Perhaps nobody can relate better to Trent Baalke than ESPN analyst Mark Dominik.
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneers GM was fired in 2013, after some of his moves included drafting quarterback Josh Freeman and helping hire head coach Greg Schiano. Dominik did also select stars Gerald McCoy, Lavonte David and Doug Martin after taking over the job in 2009.
Dominik joined The Audible Monday morning on KNBR 1050, offering some poignant analysis regarding Baalke and the 49ers.
“Certainly you have to ask questions,” Dominik said. “This is the toughest part about being a good GM because you have to have open lines of communication with not only the head coach, but some of the assistant coaches. Because it’s not working. You have to have thick enough skin to say, ‘Hey, are the players not good enough?’ You also have to be willing to go down the road of what do we need to do differently.”
If Dominik were Baalke, he said he would fly all of his scouts that were in off the road for a special film session. The goal is to bring everyone together and honestly assess the talent and the scheme. He’d also have the coaches put their ears closer to the ground to figure out if the players are starting to quit, which arguably appears to be the case late in football games.
“What’s really going on in that locker room?” Dominik said. “Are they giving up on what we asked them to do? I think if you’re Trent Baalke, you have to watch each player individually and really assess and grade them.”
Dominik suggested the 49ers get more simplistic on defense, something Chip Kelly and Jim O’Neil already admitted they did prior to the Buffalo game — where they allowed 312 rushing yards.
“Two hundred yards on the ground is a difficult number to get your head around,” Dominik. “It’s about finding out why are we getting gashed? I think you take this time to learn how and why people are attacking you. Coach Kelly has certainly been around a lot of football and certainly done a lot of football, I think he should take this time to look around and really have heart-to-heart conversations.
“Because the York family is sitting there going, ‘What’s going on with this team?’ It’s been now three years, ever since the (Jim) Harbaugh situation, it’s been turmoil for us. And how can we get out of this?”