The 49ers have announced that Jim Tomsula is their new head coach, and in the announcement, owner Jed York indicated that he has a high personal comfort level with Tomsula -- something he never seemed to have with Tomsula’s predecessor, Jim Harbaugh.
“After conducting a thorough coaching search, and meeting with a number of outstanding candidates, Jim Tomsula clearly is the right man to lead this team,” York said. “Jim is a great teacher and a tremendous mentor who conducts himself with great class and integrity.”
Was York implying that another coach named Jim lacks class and integrity? Whether he was or not, it’s clear that York and G.M. Trent Baalke, the men who couldn’t work with Harbaugh anymore, like Tomsula a lot.
“Our organization is excited to have Jim Tomsula leading this football team,” Baalke said. “We have had the privilege of working alongside Jim for the past eight seasons. He is a proven leader, teacher and mentor, and we look forward to seeing him apply his craft and vision to our team.”
So York and Baalke have hired a coach they can get along with better than they could with Harbaugh. But if they want to convince 49ers fans that they’ve found a better coach than Harbaugh, that’s going to be a tough sell.