The 49ers have a new head coach in Jim Tomsula, but he’d rather not be compared to his predecessor, as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes.
“For whatever reasons, the job was open and I interviewed and that’s where it is. I get that. In terms of the fan base, I don’t believe I do anybody any good trying to justify anything. I’m not going to do that. I don’t have a bad word to say about anything that’s happened in the last four years. You can’t. We won a lot of games. We didn’t do what we were accustomed of doing (this year). I got it.”
“I’m not Jim Harbaugh. And Jim Harbaugh is not Jim Tomsula. I’m not trying to be that guy, and that’s no disrespect to him. I am comfortable with who I am. I’m very comfortable and I’m convicted in what I believe. I’m excited about it,” Tomsula said.
More from today’s presser in San Francisco..
- 49ers defensive end Justin Smith is reportedly set to retire after completing his fourteenth NFL season. GM Trent Baalke would ostensibly like to have him back in the fold, but he won’t start a full court press right away. The GM said that he plans to give him several weeks after the season ends before calling him to see if he wants to play, according to Eric Branch of The San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter).
- It sounds like Baalke will have a big hand in the hiring of assistants, referring to it as “our staff,” as Maiocco tweets.
- “[The] job was offered to one person and one person only, and that was Jim Tomsula,” Baalke said, according to Maiocco (link).
- Team CEO Jed York said Tomsula is the head coach not just for one specific reason, but for his body of work and all he brings to the table, Maiocco tweets.
- When asked if he has spoken with Harbaugh, Tomsula said “No, I haven’t. I have not,” according to Branch (on Twitter).
- When he heard speculation in 2014 that he could be the next head coach of the team, Tomsula said it was “terribly uncomfortable” for him, according to Maiocco (link).