Sunday’s 23-20 loss was honestly the best possible outcome for GM Trent Baalke and the San Francisco 49ers.
The team fought tooth and nail against a superior Arizona Cardinals squad, Jim O’Neil’s defense stopped the run and forced turnovers, Colin Kaepernick made plays and led a game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter. While looking like an improved football team, the 49ers (1-8) still remain on track for a top three pick in the NFL Draft.
Beware, Jed York. Don’t let a couple close games in November fool you that this team is headed in the right direction.
The damage has been done this season, and last season, and the season before last in 2014. Even if the 49ers have some type of second half revival where competitive games are a common theme, York still has to make Baalke pay for sins that have devastated this franchise.
Baalke fully understands his job is on the line. The 52-year-old met with traveling beat reporters in Arizona’s press box, pointing the finger directly at himself, while also openly trying to align his cards with York.
“The bottom line is, the ownership gives us everything we need to be successful – everything we need,” Baalke said to Matt Maiocco of CSN.
“There’s nothing financial holding us back from being successful. And they’re extremely supportive. They let us make football decisions. They support them wholeheartedly. And they give us every resource necessary to do it. So that’s what’s frustrating. If people want to push blame, find it, look right here, because I’m given everything I need to be successful in the job I’m doing. Period.”
York can’t get caught up in the moment and must hold Baalke accountable for the 1-8 start. Because all week long in Santa Clara, we will hear interviews from coaches and players that say the 49ers really feel like they are turning the corner.
And while it may internally feel like you are turning the corner inside the team facility in Santa Clara, the reality is that the 49ers are still 1-8 … and still on pace for the worst record in franchise history. They need a quarterback, two wide receivers, more defensive linemen, more pass rushers, two inside linebackers (while NaVorro Bowman rehabs all summer). That’s being generous.
And most companies in America make significant changes at the top when their product isn’t delivering results.
Injuries be damned, there’s too much money sitting in the bank and not enough depth on this football team. Since the GM came out Sunday and said there were no financial restrictions in the offseason, he’s at fault for players like Nick Bellore and Quinton Patton, who are playing in roles they aren’t capable of performing. Baalke should’ve spent more money.
I understand what York must be mulling over: continuity is what the best teams in the NFL have. What if the new GM he hires doesn’t see eye-to-eye with Chip Kelly and wants the head coach gone?
The main question York needs to answer is can he risk letting Baalke screw up another offseason? Can he expose 49ers fans to another brutal season with the same football decision maker? If York can, he’s clearly not in tune with the pain his fan base has felt all season long.
What makes us believe Baalke’s approach will change? It’s difficult to require someone to uproot their entire football philosophy, even if we have proven evidence it’s not working.
Drafting solely defensive players in the first round has completely backfired. Unless you count Kaepernick’s brief stardom in 2012 and 2013 — with Jim Harbaugh masking his flaws — Baalke hasn’t been able to identify quarterback talent. The GM’s repeated nature of selecting players with ACL tears has been well-documented, as has his distaste for thinking talented wide receivers can impact a team’s win/loss ratio.
As we reported last week, a source in Santa Clara expects Baalke and Kelly to have a contentious year-end meeting. If this football team continues to fight hard, Kelly should be the one reaping the praise for second half improvements, not Baalke.