Golden Nuggets: Logical, Calculated And Cynical

by James Brady on Jan 5, 2011 3:01 AM PST in 49ers Links

Things are moving, and I'm in slow motion. A little numb, too - and very confused with my own emotions regarding this team. The logical and calculated part of me is being very cynical and asking why there is any reason to be excited, and it's a reasonable thought. There's another part of me that is nearing stupid levels of excitement simply because 49ers have a General Manager, even though it's the same guy who acted in that capacity last season. There's also the small matter of perhaps-soon-to-be-ex Stanford Cardinal Head Coach Jim Harbaugh, and the fact that Jed York has him in his sights and is ready to throw money and power at him. That's bringing some excitement as well, and it's going to do well to erase Mike Singletary from my memory. That being said, over the next three days I will have a three-part feature on Singletary and his tenure with the 49ers from interim Head Coach, to Head Coach, to ex-employee of the San Francisco 49ers. So look for that, and in the meantime, you can read this post I did on my experience in the press box. Let's get to your links.

So, it's official: Trent Baalke has been promoted and is now the San Francisco 49ers General Manager. I am confident that Baalke can handle himself and do good things for this team, if the coaching is right. Let's see where that goes. (MercuryNews.com)

Jed York has noted that he is very confident that Baalke will be able to deliver unto him an excellent head coach. Read as: Jim Harbaugh. (CSNBayArea.com)

Current 49ers defensive coordinator Greg Manusky is a head-coaching candidate for the Carolina Panthers. I knew he'd get some looks this offseason. (NFL.com)

Kawakami has a source that says Jim Harbaugh is OK with either Trent Baalke or Michael Lombardi. Which is good, because we ended up going with Baalke. (MercuryNews.com)

The 49ers did ask to interview two potential candidates for head coaching positions yesterday, but I believe they were just Rooney Rule fulfillments and nothing more. (SBNationBayArea.com)

Ronnie Lott was named co-chair of a new player safety advisory panel. I imagine he won't be advising on hand injuries. (Examiner.com)

Five players from the 49ers practice squad have been signed to future contracts for next season. Future contracts are just to keep players with the organization while they have an 80-man cap so they can't be picked up by other teams. (CSNBayArea.com)

Josh's Journal: Focused on the Future (49ers.com)

49ers Head Coach/General Manager Search

49ers Make It Official: Name Trent Baalke General Manager
Report: Trent Baalke Named 49ers' GM, Per Team Source
Jim Harbaugh, Trent Baalke And The Infamous "Trigger"
Trent Baalke, Hue Jackson, Michael Lombardi, Jim Harbaugh, Marvin Lewis And Perry Fewell Walk Into A Bar In Miami ...
49ers Head Coach And GM Position: The Impact Of Player Philosophy
Stanford Destroys Virginia Tech: Impact On Jim Harbaugh Head Coach Decision
49ers GM/Coach Search: Jim Harbaugh Might Require Michael Lombardi
49ers GM Search 2011: Time To Consult The Magic 8-Ball
NFL Head Coach Update: Jeff Fisher, Jason Garrett, Leslie Frazier, Tom Cable
49ers GM Candidates: Trent Baalke, Jed York, & Fan Opinion
49ers GM Search: Sunday NFL Schedule Rooting Guide
49ers Head Coach Candidates: Brian Billick, With A Side Of Marvin Lewis?
49ers GM Search 2011: Trent Baalke, Mike Lombardi, Ted Sundquist, Tony Softli At The "48-Hour" Mark
49ers Head Coach Candidates: Is Marty Mornhinweg The Next Bill Bellichick?
49ers GM Candidate Trent Baalke: From The Horse's Mouth
49ers GM Candidates: What is Trent Baalke's True Style?
Bill Parcells, Jed York and Trent Baalke: What Does A Tuna Endorsement Mean?
Jim Harbaugh, Michigan, The 49ers & Stanford: Where Will The Other Shoe Drop?
49ers GM Candidates: Michael Lombardi Interviewed
49ers GM Candidates: Trent Baalke The Early Leader?
49ers GM Candidate: 49ers Interview Tony Softli For GM Position
49ers GM Candidates: Ted Sundquist
49ers Head Coach Search: Jim Harbaugh, Jon Gruden The Focus?
49ers Head Coach/GM Search: Where Does The Franchise Rank?
49ers Head Coach Search: A Look At The Qualifications
Chargers Sticking With Head Coach Norv Turner, GM A.J. Smith
49ers New Head Coach: Jed York, Jim Tomsula Speak
Trent Baalke And The 49ers General Manager Position
Mike Singletary Fired: Jed York, Jim Tomsula Press Conference
Mike Singletary Fired: Jim Harbaugh, Jon Gruden, Etc, Please Pick Up The White Courtesy Phone
NFL Head Coach Search: Bill Cowher Interested In Giants, Dolphins, Texans
SB Nation Bay Area 49ers GM/Head Coach Stream

Yesterday on Niners Nation

Golden Nuggets: Don't Know Who To Believe | Ninjames
49ers Head Coach And GM Position: The Impact Of Player Philosophy | Fooch
Trent Baalke, Hue Jackson, Michael Lombardi, Jim Harbaugh, Marvin Lewis And Perry Fewell Walk Into A Bar In Miami ... | Tre9er
Justin Smith, Takeo Spikes Or Patrick Willis For 49ers Defensive Player Of The Year? | Fooch
Jim Harbaugh, Trent Baalke And The Infamous "Trigger" | Fooch
2011 Allstate Sugar Bowl: #6 Ohio State vs. #8 Arkansas. The Ryan Mallett Edition...Sink or Swim | Drew K
Report: Trent Baalke Named 49ers' GM, Per Team Source | Fooch
49ers Make It Official: Name Trent Baalke General Manager | smileyman

Related Links from SB Nation Bay Area

Running The Misdirection: My Personal Experience In The Pressbox
Trent Baalke Named General Manager Of The 49ers
NFL Pro Bowl 2011: 49ers, Raiders In The 'Big Game'
NFL Mock Draft 2011: San Francisco 49ers And Oakland Raiders Draft Projections
NFL Playoffs 2011: 49ers And Raiders Versus The Best

Being a Sheep

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I couldn't even keep up with the

Changing updates yesterday. Can’t wait till I check the updates and see the signing of Jim Harbaugh as the headline. Feels like the first day of training camp!

by Ador08 on Jan 5, 2011 3:33 AM PST via mobile reply actions

Dang , has there ever been this many post's in a two day span , NN at a feverish pitch ...

… thinkin’ soon to be a all new Crescendo , with the ex-spected hiring of Harbaugh , can’t imagine the flood of pseudo post’s if they don’t land this cat …!!

I'm your " Huckelberry "...it's just my game ...Jimmy Raye your no daisy ...!!

by Edggy on Jan 5, 2011 4:37 AM PST reply actions

Well my night is over

Time to hit the hay and hope for some good news when I wake up later today!! I didn’t have my hopes for anyone in particular until more recently, so…fingers crossed for Harbaugh. Lets get this over with!!

by jonesin25 on Jan 5, 2011 4:37 AM PST reply actions

Rich Rod firing/un-firing says a lot

Like Michigan thought they had a chance for Harbaugh and then found out that they didn’t. RR may still get canned but it was a telling hiccup.

Also trying to put together why we would schedule two minority candidates if we had a wink and a nod with Harbaugh. Now it seems like one of those guys (Hue Jackson) may have a job already and it makes more sense that we had a backup in Perry Fewell. Maybe he’ll want to matriculate west as a DC.

Good for Jed on the Baalke hire after his nine month interview. I think he’s well qualified and I like that he comes from within. I’m excited about the future.

often wrong. never in doubt.

by Jaxson876 on Jan 5, 2011 5:22 AM PST via mobile reply actions

James

Sweet write-up about the pres box. I felt like I was right there with you!! Well, not really. But I enjoyed reading about what goes on in there from an outsiders perspective. Did you say anything to Miaocco whilst waiting for the elevator?

For the love of god, can we get a QB and a new HC?

Official president of the "Fire Jim O'Brian Fan Club"

by return2greatness on Jan 5, 2011 5:28 AM PST reply actions

Yes, thanks for sharing it.

Enjoyed sincerely the personal account. Congratulations on the access.

by Vertigo on Jan 5, 2011 5:32 AM PST via mobile up reply actions

Agreed, awesome write-up.

"Blackmail is such an ugly word. I prefer "extortion." The "X" makes it sound cool." - Bender Bending Rodriguez

by jbrown63 on Jan 5, 2011 10:21 AM PST up reply actions

Manusky

I suppose good for him, but our poor defensive performance this year should probably exclude him from the coaching options. A lot of it is on the players, or lack thereof, but he played soft coverages that blew a couple games for us and wasn’t very creative until week 17.

On a positive note, we’re likely to get a more aggressive DC if Harbaugh comes in. We can only hope.

by 9thevolution on Jan 5, 2011 5:57 AM PST reply actions

+1

We don’t know how much of what Manusky did was handcuffed by Singleterror. But it’s safe to say that the D and the schemes they used wer disappointing. And the adjustments at half time were nil, or at least undetectable to me. Time for a change.

I wonder if Harbaugh is hired how much of the Standford staff he’d bring with him? DC? OC?

by Since79 on Jan 5, 2011 7:17 AM PST up reply actions

Most of it I'll believe.

And maybe one of the Cs because the other ends up as the HC.

Kellen Moore is awesome

by manraj7 on Jan 5, 2011 8:15 AM PST via mobile up reply actions

Manusky will do well wherever he goes

i think he was hamstrung a lot this season by Singetary’s meddling and the impression I got was he just wanted to get away from this team asap, so he will probably be happy to go elsewhere. Ill be happy for him so long as he doesn’t end up with an NFC West team.

by suffrin9erfan on Jan 5, 2011 8:41 AM PST up reply actions

Haven't we been down this road before?

It’s nice to have something to get excited about after a 6-10 season, but how is this different from when Denis Erickson was Hired, or Mike Nolan? Erickson was a highly-touted College coach with NFL experience who just wasn’t able to adopt his offensive philosophy to the personnel on-hand and Nolan was given more power than he could ultimately handle. They did the same thing with Singletary: gave him more control over personnel than was good for him or the team. Now it looks lie Baalke will be GM in name only with the HC (Harbaugh) having, once again, more power over personnel than most HCs in the NFL.

by suffrin9erfan on Jan 5, 2011 8:38 AM PST reply actions

/agree

Didn’t the Broncos just lament how they gave an inexperienced coach too much power and responsibility? I would hate to see us make the same mistake with Harbaugh, on top of the $6M+ / year he’s supposedly asking for. I guess he could command that money with this interest level, but it still seems ridiculous for an unproven NFL coach.

I’d rather see us get Jeff Fisher.

by mrg80 on Jan 5, 2011 9:03 AM PST up reply actions

Um Erickson was horrible at all stops before coming to the Niners. Hiring him was a joke and any fan worth his salt knew it was bound for failure

Nolan is a brilliant D Coordinator but it became very clear he was a complete asshole early on. He took Denver’s D nearly from worst to first and they STILL fired him.

Getting Harbaugh is like getting Sean Payton. There is almost no similarity to Moron Erickson or Asshole Nolan.

Gimme 1 round!

by ItBurnzWhenIP on Jan 5, 2011 10:47 AM PST up reply actions

Honestly Erickson was a failure in college too

He’d take over programs then win for a bit and eventually they’d start to fall apart and he’d leave to another job.

When he took over at Idaho their first season they went 9-4
When he took over at Miami they were coming off the Jimmie Johnson era and went 11-1. Four years later they were 9-3 and got shut out in their bowl game. They actually lost the last 3 bowl games under that failure. You read that correct. Erickson was responsible for the end of the U dynasty.

To compare him to Harbaugh who built a NC contender in 4 years from a team that was 1-11 when he took it over is ludicrous.

Gimme 1 round!

by ItBurnzWhenIP on Jan 5, 2011 11:00 AM PST up reply actions