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notes From Stambaugh Auditorium
New coach: Jim Tomsula, the San Francisco 49ers’ new head coach, has been with the team since 2007. “Jimmy T, we’ve know for a long time,” 49ers CEO Jed York said. “[He’s] a great teacher, somebody who knows the game inside and out, understands the toughness of the game. And he understands that he needs to coach his coaches and they need to coach the players. When you watch him, even now at mini-camps and during the offseason, he’s working with his coaches to make sure the technique that they are teaching is right to make sure everything comes together in harmony.”
Youngstown connection: Eric Wolford, Youngstown State’s head coach for five years until being fired last November, is on Tomsula’s staff as an assistant offensive line coach. York said he knew Wolford from previous visits home. “We practiced here [in 2011 and 2012] and Eric would come to events my family would do,” York said. “Eric has done a great job so far and we’re looking forward to see how he can continue to progress as a coach at the NFL level.”
Players: Among the players who attended Monday’s fund-raiser were tight end Vernon Davis and inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman. “I think it’s going well,” Bowman said of the transition from Jim Harbaugh to Tomsula. “A lot of [veterans] are approaching [the change] like we did when Harbaugh came. We need to approach it as we’re all in this together.” Bowman said transition can add a nice element of surprise, noting that Harbaugh led the Niners to the three straight NFC Championship Games in his four years in San Francisco. “No one expected us to do what we did [in that first year] and we’re approaching this year as the same.”
Changes: It’s been a busy offseason for 49ers general manager Trent Baalke after two young players (tackle Anthony Davis and safety Chris Borland) retired early for health reasons. Davis, the Niners’ first-round pick (11th overall) in 2010, retired to allow his brain and body to heal. Borland, 24, retired over concern about concussions. Asked if he thinks younger players walking away might be a NFL trend, Ballke said he’s not sure. “That’s a tough question, I don’t know that anyone can answer that. It’s their choice. All we can do is worry about the players who are there.”