In case you were concerned, yes, San Francisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke does in fact feel bad for the fans!
The 49ers GM was down in South Florida for the Dolphins game, and he met with the 49ers radio broadcasters, Ted Robinson and Tim Ryan, before the game. It was part of the pre-game so it might have been there if you were listening to the radio broadcast. If you missed it, Kevin Jones has a transcript.
It is loaded with a lot of the usual cliches, but I have to think his comments about the team’s struggles will not make people feel much better:
“I don’t know if you do keep yourself up, or positive. I think you are drained. It’s a draining experience. I feel bad for the fans, I feel bad for a lot of people, the ownership in particular. You know, they give us everything we need and I’ve said that. I’ve gone public with that. If we don’t get it done, put it on me. We’ve got all the resources necessary. Funding has never been an issue at the free agent market, or any other thing that we’ve needed. So, it falls strictly on my shoulders. I’m disappointed, I’m disappointed with the outcome up until now.”
I imagine that line will go over well. All the more so because he followed it up by saying he feels bad for ownership.
I’m sure the Yorks love seeing Baalke fall on the sword for the problems, but does it potentially increase the odds he saves his job one more year? I worry about that, but if that was the case, Jim Tomsula might have lasted longer than a season. They’re not exactly comparable situations, but Tomsula was a York favorite, and it didn’t save his job. Will it save Baalke’s job?