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What San Francisco 49ers fans really want this holiday season — Part 12

By Eric Gamboa

January 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers fan holds a sign for owner Jed York during the third quarter against the St. Louis Rams at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Rams 19-16. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
January 3, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers fan holds a sign for owner Jed York during the third quarter against the St. Louis Rams at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Rams 19-16. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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December 11, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly looks on during the fourth quarter against the New York Jets at Levi's Stadium. The Jets defeated the 49ers 23-17 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
December 11, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly looks on during the fourth quarter against the New York Jets at Levi’s Stadium. The Jets defeated the 49ers 23-17 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

So What Now?

Here are some potential outcomes:

  1. FIre Trent Baalke and replace him with 49ers assistant General Manager Tom Gamble.
  2. Give Baalke one more “prove it or lose it” year (Baalke is under contract through 2018).
  3. Dump Baalke and search for a new GM.

That last option would most likely result in the 49ers firing head coach Chip Kelly as a new GM would likely want to select their own head coach. Of the available options, No. 1 is the best option.

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Gamble has been interviewed for many GM positions in the past and is seen by many as a deserving candidate. His association with Baalke hurts his reputation with fans but fans should not hold Baalke’s sins against Gamble.

Gamble is his own man and should not be painted with the same brush as Baalke.

If that were the case, the Green Bay Packers would not have hired Mike McCarthy as their head coach. McCarthy used to be the 49ers offensive coordinator under former 49ers head coach Mike Nolan. McCarthy was obviously not “ruined” by Nolan’s influence as McCarthy has gone on to win a Super Bowl as the Packers head coach.

Still, if Gamble gets the GM position, the 49ers will need to make changes to their scouting department including finding a new director of player personnel. Changes to the team’s scouting department should be made even if Baalke remains.

Last Note (My largely unproven theory, or is it?)

A few weeks ago, Baalke came out and issued a statement taking full responsibility for the state of the 49ers. This was an odd admission from a man who rarely makes public statements. Some reporters believe that this is Baalke’s way of trying to be loyal to 49ers CEO Jed York and hoping to remain in York’s favor.

Well, I don’t buy it. This stinks of a coverup. Like when you enter a room and smell febreeze trying to cover for the smell of cigarette smoke. It smells good at first and then the smell of smoke hits your nose.

This smells like a Febreeze cover up to me. I bet that Baalke gets one more year, not because he is loyal but because he is covering up for York. York interfering with Baalke’s ability to manage the 49ers is exactly what he would do. York himself just about confessed to it at the end of last season.

How much York has interfered is unclear.

It is not a revelation York has muddled on the football side of things. I mean he is the CEO, right? Plenty of other team’s CEOs have made football decisions despite having a GM (here’s looking at you, Jerry Jones).

So, what if Baalke has been hampered by York? What if, the “mutual parting of ways” resulted in York’s larger role of playing as the team’s GM?

Can you see Harbaugh respecting York the general manager? Yeah, no one can either. That would help explain the “mutual” part of the “parting”, right? Harbaugh would want anything to do with a team managed by Jed.

The team’s roster decisions took a sharp turn during the 2013 draft. After that draft, decisions made have not exactly been like Baalke’s previous offseasons. It doesn’t follow his previous formula that he used in 2010 and 2011.

Which leads me to this theory.