Former San Francisco 49ers great Brent Jones, who played tight end for the team from 1987 until 1997, was on KNBR 680 yesterday. He discussed a number of 49ers-related topics, including the search for a new head coach. The interview and Jones' thoughts on the topic are really intriguing which makes it worth a listen.
One of the more interesting side-topics was a discussion about former great head coach Bill Walsh and his brilliance when it came to motivating and inspire those that played for him. It was a trait that Jones hopes the 49ers can find within a new head coach. Jones knows that it is tough to inspire players that are making significantly more money than the coaching staff. Jones played for two seasons under Walsh.
"Bill Walsh was a genius at motivating different guys different ways," Jones said. "Some guys needed a pat on the backside. Some guys you needed to grab them by the facemask and scream at them. Some guys needed to be reminded that their contract is up. Other guys would need to be reminded that they guy behind you is starting to put pressure on you.
"Bill was a master at figuring out how each guy ticked and what would inspire him. So nobody – under Bill – nobody felt comfortable. That's why nobody was friends with Bill until after he was done coaching and I loved the man. He was great. I'd go visit him at Stanford all of the time, but when he was my coach, I was scared to death of the guy. And most people, they respected him, but they didn't like him at the time."
You can listen to the entire interview on KNBR 680.
Walsh is considered to be the greatest head coach in 49ers franchise history and one of the greatest NFL minds in league history. He was the head coach of the team from 1978 until 1988 and brought home three Super Bowl championships during that span. Walsh served as the team's vice president and general manager for three years and then as a consultant for three more. The legendary coach passed away in 2007 at the age of 75.
The 49ers are currently entrenched within a search for a new head coach and general manager following the firings of Chip Kelly and Trent Baalke.