By Ben Leonard
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photo credit: blackssportsonline.com 49ers are expected to be making a decision on 49ers head coach Jim Tomsula in a Monday press conference

SANTA CLARA, Calif.–After a meaningless overtime win over the St. Louis Rams, San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Tomsula maintained that he wants to keep the dialogue focused on the players, not “Jim’s job status.” But with rumors that his receiving a pink slip from Jed York is imminent, it’s hard not to look forward to who will be the next puppet coach in Santa Clara.

Tomsula reiterated that he has not yet talked to ownership, something he doesn’t expect to do until “the season is over.” Additionally, there is no word yet that a meeting has been scheduled with ownership.

Tomsula kept the focus on the players in his post-game press conference: “I have a group of players that just won a football game. They’ve been through a very tough season, they’ve stuck together, they won a game in overtime and fought like crazy. Today is all about those players. My job status and anything going forward from there can be handled during the rest of the week.”

 

But to everyone else in the building, it’s painfully obvious that it’s Tomsula’s time to go. Tomsula is a well-meaning man, but never was worthy of an NFL head coaching job. That shone clear again on Sunday, when Tomsula opted to not to kick a field goal from the 37-yard line, well within 49ers’ kicker Phil Dawson’s range, in a tie game with just over a minute and a half left to play.

Tomsula blamed it on the wind that was going against him, but it appeared to be going the opposite direction, and with little force, at that. The decision was just a microcosm of a disaster of a 5-11 season for the Niners’ first-year head coach, who will likely go one-and-done. With all of the hardship Niners fans have had to endure this season, someone has to be the scapegoat for owner Jed York — and it’s not going to be his general manager, Trent Baalke, who had survived two previous firings.

But moving forward (as the 49ers overwhelmingly will), the Niners will have a plethora of options to choose from to replace Tomsula. Recently fired Eagles’ head coach Chip Kelly is rumored to be an option, although it’s unclear whether his offensive style and strong-willed nature would mesh well with York’s need for control. Once again, former Broncos and Redskins’ coach Mike Shanahan has been connected with the job as well, someone who the Niners passed over previously.

In my mind, the most likely rumor would be Sean Payton, who is likely to be fired by the New Orleans Saints. He’s become a little more muted since the “Bountygate” scandal and as a defensive coach, would be a great fit with San Francisco.

In spite of all of this talk, Tomsula still believes in his the character of his team. “That’s what is exciting to me,” Tomsula said Sunday. “A lot of you aren’t there to see it in practice, but that is one really good group of players. The intangibles in that locker room are where the San Francisco 49ers want to be.” Even if the talent isn’t there, on the field or the sidelines, Tomsula still “really believes” in his coaching staff and his players.

 

For Tomsula, football is “people. For anybody who talks about football, it’s the people that make up the game. There’s a lot of good people with the San Francisco 49ers.” He said he will “miss” the games this offseason.

Miss the games he will, but probably for another reason: because he won’t be a head coach in the National Football League.