My letter to the one's in the middle of it all

Well, I didn't see any thread where all these guys we addressed together and thought I might blurt out all my thoughts to these various people in the middle of this poop of a season.

Start from the top down:

Jed York:
"Dear Jed,
When you were first promoted to CEO of the team, you came in with bravado and promises of a winning culture. You talked of how much you admired and would model your uncle Eddie in running the team, how the losing culture that was established was not the true 49er way and that we were going to get back to our roots as an organization that was the envy of the league. You changed the jersey's back to the glory days design, got the ball rolling on a new stadium and quickly promoted the fan and player favorite interim head coach Mike Singletary as your first coaching hire. It stirred the fan base and got everyone excited about the future. However, what we didn't see at the time was what it revealed about you as a CEO of the team. You pandered to a fan base in all the ways that would make the team money. Hiring Singletary - who wouldn't have qualified for a coordinator position in the league was a cheap option that would ring well with the fanbase and those who buy the tickets. You hired the man in the locker room in front of the players and cameras. While this might be a move that would get people excited, this isn't the way an owner should conduct himself over matters as important as the teams head coach. It became more of a publicity stunt than a level headed, well advised decision. You changed the Jersey's to harken back to the, "glory days", so you said. But does a different color on a Jersey make players play better or does it help you sell more Jersey's because the old ones aren't current? We thought you were mostly in to winning football, but, as it seems, the apple truly doesn't fall far from the tree.

Then, after 2 disastrous seasons, you fired Mike Singletary with 1 game left in the season - why???? You talked about how a new head coach wouldn't be hired until a GM had been hired(Trent Baalke was just the interim at the time)There was one game left and did that extra 5 days really do anything? Again, it seemed like a move from an owner trying to prove to the fanbase that he's dedicated to winning. You then promoted Baalke and the two of you sought out to find the new HC. Your search didn't take you far, to Jim Harbaugh. It was the logical choice. He was a winner who knew football, lived close by and was a clear departure from the Singletary era. During your courting of Jim you again revealed yourself for what you are - an owner who is always looking to save money, not win. Jim was offered 50% more money from another organization, but you didn't budge. You felt that you weren't willing to pay any coach more than 5 mil a year. To your fortune, Jim liked the prospects of staying in Cali and accepted the offer. This ushered in an era of remarkable success for your team. You looked like you were going to be the owner of the decade, with a dynasty being built and a model organization that all would look to.

Alas, in the third act, this is when the drama turned from a happy ending to a tragedy. This past off-season you had the opportunity to send the message to your players and coaches that you were an owner completely invested in winning - and rewarding those who win. But, yet, you returned to your York roots and closed the pocket book. Jay Glazer reported at the beginning of the year that the issue between you and Harbaugh was not one of personality, or losing the NFCCG(necessarily), but that Harbaugh felt he was one of the top coaches in the league and felt it was time to be paid like it - he wanted respect. He wanted you to give him credit and his just due for the success he brought to an organization. You, reportedly, "didn't want to commit that much money to him quite yet". That's when Camelot began to crumble. It was reported that, despite how the season turned out, you and Harbaugh were going to part ways. He wanted money, you didn't want to pay out. Your ego, your refusal to spend money, told you that you didn't need Jim Harbaugh. You hired one good coach, you can hire another. You built a stadium, you had a team in the SB. But, the problem was, you didn't do any of that. The message you sent to the team and players was that, "we always think we can replace you with a cheaper option". Starters who had great years in 2013 looked for pay raises - you didn't budge. They held out, you didn't budge - not wanting to "cave" to the demands of players. It's not "caving" if you reward players for playing great. If you take away the incentive, they stop working for it(i.e. Alex Boone, Vernon Davis, Crabtree) because they don't believe you'll look to take care of them.

So now, we sit at the end of a season that was full of problems and issues and you tweeting out(like a kid yelling out that he wants to be taken seriously) about how "unacceptable" the season was. What's sad in all of this, is that this is the first time in 20 years that this organization has had this kind of success. This is the first time since your family has owned the team that the team had this kind of success. This was the first coach that your family hired that actually had a winning season! Yet, you believe that you can find another guy to do the same thing just as easily. You think that great coaches are chomping at the bit to be your coach. You believe that being a coach of the 49ers alone has such intrinsic value, that they will disregard other offers or situations to come work for you. This is why we, as fans, are so disheartened with the coming events. Because when we have a losing season, we don't look back at the ticket receipts, the merchandise sales and profit from it.

Trent Baalke:
Dear Trent,
There's no denying that you have helped build this team. You brought in good talent, you helped provide the team and some players with contract extensions that managed the cap well, and you have been a steady hand behind the scenes. However, you failed to learn the lessons of the other great dynasty of the 90's that crubmled - the Dallas Cowboys. They fell apart, Why? Because Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson both wanted the credit for building a winner - and neither one would give it to each other. You wanted to Jim Harbaugh to give you the credit for building a championship caliber roster and Jim wanted you to give him the credit for turning them into winners. Like two girls at the prom wearing the same dress, you distanced yourself from each other, stopped working together and stopped having a working relationship of any kind. Granted, this season was tough, so many off-field issues, injuries, suspensions, but those things come back on the GM - not the coach. The general manager is supposed to manage the roster - not the coach. That falls back on you. If you want the credit - you have to be willing to take the blame. Instead, you've wanted to pass the buck off to the coach you failed to give the credit for success. When the owner didn't want to pay him, you backed it up. Eddie DeBartelo said he fired Bill Walsh, "half a dozen times" but his GM didn't let him, talked the sense into Eddie and worked as an intermediary. You didn't do that, you continued to sour the milk. Why? Because your ego told you that you were really the one who built a winner, that brought the success, that deserved the credit. Now, we stare down the barrel of a pivotal off-season where every coach your hire has to bear in mind that if he doesn't pet your ego, if he doesn't do as you command, his future will every be in doubt.

Jim Harbaugh:
Dear Jim,
These last 4 years have been a ride. We've been so close so many times, but, not this year. I know we've had injuries, I know we've had troubles in paradise. But, in all of that, we still had opportunities to win, we had so many games slip away, so many chances missed. Why? We ask you and you say, "it's something we're trying to figure out". Well, you wanted to be given the credit and paid the big bucks, so why couldn't you figure it out? You want the players to act as professionals and put all the distractions away and play their best, they needed to know that their coach would do the same. Instead, the off-season was filled with rumors and stories about how you were entertaining greener pastures. How could you expect your players to play their best for the "team" when the coach was dating other teams? Your handpicked QB struggled all season, even after 4 years of your tutelage. How did that happen Jim? Trent gave you the talent to be an offensive juggernaut, yet, it floundered. So here we are, at an awkward good-bye. Some want you to stay, some want you gone, many think you don't want to stay. You're future is going to be bright, somewhere else and we wish you the best. You brought us more to cheer about than anyone in 20 years - that was great. But, you also failed to learn the lessons of the great dynasties of how to continue that success. Hopefully, all our success doesn't leave with you. Good luck.

Colin Kaepernick:
Dear Colin,
You looked so promising to so many when you broke onto the scene 2 years ago. You brought explosiveness to an offensive that was more known for efficiency than scoring. You rose like a rocket, taking us to the Super Bowl. It was oh so close to a Lombardi, but we couldn't get there. Last year, you had little to work with on offense and the offense struggled throughout most of the year, but then began to hit stride and you again took us to the NFCCG and again, came oh so close.... Then came another off-season of the same headlines as before, "Kaepernick working out with sprinters in the off-season". Why? a 4.4 40 isn't fast enough for a QB?? Did you not know that in 48 years of super bowls that no QB had ever ran under 4.5?? In the off-season, Peyton Manning went to Nick Saban to learn more about football, you went to the beach to run wind sprints.... To your credit, you could've demanded a bigger off-season extension and signed a very team-friendly deal. But, you didn't turn that gamble on yourself in to anything. Instead of working at what you weren't good at, you worked at what you were already good at. Instead of learning all the things that have made EVERY HOF QB a HOF QB, you worked on what made DeSean Jackson a pro-bowler. I still believe in you as a franchise QB, but, you have to realize, a 90 yard TD is great, but not right after you fumble the ball into the endzone because you didn't know where to go with the ball. I understand your O-line was shaky, but so has Aaron Rodgers' line been almost his entire career. You can do better, you must do better. Stop working on your strides and your sprints - those haven't helped you avoid sacks - they've caused them. Call up Steve Young, I'm sure he'd work with you in the off-season, let him show you how to be great. Let him do to you what was done to him. Let your ego take a step back and decide to learn from those who proved a long history of greatness and success at the highest level.

Yorks gonna York

romanexcuses

Our FO tried to trade Harbaugh in the off-season lol...clowns. Then all the leaks to the media to create distractions. Easily one of the biggest reason for this disastrous season. Harbaugh deserves blame too...but you don't expect FO to be so unprofessional.

Sadly, it's not the first time Jed has handled this poorly.

Spot on.....when it's all said and done what I'm gonna remembers is:

1.) how fun and exciting 2011 was
2.) how frustrating the first 2 and half quarters of the super bowl was
3.) how senseless the tearing apart of the whole thing has been

Im glad I got to witness the mid to back half of the dynasty years (for me it's been 1987 and on), therefore I've seen countless title games and have got to celebrate multiple super bowls. Cause right now that's what's getting me thru this s**tshow of a season.

York and his cheap ass

Originally posted by cciowa:
romanexcuses

I simply left Roman out of it because it would've turned into another "fire roman" thread.....

Originally posted by 4ML:
Our FO tried to trade Harbaugh in the off-season lol...clowns. Then all the leaks to the media to create distractions. Easily one of the biggest reason for this disastrous season. Harbaugh deserves blame too...but you don't expect FO to be so unprofessional.

Sadly, it's not the first time Jed has handled this poorly.

How do you know this? Because Lombardi and Banner leaked it to the media? All we know is that the Browns called up the 49ers and asked about Harbaugh, Baalke like any good GM, listened, presented the offer to Harbaugh which he apparently declined. That was the end of it.


I highly doubt that you had Baalke calling up teams out of the blue saying "WOULDYA LIKE A NEW COACH?"

Originally posted by jonnydel:
Starters who had great years in 2013 looked for pay raises - you didn't budge. They held out, you didn't budge - not wanting to "cave" to the demands of players. It's not "caving" if you reward players for playing great. If you take away the incentive, they stop working for it(i.e. Alex Boone, Vernon Davis, Crabtree) because they don't believe you'll look to take care of them.

The front office has gone out and rewarded the guys that they think they can't do without(ie.....Bowman....Davis...etc) You can't make everyone happy and you can't pay everyone what they want without blowing up the entire roster.

Not sure how you're blaming Jed for this team being largely responsible in how they are managing the salary cap and trying to keep as many guys as possible while replacing those they deem expendable. Nobody forced Boone and Davis to sign their contracts, at the time they signed them they were being paid extremely well. If a guy really wants a new deal, the answer is to go out and perform through the end of the old one, then go and get paid what you think you're worth. Instead Boone and Davis threw fits and neither one played up to their normal level, especially Davis who has been mostly terrible.


If you really want to keep a team's window open, you have to be selective about the guys you keep and the guys you let go. This team has done largely a good job of that. If you look at teams like the Patriots and the Steelers, they've continually let go of guys who they felt were too overpriced, guys who they felt could be replaced. If you overspend, you end up like the 49ers did back in 2003, 2004, stuck in salary cap hell because of poor management and front office decisions.

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

Originally posted by 4ML:

Our FO tried to trade Harbaugh in the off-season lol...clowns. Then all the leaks to the media to create distractions. Easily one of the biggest reason for this disastrous season. Harbaugh deserves blame too...but you don't expect FO to be so unprofessional.

Sadly, it's not the first time Jed has handled this poorly.

How do you know this? Because Lombardi and Banner leaked it to the media? All we know is that the Browns called up the 49ers and asked about Harbaugh, Baalke like any good GM, listened, presented the offer to Harbaugh which he apparently declined. That was the end of it.


I highly doubt that you had Baalke calling up teams out of the blue saying "WOULDYA LIKE A NEW COACH?"

Contract extension talks going on and then they ask him if he is okay with a trade to the Browns?!?

That's a big f**k you to Harbaugh and probably where everything went south

Originally posted by blizzuntz:

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

Originally posted by 4ML:
Our FO tried to trade Harbaugh in the off-season lol...clowns. Then all the leaks to the media to create distractions. Easily one of the biggest reason for this disastrous season. Harbaugh deserves blame too...but you don't expect FO to be so unprofessional.

Sadly, it's not the first time Jed has handled this poorly.

How do you know this? Because Lombardi and Banner leaked it to the media? All we know is that the Browns called up the 49ers and asked about Harbaugh, Baalke like any good GM, listened, presented the offer to Harbaugh which he apparently declined. That was the end of it.


I highly doubt that you had Baalke calling up teams out of the blue saying "WOULDYA LIKE A NEW COACH?"

Contract extension talks going on and then they ask him if he is okay with a trade to the Browns?!?

That's a big f**k you to Harbaugh and probably where everything went south

Probably went south when the Yorks refused to pay $7-8 per year. Its always about the money.

Originally posted by blizzuntz:
Contract extension talks going on and then they ask him if he is okay with a trade to the Browns?!?

That's a big f**k you to Harbaugh and probably where everything went south

I feel like things went south when Dahl joined the team and said "your offense is laughably predictable." Hence Mangini joining the coaching staff to babysit Roman shortly after.

Originally posted by susweel:

Originally posted by blizzuntz:

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

Originally posted by 4ML:

Our FO tried to trade Harbaugh in the off-season lol...clowns. Then all the leaks to the media to create distractions. Easily one of the biggest reason for this disastrous season. Harbaugh deserves blame too...but you don't expect FO to be so unprofessional.

Sadly, it's not the first time Jed has handled this poorly.

How do you know this? Because Lombardi and Banner leaked it to the media? All we know is that the Browns called up the 49ers and asked about Harbaugh, Baalke like any good GM, listened, presented the offer to Harbaugh which he apparently declined. That was the end of it.


I highly doubt that you had Baalke calling up teams out of the blue saying "WOULDYA LIKE A NEW COACH?"

Contract extension talks going on and then they ask him if he is okay with a trade to the Browns?!?

That's a big f**k you to Harbaugh and probably where everything went south

Probably went south when the Yorks refused to pay $7-8 per year. Its always about the money.

Pretty much. If anything we should all thank Mrs Harbaugh and all the coaching staff s wives and children who wanted to stay in the Bay Area after Stanford.

Bc if Harbaugh is a bachelor and wanted Bigger $ he would have taken the higher paying job in Miami.

Originally posted by jonnydel:

Originally posted by cciowa:
romanexcuses

I simply left Roman out of it because it would've turned into another "fire roman" thread.....

Smart man!