Tomsula, whom York called “Jimmy T.” was let go Sunday after a 19-16 overtime victory against the St. Louis Rams to finish the season.
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“This season was frustrating on a number of levels”, York said in the media conference that lasted more than 27 minutes. York did acknowledge that “[Harbaugh] is a good football coach, ” following it up with, “I’m not at all surprised he’s succeeding at MI”. “My job status and anything going forward there can be handled throughout the rest of the week”.
(AP Photo/Tony Avelar). San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Tomsula waves to fans as he walks off the field after an NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016.
Hayne is heading back to Australia on holiday, but whether or not he’ll be returning to the west coast of the United States later this year is anyone’s guess.
York said he has a clear understanding of what the 49ers want for their next head coach, but the list of candidates is short. “As much as how I’d like to share how I feel about our team, it’s not helpful for our club for me to talk about how we feel when we win, how I feel when we lose”.
“It’s rare in this league that you get a coach that truly, genuinely cares about his players”. It was an odd decision that was questioned by many, because Tomsula had simply been the 49ers’ defensive line coach for the past eight years. Most coaching contracts include an offset clause, which means that if the coach gets hired somewhere else, the team that got rid of him wouldn’t have to pay his salary.
Kelly would bring an offensive system that seems to fit the skill set of quarterback Colin Kaepernick to San Francisco, but the 49ers’ commitment to Kaepernick long-term is flimsy at best. “We need to make sure that all of our effort is focused on the next head coach of the team”.
York acknowledged that Baalke and the next coach will work together to decide who controls the 53-man roster. “You always think that. “(I) understand exactly what this fan base looks for and what this ownership looks for.
Thanks to Dawson’s game-winner in overtime – and Dontae Johnson’s block of Rams kicker Greg Zuerlein’s 48-yard attempt five snaps earlier – no 49ers were upset with Tomsula’s approach.
Baalke has been with the team since 2005, rising through the ranks as a scout and player personnel executive before assuming the general manager’s post in 2011. “We took a step back from our ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl”.
“The world is so much different today then when my uncle ran the team”, York said, referring to former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo. That we can trust he’s going to do everything he can to get us back to that place. “I know that if I need direction, if I need guidance, if I need somebody to help, I’ve got a person I think is the best owner in the history of sports that’s on my team and on my side that I can turn to any time”.
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Shortly after the firing was announced, now-Michigan coach Harbaugh appeared to chime in on Twitter: “Do not be deceived”. “I’m not going to dive into that”.
