San Francisco 49ers: Giving a Grade to Each Member of the Coaching Staff

The San Francisco 49ers' 2011 NFL season ended up becoming above and beyond what even the most hopeful of fans could have dreamed possible, and Jim Harbaugh's coaching staff was the chief reason for the team's success.

After all, the players on the team weren't really different from the ones that could only muster a record of 6-10 in 2010. Sure, there were a few new additions that made a huge impact, but the core group of leaders and playmakers never changed, especially on offense.

The best explanation available to us is that competent coaching should never be undervalued. 

Mark Uyeyama, Strength and Conditioning Coach

The 49ers were one of the healthiest teams throughout the 2011 NFL season. Much of the credit should go to Mark Uyeyama and the Strength and Conditioning regimen he has installed for the players.

When you think 49ers, you immediately think about defense. I personally think about Patrick Willis and Justin Smith, the two leaders on that side of the ball. Both players are incredibly strong, and their level of performance only gets better as the games wear on. 

This is due to the fantastic job Uyeyama and his assistant, Kevin Tolbert, have done to prepare their bodies for the incredible beating they take week in and week out in the NFL.

Grade: A

Jim Tomsula, Defensive Line Coach

Justin Smith, Isaac Sopoaga, Ray McDonald and Aldon Smith. Those four guys might make anyone look good, but Jim Tomsula is actually the motor behind the madness that is the 49ers defensive front line.

Tomsula is the guy that took on the interim head coach last year after the 49ers finally got rid of Mike Singletary. He was one of only a handful of people the club retained after that regime ended.

You can only say good things about what Tomsula means to the defensive line and even to the team. The 49ers defensive line was one of the best in the business, both against the run and rushing the passer.

He will surely be given a bigger opportunity sometime soon to take his special blend of passion and teaching to a higher level, as was evidenced in early January 2012 when his name was being linked to the vacant head-coaching position with the University of Pittsburgh.

For now, though, he remains a 49er, and we couldn't be happier.

Grade: A 

Mike Solari and Tim Drevno, Offensive Line Coaches

The 49ers offensive line had its fair share of ups and downs in the 2011 NFL season. Mike Solari and Tim Drevno should be credited with the times that this unit was up, and they should take part of the blame for when the unit struggled.

The biggest turnaround occurred when the team finally gave up on trying to make something out of nothing with Chilo Rachal. Adam Snyder was inserted into the starting lineup in Week 4, and the team's running game perked up significantly after that adjustment. They ended up providing the blocking for the NFLs eighth-best rushing attack in the league.

On the other hand, this same unit was one of the worst in the league at protecting their leader. Alex Smith was sacked 44 times, and the 49ers struggled with this aspect on offense all year long.

Grade: C+

Tom Rathman, Running Backs Coach

Tom Rathman did a phenomenal job this year to convert defensive end Bruce Miller into one of the more impressive young fullbacks in the NFL.

He also needs to be given his due respect for tutoring Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter and Anthony Dixon. The 49ers had the No. 8-ranked running game in the NFL, and Rathman's knowledge of the West-Coast offense shouldn't be discounted for this success.

I fully expect to see Miller emerge as an elite fullback (if there is such a thing in the NFL anymore) next year, and you can credit Rathman for molding Miller into a version of himself out there on the football field.

Grade: A+

John Morton, Wide Receivers Coach

This is one of the tougher coaches for me to grade. The wide receivers for the 49ers in 2011 were atrocious as a group, but I'm not sure how much of the problem had anything to do with coaching.

The 49ers had hoped to build a competent passing attack, using a three-man corps of Michael Crabtree, Joshua Morgan and Braylon Edwards.

Well, Morgan was injured in Week 5's blowout win at home and Edwards was a colossal waste of time. Crabtree also proved to be a grave disappointment in 2011, and he completely disappeared in the playoffs.

In the end, the coach must be at least partly blamed for the lack of success in this area for the team. 

Grade: C-

Jim Leavitt, Linebackers Coach

The 49ers feature the best corps of linebackers in the NFL, bar none.

It sure helps when you have Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman, Ahmad Brooks, Parys Haralson and Aldon Smith to work with on a daily basis.

Still, nobody can deny the incredible progress Bowman made this year compared to last year. That should be rightly attributed to excellent coaching.

Grade: A+

Ed Donatell, Secondary Coach

The 49ers' greatest weakness in 2010 was their inability to stop the pass. In 2011, their numbers improved dramatically.

This was due in part to the fact that Carlos Rogers > Nate Clements.

It also has to do with another coach, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, and his ability to make the most out of his players.

Much of the credit should also go to Ed Donatell and his assistant, Greg Jackson, for their ability to turn this unit into one of the best ball-hawking defenses in the NFL.

One of the concerns I have about next year is the continued struggle to avoid getting beat deep, and Donatell will need to address this.

Grade: B-

Reggie Davis, Tight Ends Coach

Vernon Davis has said that the offense Greg Roman installed in San Francisco was so complex that he felt like quitting at times earlier in the year. 

I credit Reggie Davis for keeping the superstar on track and focused during the tough times. 

Reggie also helped to further the continued progress of Delanie Walker, who, along with Vernon, makes up the best tight end duo in the NFL.

Grade: A

Geep Chryst, Quarterbacks Coach

Geep Chryst shouldn't be overlooked in the development of Alex Smith. Head coach Jim Harbaugh is usually the main man credited with turning around the former number one pick, but Chryst has his fingerprints all over this turnaround year for Smith.

Heck, he also drew up the play that Vernon Davis wants us to call "The Grab." That feat on its own might be enough to hand out an outstanding grade.

I'm most curious to know how well Colin Kaepernick has come along in his rookie campaign. The preseason games next year will be of great interest to me, and we will see exactly what kind of impact Chryst has had on the young gunslinger.

Grade: A

Greg Roman, Offensive Coordinator

It is safe to say that one of the most underappreciated coaching positions in the NFL is that of offensive coordinator.

Greg Roman had his fair share of questionable calls in 2011, but nobody can deny the massive improvements he made compared to the last handful of scrubs the 49ers had thrown out there to call plays for the 49ers to run on offense.

There were many who questioned the simplistic approach Jim Harbaugh and Roman had in bringing along the offense slowly to begin the season, but nobody can deny the wisdom in hindsight. 

The 49ers offense gradually improved as the 2011 NFL season wore on, and I can't wait to see what this unit will be capable of accomplishing with an entire offseason to learn and perfect the plays with a couple legitimate weapons on the outside for Alex Smith to throw to.

Grade: B

Vic Fangio, Defensive Coordinator

Of all the new coaches that came in with Jim Harbaugh's new regime, Vic Fangio impressed me the most.

His ability to make the most out of his players was astonishing. His schemes allowed Carlos Rogers to have the best year of his career. His one-gap system for the defensive line fits those guys' skills to perfection.

Fangio dialed up plays that suited the strengths of his players, and that is a skill many coaches in the NFL have failed to learn.

I'm excited to see what this team will do next year. There is still so much Fangio could do with the players he has on defense, and given an entire offseason with which to study, I'm sure he will come up with an impressive sophomore campaign with the 49ers.

Grade: A++

Brad Seely, Special Teams Coach and Assistant Head Coach

The 49ers were the best team in the NFL when it comes to field position. They were the No. 1 team in terms of where they started off on the field and where their opponent started out on the field.

These stats reflect the impeccable special teams play that had so much to do with the team's success in 2011, and Brad Seely is the man responsible for making it happen.

Andy Lee and David Akers will both be representing the 49ers in Hawaii this weekend, but the special teams coverage unit was the real strength of this group. 

Blake Costanzo, Tavares Gooden, C.J. Spillman, Anthony Dixon, Colin Jones and Delanie Walker made special teams special for the 49ers in 2011, and the credit should first go to Seely for bringing an emphatic focus in this area of the game of football.

Grade: A++

Jim Harbaugh, Head Coach

Players play the game, but coaches are the ones behind the curtain that drive the engine of success.

Jim Harbaugh, in one single season, has brought respectability and honor back to the team that defined excellence in the '80s and '90s. His unrivaled passion and focus has turned an entire franchise around in less time than it takes most babies go from conception to birth.

His ability to teach and inspire the men that comprise the 49ers is nothing short of miraculous, and the way he helped Alex Smith overcome his past this year will be written about for years to come.

His attitude and passion were as infectious as the plague, and what started out as a tiny spark in August turned into a flame that swept through Northern California and almost overflowed into the rest of the nation, if not for a few key mistakes in the NFC Championship Game.

Who's got it better than us? Nooo-body!

Grade: A+++++++