How much blame for Eddie D?

Niners99 · 2017-01-30T00:29:29-08:00

I was looking at the 49ers GM history, and it made me question how much of a role the DeBartolo+York family really played in our success since they bought the team in the 70's. Everyone loved Eddie D because he was a passionate free-spender who knew his players personally. But aside from his heart, he almost hurt the team just as much as he helped, it seems. From 1979-1997, pretty much our entire dynasty, our GM's were Bill Walsh, John McVay, and Carmen Policy. Walsh was the mastermind behind the WCO and drafting our HOF players like Montana, Rice, Lott, Craig, trading for Young, etc. McVay and Policy were the guys who prevented Eddie D from firing Bill Walsh over petty BS. About 12 times, according to Policy. Eddie couldn't control his temper. Had they not been in place, Eddie D would've collapsed the entire thing early on by punting Walsh. Then Eddie gets busted in the riverboat BS, and gets the team taken away. He and his family pushed Carmen Policy out, and have erased him out of team history. Not one mention of his name in the 49ers museum. Immediately after Eddie D gets suspended, Policy is forced out, and Youngs career ends on the Aeneas Williams hit in the late 90's, the team is handed over to his incompetent sister and her dorky husband. Eddie D then chooses his family business over the 49ers, and lets his sister keep the team, even after he's reinstated. Since then, the bumbling DeBartolo York's hired Terry Donahue as GM, fired Steve Mariucci, hired Dennis Erickson, and hired Mike Nolan as HC (and gave him ultimate power). They turn the team over to their idiotic, spoiled kid Jed, and he fires Jim Harbaugh and lets Trent Baalke and Paraag screw everything up. If you remove the contributions by the HOF caliber coaches, execs, and their players, who ran this football team since 1979, the DeBartolo/York family has really played a major role in derailing everything the franchise became. Eddie D was instrumental, but ultimately his temper, shady business practices, and petty behavior threw our franchise well off the tracks of being a consistently great and well run machine like the Steelers/Packers/Giants. After he was through with his part, he pretty much gave up on us, and turned us over to his totally incompetent relatives. So do you think that Eddie D gets enough blame for what we have become? The nostalgia seems to get him nothing but love from the fans. What if he took the team back after reinstatement, and buried the hatchet with Policy? Theres no way the Terry Donahue/Dennis Erickson era ever happens, and with it the downfall of the franchise.

Jan 30, 2017 at 2:23 AM

Dr_Bill_Walsh
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Posts: 20,745

No. it was because I masturbated prior to the playoff games against the Falcons in 1999 and the Bucs in 2003.

/dynasty

Jan 30, 2017 at 2:25 AM

English
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Just to mention, Donahue, the worst thing to happen to the team since Joe Thomas, was apparently taken on the advice of Bill Walsh. So no one is blameless not even BW. But yes, Eddie did not walk on water and the bribery business was appalling.

As you mentioned Policy, he was the pilot into salary cap hell.

Jun 8, 2017 at 10:46 PM

GoldenGateGlory
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Posts: 1,503

The only blame for Eddie is the fact he didn't hand off the 9ers to one of his lineage who was smart and business and football savvy like he was.

Jun 8, 2017 at 11:07 PM

VaBeachNiner
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Lol, this dude is gonna break the post record before the end of the month.

Jun 9, 2017 at 12:49 AM

Giedi
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Posts: 35,088

Originally posted by GoldenGateGlory:
The only blame for Eddie is the fact he didn't hand off the 9ers to one of his lineage who was smart and business and football savvy like he was.

He's top of the line in my book. Very few NFL owners have 5 super bowl trophies. As for his screw up with the law and him giving up the 49ers - I don't think it was clear that he would be reinstated by the NFL during the lawsuit with his sister. I could be wrong though. But if it was unclear, then I don't think you can blame him for getting the real estate vs the team. As for the gambling felony, it's my understanding that it was supposedly done in by his long time friend Edwin Edwards. Eddie simply failed to report a bribe, which is different from actually committing a crime.

Jun 9, 2017 at 7:15 AM

mayo49
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Posts: 65,216

It was all is his fault. If he didn't have to give up the team, Jed would have never had the opportunity to run the team.

Jun 9, 2017 at 7:34 AM

RishikeshA
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Posts: 12,720

He made a mistake and lost the love of his life, the care he's given to his players, even after losing the team is unparalleled. How many Super Bowls would we have won if Eddie was around. He was one of the few owners in sports that losing was never an option. My most painful experiences as a 49er fan are, "There will be no 3peat", and Eddie D. no longer owning the team.

Jun 9, 2017 at 8:08 AM

GolittaCamper
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Posts: 7,284

Eddie D was chased out of the league in BS charges, because his free spending ways made the League enter into revenue sharing and salary caps.....you know exactly what makes the NFL so great. The never should have chased him away, his contrubution the the NFL, much like Bill Walsh's can't ever be fully understood, just know that everything great about the NFL, the precision passing game, the parity, all stem fromEddie D!

Jun 9, 2017 at 9:08 AM

Giedi
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Posts: 35,088

Originally posted by GolittaCamper:
Eddie D was chased out of the league in BS charges, because his free spending ways made the League enter into revenue sharing and salary caps.....you know exactly what makes the NFL so great. The never should have chased him away, his contrubution the the NFL, much like Bill Walsh's can't ever be fully understood, just know that everything great about the NFL, the precision passing game, the parity, all stem fromEddie D!

The Salary Cap should be called "the DeBartolo Rule" This organization has affected the NFL in so many ways. The WCO - of course came from the relationship between Walsh and Eddie. Two major parts of the NFL today is because of Eddie.

Jun 9, 2017 at 9:11 AM

#10

Lott49ersFan
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Posts: 2,444

GOAT. Enough said.

Jun 9, 2017 at 9:44 AM

#11

English
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Posts: 41,443

Originally posted by Giedi:
Originally posted by GolittaCamper:
Eddie D was chased out of the league in BS charges, because his free spending ways made the League enter into revenue sharing and salary caps.....you know exactly what makes the NFL so great. The never should have chased him away, his contrubution the the NFL, much like Bill Walsh's can't ever be fully understood, just know that everything great about the NFL, the precision passing game, the parity, all stem fromEddie D!

The Salary Cap should be called "the DeBartolo Rule" This organization has affected the NFL in so many ways. The WCO - of course came from the relationship between Walsh and Eddie. Two major parts of the NFL today is because of Eddie.

My understanding is that Bill Walsh developed the WCO whilst still with the Bengals under Paul Brown.

Jun 9, 2017 at 9:51 AM

#12

Giedi
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Posts: 35,088

Originally posted by English:

Originally posted by Giedi:

Originally posted by GolittaCamper:
Eddie D was chased out of the league in BS charges, because his free spending ways made the League enter into revenue sharing and salary caps.....you know exactly what makes the NFL so great. The never should have chased him away, his contrubution the the NFL, much like Bill Walsh's can't ever be fully understood, just know that everything great about the NFL, the precision passing game, the parity, all stem fromEddie D!

The Salary Cap should be called "the DeBartolo Rule" This organization has affected the NFL in so many ways. The WCO - of course came from the relationship between Walsh and Eddie. Two major parts of the NFL today is because of Eddie.

My understanding is that Bill Walsh developed the WCO whilst still with the Bengals under Paul Brown.

Well, without Eddie hiring and trusting Walsh to do it "Walsh's way." I don't think you'd have a WCO.

Jun 9, 2017 at 2:08 PM

#13

brodiebluebanaszak
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Posts: 15,585

Originally posted by English:
My understanding is that Bill Walsh developed the WCO whilst still with the Bengals under Paul Brown.

Yes.

Jun 9, 2017 at 2:14 PM

#14

brodiebluebanaszak
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Posts: 15,585

Don't have a lot of hate for eddy. He kept the good times rolling. He made some bad business decisions and had to stay away from the NFL.

He couldn't give the franchise to anyone but denise and john, and they made the decision to hire jed.

None of them are competent and that's why we are here.

Eddy? I don't think of him as the trigger man.