans into believing that they actually wanted this team back on top in order to get a shiny new stadium. They got it, dumped a winning coaching staff, and returned to their craptastic, no accountability ways. Now all the York regime has to do is sit back and watch the franchise go down in flames whilst booking various events for the stadium so that the money well never runs dry.

      1. Agree that the Yorks won’t walk away from the cash cow. I want to stay Faithful, but I don’t mind publicly dissing the Yorks at every opportunity. ftmfs.

    3. Harbaugh is the world’s biggest arsehole, and he had zero concept of how to build an attacking passing offense, but be was very adept at getting meatheads to run through walls for him, for a limited time.

      NFL players, it is said, need to believe their coach can help them improve, which is no easy feat with professional athletes in any sport, all of whom have oversized egos conditioned by years and years of success. When the players realized Harbaugh’s Schembechler Offense (Neanderthal Offense) would never result in “reaching the mountaintop,” a faction of them started tuning him out. When Harbaugh told Little Boy Jed that he wasn’t welcome in a meeting of men, the whisper campaign started and Harbaugh’s nuts were cut.

      Sing and Tomsula are easily the 2 worst HCs I have ever witnessed, but Jed wasn’t wrong that Harbaugh wasn’t going to be raising Super Bowl banners any time soon.

      What I find most strange is that Jed didn’t put it together that Baalke’s Parcells roots were just like Harbaugh’s Schembechler roots, inasmuch as these misguided allegiances to arcane offensive philosophies are clear inhibitors to the goal of raising Super Bowl banners.

    1. Harbaugh has the rare ability of getting the most out of his QBs. A. Smith, CK7 and now Jake Rudock at Michigan.

    2. No. The GM was Scot McCloughan who built the squad that Harbaugh had in 2011. By 2014 most of them were gone or soon to be gone. No one remains from the McCloughan built teams.

      Before Scot McCloughan took his current job with Washington, he was interviewed for a week. During that time he was drinking beer because that didn’t count as a problem for an alcoholic. He left the 49ers because of his “drinking” problem.

        1. That might be an indication why the team is so bad now and why JH is gone.

          A lot of the core players that made the team so talented were older when JH came on board. They continued to get older through the success JH brought. As they got older, their effectiveness waned. All at once.

          Perhaps JH also came to realize that his handpicked QB was never going to get there. It might be that JH launched a campaign to A) get himself fired and B) come out of it mostly smelling like a rose, being able to believably claim, as he did on the TK Show podcast, that “he didn’t leave the 49ers, the 49ers hierarchy left me”.

          JH is no dummy and I’ll bet he saw where this team was headed talent wise and wanted out just as much as York wanted him gone.

          1. And knowing the University of Michigan was going to pay him a lot of money, it was the perfect exit strategy.

          2. Exgolfer

            As I have often said…”Harbaugh fired himself” …he also isolated Baalke, Jed, and half of his coaching staff ( notice how few of them followed him to Michigan) By trading Smith, he installed Kaep as ‘the last man standing’…by doing so insured that the niners would be semi-bereft of talen for at least 2 to 3 years. Yes, JH was a wicked man.

            1. None of these claims make any sense or are supported in any way Oregon. You are entitled to your opinion but at least give some salient point to back it up. Trading Smith insured the Niners would be semi-bereft of talent for at least 2-3 years? What does that even mean? Isolated his Coaching staff? Where in the world have you heard anything like that? He fired himself? What by winning two thirds of the the games he Coached? Going to 3 straight NFCCG’s and a SB? Honestly man you say the strangest unsubstantiated nonsense on here sometimes it just makes me smh.

              1. rocket

                That none of my claims are supported to you is a silly ploy that you use quite often to negate any point that you choose, even some that you agree with. Go back to your statistics and your chapter-length yawners…if you disagree, disagree…..oh and take Lieutenant Grime with you…part of the team concept…

              2. There is no ploy. You post statements that make no sense and are devoid of facts. This isn’t about trying to attack you because you don’t agree with me on something. I seriously have no idea why or how you’ve come up with these ideas.

          3. Yes Staley is the hold over from McCloughan, but your pretzel sub plot where Harbaugh did the puppet strings game is amazing.

            1. HT,

              I just don’t believe that JH was an innocent victim in the fiasco that was his firing. Jed York is primarily to blame, but JH contributed heavily. When something goes so far wrong, it’s very rare that one side is entirely at fault.

    3. No! You can credit McNolan, but not Sing. Didn’t want to draft Willis, insisted on Taylor Mays and Chilo Rachal. Sing was one of my all-time favorite players and a bottom dwelling coach. Vacuous offensive plan, overplays his charismatic power, and clueless at Game Mgt and Time Mgt.

  19. One thing that can be agreed on, is that both horrible coaches were chosen by the 49ers horrible front office. They lucked into hiring Harbaugh, and it’s unfortunate they chose to go with Tomsula this time around. Tomsula is horribly outmatched and has no idea how to get his people to prepare or execute. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was Singletary’s rat, and released all the locker room rumors about Harbs and Kaep.

    Tomsula’s hiring was announced in January. In the months that followed, we had mass defections and retirements. Coincidence? Dunno, but I wonder if this would’ve happened without Harbs being fired (sorry, mutually departed) and front office antics being exposed.

        1. What about Billings and Clark? WR Listenbee is a one trick pony, but at 24 yards average per catch the last two games, it’s a really cool one….

        2. Buckner is my second favorite player on defense for the 2016 draft. I wouldn’t be opposed to the team taking him.

            1. I’m absolutely opposed. I didn’t want to draft Armstead with #17 so drafting almost the same guy with a top ten pick? No thanks. We have to get a higher impact player with a pick that high than another 3-4 DE imo.

              1. The highest pick I would use on a 3-4 DE this year is a second to grab Adolphus Washington.

              2. Yep, Washington, Reed or Bullard in the second would be much better value than Buckner in the top ten imo.

    1. Stock up: Eric Reid

      Reid has quietly been one of the better and more consistent players on the defensive side of the ball. This is apparent in the fact that Reid was the only one from the 49ers defense who played like the game against the Seahawks meant something.

      1. Agreed. I have been saying for a few weeks his level of play has been pretty good since the first few games of the season.

  20. Kaepernick threw one pass in the Ravens game to Vance McDonald. It was just above his head and it was a soft touch pass. He dropped it. Give him time before you put the “impact player” label on his shoulders. You might weigh him down with such a load.

    1. Yeah, I had this conversation with Seb. The pass from Kaep to McDonald in the Falcons game was very much not how you just described it.

      1. Scooter ..

        if memory serves .. Kaep’s pass to
        VMac was a bit high … but..
        even at my age … I’m pretty sure
        I woulda caught it ! .. ;-}

        1. Yeah, I think people are misremembering the play or never really rewatched it to see how difficult a catch it was. Here it is, again. The ball was not a soft touch pass. If you can stop it at the 1:08 mark as the ball is arriving to McDonald you can see he has had to jump very high, is at full stretch, and has not had time to adjust his body into a position so he is facing the arrival of the ball (rather he is still facing 90 degrees to where it is coming from). It is a high difficulty catch.

          http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/0ap3000000575963/Falcons-vs-49ers-highlights

          1. Scooter,
            80% of the WR’s in the league make the adjustments needed to make the catch.
            Unfortunately, VMac is nowhere near this percentage. His historic drop percentage easily makes him a liability with this type of catch.

              1. Well…

                I remember a guy called ..

                Brent Jones …

                (He was the best TE in Santa Clara University’s history !)

              2. Scooter,
                Celek is also a TE at around 255 lbs and he likely makes that catch.
                Are you implying that the weight difference of around 15 lbs is what keeps VMac from making that catch?

                So let me be more clear, 70-80% of the TE’s in this league will likely make that catch.
                I’ve seen the play and VMac reaches high in an effort to make the catch and tries to quickly catch and bring the ball down because the defender was converging.

                I believe that VMac’s thought process was that if he extends to secure the ball that his body would be exposed for a big hit. Hence his failed effort to snag the ball and bring it down fast enough to protect his body.
                It’s just one man’s view, and we will agree to disagree on this one.

              3. Good points AES. Vance has been dinged so many times I think he hears foot steps. Might be a good draft day trade. Should have never given up on Carrier.

              4. Well, without wanting to rehash the previous conversation about this, I really think you are mistaken about the difficulty of the catch. Celek make the catch? He wouldn’t have even reached it. McDonald only lays hands on it because he can jump high.

                And yes, carrying 270lbs vs 255lbs does make a difference in what you can do body control wise. Expecting a 270lbs TE to make that catch is pretty unfair. The QB needs to throw a better ball.

            1. Scooter,
              Ok, this is my last comment of this topic. Not sure why you say that Celek wouldn’t have reached it when in fact Celek is 6’5″ while VMac comes in at 6’4″.

              Not every pass is going to a perfect delivery in the numbers. Receivers make adjustments all the time to catch passes, the only adjustment VM had to make was jump and secure to catch and settle in his mind that he was going to absorb a hit. I believe that it was the latter (absorbing a hit) that kept him from making the catch – if Payton Manning had thrown that pass we would have seen the same results.

          2. Scooter I’ll concede that McDonald doesn’t have average NFL “impact player” body control. It was a pass with touch, and a lot of tight ends make that catch.

            My point was about Grant hanging a “impact player” label on McDonald based on one game. We’ve just traded a tight end who was at times an “impact player”, and he didn’t have good NFL body control either.

            1. It was thrown with so much touch that on its trajectory it would have hit the DB that was a bit over five yards behind McDonald in the head.

              1. Scooter ..

                watched the video you linked … and ..
                yup … you’re right …

                I was just funnin’ ya …

              2. OK. I’m looking forward to our new impact player turning the tables on Arizona this Sunday. All we need is 35 points and a little better defense.

                Cheers.

              3. Yup, he had to leap high in the air, do a double pirouette and catch the ball with an amazing acrobatic move that no other TE could possibly make either, or he jumped up, had the ball hit both his hands and he dropped it.

            1. The best receiving TEs probably make that catch. But the best receiving TEs don’t carry 270lbs.

              1. The best one in the game today weighs 265 lbs. His name is Rob Gronkowski.

              2. Gronkowski and Graham are exceptional athletic TEs. Kelce is starting to be recognised as such too. All are taller than McDonald and carry less weight. It makes a difference as to what you can do athletically. And nobody is trying to suggest McDonald is like them, are they?

                Witten wouldn’t have made that catch. He’s an old reliable, but he’s not that type of an athlete.

              3. Gronkowski is just two inches taller and Kelce is only inch taller.
                McDonald’s listed weight is 267 lbs. which is two pounds more than McDonald. The question isn’t whether the TEs are exceptional or not but whether a 270 pound TE could make that catch. The answer strongly leans towards yes.

              4. What a mess.

                All I wanted to do is to point out that Grant was premature with his “impact player coming” label for a guy who finally caught four balls including a touchdown in a game.

              5. You’re missing the point Scooter. You said receiving TEs don’t carry 270 lbs. on them. I’m showing that is not completely true.

          3. It was typical Kaepernick. The ball was sailing away. It would have taken a Brandon Lloyd to catch it. Kaepernick can’t leave soon enough for me.

            1. George stop whining or I’ll tell my good friend Jed to bring Colin back next year. Jed will do anything within his power for a friend. ;-}

  21. Open question to everyone: DDW (Dial, Dorsey, Williams) were never sack masters, but they did get get some sacks. This season zip.

    What has changed 2013-14 vs 2015? Scheme? Hybrid 3-4/4-3 under vs straight 3-4 on first and tens? Other?

    1. Alignment and role would be my guesses. The NT used to line up directly in the A gap or even shaded slightly to the guard and now they’re lining him straight up across the center. They’ve(the entire DL) also been employed as a traditional two gap scheme which really just sacrifices the front 3 to absorb blockers and hopefully stuff the run(although this year no so much) to allow the LB’s and DB to make plays. In this scheme they aren’t frequently used on stunts or blitz’s.

      1. Thanks for the breakdown. I’m inclined to agree. Williams used to shade over the center’s right shoulder. McDonald would straight 2-gap. Justin Smith would sometimes align over a gap.

        If the play tuned out to be a pass, they seemed to be in better position to pressure the pocket. We all know what Justin could do, sometimes grabbing the LG/LT at the same time to free Aldon for a stunt. Unworldly strength.

      1. Good call. I assumed Dial and Dorsey could pressure better as 3-4 DE’s compared to past seasons when (often) they played NT. I was expecting alot more from Dial rush wise. But as we know, assumptions are dangerous.

    2. Fangio did a better job utilizing the strengths of these defensive lineman then Mangini is.

      1. In the off-season Tomsula said his role was to support, but not meddle. I think it might be time for him to meddle a bit.

        1. Not sure he will. Tomsula may be betting on having Chryst and Mangini be the fall guys for his poor first year campaign. I know everyone has been saying it, but it just really hit me today – this team has mediocre talent at best. One game Acker is the CB of the future, the next game he’s benched in favor of Cromartie, who himself played well the game before, but fails afterwards. Name three players who’ve played consistently well all season. I can only think of two – Staley and Lynch, and for Staley it really hasn’t been that good of a season.

    3. It might also be worth noting that Dorsey did only have 2 sacks in 2013 and Williams only has 1 sack for his career.

    4. DL in a 3/4 scheme don’t usually garner a lot of sacks, thats for the LBs. Dline pick up Oline allowing lanes for the LBs to do their things re: Justin Smith taking on two guys so Aldon could have 1 on 1 and come free. Also, sacks are one of the most over rated statistics in the game and are a pretty bad way to measure success of a dlineman.

  22. The team went 8-8 last year for several reasons: injuries being #1. Second, in my opinion, the squad was simply gassed from 3 straight years of doing whatever it is that you do as both a team AND as an individual to make 3 straight NFCCG appearances. Maybe Harbs HAD lost the team by then, who knows? The squad that Nolan “drafted”, the same squad that MS led to a 6-10 record, Harbs turned into s 13-3 powerhouse overnight. Saying Sing and Tomboy are lousy coaches isn’t fair…just not qualified, and that once again lands squarely on Jed…..which leads us to #3…..betrayal. The skank of Baalke and York told JT he had the job in week 10, and JH felt something dicked had happened…then they flat out told him it was over at the conclusion of game 16. That, and Vernon wasn’t right at all last season on the rare occasion he did play. Ultimately, even if Harbs was still here, we’d still suck this year, but then Karma’s a bitch, and what goes around comes around. In other words, that’s what you get for playing Alex Smith the way he got played. Why do you think Krapernick never mentioned this injury til now? Simple. Didn’t want to lose his job to injury. And whomever said about the stadium being the only reason they hired JH in the first place, you’re absolutely right. Lifelong fan BEFORE MONTANA, hate what they’ ve become under Jed. A bully organization with no family ethic like the team under Eddie D.

  23. I am sorry, but there is no comparison between Tomsula and Singletary.
    Singletary inherited a team that rebuilt after Nolans incompetence so it had many high draft picks and good talent. Singletary talked a good talk, but when came to walking the walk, he was out to lunch. In the end, Singletary had that bludgeoned look on his face. and was truly clueless.
    Tomsula has inherited a mess. So many players retired, the JH fiasco and Baalke going cheap with cheap results. Tomsula was doomed when his best pass rusher disappeared before a single snap.
    However, Tomsua had his team prepared and ready for that first game. They were playing aggressive and beating the Vikings to the punch. Kaep was playing smart and efficient, and the defense looked good.Then Kaep took some big hits, and the wheels fell off.
    Tomsula’s biggest mistake was his stubborn loyalty to Devey and Pears, when everyone and their cousin could see that they suck. Tomsula is playing with the poor hand he was dealt, and no coaching could have improved their tackling last game.
    Tomsula>>>>>> Singletary.

    1. Kaep looked good week 1 because he didn’t really have to do much with the way Hyde was running.

      Week 1 in the NFL is kind of a throw away week. Crazy stuff happens, like a Dennis Ericson coached 49ers squad putting up 49 on the Bears and then floundering all season long.

      1. Sure helps to have a running game. With all the injuries, and Baalke’s decision to cut Hayne, then having the RBs rush for 15 yards on 10 carries, it is hard to win. It is even harder when Baalke gives Tomsula players who were sitting on their couch 6 days before playing and expecting that they have full, total command of the playbook. If not for that 30 yard run, the new RBs are averaging less than 2 yards per carry.
        Tomsula needs warhorses, they gave him plow horses.

        1. Hayne is of little significance this season. I want to see more of the guy but he wasn’t going to do anything significant for this team this season. PS was the place for him.

          1. If they elevate Hayne, I would say that at least they are trying. Right now, i consider them blithering idiots in their handling of Hayne. His ST coach throws him under the bus, and Baalke cuts him, then his replacements craps on the field.
            Personally, I think they have given up, and are trying to get the best draft choice possible.There can be no logical explanation otherwise.

  24. The York’s have been absolutely horrible owners. They lucked into hiring Harbaugh, who had success and was the reason the stadium got built. It’s almost like Harbaugh was merely tolerating them for a few years while riding the wave of a talented roster. They ran him off and in doing so severely damaged their chances of hiring another top flight HC.

    They offered Gase the job and at the last minute made it contingent on him making Tomsula his DC. He wanted no part of them. He couldn’t trust them. Harbaugh couldn’t trust them. The NFL coaching fraternity doesn’t trust them. Who wants Maraathe offering them suggestions? Who wants to B.S. with people touring the locker room when they’re trying to win games? Who wants their boss selling them out to the media when they lose a couple of games? Who wants Baalke dictating the roster to them? Nobody. A talented coach wouldn’t even consider it after seeing what happened to Harbaugh.

    The York’s are either too incompetent or have no interest in providing a quality product. They don’t learn from their mistakes, which again, is either incompetence or apathy. Everything about this joke of a team has their fingerprints on it. It’s a special kind of bad.

    1. The 49ers, when they were champs, and other successful franchises have a football person running the show. The 49ers have a bean counter. Instead of x’s and o’s Jed’s focus is debits and credits.

      1. It’s way worse than that. The Bean Counter is drawing up x’s & o’s and was (is?)’making the call on challenges. WTF?
        Imagine the expression on Sean Payton’s face when Marathe begins to tell him what he should call on 2nd & Long situations. Sean won’t be coming to SF.
        By employing hindsight, hubris, intuition, a scattering of clues and a dump truck load of wild speculation (all top-notch tools for gossip mongering), I think all the principle players knew in late July ’14 that JH was in a lame duck season, including JH.
        SoooooOOoooo……..one wonders how the Three Stooges (JY, PM, TB) could look so flippin’ stupid, clueless, unprepared, and late in their Coach search with that much time to prepare. It also suggests the unfathomable arrogance that they were so good at what they do that they’d be a sufficient support system that Jim T. could succeed as HC.
        I thought they knew something I didn’t know. Maybe, I hoped, Jim was like the Columbo character who was sharp beneath a scruffy exterior.
        It turns out I know something that they don’t know; they’re tools and fools and dangerous in that they think otherwise.

    2. Big P,

      I’m not disagreeing that the Yorks are really bad owners, but look at your third sentence. You put JH in control of the situation (“…like he was merely tolerating them (the Yorks)” and …while riding the wave of a talented roster”), then, in the very next sentence, you say the Yorks ran JH off. Again, I’m not disagreeing with you, completely, but don’t you think JH might’ve manipulated York into firing him, once he wouldn’t give JH what he wanted? JH had to have seen that CK was never going to be what he had hoped when he plucked him from Nevada Reno. He also had to see the extreme roster turn over that was coming (talented, but aging stars getting near the end of the line).

      York wanted JH out, no question. York is a horrible owner, no question. JH manipulated York into doing it? Quite possibly.

      1. Exgolfer,
        I think Harbaugh saw an opportunity and took advantage of it. He was fighting the same battles with York and Baalke even after he had success. Baalke was in control of a roster that had declined every year of Harbaugh’s tenure. That decline has continued into this season. History has shown that Harbaugh is a pain in the rear, but history has also shown that the York’s are incompetent when it comes to running a franchise.

        They have fired the only two successful HC’s (Mooch and Harbaugh) they have had during their tenure as owners. They have hired Erickson, Nolan, Singletary and Tomsula. I think Harbaugh knew what he was getting into but thought he might be able to consolidate some of the power at team HQ’s if he was successful. He did his part. Meanwhile, Jed seethed at the attention and credit that Harbaugh received. He had wet dreams of becoming Eddie D and thirsted for the same attention, while simultaneously ignoring the fact that his uncle hired the best people in the league to run his franchise. I’m sure Harbaugh baited Jed after the leaks started, but he trolled him to perfection and destroyed the momentum he had as an owner. This only occurred after Jed attempted to destroy his momentum as the HC.

        Coaches fired by the York’s:

        Mariucci: Playoff appearances in 4/6 seasons

        Harbaugh: Playoff appearances in 3/4 seasons

        Coaches hired by the York’s:

        Dennis Erickson: 9-23, fired after two losing seasons

        Mike Nolan: 18-37, fired midway into fourth consecutive losing season

        Mike Singletary: 18-22, fired before last game of his second season as HC

        Not even Dan Snyder could screw a situation up like this with such panache. Jed can’t get out of his own way. It has to bother him because the dude has been losing hair at a rapid clip during his tenure as team president. The back of his head looks like an ozone depletion chart.

    3. BigP,

      I would side with incompetence. I truly believe Jed felt anybody could do what Harbaugh was doing and decided he could get a cheaper/friendlier option in Tomsula. That’s why I have little confidence that things will change until he figures out he is unqualified to have the position he does and hires a Football mind to run it for him.

      1. Rocket,

        I hope you’re right. If so, there’s a chance Jed might realize he made a huge miscalculation and at least try to fix things.

      2. Rocket I disagree that Jed felt anyone could do what Harbaugh did. How could they think Tomsula would be as good when the staff Harbaugh had to what Tomsula put together was no where near as experienced? I know you would agree Tomsula had slim pickings when it came to his staff but they had to know it would be a major drop off. I mean Steve Logan was doing TV. Geep was an unknown, now we know he is as good as Jimmy Raye. I think they thought the defense would be really good and could carry them and mask the other missing parts. Big miss.

        I think there was so much dissension between the 3 of them, that it was an emotional decision. Part of it was Harbaugh forcing them on personnel matters and the other was Trent and Jed were so tired of the rumblings from the players, the tirades in the media and on the field. Whatever the reason for the getting rid of him, it was in my opinion necessary because no one wanted to work with one another anyways.

        The problem as I see it was that York didn’t want to spend much on a coaching staff. I think Harbaugh and co. were the highest paid staff in the NFL the past 4 years. Jed went cheap and this is what you have. For anyone worthy to come to SF and coach this mess, it will take 5-8 million a year and full control of the roster. The problem is will Baalke be there to concede that or will they just to continue to plug desperate wanna be head coaches into the mix. Guys like Tomsula, Sparano, Mangini.

        1. FDM,

          There were reports from multiple sources that Jed said anyone could win with the talent the Niners had. I think you give him too much credit for knowing what you think he should. Keep in mind this is a guy who said during the year end press conference that his differences with Harbaugh started in 2012 as far as philosophy. What in the world makes Jed York think he has any right to have a philosophy about football never mind one that differs from a HC who went to the SB that year? Sure he may have wanted to cut the budget on the Coaching staff, but he did pay pretty good money to Harbaugh and his Coaching staff so he obviously wasn’t opposed to it completely. No to me this is Jed believing he knows more than he does.

          I realize many believe Harbaugh has a short shelf life and wears out his welcome but it’s a media/fan fueled narrative. The 49ers were the first team that fired Harbaugh, and it came after one of the best runs for a HC in NFL history never mind a first time NFL HC. There is no doubt Harbaugh is an eccentric personality who is tough to deal with, but the history of the NFL is full of similar HC’s who were very successful. Jed couldn’t handle Harbaugh’s personality, Baalke as well, but that is putting a personal view ahead of business. That is why they are likely to fail for as long as it takes Jed to figure out being buddies with the HC is not the key to success, and that he needs to let somebody else run the team for him.

          1. Jed lacks self awareness to the point of using the word ‘we’ when talking about the teams Super Bowl victories, while systematically destroying the teams history and links to that era. He got ripped apart on Twitter after trying to GIVE tickets away, with one fan replying with a simple “Nobody likes you” Tweet. It was perfect.

          2. All good points Rockets. If indeed Jed believed he could win with anyone but Harbaugh because of the talent they had, we are in trouble because that means Baalke gets a pass.

            I’ve worked with many people that were hard to tolerate and eventually its in everyone’s best interest to rid your organization of the person fueling it. Do I agree with firing Harbaugh, no but it needed to happen. The problem is the guy who replaced him.
            I have always felt the best owners in football are the ones you never hear about. Jed is a public figure. That’s a problem. Sign the cheques, have your say behind closed doors and hire the best possible staff you can.
            I think the kid is smart enough now that he has learnt from the embarrassment the 49ers are getting nationally. I dont think he can endure another offseason and season by keeping his coaching staff and management team intact.

        2. I said it before and I’ll say it again: The 49ers won’t get the best candidate, they’ll get the thirstiest candidate.

      3. Rocket,
        That was my initial take, but it really is hard to be that incompetent. It’s hard to argue the incompetency angle, but it’s also hard to fathom that level of sustained incompetence. The York’s make a ton of money regardless of the product on the field. They didn’t buy or want the team. They aren’t football people. They have fired the only successful (damn coaching salaries) HC’s they have had. Jed only prairie dogs it when things are going well. There certainly seems to be apathy towards football within the York clan.

        Lol, the new 49er motto: “Sustained Incompetence.”

        1. Incompetence is always surprising to intelligent people, Big P. But believe me, there are many, many incompetent people in this world.

        2. BigP,

          The reason I feel that way is because Jed’s duties in his Parent’s business holdings is running the 49ers. I’m not sure how he could be apathetic when his sole purpose is to run this team. I guess it’s possible, but incompetence is more likely no matter how hard it is to believe somebody could be at that level of incompetency. Sustained Incompetence…your SF 49ers!

          1. “Incompetency With Class”.

            Rocket,

            I know it doesn’t make you feel any better (you’ll never be confused with Fan’77), but I have to admit, you were pretty much completely right in your off season concerns.

            1. ex,

              Yeah you aren’t kidding. I would much rather be wrong and eating crow than be right and see a miserable season. I had a feeling things would go sideways this year, but it doesn’t make it any less disappointing to see how far this team has fallen.

              1. I know that, and I would love to be giving you the business about the 49ers’ 6-4 or 5-5 record that I expected them to have at this point.

                Even if they had won the game against the NYG, as they should’ve (dropped INT’s and two obvious missed illegal blocking calls on the Giants’ winning drive – I thought illegal down field blocking is a point of emphasis this year) and were 4-6, I wouldn’t feel much better about things, if at all.

          2. Rocket,
            I think of him as someone who views it as a business and wants to maximize the teams profits. Winning is a distant second on his agenda. He is apathetic about winning football but enthusiastic about business matters. He started sabotaging Harbaugh as soon as the Levis Stadium ribbon cutting ceremony was scheduled. Let’s face it, winning is expensive and cuts into the bottom line. He’s the anti Eddie D.

  25. Singletary wasn’t the worst coach in the history of the NFL, I dont know who even thinks that, it could be argued he wasn’t the worst coach in the history of the 49ers (Tomsula not included). Marty Mornhinweg, Rich Cottite, Bobby Patrino….every Raider coach in the last 20 years not named Jon Gruden: Mike White, Joe Bugel, Callahan, Norv “Bleeping” Turner, Tom Cable, Dennis Allen……Lane “Double Bleeping” Kiffin.

    This has got to be one of your least thought out opinion pieces ever. Fail from Jump!

  26. You are nothing but a blood sucker. What “sports writer” attacks others mercilessly and proves himself to be an utter a**hole? GRANT COHN. You are not only a pathetic writer but someone who was probably a bully in school and a real jerk.

    1. Gee… Have you ever seen (read…) what the New York City area sports media is like? Grant is a cupcake when compared to that environment. Nothing like hyperbole…

    2. Gee, the Niners are 3-7 and you want Grant to pat them on the back? While I do not agree that Tomsula would or should be fired, I am totally disgusted with this team, from the top down.

  27. Wonder what we’ll be yelling about on 11/25/2016? Would love to see some Cohn blog entries from this time last year.

  28. Baalke is going to replace Tomsula either with Mangini or C. Kelly. If Kelly is hired you can probably count on the team keeping Kaepernick around as well.

    Should be fun.

    1. If Baalke does that, he will demonstrate his utter lack of judgement. Baalke is responsible for the roster. He dealt Tomsula a small pair but condidered the team to be a royal flush. Too bad the royal flush had a different meaning than he intended.
      Jed should fire Baalke first. He is the one mainly responsible for this train wreck. Tomsula is a great coach for Jed because he absorbs all that blame and ridicule, and protects Jed from even more acrimony.

      1. If Baalke does that, he will demonstrate his utter lack of judgement.
        —————-
        What do you call replacing Harbaugh with Tomsula?

        1. I say Baalke blew it big time. He should have shown more maturity and swallowed his pride for the good of the team. Mature people would have found ways to get along, instead of acting like spoiled brats and egomaniacs. (both sides).

              1. Try keeping up. It wasn’t a difficult question. The comment I responded to blames Baalke for the hiring of Tomsula.

                You know, or at least should that Baalke didn’t make that hire on his own.

              2. CFC,

                Baalke: Jed, I really feel that Gase is the best choice…

                Jed: But, Trent, I really like Jimmy T. You know how nice he is, right? He’s friendly to eveyone, and I do mean everyone. Even that weirdo, Joan from payroll. I mean she looks like a character from The Far Side…

                Baalke: Jed, let’s try to stay on topic…

                Jed: OK…

                Baalke: So what do you think of Gase?

                Jed: Well, he’s really innovative offensively and is on a lot of other teams’ HCing watch list…

                Baalke: That’s what I’m saying…

                Jed: But Jimmy T, is just so darn nice. Did I mention that he respects me, too? That’s really, really important that a HC respects the owner. The players pick up on that, you know…

                Baalke: Um, Jed, I think you’re getting off track, again…

                Jed: Uh, yeah, sorry about that, I get like that when I think of Jimmy T. He’s just so cuddly…

                Baalke: Come on, Jed, stay with me. What do you think about Gase? I think Gase and Fangio would make would make a great team. Gase would bring fresh, innovative input to the offense, Fangio would keep the defense playing well, while providing an NFL pro to act as a sounding board for our young HC. Sounds good, right?

                Jed: What did you say? I was daydreaming about Jimmy T. Did you say you want Gase as HC AND Fangio as DC? No, no way! Jimmy T is at least getting promoted to DC. That’s the minimum. He’s my friend and treats me with respect.

                Baalke: Dear god..

            1. Don’t know how one would assign a percentage to each person’s input on the decision but ultimately I do believe that the decision was Baalke’s to make. Or another way, If Baalke didn’t wan’t it to be Tomsula it would have been someone else.

            2. The fact that Adam Gase was reported to be the choice for HC and then Tomsula was hired leads me to believe it was ultimately Jed’s decision to hire Tomsula. Not saying Baalke disagreed, but if the report about Gase was true, Baalke obviously considered somebody else before settling on Tomsula.

              1. I’ve argued that I have a hard time believing that if Jed was going to ultimately step in and make the decision it wouldn’t have gone as far as it did with Gase. I also suggested that what reason would Jed have had to completely override Trent in regards to Gase vs. Tomsula. It’s not like hiring Gase wouldn’t have ultimately been seen as very positive outside of the organization and I’m certain would have received far less scrutiny then Tomsula’s hiring so if public image was a key importance then I don’t see a reason for Jed vetoing Trent Tomsula if Gase was the next top choice.

              2. I realize I keep only saying Jed I don’t mean to leave Marathe out of it it’s just easier to keep the argument to Baalke vs ownership.

              3. CFC,

                I think Tomsula was Jed’s preference and while he may have been willing to accept Gase as HC if Tomsula was DC, I firmly believe it was his desire all along for Tomsula to be HC. Baalke may have agreed with that, I don’t know, but the fact Gase appeared to be so close after meeting with Baalke and then everything seemed to change overnight, leads me to believe Jed said Tomsula was either going to be DC or HC and that was it.

              4. It’s how close it got only to evaporate that makes me question it. I just have a hard time believing that Baalke would be OK with going out to Denver to seemingly sign the guy he’s chosen only to receive a last second veto from the owner and told to come home. I’d think that when Baalke said “I’m going to Denver,” Jed would have spoken up then.

                Maybe it’s a sign of just how bad of an owner Jed is or how spineless of a GM that Baalke is either way I haven’t bought in to the idea that that’s how it went down.

              5. Jack Hammer November 25, 2015 at 11:02 am
                The hiring of the Head Coach ultimately lies with the owner, not the GM.
                ————–
                I don’t think that is universally applied to all teams.

    2. I think Kelly is headed back to College after this season. So many big time jobs available and I think he’s had enough of the pro game.

  29. After the team fell apart in 2014, my suspicion is the 2015 season was judged a throwaway. The 2015 plan was to rely strongly on the “science” of “analytics” to supplant Tomsula’s lack of ability making him a suitable, inexpensive, management friendly hire. Nothing more than an oversize eight grade York Inc. science project. York and company may have tried to pressure Harbaugh with analytics, but the ole war horse probably shelved them never to be used. Tomsula apparently embraces the material for two reasons: to satisfy the boss and hopefully gain an edge during the game. My conspiracy theory, just one of many, is the current team is flooded with graduate degree impressive looking probability/ performance Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoints – a picture is worth a 1,000 words- and analytics have become a crutch or an excuse for Tomsula’s lack of experience. Perhaps “analytics” explains Tomsula’s calm nature on the sideline and team practice structure. If the science is flawed the outcome can’t be good even with qualify players. It would be something if an unnamed source would snag a handful of these charts so someone could drill down into the material.

    1. If they had wisely used analytics, they would have realized that HC selections usually come from a pool of NFL OC and DC candidates, or a successful college coach. Failed former HC candidates do not have good track records.
      Tomsula was a DL coach, and the Peter Principle applies in this case.

      1. Failed former HC……
        Pete Carroll
        Bill Billicheat
        Jack Del Rio
        Mike Shanahan
        -Some do ok-

        1. BT, I concede those coaches, but for every Bellichick, there are 10 examples in the other direction.

        2. BT,

          I’m not so sure that Jack Del Rio belongs on that list. To me, he’s the Steve De Berg of HC’s, just good enough to lose (Bill Walsh’s assessment of SDB).

          1. He came to mind because he’s off to a decent start. Walsh won 8 games in his first two seasons.

              1. BT,

                Bill Walsh won 8 games in his first two years as an NFL HC. These are not Del Rio’s first two years. JDR is a competent HC, but nothing more. He’s very Jeff Fisher like, IMO.

      2. I’m having trouble finding it at the moment but I remember reading a piece that detailed the success of Dline coaches who became HC’s and it was not good. Will try to find it and post it.

    2. If Tomsula embraced analytics his 4th down decision making would be a lot different, and the 49ers would pass the ball a lot more.

  30. can’t compare, sing had more time to be bad than Tomsula. But Tomsula clearly is worse than Sing right now. He can’t get anyone to work for him ( fang took off couldn’t get a real oc etc..) and had no clue what he has to do. He is over his head, but unlike sling and nolan they don’t make it publicly so obvious, i mean the dude scratch this head during games, like “whats going on”. How can he inspire a bunch of downtrodden players who are losing and can’t trust management or ownership? its doubtful that they will fire him, as the works did this to save money, why would they pay him and another head coach? Probably will try to get high draft choices for the next 2 years and dump salaries ala Kap boudin, bowman stay etc… The problem is who with in sanity wants balke and tomsula running the next 2 drafts. it appears that most of balks draft choices are broken or not good enough to play in the nfl.

  31. Isn’t clear the York’s care more about making as much money as possible than winning.
    They also don’t deal well with coaches who have strong personalities and want to do things their way. They wouldn’t hire the second coming of Bill Walsh because he would disrupt their management style which is upper management; Jed and P.M. make the decisions, Balke brings in the players and the coaches coach within that system (we run the ball!) established and they do NOT rock the boat.

    1. Maybe Jed should realize that he needs to make the proper investments to get a good return. Going cheap on the coaching staff just meant cheap results.
      A winning team will make money. A losing team will lower the profit margin.

      1. But Sebynah if Levi’s stadium is making tons of money in hosting other events, the 49ers are just a’la carte. We keep hearing that the team runs its operation like a business then that means the 49ers are irrelevant. As long as they are not losing money, they wont care. Revenue sharing in this case hurts us 49ers fans because ownership don’t care about the product on the field.

  32. Jed reminds me of that spoiled rich kid from the “Freak Show” season of American Horror Story. I imagine that is wah he is like.. Without the murdering of course. Although, he did murder my favorite sports franchise.

  33. QUESTION FOR ALL:

    Would it be feasible for an investor group to petition the league for a new team to come into San Francisco (the City), thereby making the York Family 49ers redundant in Santa Clara? Perhaps the San Francisco Raiders or San Francisco Chargers?

    1. Don’t really think that is something that would interest the league at this point. As you already stated it’s kind of redundant.

    2. Without the Yorks getting paid ridiculous money for giving up SF, there is zero chance of that happening, IMO.

    3. If, and this is “only” an If…The Oakland Raiders leave for Los Angeles there will be an opportunity for an expansion team to replace the Raiders.The League has promised the Cities that NFL Franchises have left, that they can get a replacement expansion team. And since there is really no Corporate Support/Money, or interest in building a venue for an Oakland team, the ball will be in San Francisco’s court.

      The powers that be in San Francisco are very well aware of the above info, and are totally pissed off that a team named San Francisco plays in a small town that is a suburb of the City of San Jose. Then you have the the powers that be in the League, that are totally sick & freaking tired of the York’s piss poor Ownership, & Shenanigans…The Yorks are the stewards of one of the most storied, & historical NFL Franchises in the NFL, and all they have done is to sully this proud franchise.

  34. More 49er mysteriousness:

    Kaepernick underwent surgery Tuesday for what is described as an “extensive” tear in his left (non-throwing) labrum. It was a sudden development, considering he apparently injured it in Week 4, but kept playing, and didn’t show up on any injury reports until last week … after the bye, and after he’s been sat in favor of Gabbert.

    No one might ever know if the injury affected his poor play. No one seems clear on why he got an MRI seven weeks after the injury. No one’s sure what will happen when it’s time for next season’s salary to become guaranteed .

    1. Labrum tears are often misdiagnosed. They can tighten up and limit range of motion but they are often only painful in some movements so I would doubt it would have any affect at all on his play.

  35. The 49ers, along with the Ravens, attempted to procure Fales off the Bears practice squad. Interesting….

    1. Makes sense to me. They both just put QBs on IR, and Fales is probably more talented than a typical practice squad QB.

      1. I think it tells me they like Fales better than Thompson. It also shows me what type of quarterback their looking for, and how they might approach the position in the draft….

  36. ‘No he is not ! Monte Clark in the late 70’s was much worse. Ericson after mooch was a clown, I couldn’t even listen to him he was so bad. So he is at the least 3rd worst. He wasn’t given the best situation though. Jed & Baalke have no clue !

      1. Yeah, best wishes for everyone’s Thanksgiving holiday. At family gatherings remember that every family has at least one crazy uncle. Look around. If you can’t spot him, it’s probably you!
        Lots of Winnebagos and travel trailers rolling through P-town today, as a bunch of folks’ family traditions are to camp Thanksgiving at Dillon Beach, Bodega Bay, and Spring Lake Park. (To you snowbound folks, our mellow climate makes it do-able.)

  37. I don’t blame each one of you for being disappointed on your QB Kaepernick, who everyone thought was better than Alex Smith. Like I’ve said before Alex Smith would still be playing football in the NFL, and Kaepernick future playing in the NFL will come too short.

    1. Might be just what the veterinarian ordered given the lack of aggressive nature within the locker room….

  38. Tyrann Mathieu on Gabbert versus Kaepernick:

    “Asked about those brash comments on Wednesday, Mathieu said, “We just knew Kaepernick’s tendencies.”

    “We knew what he liked to do, we knew which way he liked to roll out,” he said. “We knew what side of the field he liked to read to. And you don’t pick up those same things from Gabbert. Like I said, he’s better in the pocket. He has a better feel for coverages. It seems like he can get to the line, see a coverage and then go to a different play. … So you can see Gabbert’s maturity and the different things he does well that, let’s say, Kaepernick doesn’t do well.”

    Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/sports/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/article46493805.html#storylink=cpy

    1. Not surprising considering they picked him off 4 times. Really disappointing that Kap couldn’t reach the next level as a pocket passer. No matter what else a QB can do there has to be an ability to play from the pocket.

  39. I figured this all out. Tumsula got his job through the Make a wish foundation, and there;s no batteries in his headset

  40. I figured this all out,Tomsula got his job through the make a wish foundation and they won’t allow him to put batteries in his headset

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