...and in other exciting news, Steve Jobs remains CEO of Apple and Barak Obama is now the President of the United States of America as opposed to just the President of the United States. And, in my first job ever at my advertising agency I went from Account Coordinator to Account Manager. I had a press conference that afternoon.
In addition to all of that other exciting stuff, the san francisco 49ers did announce that they have hired (or rather promoted) Trent Baalke from VP of Player Personnel to General Manager so they can officially keep wooing Jim Harbaugh.
To me, this news is not really news. They have made extra public the fact that Harbaugh is their number one target but needed a GM in place first. Ummm, why? Now they have a GM in place and he`s actually a guy who was already in place. Woohoo
Here's the deal, I don't think hiring Baalke was a bad move. In a year of such instability, why not keep someone who actually seems to know what he's doing and who has proven to do a pretty good job. My issue is that the 49ers made such a big deal about finding a GM. Money is no expense... yadda... yadda... we've hired a guy we already hired to help us secure a coach we've already been courting for over a week. Speaking of weak...
Congratulations to Trent Baalke. Good luck with your continued search for a head coach. No offense but I hope for the 49ers sake that Jim Harbaugh stays at Stanford or goes somewhere else and the 49ers get a coach with real NFL head coaching experience. They say a coach will be in place by Friday. Who, oh who, will it be?
After pounding the Arizona Cardinals yesterday, the San Francisco 49ers ended their season at 6-10, one game out of first place in the NFC Worst. We all know that there are lots of decisions the 49ers need to make including general manager, head coach, quarterback of the future, and more. Well one thing came into focus today - where the 49ers will draft.
With lots of bad news and gloom surrounding the 49ers, this is good: out of the 7 teams that finished with a 6-10 record, the 49ers actually get the lowest draft pick. While the Detroit Lions at 6-10 are drafting 13th overall, the 49ers at 6-10 are drafting 7th. That's pretty good huh? Their win only cost them 1-2 spots in the draft. Arizona will be drafting 5th. That is encouraging. The big question is - will it be a quarterback or will the 49ers address that need through free agency or a trade? We'll explore all throughout the offseason.
Here is the official draft order from 1-10
1. Carolina (2-14)
2. Denver (4-12)
3. Buffalo (4-12)
4. Cincinnati (4-12)
5. Arizona (5-11)
6. Cleveland (5-11)
7. 49ers (6-10)
8. Tennessee (6-10)
9. Dallas (6-10)
10. Washington (6-10)
Oh boy it is pure chaos in 49er-land. The Niners are putting on all appearances that they are open to who the next GM is going to be. And once they name their GM then next order of business is head coach followed by quarterback, gaping hole #3, gaping hole #4, and so on. Only there are a few potential problems I see with this plan.
First is the GM search - I have heard a lot that Trent Baalke, the 49ers current Vice Player of Personnel is the 'sure thing' to land the GM role. So... who cares? Why make such a big deal about finding and hiring a GM if your intention is to promote from within? Is asking Bill Parcells if Baalke is a good guy all of the assurance 49er fans need that he's going to make the right decisions? Lots of potential holes here that I will explore in an upcoming post.
But even more worrisome to me is the possible hire of current Stanford head coach, Jim Harbaugh. Yes, Harbaugh has done a great job since 2006 when he began his head coaching career at Stanford. And, no matter how well he has done, I DO NOT want him coaching the 49ers. Here's why:
1. Did I mention that his head coaching experience is in college only for less than 5 years? Ummm, I am under the impression that first time head coaches (see Singletary, Mike) don't always have success in the NFL;
2. Remember the last time the 49ers hired a coach from college? Yes, his name was Dennis Erickson, one of the biggest train wrecks in the history of 49ers football;
3. It's not totally relevant, but the last time a Stanford coach took over one of my Bay Area sports teams, Mike Montgomery went on to crash and burn as the head coach of the Warriors. I still have a bitter taste in my mouth because of that;
4. Mike Nolan, Dennis Erickson, Mike Singletary, and Steve Mariucci are all recent coaches with no previous NFL head coaching experience (except for Erickson but does that really count?). Do the 49ers keep trying to go for cheap coaches for a reason?
I'm sure one day Jim Harbaugh will be a good NFL coach, but I would rather let another team take a chance on him and let the 49ers hire a PROVEN NFL head coach. I repeat.... a PROVEN NFL head coach.
"Best team in the NFC West. Much improved. Singletary will lead the 49ers into the playoffs. Blah blah blah." Yes, we heard it all before the 2010 season started. And it was all positive and encouraging - until the season actually started and adios hopes and high expectations. Speaking of adios, here are a few more:
1. Adios Playoff Hopes - Yes, today's 25-17 loss to the St. Louis Rams officially eliminates the 49ers from playoff contention. Am I disappointed? YES. Do I think the 49ers underachieved? YES Is there any reason on earth that the 49ers should be watching the playoffs from home? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!
2. Adios Singletary - Mike Singletary is either officially out as 49ers coach or will be any time now. I really hoped he would succeed. I thought he was ready. He was not. He should not coach the 49ers again and he won't.
3. Adios GM-less 49ers - Apparently an organization without a general manager is not as good as an organization that has one. Crazy notion huh? I guess money-saving only goes so far. I think it's time for the 49ers to upgrade leadership in all of the key positions: GM, Coach, Assistants.
4. Adios Every QB on the Roster - Adios Alex Smith. Adios David Carr. Adios Troy Smith (probably). I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the 49ers will be addressing their quarterback issues first thing this offseason. Just a hunch
5. Adios 2010 Season - Thank goodness. This was one of the toughest 49ers seasons in a long time for me as a fan. So much promise meant so much disappointment. Despite one more absolutely meaningless game left, we can finally and thankfully say adios to this season.
1. THEREDANDGOLD (TRG): Sam Bradford seems to be the real deal at quarterback. Has he exceeded your expectations or did you have high hopes for him entering the season?RAMSHERD (RH): Sam Bradford certainly looks and plays the part, and I have to say I have been very surprised by his quick progress. I had the chance to see him practice, and from day one he looked like the best QB on the roster, but by itself that wasn’t saying much considering his competition consisted of AJ Feeley and Keith Null. He has done a great job of making his teammates better as well, helping overlooked guys like Danny Amendola, Brandon Gibson and former Niner Billy Bajema – an undersized blocking tight end – become usable weapons in the passing game.
The big debate among Rams fans, however, is whether the offense is too conservative to maximize his talent, or whether the Rams need a huge upgrade around him before opening things up. I tend to think that Bradford needs to be allowed to throw the entire passing tree, including the deeper routes, but his offensive line’s shaky play of late would seem to dictate a play-it-safe game of screens, bootlegs and slants.
RH: Steven Jackson’s back was a worry at the beginning of the season, I won’t lie. But if anything, he seems to be running faster and with more confidence now than midway through the season, when he dealt with a strained groin and a broken finger. Moreover, as defenses start to key in on stopping Bradford, holes are opening up for Jackson to run through. If we get that far, he could be a real wildcard in the playoffs.
RH: I think the biggest pleasant surprise for the Rams has been the emergent play of Chris Long at defensive end. He has always been a high-motor guy, but whether it was just two years of acclimating to the league, or his offseason MMA training (which I believe Patrick Willis takes part in as well), he has become one of the better pass rushers in the league. According to ProFootballFocus, Long leads all NFL Des in quarterback pressures, and his seven sacks so far are a career high.
It’s hard to be truly disappointed when your team is already five wins improved from the previous season, but I’d have to say the biggest disappointment for the Rams this season has been their inability to close out games, particularly early in the year. The last-second loss to Tampa and overtime loss to the Niners (we let you convert a fourth and 18!) have kept the Rams from separating in this clogged division race. That said, we’ve seen how hard it is for a team to “learn how to win” and take that next step forward.
5. TRG: What is your game prediction?
As of this morning, the San Francisco 49ers had not picked their quarterback for the season-critical Rams game Sunday morning. By some incredible alternate universe coincidence, the 49ers are still only one game out of first place in the NFC West with 2 games to play. In order for the 49ers to win the west, they need to win out and have Seattle lose at least one game. Given how incredibly weak this division is, anything is possible.
That's why the decision of who will be quarterbacking the 49ers for this next game is so important. Why it should have been the first thing that was decided... so the starting quarterback can actually prepare with the first time. So here we are Wednesday morning and the decision either hasn't been made yet or I haven't heard about it. My guess is that Troy Smith gets the nod but it's anybody's guess.
This whole situation reminds me of when I'm hungry and looking for a snack, I'll keep going back to look in the same cupboard, the same drawers 10 times somehow thinking that a new snack will magically appear. I think Mike Singletary and Mike Johnson are going back in the same QB cupboard thinking a new QB will magically appear.
As I was thinking about how asinine it is to now know who you want leading your team, I came up with an idea. Since decisions now are being driven by social media and public vote - from voting on the last cast member in the Real World to which idea Pepsi should give $50,000 to, why not let 49ers fans do the same with the QB decision.
Think about it - Mike Singletary and Mike Johnson each look like like indecisive nuts. They can't choose. They go back and forth. They won't commit. They won't even mention how badly someone played until they look at the film. If you put the power in the fan's hands, then the "Mikes" can deflect blame. And, the fans will have no right to be angry because it was there choice.
The method is easy - either have a poll on the 49ers official website: "Who should start at QB"? You can even put David Carr in there as it might be his only chance to see the field. You let all blogs and media outlets drive people to the site. If there is enough critical mass (50,000 votes or more) then the fans make the call. You can even do it so there is a 2/3 vote instead of classic majority. Fans have to vote by Monday afternoon and there you go. 49ers drive lots of people to their website and fans have their voice.
Hey, if the 49ers aren't going to make the decision, then why not us?
