2014 was a frustrating season for the San Francisco 49ers with an array of injuries, off-field issues, and an instability between coaching and the front office. The 49ers and head coach Jim Harbaugh went through a controversial battle throughout the season which led to a "mutual" divorce. Whether it was mutual or not, Harbaugh wasn't cutting it anymore and 49ers owner Jed York and General Manager Trent Baalke wanted to go in a new direction. In 2011, when Jim Harbaugh took over, the 49ers organization was stuck in a rut from inconsistency under the coaching of Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary. Trent Baalke was also promoted to General Manager in 2011, after being in charge of player personnel. Baalke's drafting abilities and Jim Harbaugh's coaching helped turn the team around to a 13-3 record, also reaching the NFC Championship game in which they lost. After the 2011 season, the 49ers found themselves in familiar territory in 2012, only this time making the Super Bowl, losing to the Baltimore Ravens. In 2013, the 49ers returned to the NFC title game against Seattle and also found themselves coming up short once again. For four years, Harbaugh was able to reach out to the existing players, and they bought in to the philosophy he preached. The problem with his philosophy was it was focused on a run-heavy scheme, and the players were built for that style. They drafted Colin Kaepernick in 2011 to be the quarterback for the future who Harbaugh wanted, even though the front office disagreed. Since Harbaugh was their guy, he had a say into who he wanted and got his wish. The only problem is Kaepernick never really improved in those four years. The coaching staff didn't do enough in the development in Kaepernick and Colin essentially had to use his athleticism to guide his play. The 49ers had three successful seasons in four years in the Harbaugh era, but there were some evident flaws over time that have sort of piled up, and were unleashed in 2014.
When Harbaugh came to San Francisco, he brought his coordinators from Stanford, where he too turned a program around in need. Greg Roman, Harbaugh's right-hand man, came over to San Francisco to be his offensive coordinator and Vic Fangio came over to run the defense. On offense, Roman's game plan focused primarily on a run-heavy offense, that also included a short passing game. Alex Smith took years of trying to fit an offense, where it eventually almost led him out of San Francisco before Harbaugh arrived. Harbaugh was able to get the most out of Alex Smith who was key to the advancement of the 49ers into the playoffs in 2012, where they eventually reached the Super Bowl. Who led them to the Super Bowl? It was not Alex Smith, but Colin Kaepernick. Towards the end of the regular season, Alex Smith went down with a concussion and the 49ers were forced to put Colin Kaepernick in. Kaepernick went on to finish the regular season strong and hold off the Packers and Falcons in the playoffs. The 49ers reached the Super Bowl, and Harbaugh made one of the most difficult decisions of his tenure in San Francisco. Alex Smith was cleared to play in the Super Bowl, but he decided to roll with the momentum and keep Kaepernick as the starter. While Alex Smith was probably bitter about it, he professionally handled the situation well, and then addressed he wanted out of San Francisco at the end of the season. The decision to start Colin Kaepernick went on to look bad on Jim Harbaugh's part. The next couple seasons after the Super Bowl, Greg Roman and Jim Harbaugh went on to finding more ways to get Kaepernick involved in the passing game, but the offensive line and wide receivers were built for a run-heavy and short pass offensive game. Kaepernick would go on to being pressured and sacked at high numbers over the next couple of years, ranking in the bottom half of the NFL. One of the eye-popping issues that were existent from day one of the Harbaugh era, was the lack of red zone play-calling and failure to score touchdowns within the 20 yard line. Roman's offense would get shut down and would settle for field goals. 49ers ranked among the lowest in red zone efficiency in the NFL all four years under Harbaugh and got to an all time high in 2014. Time-after-time in crucial situations, Harbaugh was getting outmatched and out-coached due to the make up of the team and philosophy. Harbaugh saw so much success early, it almost felt like he didn't have a long-term plan and failed to teach and prepare young players. Veterans were favored on Harbaugh's teams, especially on offense. Colin Kaepernick, Quinton Patton, Bruce Ellington, Kendall Hunter, and others are examples of players who were not gaining enough experience or any help needed for their development. Baalke over the four years, favored a run style and knows how to scout talent, but Harbaugh and staff failed to get the offense going. Defense has never been an issue the four years Harbaugh was running the team. What I believe led to his dismissal from the team in a mutual manor was the offense and Harbaugh's lack of desire to adapt and change. Greg Roman needed to go, and Harbaugh clearly showed he could not let him go, just by his actions. It was never clearly stated what was the main issue of Harbaugh, but Harbaugh's philosophy and lack of desire to change the offense seemed to hurt his tenure, and something that did not look positive for the future. Injuries and personal issues derailed the 2014 season, but coaches still have to coach and develop their players. Through the offseason, the 49ers front office, particularly Jed York and Trent Baalke, have taken a lot of heat from fans and the media for the ways they handled the departure of Jim Harbaugh. The 49ers lost the majority of their staff except the running back coach, and Jim Tomsula, who was hired to be the head coach.
Jim Tomsula, or shall I call him "The Bludgeon Man" was chosen by the front office to replace a coach who accomplished what no coach in NFL history was able to do in appearing in three straight NFC Championships to start their career. Tomsula was never a Harbaugh man and has been around since 2007. Tomsula has been the defensive line coach for the 49ers, and has certainly had an impact on his players, due to recent interviews by the players and their comments. Not that Jim Harbaugh was not a liked man, the amount of supporters seems to be down for him as opposed to the likes of Tomsula who seems really well-liked by all. For a coach to receive the accolades he earned in four years, it is hard to see a guy go like that, and it goes to show success isn't always safe. For example, Bo Pelini was recently fired by the Nebraska Cornhuskers where he averaged close to 10 wins per season in his tenure. What he and Nebraska failed to do was come up with a Big Ten title and National Championship. To athletic director, Tom Osborne (who knows a thing or two about championships), was probably not seeing progress and those wins weren't enough for the future. Asa result, the Cornhusker needed a new voice and direction. While it is hard to see if Tomsula can have the same success, if not greater than Jim Harbaugh, a 1-0 record as an interim is hard to consider for a position that now has the highest pressure to succeed. What a lot of media fails to address is the way Tomsula coached his players. He not only helped coach that defense, he personally developed friendships with his players and earned their respect. By earning that respect, Tomsula gave back to them hope and faith and knew how to teach his players. One defensive experiment was defensive tackle, Isaac Sopoaga. He was strong player with potential, if not was going to be a rotational defensive tackle for the rest of his career. Tomsula taught Sopoaga and turned him into a relevant player earning the nose tackle job. After the injury that sent his bags packing out of San Francisco, the New England Patriots went on to sign him to help on the defensive line with Vince Wilfork. Belichick was never able to get anything out of Sopoaga and he was later released. Tomsula's scheme and coaching helped build up Sopoaga into something relevant what other teams failed to do. Another project is the development of Ian Williams, in which Williams credits Tomsula for improving his game and becoming a name. Ian Williams was undrafted out Notre Dame, and has been a starter in the place of the injured and once highly touted draft prospect Glenn Dorsey. Glenn Dorsey is another player who has excelled under the coaching of Jim Tomsula. Coming from a 4-3 scheme in Kansas City, Dorsey failed to live up to expectations and found himself out of Kansas City and the 49ers scooped him up in free agency. From there, Tomsula developed him into a 3-4 scheme and the man to anchor the interior of the defensive line. 5th round draft pick from 2014, Aaron Lynch, has mighty things to say about Tomsula toughness, but his ability to get the most out of players in an effective and non-damaging way is what stands out. In other words, he is personable but will push his players to get the best out of them. One of my favorite highlights from the 2014 season came in the Week 15 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. The 49ers ran thin on tight ends and had to call up Asante Cleveland from the practice squad. Cleveland made some inexperienced mistakes and dropped a pass. He went over to the sidelines and looked dejected. Drawing away from the out-of-bounds marker was Jim Tomsula, walking over to Asante Cleveland sitting on the bench. Tomsula put his arm around and patted Asante on the shoulder pad and was providing encouragement. Cleveland was activated to the 53 man roster for that game, but this was a practice squad player who was treated as if he was already on the team for years. That moment stood out to me and shows how much Tomsula cares about the players on this team. I never saw moments like that with Jim Harbaugh as coach.
I love the Jim Tomsula hire, and I know a lot of individuals want to blame the front office right now for hiring a guy with lack of experience, and only one game under his belt as head coach (as an interim). Inexperience with football isn't the only issue in sports. Today's managers in baseball have been a concern with the lack of managerial experience for some teams, when it was expected in the past to have experience to land the manager gig. Mike Matheny, manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, held no previous manager title, and has led the Cardinals to the playoffs in each of his seasons as the manager. Brad Ausmus was a first year head coach for the Detroit Tigers in 2014 and he led the Tigers to the playoffs in his first season. Previous experience traditionally makes sense for why you should hire a coach, but if you interview a candidate and they seem qualified, it may be worth checking out. How did the Steelers feel after Bill Cowher retired and the organization chose Mike Tomlin to replace him? Tomlin was young and served as a defensive backs coach in the past and was the Vikings defensive coordinator for one season. The Pittsburgh Steelers (just became of their name) could hire any coach they please due to their rich history in the NFL. Of the candidates, they gambled with Mike Tomlin. Tomlin has brought them to the playoffs and led them to a Lombardi trophy in 2008. What makes Mike Tomlin a great coach is his personality, he is personable with the players, and he teaches. Jim Tomsula reminds me a lot of Mike Tomlin although he is a lot older. Tomsula has worked his way up to the defensive line coach position and he is a blue collar man, who worked to get where he is. If the fans and media can't respect that because they want the popular names to replace Harbaugh, why don't they take the time to give Tomsula a chance to prove what he is capable of. Trent Baalke and Jed York are taking a lot of flack, but Baalke has shown what kind of talent evaluator he is, and will bring the guys Tomsula and the assistants need to succeed. A new billion dollar stadium, a stagnant offense, and a controlling head coach, are all reasons why a change needed to happen. Harbaugh is a great coach and he should thrive at the college level to get what he personally wants. Jed York, on the other hand, is a young owner and will learn over time how to conduct himself to the public, but York has the DeBartolo blood in him and is going to bring to the 49ers what he feels it needs to succeed. Jim Tomsula is that start and the teacher York is looking for to lead this organization.
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