The San Francisco 49ers made a mistake by parting ways with Jim Harbaugh. But that's in the past now, and the future was always going to lie with either an innovative offensive mind or someone familiar who could be controlled by meddling ownership.
In the end, control won, and former defensive line coach Jim Tomsula has been promoted to become the franchise's 19th head coach, according to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter and later confirmed by the 49ers.Tomsula has been with the 49ers since 2007 and assumed interim head coaching duties after the team fired Mike Singletary in 2010. Contractual details still need to be finalized with various I's dotted and T's crossed. But the decision itself appears nearly finalized.
This hiring isn't a mistake or a misstep. Instead it's safe, though still difficult to digest after a coach who had a 44-19-1 record and went to three straight NFC Championship Games (oh, and a Super Bowl) just left town.
Although Tomsula worked alongside Harbaugh, he has a deeper relationship with the 49ers and CEO Jed York that extends beyond the team's most recent ex-coach. That gives him a more forgiving ear and will avoid the alpha-male divide that separated Harbaugh from York and general manager Trent Baalke.He's a defense-oriented coach, and that plays to an already existing strength, though it's concerning that defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is now reportedly set to leave. He's the true architect of a defense that somehow finished fifth overall in yards allowed per game this season despite rampant injuries.
Fangio has fielded a top-five defense in each of his four seasons as coordinator. Tuesday, NFL Network's Michael Silver reported that Fangio would find employment elsewhere if he wasn't promoted to the top job in San Francisco:
The problem with Tomsula will become progress and whether he can make any quickly to rebound after an 8-8 season. And that's partly out of his hands.
Defense isn't the pressing issue in San Francisco, and it won't be any time soon. Tomsula's defensive mind may elevate an already thriving unit, but the true weakness lies on the other side of the ball.
Which is why the solution for what ails the 49ers is yet to come.Both Tomsula and, more importantly, his quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, need an elite offensive mind. The 49ers offense regressed dramatically in 2014 along with its quarterback, averaging only 19.1 points per game (25th). Worse, throughout the season, they averaged a league-low 2.1 points in the fourth quarter.
Kaepernick was erratic at best, sometimes fitting balls through tight windows on throws others wouldn't attempt but more often making poor decisions and looking lost in the pocket while failing to go through his progressions. He was always going to be a project, and there was always the potential his development would slow.Gase represented a risk with his lack of head coaching experience. But Tomsula isn't far ahead in that regard, though being a head coach for one season in NFL Europe earns him some experience points.
What Tomsula has, however, is a relationship, and it's one that feels cozy for his superiors. If he represents the status quo, the 49ers have failed as an organization.
Source http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2330366-49ers-play-safe-with-tomsula-hire-future-lies-in-offensive-coordinator-search
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