Podcast: 49ers Offseason Stories with SI's Conor Orr →
Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports


State of The 49ers: Head Coaching Edition

Stewart M. Cockrell
Jan 4, 2016 at 8:31 AM


Well, it is official. The Jim Tomsula era is over in San Francisco and if we are perfectly honest with ourselves, did we ever think it would make it much past this year anyway? At least this way, the 49ers do not have to fire him in the middle of next season, deal with a stopgap, and possibly miss a really good candidate this off-season.

While the rumor mill is likely to be in full effect over the next few weeks as we look to fill our coaching position, there are many names already floating to the surface, some are interesting, and some are not so much in my opinion.

The Old Guard: The Two Mikes

Rumors have already surfaced that former 49ers assistant coaches Mike Holmgren and Mike Shanahan have expressed interest in a return to the 49ers. On paper, both of these guys make real sense from a historical and nostalgic standpoint. They both come from the Bill Walsh coaching tree in some form and what 49ers fan doesn't like that?

I have nothing against Mike Holmgren. However, I do worry about coaches that have been away from the game for an extended amount of time and I also worry about coaches that want personnel power. Unless your name is Bill Belichick, that tends to not work out so well. In general, it becomes a dumpster fire. That being said, every so often you will find a coach that can do both and it works. Is Holmgren that guy? It is really hard to tell since his last stop was a mess in Cleveland. Although, he had success in Seattle in the dual role. Of course, this is all a moot point since Baalke is not being relieved of his duties, so if this Mike gets the job, he will likely have to deal with the structure the York's have set up.

Mike Shanahan is a good choice from the standpoint of how his commitment to the ground game, as well as his blocking schemes that the 49ers have already implemented this year to some degree of success. The 49ers are set up to have a very strong running game, assuming Hyde can stay healthy and we can figure out what is going on with the offensive line. With new rumors that Anthony Davis is coming back next season, that is certainly a step in the right direction if it is true.

Both the Mikes would inherit a team with some talent, but with many holes. The offensive line is a mess and likely will be replacing Alex Boone this offseason as well as looking to repair the awful right side of the line. Defensively, the team does not feel far off as there is a young group of players that generally have played good despite the circumstances.

The Parcells Guy: Sean Payton

Baalke is a disciple of Bill Parcells, and while that is not a bad thing I still hold some Parcells resentment for ruining our shot at going for the three-peat in 1990, but that is a topic for another day. Sean Payton is the most intriguing person on this list because of his offensive mind. He has a championship resume and has done some great things in the Big Easy. The biggest question is what would be the cost to bring him in?

The 49ers currently have the seventh overall pick in the draft, and considering Drew Brees is not getting younger, it makes sense that New Orleans would love to get that pick to get a younger franchise quarterback. However, depending on how the 49ers are approaching the Colin Kaepernick situation, there is likely to be a few young quarterback choices the 49ers would like to bring in house with the seventh pick. Unless Payton is outright fired today or tomorrow, which may be unlikely, the Saints are going to want at least a 1st rounder and that price might be a bit much to pay this year. Unless Payton thinks that he can fix Colin Kaepernick, and that is the biggest mystery of them all.

The Outside Guys: Chip, Adam, and David

Chip Kelly has already expressed interest in the position and I can tell you that I for one am not a fan of that marriage at all. I will stand up in church and protest until he is out of town. I do not like the guy, I do not like his system, and I really do not like the fit with our team. However, if the 49ers are going to continue to have Colin Kaepernick on the team, then Kelly makes really good sense because if anyone can harness Kaepernick's skill set, it would be Chip. Frankly, I just do not like what he did in Philly and think that he will likely end up in Tennessee.

Adam Gase was the leader in the clubhouse last year, until the Baalke and York tried to stuff Tomsula down his throat as defensive coordinator, which ultimately led to Tomsula getting the nod. Gase is young and innovative on the offensive side of the ball. He has helped Jay Cutler settle down a little bit in Chicago. The biggest issue is would he even want to be interviewed again after the snub the 49ers laid on him last offseason? He clearly liked the team last year, so we can hope the love remains. I like him as a hire because I think this team is always better with an offensive minded coach. It is just in our blood.

David Shaw is the last of the outside guys that I think the 49ers will at least reach out to. He has done a great job at Stanford and looks poised to make the next step into the NFL. Anyone that has caught his coverage of the NFL draft the past few years has seen a guy that clearly has an eye for talent. This is a coach that could come in and take advantage of the 49ers personnel by running a system that fits our offensive line better. The big question is would Shaw want to follow Harbaugh's footsteps to the 49ers, given the ugly divorce that it was?

The Inside Guys: Who knows?

We have many former head coaches on our coaching staff and really the only one that makes sense is Eric Mangini. I do not like it, but it makes sense. It really would depend on the staff he could put together. Likely, there could be a lot of holdover, and I do not know if that is a good thing or not. Under this scenario, I would like to see Tom Rathman promoted to offensive coordinator. He has been a coach long enough in this league and I think would be an interesting choice.
The opinions within this article are those of the writer and, while just as important, are not necessarily those of the site as a whole.


4 Comments

  • Vic
    I vote for Jon Gruden. He is smart and good with Qb's not to mention he wants to coach again. It seems when he coached the players loved him.
    Jan 8, 2016 at 4:12 AM
    0
  • WRATHman44
    GASE. Shanny has had great success developing QBs and implementing the ZBS, but the last time he had to assemble a staff, he just threw together a staff that featured too many of his son's buddies. This time, he wouldn't even be able to do that, since his son is under contract to the Falcons. Payton is an offensive whiz, but he already got his ring. I think there's good reason why no coach has won a SB with two different teams. It's terribly unlikely to get that perfect mix in two different places. Beyond that, he's lost A LOT of games in recent years. Gase is the new offensive genius, and he's got Peyton Manning singing his praises, he's got Jay freaking Cutler looking like a QB again, and dude's hungry. He puts in crazy hours. He also advocates like crazy for his players, which might be handy, with a lot of players expressing how Tomsula's genuine concern for them was his most outstanding characteristic.
    Jan 4, 2016 at 3:34 PM
    0
  • mbniner
    I, for one, would like to see Shanahan as coach. I wanted him last year and I think that he would be a strong-minded knowledgeable leader. He has worked with that jerk owner in Washington so this would be a piece of cake for him. He knows how to use a running game and a sophisticated passing game. I would think that he would be able to attract top flight assistant coaches. And we wouldn't need to give up a draft pick to get him.
    Jan 4, 2016 at 11:01 AM
    0
  • Vince
    Bring back Jim he was the only coach that took the team to the playoff 2 strait years and the super bowl once since 95 me personally I don't think there was any reason of getting rid of him
    Jan 4, 2016 at 10:29 AM
    0

Facebook Comments



More San Francisco 49ers News



Utah State QB Logan Bonner meets with 49ers; John Lynch, others attend local pro days

By David Bonilla
Mar 22

According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the San Francisco 49ers were among the teams to meet with Utah State quarterback Logan Bonner at the school's pro day on Wednesday. The quarterback also met with the Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Las Vegas Raiders. Utah State quarterback Logan Bonner excelled at Pro Day, displaying arm talent, athleticism. Met with #Colts #Packers



49ers officially announce coaching staff hires

By Site Staff
Mar 23

The San Francisco 49ers officially announced the hirings of Steve Wilks as defensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak as offensive passing game specialist, Jacob Webster as defensive quality control coach, and Max Molz as coaching operations assistant. The Wilks and Kubiak hirings have been known since February but were never officially announced by the team. Such lengthy delays are not uncommon for the 49ers. The 49ers Communications staff provided the following rundown via a press release. Wilks, 53, joins the 49ers from the Carolina Panthers (2022), where he was promoted to interim head coach in Week 6 after initially serving as the secondary/defensive pass



Inside the recent 49ers coaching hires

By Rohan Chakravarthi
Mar 24

The San Francisco 49ers officially announced several coaching hires on Thursday: Steve Wilks as defensive coordinator, Klint Kubiak as offensive passing game specialist, Jacob Webster as defensive quality control coach, and Max Molz as coaching operations assistant. While the first two hires were made public in February, Jacob Webster and Max Molz weren't announced until the official statement from the organization on Thursday. Per 49ers Communications, Webster, 25, joins the 49ers after spending the 2022 season as a graduate assistant at the University of Wisconsin, where he worked with the team's offense. Webster spent the previous two years at the University of Missouri,



Podcast: 49ers with Grant Cohn: Are the 49ers the favorites in the NFC with Trey Lance?

By Rohan Chakravarthi
Mar 24

Rohan Chakravarthi and Grant Cohn discuss whether the 49ers are favorites in the NFC after free agency. The audio for the show is embedded above, while the video is available below. ?feature=share You can listen to "The Rohan Chakravarthi Show" from our


Featured

More by Stewart M. Cockrell

More Articles

Share 49ersWebzone