San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York has been making the rounds on the media circuit lately and his latest stop was on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football (GMFB). He went into detail about everything from the first round of the draft, to the current quarterback situation, to his friendship with Frank Gore. You can watch part of the video here.
York expressed that the first 15 minutes of the draft weren’t the most stressful but rather it was the days leading up to the draft, trying to broker trades and subsequently figuring out who the Bears were going to select that were the most intense. After the 49ers picked Solomon Thomas with the number three overall pick, York thought business might be done for the day until the Ravens picked at 16.
After the Ravens passed passed on Reuben, it was like wow, Reuben might slide. Then it started to pick back up and that’s when the energy really started to build like, ok, we might be able to get like two of our top five guys on the board, let’s figure this thing out.
My son was there and usually you’ve got hours to go when you pick high in the draft. We had dinner, we were playing around outside and the TV was on and I’m watching and the Ravens, and Ozzie [Newsome], Alabama guy, Reuben Foster, like, he’s going there and he goes, and I’m like buddy, daddy’s gotta go back upstairs. And then you could see it and feel it and it was like ok, it’s on, let’s go get him.
York also confirmed that Reuben Foster was a high possibility with the third overall pick in the draft and believes that the words “red flags” in relation to the linebacker are too strong.
I think “red flags” is not appropriate. You have to understand what Reuben’s background is and when you meet Reuben, his smile literally lights up a room. You know that there’s some guys you question if they love football. Reuben, there’s no question, I mean you know it.
He’s raw, he’s just a kid that like, you love his energy and who he is because he’s so authentic.
That’s how everyone feels around Reuben. When he came in for his visit, they're like, this is a kid we’re going to probably take, they’re off the field, you might want to sit down with him, and you sit down with him and you just love him. The minute you meet him you just love him.
After what has been deemed as one of the most successful drafts in many seasons for the 49ers, York expressed that they won’t really know how successful it was for another three years. He did say watching Lynch and Shanahan during the draft was a perfect example of working together. He believes that there isn’t a huge difference of talent between teams but how it comes together and putting the right people in the right places is paramount. Lynch and Shanahan are big part of that puzzle. When questioned about what happened to the team before this new regime, York took ownership.
That’s who you should question. This isn’t where we want to be. We don’t want to be a 2-14 team and we don’t want to be a team that has your fourth head coach in four years, but you also have to be willing to change paths if you’ve made a mistake and know that we’re not going to settle for being a 9-7 team. That’s not where we want to be. If you want to make your team great, you have to do everything that you can to get back up to that level and that’s really where we are. We will get there. We had three NFC Championship games in a row, sandwiched between a Super Bowl loss, it’s close. That’s not where we want to be. We want to be a team that consistently competes for it and when it’s all said and done, when John, Kyle and I look backwards, we want to know that we’ve won more together than anybody else.
What quarterback will take the 49ers to the promised land? Brian Hoyer, Matt Barkley and the recently drafted C.J. Beathard are the quarterbacks on the roster. York believes that until you have your franchise quarterback, you leave no stone unturned to find one. He even used Seattle as an example of how it could happen.
Until you get your guy, you have to keep taking shots. As much as we compete with the guys up north, they did that very well. They signed [Matt] Flynn to big contract, but then they still draft one that they like, who happens to be Russell Wilson, and until you’re set you can never stop taking shots to get your guy at quarterback because that’s ultimately what drives this league.
Things clearly haven’t been rosy throughout York’s tenure as CEO and as he attempts to rebuild one of the most storied franchises in the league, as well as his reputation, someone who is near and dear to the Faithful has been in his corner.
Frank Gore. Frank probably texted me more than friends and family last year when we were losing. Frank and I have a good relationship and a good bond. He’s somebody that, if you could put Frank’s heart in every player, you’d have superstars across the board.
It’s still early in this new regime to determine it’s success or failure but one thing is certain, York is doing everything in his power to change his public image. In this interview alone he was humble, owning up to the losing seasons being his responsibility as well as naming one of 49ers most beloved running backs as someone who remains close to him. I mean, if Frank likes him...shouldn’t you? Maybe.