San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Tomsula met with the media today at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. He seemed more comfortable in front of the media than he has in the past.
Tomsula even discussed his initial press conference and interviews which have been widely criticized by the media. Regarding his introductory press conference, he said "I didn't do a good job." He stated that he did not get enough rest the night before even through he was encouraged to do so.
When asked about the transition from smaller audiences to larger ones now that he is an NFL head coach, he stated that he does have some experience with larger audiences from his time in NFL Europe.
He also said that he has been practicing his interview skills with team officials. Immediately after saying that, he moved the microphone down so that it was no longer blocking his nose and jokingly said that was one of the things that he was supposed to do.
When asked about the team's schematics on defense, Tomsula said that they would use the schematics that have already been established. Their personnel is set for that. For example, they would stay with the 3-4. He added, "We're going to use the players that we have. We have some dynamic players."
On offense, he said "Obviously, we want to run the football." That's something that general manager Trent Baalke established during the press conference introducing Tomsula.
In regards to running back Frank Gore, he called himself a "big Frank Gore guy" and confirmed that contact talks are ongoing along with all of their free agents, including wide receiver Michael Crabtree.
Regarding Justin Smith, he said that he would "shoot the bologna" with the defensive lineman after the NFL Scouting Combine. Tomsula stated that Smith has earned the right to make decisions on his own terms. Once again, Smith is contemplating retirement.
When asked about his quarterback's recent outburst with a fan on Twitter, he responded by saying that he heard about the issue this morning but also added, "I'm not a Twitter guy. I don't tweet. I don't look at tweets. I'm not really good with all of that stuff." Yesterday, Colin Kaepernick verbally attacked a fan that criticized his ability to find the open receiver.
He also talked about quarterback coach Steve Logan's ability to adapt his approach with each player. It was something that he had to do in NFL Europe where teams were constantly working with new quarterbacks each season.
