Jim Tomsula: For two weeks now, you haven’t seen our offense.

SANTA CLARA – Here’s an exchange Jim Tomsula and I just had.

ME: A lot of examples in football history of good quarterbacks losing their confidence after things snowballed on them. Matt Schaub is one example. How do you make sure that doesn’t happen to Colin Kaepernick? How do you keep him confident?

TOMSULA: Yeah, I mean, and again, Grant – that was a bad game, when you talk about our passing game right there. OK? You know, I look at it comprehensively, collectively. I don’t have…one of my concerns right now is not that our quarterback or our confidence level and those areas is going to go down the tubes. I don’t have that…today as I stand here and look at you, I don’t have that concern. Yesterday, yeah, there were people upset. There is frustration. What do you want me to tell you, there’s no frustration? I mean, I’m not going to lie to anybody. I mean, you walk through the door – I’m frustrated, you’re frustrated, everybody’s frustrated. OK? It’s where you go with it. OK? Some people have the ability to spend all week being frustrated. We’re getting into Wednesday being frustrated. OK? The bottom line is the guys in this building don’t have that luxury. They’ve got Monday and an-hour-and-a-half on Tuesday, and that all better be in the right place. Or one game leads into two games leads into three games leads into four games. OK? So, the luxury in this building of being frustrated, or not being able to – that’s what’s got to happen. OK? And that’s what I feel like happened yesterday in a very good way. OK? Coming in? Not a good vibe. I mean, not feeling great. I mean, gosh almighty, man. OK? Walking out of the building? I like it. And to the next game, OK, through us, looking at it, you know? And I don’t want clichés, and I’m not looking for all that stuff – own it, fix it, move on – OK. We don’t need that on a billboard. You know what I mean? That’s not what I’m talking about. But, you know, you’ve got to own it. I mean, and you work through it. And now you’ve got to get to the next game. You don’t have the luxury of…you just don’t. And if you try to do that, then, you know, the same mistake…it’s like getting to the next play. The same mistake hurts you twice.

ME: The reason I ask, after Kaepernick’s second pick-six he didn’t attempt a pass for a couple of series.

TOMSULA: That was me. OK? In basketball, you would have called timeout. That’s the easiest and honest way I can say it. OK? Boom, woosh-sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-sh-sh. OK? I’m looking at it, where were we? We had nine minutes left in the first quarter. Right? Wasn’t that it? And we were down two scores. OK, boom, woosh, here we go guys – we’ve got time. OK? Let’s run the ball. Let’s get going. People talk about getting in rhythm. People talk about doing those things. We’ve had two weeks here, you know, in the offense and critiquing how much of the offense and all these kinds of things, OK? The straight-up fact is we’ve put ourselves in a position for two weeks now where you haven’t seen our offense. We haven’t seen our offense – the rhythms and all those things. OK? We haven’t gotten to that point. OK? So, I mean, that’s just as honest as I can tell you. And that’s what we have to correct, starting with me. OK? That’s, you know – I can’t emphasize that enough. OK? It’s very easy, you know – look, I understand there were plays that were not made. There were things that were not done. OK? And it’s very easy to start shooting arrows. OK? It is my firm belief that this is a team sport. What makes it so beautiful is the team-aspect of it – the coaches, the players, everybody working together in a cohesive way. OK? I really do believe it. It’s not rhetoric. I believe in that, and I believe that everybody can be part of the answer. That’s where I’m at. That’s what I really believe. Does that make sense, Grant?

This article has 177 Comments

    1. Ian Rappaport–Rap Sheet:

      “Not a drop-back team”???

      It’s the NFL! In 2015! The rules are set up and modified each year to reward teams that pass, and the 49ers have decided to play like Army in the 1950s?
      WATCH: 49ers’ QB Colin Kaepernick Has Done Something No QB Has Accomplished Since 1925

      By Ryan Sakamoto – Sep. 28, 2015, 7:00 pm

      Yesterday, San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick rewrote the record books but for the wrong reasons as he became the fastest quarterback to throw two pick-sixes since 1925. A

      1. “It’s the NFL! In 2015! The rules are set up and modified each year to reward teams that pass”

        Absolutely. Especially pale pocket passers. The NFL doesn’t want these guys to disappear. Touch one with a feather, its a 15 yard penalty.

        1. Before an owner thows an egotistical temper tantrum and fires a winning coach.
          It would be nice if he first thought of those, such as the poor fan above, who spent $60,000 on seat licenses.

          1. Eddy D respected the working man and did his best to find places on his staff to hide good coaches, even coming up with inventive titles (Carmen Policy at work here)…This is how the 49ers stashed John Gruden, until Holmgren told
            Gruden that he was going to hire him when he left the 49ers…
            Eddy, who also had a temper rarely let the 49er fans down by hiring bad coaches with out a plan in place already.

        2. What fools. If i had the Money i would by them. One winning season and they will be worth a fortune. How about getti g real and just realize that it os Football. Anybody who paus that mich money to watch a game is a fool. Facebook

  1. Its like learning to ride a bike. If you fall down, the best thing to do is to get back on the bike and try again. The worst thing is to stop trying, because you will never learn.
    Kaep did not have an interception for the first 2 games. Last game he threw 4. He needs to get back on the field and complete passes. Coach Tomsula should help Kaep by dialing up some quick easy passes so he gets back his confidence and rhythm. He should also dial up a long pass just to show the other team that Kaep is back, and is not tentative to make big plays.
    Coach Tomsula must make adjustments. He must stop being stubborn and change the line up. If he does that, I will at least say he is trying. If he does not and trots out the same old players with the same old results, I will say he has given up and is in over his head.

    1. Honestly you are right. You don’t learn by not doing. You learn by doing. Either he starts reading defenses and makes good throws or he doesn’t..

    2. Exactly.

      I’ve noticed over the past 10 years, this team’s m.o. is to flirt with the passing game, then all but abandon it when things don’t go well. You can’t develop NFL caliber passing instincts in the controlled, idealized environment that is practice. There’s no way to approximate the chaos that goes on in real game-day competition. The only way to develop a passer is to let him pass. Every elite passer out there worth his salt took some bumps and bruises along the way to getting to that level.

      I don’t think it’s hyperbole to say that the 49ers have been the worst developers of QBs (and by extension, wide receivers) in the NFL in the past 10 years. Harbaugh was smart enough to incorporate a system that mitigated some of the issues all young QBs go through. Combined with a top 5 running game, defense, and special teams, that was a recipe for success. But that recipe is depends greatly on things out of a team’s control, like health.

      Teams with well-developed QBs will always have a chance to compete. And if you look at the statistical histories of the top ten QBs in the league, you’ll see that all of them took their lumps. Insulating your QB may spare his confidence in the short-term, but it stunts his growth and keeps your team completely dependent on defense and the running game to eek out victories.

    3. Seb I was thinking the same thing as I read the exchange. It’s a condemning comment. Tomsula, through no fault of his own, doesn’t understand what he is doing on offense. He didn’t surround himself with people who were brilliant. Instead, you get the slop they are serving on Sundays.

  2. On thing is for sure, no reporter should ever dare to paraphrase Tomsula’s comments. They have to stand verbatim.

  3. “Boom woosh”?! The ball is not just going over the DB’s heads. Oh, well.

    In general I have never liked the idea of a defensive guy as a HC. It’s the rare defensive coach like Bellichick who changes his outlook of the game to accommodate the offense. Now we have a coach and GM who wants (to use Singletary’s words) “lean on the run” with apparently little understanding or appreciation of the role of the passing game in modern NFL, and a DC who is fruitlessly trying to force players into his system. I guess I should have anticipated this situation in the off-season like many others here. But as a fan, I have been optimistic. No more, though.

    I have a very bad feeling about Sunday.

    1. “Boom woosh”
      That’s Grant’s question going in one ear and out the other.
      That’s the modern NFL zooming past Jim Tomsula.

      I think sunday will be cathartic for the Packers.

      It’s sad that this organization is gonna lose one of the best DL coaches in the league because the stupid owner had to go and make him a head coach.

    2. Darth Hoody might be one of the best example of a defensive coach who becomes a successful head coach, but he certainly is not the only one: Pete Carroll, Mike Tomlin, Tony Dungy, Bill Parcells, and our own George Seifert, just to name a few. Not to say that any defensive coach can make the transition, but it’s far from unheard of either.

      1. The defensive coaches who make the transition let their offense function independently — not as a crutch supporting their defense (obsessive ball control, excessive reliance on running game, oversimplified passing game). Dungy couldn’t win the Super Bowl with his superb defense (won by the offensive-minded coach who replaced him), but won it in Indy with Peyton basically running the offense. Seifert was led out of the meetings by Young, Jones and others when he tried to interfere in the offensive game planning. Pagano and Rivera are more typical, excellent DCs who will probably lose their jobs soon because their offenses are not playing up to potential (I hear Grigson wants Chudzinski to be the OC while Pagano wants to keep Hamilton).

      2. Mike Tomlin enjoys a franchise QB in Big Ben. Tony Dungy had Manning. Bill Parcells had Phil Sims, Testaverde X2, Romo ,and Bledsoe. Seiftert had Young and Montana.
        So, the only one on your list is Carroll who has no QB. He also has no offense. He has an amazing schematic Defense.
        So, a defensive coach does not translate to a HC without a Franchise QB. Then with that, just about anyone can coach. See Fox in Denver with Manning. See Dan Reeves, Wade Philips, and Mike Shanahan. None of them have been successful without a QB.

  4. Jim Tomsula with his Jim Mora/Mike Singletary moment everybody. Give the man a round of applause.

    1. MWD: Jim More moment? More like a Rich Kotite moment. The Jets were 1-15 and he told the press: “we are still in this folks!” Clueless to the end…..Tomsula has a lot of Kotite in him.

  5. What a nightmare of a situation. This is going to get ugly for a long time. We need a miracle to turn things around within the next 5 years. This is a depressing time to be a Niner fan. I should of seen this coming like a lot of people on this blog. I don’t see 4 wins for this team!

    1. Shame on Jed York and the Yorks family in turning this 49ers franchise in to a laughing stock in the NFL. Kaepernick is a mediocre Qb, stopped blaming the OL. Alex Smith had nothing to work with , when he got drafted by the 49ers. The jokers they hired for HC job was a joke Mike Nolan, Singletary and the list goes on.

      The only reason in the last two season Kaepernick and the 49ers had success, because of our defense and Harbaugh.

  6. My fear is that York/Baalke hated Harbaugh so much and worked so hard to get rid of him that they will stick with this manufactured mess beyond this season. I am sure that Tomsula is a good man, he is just not a good NFL Head Coach and he is stuck, at best, with a mediocre staff. I am not in favor of ever changing coaches in mid year, but please, please, please do not let this abortion go beyond one year.

    1. Jed’s ego will give Tomsula another year. They might change coordinators though. Of course we know what the bad head coach/revolving door OC combination looks like. We lived it for years.

    1. I’m not a Chip Kelly fan, but he would be light years better than what we have. I would put the odds at 1.4%

      Could you imagine Baalke hiring somebody as strong as Kelly? It ain’t gonna happen

        1. Just replace everybody with Chip Kelly including a BIG buyout of his current contract. That’s right in Jed’s wheel house, but mom would veto it.

    2. HELL NO! If that happens, I will personally fly to Santa Clara, locate some of the posters on here, and together we shall hog tie Jed York whenever he is asked to make a decision of any kind.

    3. Low. Baalke is from the Parcells school of team building.

      The biggest challenge is replacing cornerstone positions if CK continues to struggle. A defense needs a (true) shut down corner, an elite edge rusher or both.

      An offense needs a top quarterback. The NFL continuously refines the rules to favor pale pocket passers over read option players. The reasons are transparent. They think that without pale pocket passers, interest in the game can’t be sustained. (I disagree)

      Either CK develops, or its time to start shopping for a pocket passer.

        1. Isn’t Chip’s stock falling as well? Where’s Jed’s Stock at?

          I don’t think Jed’s capable of running a successful team, and having to clean house so fast would be indicative of that. When he fires Baalke he basically becomes Dan Snyder, Jimmy Haslam, or Shad Kahn.

          1. True about Chip. I’m thinking the Niners would turn to him desperately hoping he could fix Kaepernick.

            1. Also I’m kind of disappointed in Chip. He’s not as advertised. I expected more aggressive game management.

              1. I agree that he shouldn’t want the job. Also he is the mellow Harbaugh and is deep into heavy sets with power running.

          2. I wouldn’t mind seeing a different philosophy from top to bottom, but can Jed find that guy? And does that guy want to work for Jed?

        2. If the 49ers fire Baalke all bets are off.

          Then the question would be… what will the Yorks do? Seems like they’ve been trying to prove they can do it without BW’s influence ever since Mariucci got canned. Would not surprise me if they hired a GM from the same McCloughan/Baalke mode.

            1. If they go for a quick fix GM or head coach, I’m expecting them to be bottom dwellers for years to come, but happily raking in major loot from the multi-use stadium and exclusive market control if the Raiders move.

          1. They followed Walsh’s advise and hired a GM who commuted. That’s probably the last Walsh influence that they will tolerate.

      1. Alot to do with greed and east coast bias too.

        The competition committee:
        Rich McKay – Atlanta
        Jeff Fisher – St. Louis
        Stephen Jones – Dallas
        Marvin Lewis – Cincinnati
        John Mara – New York
        Mark Murphy – Green Bay
        Ozzie Newsome – Baltimore
        Rick Smith – Houston
        Mike Tomlin – Pittsburgh

        Any read option teams? West coast teams?

    4. Not so fast.
      Jimmy will be “evaluated”….Two remaining games are key, vs Ravens and vs Seahawks, for obvious reasons.
      Good news is, they are both before the bye….leaving enough time for Jed & Paraag to work out something before they have to report to their bosses in Youngstown.

    5. Chip Kelly’s ego is too big to work in the dynamics of this front office. He also would want too much power that Baalke is not going to surrender. There is a much better chance that SF goes back to Stanford for a HC or another college coach such as Meyer. Their egos would be in check for about 3 years.
      What this team needs is strong coordinators. I could see the team making a big name purchase at both Offense and Defense and allowing Tomsula to maintain his HC position. It would be his reward for being their puppet. Also, Tomsula is likeable.
      A big name coordinator would be willing to work with Tomsula. The Kaepernick experiment will end week 7-8 2015. Then, next season will be all about Gabbert until the QB they draft can take over. That QB will come early second to early third round.
      I see the team going all in with OL drafts in the first round. Nothing sexy.

    6. Quite possible. But it would be only if Jed let Baalke go. I don’t see that happening anytime soon

  7. Well glad we cleared that up. Can we get that translated to English please? If he speaks like that to the players, it’s no wonder that we have no idea what plays to call. Yikes.

    So here’s the thing – as fans we have to stand up to the idiot Yorks and incompetent Baalke. This franchise is getting flushed down the toilet and they are arrogantly throwing money up in the corner laughing at all of us. I think that we should press on the Ravens to help out when they play us in a few weeks. John Harbaugh could send out Jim Harbaugh in a Ravens jersey as honorary captain. The fans would go bananas. If Jim flipped off Jed in the owner’s box on his way to the field, so much the better! How can we make this happen! #flipoffjed

  8. I counted a total of 23 O.K.s in that short exchange.
    .
    Is their like a Guinness World Record for that???
    .
    .
    .
    ~ALOHA

  9. I really don’t care how well or poorly Jimmy T communicates with the press. If he comes across as a bumbling fool then so be it. All that really matters is how the players respond to him, and how the team performs. So far, so very not good.

    I get not wanting to make any rash changes to the team. I do. But I sure hope players are on notice. If some of the same culprits throw up another stinker against the Packers he can’t let things continue to stand as they are. Chnages will have to be made.

    The thing that really concerns me though are decisions such as refusing to pass for two straight series after the second pick-6. If he wants the offense to get into a rhythm, surely that has to involve a passing game. If he wants to help rebuild Kaep’s confidence after the 2nd pick-6, try and give him a couple of easy completions. By just running the ball he was basically telling Kaep he had no confidence in him and they were going to take the ball out of his hands. And in the mean time the Cards just kept piling on the points.

    1. Scooter,

      I, too, don’t care about his style. What has now got me very worried are his actions (as you described) and the substance of his interviews that reveals his ideas of the offense’s role. Clearly, Chryst is happy to do what Tomsula wants, and I’m not convinced that he can game plan to outsmart the DCs, esp. in the division. At this point, Tomsula’s team looks like a Singletary team with a bad defense. Both offense and defense are in disarray.

    2. Scooter, he though he was getting the “team” in rhythm by not passing. He basis that idea on the valid concept that football is a “team” game. What he doesn’t seem to understand …

      Actually I don’t know what Tomsula understands, or what he doesn’t understand. What you suggested should be the opening strategy of every game given the state of the OL and the QB. Only overwhelming talent can win with power running. Walsh used it late in games when he wanted to finish demoralizing an opponent.

    3. Scoot, I get the impression that the players are taking care of Tomsula, not the other way around.
      He’s such a nice man.
      The round of handshakes was to see if they still believe on him…..

  10. Jim when would be a good time to start showing people the offense? I would generally think that when you are losing that’s a good time to break it out but clearly the coach thinks that being 1-3 is better then implementing our offense.

  11. Is anything Tomsula says any more honest than Harbaugh, or does Tomsula simply speak without knowing the facts.

    Kilgore update — When training came began, Tomsula said center Daniel Kilgore, who suffered a broken leg Oct. 19, had a follow-up procedure he termed “a quick surgery.”

    “Not a big deal,” Tomsula said at the time. “… It was something and we feel real good about that.”

    It turns out that Daniael Kilgore’s second sugery was a big deal, and the first surgery may have been botched.

    http://www.sacbee.com/sports/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/article37107540.html

  12. The reason why Jimmy T is always sweating profusely? He’s nervous because of his incompetence.
    Should have hired Adam Gase and kept Vic Fangio! Stupid, stupid, stupid! Trust me guys, we will be saying this for the next 13 weeks.

    1. Isn’t Adam Gase the OC for the Bears? Tough when you lose your starting QB, but so far he’s looking like a guy that perhaps was made to look good by a great QB in Manning.

      1. Maybe so, Scooter. I was a big proponent of hiring Gase. At least Gase has been part of a modern offensive scheme that has been successful. I watched the Arizona/Chicago game and Chicago was moving the ball fairly well with Cutler as the QB. They just kept making mistakes that would kill some drives.

        Name one coach on the 49ers offense that has been part of a modern-day offense. While the good teams have coaching staffs that are internet savvy, the 49ers’ coaching staff can barely rub two sticks together.

        1. Imagine what Gase could do with Hyde, Smith, Q, and Kaepernick? Oh wait, just Hyde, Smith and Q!

        2. I was AGAINST the hiring of Gase. To me, he was the clipboard holder to the real OC; Peyton. Look at what a great job he is doing in Chicago.
          I wanted Fangio,because he would bring continuity, but I think he balked when they wanted Tomsula as DC. Fangio could have lured Gase to the Niners as OC because Gase would have had free reign, since Fangio would concentrate on the defense. Too bad Gase blew his interview, and probably demanded too much power.
          After Fangio, I wanted Shaw.

          1. Gase is doing a good job in Chicago considering the talent he has. As for his work in Denver, sure he had Peyton but don’t discount all the work it takes to keep the offense organized, spreading the ball around and the in game management. That offense was really good, balanced and modern. That’s not all on Manning.
            Gase is a young innovative coach who would have done wonders with the talent in SF.
            The reason, and my guess only that he didn’t get hired was because he believed in a pass first offense. Baalke does not. Problem is Baalke overestimated how good the run offense is and how really bad the pass offense is. Geep has never been around or experienced working in different type of offenses. Does anyone really think Geep and Tomsula can figure out how to hide #7 even more than they are. Pretty sure an experienced coach like Gase could.

            1. You do not hide your QB. That is defeatist. You should showcase your QB. Kaep had a bad game, but the 2 previous games he did not throw a single int. Kaep needs to learn from this, but he should not try to hide because he touches the ball every offensive snap.

          1. That’s true, but the coaches also need to know what they are doing. Look no further than Chryst’s play-calling with the offense up against their own endzone.

            1. Every coach makes a stupid call from time to time. These guys are hamstrung by a mediocre QB.

              1. I’m not arguing that Kaep hasn’t been playing well; however, it has also been pretty clear that Chryst and Mangini are being out classed.

              2. Chryst has a mediocre QB and a terrible offensive line to work with. Harbaugh/Roman would struggle with this group, heck they did last year. Same thing with Mangini on the other side, they get no pressure up front without blitzing which makes them vulnerable on the back end. The loss of Aldon Smith has a lot to do with this.

                I’m not trying to say that Chryst and Mangini are great or even good, but it’s pretty clear that they don’t have the players.

              3. Every coach makes a stupid call from time to time. These guys are hamstrung by a mediocre QB.

                Perhaps, but it goes a lot deeper than that. The Oline makes it impossible to put together a consistent passing game, and then there is the fact that Chryst appears to be extremely conservative in his playcalling either due to Tomsula or his own scheme.

                I know the narrative now seems to be Kap can’t complete a pass in this league, but it’s overreaction to the extreme, and fails to account for the previous two games we saw to start the season. Kap was complete garbage last week, but the Oline has been garbage every week, along with the defense that has also been terrible for two weeks. It may not be all on the Coaches, but they are a big part of it. Mangini especially had some head scratching defensive calls last week that made no sense.

                Bottom line is every body from the Coaches to the players have to be a lot better than they’ve been if this team is going to challenge even a 500 record.

              4. “The Oline makes it impossible to put together a consistent passing game”

                Perhaps in your zeal to defend Kaepernick you missed that being brought up later in the thread.

              5. I defend Kap against irrational attacks because otherwise it’s a lynch mob around here. I don’t dispute he hasn’t improved to where he needs to be, but it goes beyond that with some around here. I also don’t care if it was brought up later in the thread – haven’t read that far in fact-, I responded to this post which didn’t seem to include the fact the Oline is a big part of it.

              6. Kaepernick was horrible against Pittsburgh also until it was garbage time.

                No he wasn’t and in light of how poorly the Oline played, he actually did pretty well overall.

  13. I started posting about Baalke the other day, but deleted it before posting. But given the conversation today it seems relevant.

    I’ve been a big defender of Baalke for quite some time. I really like his over-arching philosophy in terms of building a team, which is centred around building from the inside out, and being powerful yet balanced. The philosophy to me is fine. The issue is the execution.

    I still think it is too early to call some of the players busts, and I do think Baalke has found some reasonable talent. However, with so many draft picks the past few years he hasn’t hit anywhere near enough home-runs. Not enough genuine high impact players – guys that an opponent has to game plan around. His best picks are currently solid starters. Those that have been saying so for some time, I didn’t want to listen, but I’m coming round to your point of view.

    Add to that the highly questionable (I’m being kind) decision on the coaching staff, and it is indeed looking like Baalke on the way down. The Jimmy T hiring and recent drafts were always going to be the make or break for Baalke. He’s either going to look like a genius or fool. So far, he’s looking foolish.

    1. Great point Scooter. With all those picks over the last 4 years, not really one home run or bonafide star as well as guys that have developed into good every day players.
      Maybe Johnson, Acker, Ward and Tartt. Other than that Carlos Hyde as possible good NFL talent

          1. I would also add Ellington (he needs to stay healthy, but he looks like a player), Kilgore, Bruce Miller, Iupati, Culliver, A Davis and Borland. In addition, Baalke has made some wise decisions in FA, both as far as letting players go and signings. The Boldin trade was a good one, as well.

            I’m fighting the impulse to say sack the lot of them, but I don’t think that’s the way to go, just yet.

    2. I’m not thrilled with Baalke either; but if the HC, OC, DC and Baalke get fired this year, who does that leave to advise Jed? Do we really want Jed to make the GM decision (presumably, then the GM would hire the HC who would hire his staff)? The only one I can think of is Tom Gamble, and I admit to knowing little about him. Or I guess he might be able to lure a big coaching name if he gives him the GM title as well. My point is that York is not at all qualified to make the decision on the GM.

      1. Tom Gamble is well respected throughout the NFL. I think he would be a great shoulder to lean on if they do indeed clean house. Baalke simply hasnt done much with and without Harbaugh and even with Harbaugh, it was all Harbaugh.

        1. Let’s say you’re right about Gamble. Will little Jed use him as an advisor, or will he rely on the other in-house MBAs (who may be smart in their fields but have little actual NFL on-field football experience)?

          1. Gamble is probably the only executive with any real NFL experience. Name him president and let him pick the GM.

      2. Cubus,

        If the 49ers clean house, York better lean on his uncle in rebuilding first the FO, then the coaching staff and finally, the roster.

        1. Was not Eddie D a big supporter of Harbaugh?
          I won’t disagree with that firing, but the Tomsula hiring looks worse!

        2. Sounds reasonable, but is Eddie up-to-speed with today’s NFL or is he going to rely on old relationships that are barely relevant to today’s game. Manning’s going to retire after this year; I would at least look at trying to get him to join the staff in some offensive capacity. This team needs to move into the 21st century.

          1. Cubus,

            You raise an interesting point. I just don’t know who else there is to lean on.

            Also, I wasn’t suggesting Eddie D being an active participant, but rather more of a sounding board.

            Food for thought: Think back to Eddie D’s early hiring record. It wasn’t very good. As bad as JY has been recently, if he can be honest with himself (he doesn’t have to tell the public, but it would be nice to hear him take responsibility in an honest way… don’t hold your breath), maybe he can learn from his mistakes.

      3. Isn’t that because Jed and his advisors have refused to conceder hiring a top level football man to run the operation? The big difference between Jed and Daniel Marc Snyder it that Snyder controls his own check book. Jed’s mom controls her team’s checkbook.

        Jed has jacked up the cash flow, and I doubt that he or his mom will be interested in doing anything for football operations unless the football operations start threatening the cash flow.

        1. I have this same fear, but Grant stated today that he believes Jed wants respect around the league and from his owner peers. So I’m going to hope for the best.

        1. Even Jed isn’t that dumb. He needs someone to help him find a GM. Let’s hope he’s learned that much. We all need hope.

      4. With the major turnover this off season, Jed should not expect too much, and look at the big picture.
        Wholesale firing will just doom them to rebuilding and no playoffs.
        Sticking with the present coaches and FO will provide stability, and allow them to keep building on a solid foundation, with playoffs in the future.

        1. Wholesale firing will just doom them to rebuilding and no playoffs.

          It’s possible, but it could also help. That said, it would be a bigger boon if they have players like Kaepernick, Brock, and Bethea agree to redo their contracts and take less money.

          Sticking with the present coaches and FO will provide stability, and allow them to keep building on a solid foundation, with playoffs in the future.

          That would more than likely be a recipe for disaster rather than a move to bring stability Seb, especially if we keep seeing an OC that calls questionable plays, a DC that can adjust to the other team’s offense, and a HC that acts like he is in way over his head.

            1. Honestly, I hope I’m not Seb. However, Rocket and I both (along with some others) predicted another disappointing season for the 49ers, and it’s concerning that may wnd up being worse than what we predicted.

              1. From the start, the Niners were confronted with the third toughest schedule and the tough NFC West division.
                Then the messy coaching changes, with coaches turning down the Niners, and them settling for retreads.
                Then the wholesale retirements and FA leavings.
                Then Aldon melts down when the Niners were hoping for a decent pass rush.
                Now this last game debacle.
                Still, I am hopeful, but it is realistic to say that the playoffs are out of reach and the best thing would be an 8-8 season.

    3. I get what you’re saying Scooter and you may be right in the end, but I think everything that is being said this week has been based on frustration over the past two weeks and we might be jumping to conclusions because of it.

      Right now 3 games into the season, yes it appears the majority of Baalke draft picks are underachieving to put it mildly, but I have to force myself to focus on each game and see what the improvement is – if there is any – by the end of season. I’m even giving Tomsula the benefit of the doubt until he gives me no other option, because I owe it to the process to make the decision after the season instead of in the first month. I didn’t like the Tomsula hire or the coordinators, but at the same time it’s early in the season and we are seeing an inexperienced HC work his way through. If he’s as bad at the end as he is right now, there is no question they will have to clean house including Baalke perhaps, but until then I have to let it play out. It’s the only fair way to draw conclusions one way or the other imo.

      1. Sure, I get that. But you have to admit, at the moment Baalke’s looking pretty bad based on how the players he’s brought in are performing, and how the coaching staff are getting this team to play.

  14. The good ol’ boy trinity of York, Baalke, and Tomsula seems to be based on loyalty and a warm relationship brimming with passiveness rather than competence and passion.

    I’m not putting anything on Tomsula, he just happens to be the passive pawn in the trinity that doesn’t prick at the heels of the front office and ownership.
    I do lay the teams early slide on York and Baalke. It was their decision not to seek a working relationship with a winning head coach. They not only rid themselves of Harbaugh, but they cut ties with a very capable and successful D-Cord in Vic Fangio.

    Perhaps things are less stressful in the front office these days now that Harbaugh is gone, but the stress brought on by a losing season (and losing badly) will not only cause fans to call-out ownership and FO, but will force the hand of ownership to try to justify their actions over the last 7 months.

    If York’ statement of “winning with class” only amounts to 4-5 wins this season will it be enough to give him a free-pass?

    1. AES,

      Yep, that “Steady as She Goes” FO isn’t going to last very long, if things don’t get turned abound, quickly. Things will get tense and fingers will start to get pointed (judging from past experience).

  15. Ahmad Brooks’ offsides penalties, over/under 1.5?

    The worst thing about Brooks jumping offsides is he stops playing after.

  16. You know who could have fixed ck? The coach I wanted for a long time, A guy who wanted to be here, a coach who took two horrible franchises and made them relevant again. A coach who turned a pick machine gun slinger into a td throwing pick machine, a coach straight from the most fruitful coaching tree that ever stood, a coach who loves the Bay Area, a coach that will
    Probably always keep up with the NFL times.
    A coach who probably intimidated baby York and his right hand man Baalke….
    Ill let you all figure out the rest. Should
    Have hired him and I’d bet everything ck and this team wouldn’t look so bad in just three weeks. Huge mistake!

              1. I agree that he doesn’t want to coach again. The longer ex-coaches stay out of the game, the less the chances that they’ll get back in (provided they have a gig they enjoy and that pays well).

            1. He didn’t want to be the GM
              I agree he wouldn’t fit the duel role. But you can’t deny his HC ability. He would be perfect for young talent

            2. I think Holmgren learned that he shouldn’t want both jobs. The issue would be how much energy he has left for a HC grind.

    1. I’m not a Gruden fan. He was an ok HC, but if you look at his history, especially in TB, he really wasn’t very successful for much of his Coaching career.

      Of the candidates they interviewed, I wanted the Shanahan Father son combo the most. They came with flaws too, but Shanny is a true WC disciple and found a way to coordinate an effective offense with RGIII before his injury problems. I don’t know if he could have made Kap any better, but I do know I’d trust him to give it a shot over Geep Chryst.

      When it became apparent it was going to be Gase or Tomsula, I wanted Gase, but that was really so they could keep the rest of the Coaching staff together more than anything. Tomsula was a big time gamble that is looking pretty shaky right now.

  17. Grant you are one of our few conduits to call out JED to be accountable to us fans. Write a headline or something to get him out from under his rock to answer for this 4-12 debacle we are headed for. And how do you know he wants to be revered? Are you speculating? I find it hard to believe seeing that he fired a coach who was 44-19. Even if Harbaugh was still here we’d be in rebuild mode but I feel it would be much shorter. That’s what a great staff does for you. JED just hired the most pathetic staff in recent memory so how is that going to get him respect from his peers?

  18. In fact I’d say JEDs peers like the SuckHawks and Cardinals love him for a different reason. Because he has made our beloved 49ers totally irrelevant for the next decade at minimum. THANKS JED YOU WASTE OF SPACE!!!

  19. Peyton and Aaron have been using the pistol formation and killing teams from it. Plus neither teams lines are great but they make it work why can’t we. If we have such an uber talented qb how come he isn’t killing teams no matter what the personal is on the field. Very frustrating and until we do something bout the right side of the line teams are going to keep attacking those to. Why did no question why Davey was starting from jump street without going through the grind with the rest of the line all off-season makes zero sense.

  20. With the undefeated Packers coming to town, the Niners must be prepared.
    The offense must stop shooting itself in the foot. Kaep needs to show leadership by playing efficiently and eliminating mistakes. They should take advantage of the defense’s speed by doing counters and reverses. I think the Packers will be vulnerable to crossing routes. Niners need to play fast and loose, with Kaep throwing quick slants and swing passes to avoid sacks.
    The defense cannot play zone, and not expect Rogers to do what Palmer did. Rogers will pick apart the zone, so the Niners should play man with tough checks at the LOS.
    Rogers will try to draw Brooks offside, so he should only react to the snap of the ball, and fer Gawds sake, make sure he lines up at least 1 foot on sides by having a coach tell him from the side line if he is lined up correctly.
    They must stop the unforced errors, for any chance of winning. The coaches need to call an unpredictable offense and proficient defense. Since they have rotated around during the off season, I would like the O line to have a different lineup. I hope the Niners make a bold move and claim Practice Squad players like Darrion Weems from the Cowboys or TJ Johnson from the Bengals.
    Niners are facing a daunting challenge. I just hope they keep it close. They need to play NINER Football, and bludgeon them.

  21. Feel for the coach he seems like a genuinely nice guy. But he and his staff have placed in a hopeless situation. Looks like this could be as bad as the Ericsson years or even worse.
    To The Yorks: Please sell the Forty Niners

  22. As frustration mounts around the 49ers, the red and white container (Ann Killion’s phrasing) becomes an ever-increasing area of conflict for visitors. It would be in the best interest of the 49ers’ organization to improve its public safety posture by mounting a more responsive, militarized police presence perhaps the use of drones is in order. As I see it, the organization’s approach to public safety is questionable where being sued for failing to apply a reasonable standard of safety inside the unit and contiguous areas is simply the cost of doing business. I can only imagine the tension families feel upon entering the stadium knowing their safety is not the highest priority. What a joyless and potentially frightening branding experience. What’s next knife and gun play?

    1. The video showed a security person trying to break it up and protect the belligerent who challenged the crowd to fight. The yellow jacketed person was ineffectual, but it did show that the Niners had some security.
      They should just use the buddy system and deploy 2 security people together, and not declare martial law with automatic weapons.

  23. To state the obvious, this is Baalke’s team. He put this team together from the ball boys to the head coach. Jimmy T. ,all the coachs, all players they are his guys. What ever this team does , fail or go to the SB is his and let us not forget Jed signed off on it all. Och!!!

  24. Well, I have kept up with my beloved niners and this board though I haven’t posted because I have been too depressed. After a brief period of slight hope at the start of the season I saw it dashed at the hands of the Steelers and Cardinals and see no relief in the near future.

    When the brightest spot on the team is a punt returner we have serious problems. Our pass rush is weak, our O line, well it is worse than last year and makes me miss some of the starters from last year that we thought were so bad. The DBs were guarding grass in Arizona. How is that possible? Our LBs are slow and our TEs are made of glass.

    Our coaches look like they will do the same thing this week. You know the definition of insanity…

    What was it Trent and Jed said about Winning? I bet they could call Jim H. and ask what that looks like because I have not seen anything like this since when Dennis E came and Mouch was run out of town.

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