Week 17 2015: Thoughts after the season and the offseason...

Thank God that's over...and I mean that on a number of levels.

1) Gabbert: Meh. Some good throws, but he's taken to throwing 5 yard passes into the dirt. That's something Kap started doing as well. I like Gabbert much more than I ever expected to, and that's to say I like him enough to be a solid backup.



2) It's over Jimmy: I love Jim Tomsula. The guy is fantastic. He's just badly miscast as a HC. It's not what he's good at. Somebody out there is going to be a great D-Line coach that will be a rock for them.

Having said that...and follow me here for a bit, I wonder if his hiring and firing may be the best thing that could have happened long term. The 49ers were going to suck this year. So many retirements, leaving free agents, and players that were just flat old. The Tomsula experiment may have served the team in a number of unintentional ways.

First, it provided the team with much better draft position to rebuild. Second, it may (I hope) have shown Jed that coaches are important. You can't just bring in A guy. The need THE guy. Third, and new coach won't have to contend with the ghost of Harbaugh. They'll contend with the ghost of Tomsula.

To be clear, I'm not in any way saying it was a good hire. What I'm saying is that the hire may have unintended benefits.



3) Ward: I've said this for a few weeks now, but Jimmie Ward is becoming a nice little player. Really like what I'm seeing from him. Aggressive as all hell.



4) Baalke: I see in the press that its pointless to fire Tomsula without Baalke. I think that's ludicrous. Baalke has become a whipping boy for the Harbaugh debacle and the personnel on this team. Well as Mike Silver reported, most candidates think there is more talent on the roster than is commonly perceived and that's after the rash of injuries, player defections, and aging out players. There is talent here. Young Talent.

If read in places that Baalke is among the worst in the NFL, and that's just total BS. IMO, firing Baalke would be akin to throwing out the baby with the bathwater.



5) Armstead: Also liking what I see from Arik. he got pushed past the play a few times, but MAN that guy has power. Hoping he can refine it and start next year. Too bad he won't have Tomsula in his corner to teach him.



6) Assistant Coaches: Hard to say too much without knowing who the next head guy would be, but I think the only absolute keeper is Tom Rathman. Mangini and the D seemed to get better as the season wore on as players started to have more understanding in his more complex system, so I wouldn't be all that averse to keeping him as the DC, but who knows.



7) York: Some media refuses to give him some credit, but he gets a hefty amount from me. He screwed up last year. I don't think anyone would say otherwise. H screwed up bad. He knows it. He's owning up to it. He's eating the coaching contracts from last year.

What he does next will be HUGE in regards to how we judge him...but give the guy credit for being humbled a bit and being willing to eat those contracts to make a change.



8) Draft: As annoyed as I was to see them win a meaningless game and drop 2 spots in the draft, at least I don't have to find myself in that awkward position of rooting against the team I love. So...the 7th pick it is. I doubt Goff lasts that long. I doubt he'll make it past pick #2.



9) New Coach: I'm not even gonna lie. I want Sean Payton. I like Hue Jackson as well, but I really want Payton. Who's everyone else got?



10) 2016: I think this might be a fun offseason. ANYTHING has to be better than last year, but this might be a lot of fun. :)

I really want Payton as well he's my number one. I would be happy with Holmgren, Shanny or Hue. Outside of those names, I would have to do some research on other candidates if it's outside of those names.

I just want an offensive mind as the next HC.

Payton!



OK... in light of the Coughlin news:

Holmgren!

Agree with 10. the most. After the offseason from hell, we have a good draft spot, a pile of cap space, an owner that realizes he made a huge mistake, and with any luck a new HC regime that understands offense.

I'm for Payton or Holmgren. Think Payton will wind up in New York however. Going from Drew to Eli has got to be more enticing than Drew to ? IMO

Things are already looking up. It's morning in 49erland again.

2) It's over Jimmy: I love Jim Tomsula. The guy is fantastic. He's just badly miscast as a HC. It's not what he's good at. Somebody out there is going to be a great D-Line coach that will be a rock for them.

Having said that...and follow me here for a bit, I wonder if his hiring and firing may be the best thing that could have happened long term. The 49ers were going to suck this year. So many retirements, leaving free agents, and players that were just flat old. The Tomsula experiment may have served the team in a number of unintentional ways.

First, it provided the team with much better draft position to rebuild. Second, it may (I hope) have shown Jed that coaches are important. You can't just bring in A guy. The need THE guy. Third, and new coach won't have to contend with the ghost of Harbaugh. They'll contend with the ghost of Tomsula.

To be clear, I'm not in any way saying it was a good hire. What I'm saying is that the hire may have unintended benefits.

In retrospect, I tend to think this was a planned reset year. Purge Kaep (unless he shines), purge the memory of Harbaugh, start building up young depth, save cap space. They probably had their high and low estimates of how the year would go. Though, the on-field results probably ended up worse than their own worst-case estimates.
Either way, onward to 2016.

8) Draft: As annoyed as I was to see them win a meaningless game and drop 2 spots in the draft, at least I don't have to find myself in that awkward position of rooting against the team I love. So...the 7th pick it is. I doubt Goff lasts that long. I doubt he'll make it past pick #2.

If the new HC really wants Goff, then I've got no problem trading assets, so long as it's not a ridiculous package.

9) New Coach: I'm not even gonna lie. I want Sean Payton. I like Hue Jackson as well, but I really want Payton. Who's everyone else got?

Payton, Jackson, and Gase come to mind. If it's Gase, then I'm curious if they'll also spend big on OC/DC, given it'd be his first time as HC.

^^ goff will cost a lot i do not see browns passing on him

I think it's really cool that the people that were bashing the banners flying over the stadium was a waste......Boy were they wrong. For those of us that thought it would make a huge difference I believe it did. For Jed to announce it during his press conference that he saw that was pretty damn amazing. I hope the people that were bashing us that supported that type of activity can eat crow because they were wrong. Sometimes A gesture like that is needed to help push a cause that certainly need it.

Having said that, I hope this year he spends money in free agency or at least instructs the GM too. Typically we don't spend it but I hope this year we get two good free agents instead of our typical bargain shopping and maybe one good free agent.

To those of you that think Geoff won't last until the seventh pick, I disagree. The only team that needs a quarterback that would draft it that high is Cleveland. They already have a good starter in McCown and a back up if they decide to keep him in Johnny football. Unless the Eagles trade all the way down to six I don't see how we wouldn't get that quarterback. They may even extend Bradford. So if that's the direction we're going I think were set at number seven

Nicely done, Marvin.

#2 Jimmy T....One of the best , well thot out paragraphs you have written, Marvin, and I wondered the same thing shortly after he was hired and then the retirements, Aldon, , Borland, etc. It seemed like a perfect fit, but a schidt can lousy yr coming up. Actually was way worse than I thot. But really nice piece on the perfect foil candidate.

#6. Mangini...whew, if it takes a yr, maybe two to learn a D, then that is not workable. That means any new guy , it takes him 2 yrs to learn. Not in the NFL, where, it is always, NOT FOR LONG. So maybe mangini has a good D, but all I remember was the entire middle of the field open all damn yr. Adios, plus I never liked the hire from the gitgo.

#9. Sean Payton...if a clean deal, I agree , great pick. But with N.O. has to agree, payton has to agree, the guy is owed $8.5 mil for this yr,....I would just say there are too many moving parts. While we dyck around with Payton, and make concessions for draft picks, we could have easily hired Hue, McDaniels, Shula, Shanny #1, Shanny #2, Chris Peterson, Dave shaw (nah, he knows the 9ers and he has a great job where he is),...but sure would like him, saban (nah) , Urban meyer(nah), but a call never hurt anything....Gase, if jed didn't screw that up last yr..We need a clean deal, and we need high round draft picks. Payton looks like a long shot to me.

i dont know what eric reid channeled in that last game but he played with reckless abandon

Originally posted by cortana49:

Payton!



OK... in light of the Coughlin news:

Holmgren!

You going to have 49ers logo put on his Depends??

Originally posted by zonkers:

2) It's over Jimmy: I love Jim Tomsula. The guy is fantastic. He's just badly miscast as a HC. It's not what he's good at. Somebody out there is going to be a great D-Line coach that will be a rock for them.

Having said that...and follow me here for a bit, I wonder if his hiring and firing may be the best thing that could have happened long term. The 49ers were going to suck this year. So many retirements, leaving free agents, and players that were just flat old. The Tomsula experiment may have served the team in a number of unintentional ways.

First, it provided the team with much better draft position to rebuild. Second, it may (I hope) have shown Jed that coaches are important. You can't just bring in A guy. The need THE guy. Third, and new coach won't have to contend with the ghost of Harbaugh. They'll contend with the ghost of Tomsula.

To be clear, I'm not in any way saying it was a good hire. What I'm saying is that the hire may have unintended benefits.

In retrospect, I tend to think this was a planned reset year. Purge Kaep (unless he shines), purge the memory of Harbaugh, start building up young depth, save cap space. They probably had their high and low estimates of how the year would go. Though, the on-field results probably ended up worse than their own worst-case estimates.
Either way, onward to 2016.

8) Draft: As annoyed as I was to see them win a meaningless game and drop 2 spots in the draft, at least I don't have to find myself in that awkward position of rooting against the team I love. So...the 7th pick it is. I doubt Goff lasts that long. I doubt he'll make it past pick #2.

If the new HC really wants Goff, then I've got no problem trading assets, so long as it's not a ridiculous package.

9) New Coach: I'm not even gonna lie. I want Sean Payton. I like Hue Jackson as well, but I really want Payton. Who's everyone else got?

Payton, Jackson, and Gase come to mind. If it's Gase, then I'm curious if they'll also spend big on OC/DC, given it'd be his first time as HC.

Why would you believe we are even on the radar for Gase? Or are you just writing that to fill space? We botched it. Very rare to see a do over in this league.

I too think this season may have unintended long term benefits, largely in making Jed grow up a bit.

I don't think Holmegren is an option, I think the team is looking for someone who will be in place for a decade ala Walsh and Darts Hoodie. Holmegren doesn't have that in the tank.

I'd love Payton with a really good DC, I think Rob Ryan was forced on him but I also think that Payton focusing on the offensive side of the draft and Baalke on defense would be a good match and those two guys know how to work together.

Originally posted by elguapo:
I think it's really cool that the people that were bashing the banners flying over the stadium was a waste......Boy were they wrong. For those of us that thought it would make a huge difference I believe it did. For Jed to announce it during his press conference that he saw that was pretty damn amazing. I hope the people that were bashing us that supported that type of activity can eat crow because they were wrong. Sometimes A gesture like that is needed to help push a cause that certainly need it.

Having said that, I hope this year he spends money in free agency or at least instructs the GM too. Typically we don't spend it but I hope this year we get two good free agents instead of our typical bargain shopping and maybe one good free agent.

To those of you that think Geoff won't last until the seventh pick, I disagree. The only team that needs a quarterback that would draft it that high is Cleveland. They already have a good starter in McCown and a back up if they decide to keep him in Johnny football. Unless the Eagles trade all the way down to six I don't see how we wouldn't get that quarterback. They may even extend Bradford. So if that's the direction we're going I think were set at number seven

Still think it was a waste.

The Banners didn't get Tomsula fired. 5-11 did.

Originally posted by Marvin49:
Thank God that's over...and I mean that on a number of levels.
9) New coach: I'm not even gonna lie. I want Sean Payton. I like Hue Jackson as well, but I really want Payton. Who's everyone else got?



10) 2016: I think this might be a fun offseason. ANYTHING has to be better than last year, but this might be a lot of fun. :)

I am not a fan of Hue Jackson. Numerous writers say he is a guy you either love or hate. Read that Dalton was scared of him until this year when he decided to just throw stuff back at him if he disagreed. Hue played of that and it has been working but... He does have a good offensive mind but I don't find that guys that elicit that type of love/hate relationships last long.

I'm all in on Payton.