49ers Play Safe with Tomsula Hire, Future Lies in Offensive Coordinator Search

The San Francisco 49ers made a mistake by parting ways with Jim Harbaugh. But that's in the past now, and the future was always going to lie with either an innovative offensive mind or someone familiar who could be controlled by meddling ownership.

In the end, control won, and former defensive line coach Jim Tomsula has been promoted to become the franchise's 19th head coach, according to a report from ESPN's Adam Schefter that was later confirmed by the 49ers.

Tomsula has been with the 49ers since 2007 and assumed interim head coaching duties after the team fired Mike Singletary in 2010.

This hiring isn't a mistake or a misstep. Instead it's safe, though still difficult to digest after a coach who had a 44-19-1 record and went to three straight NFC Championship Games (oh, and a Super Bowl) just left town.

Although Tomsula worked alongside Harbaugh, he has a deeper relationship with the 49ers and CEO Jed York that extends beyond the team's most recent ex-coach. That gives him a more forgiving ear and will avoid the alpha-male divide that separated Harbaugh from York and general manager Trent Baalke.

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He's a defense-oriented coach, and that plays to an already existing strength, though it's concerning that defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is now reportedly set to leave. He's the true architect of a defense that somehow finished fifth overall in yards allowed per game this season despite rampant injuries.

Fangio has fielded a top-five defense in each of his four seasons as coordinator. Tuesday, NFL Network's Michael Silver reported that Fangio would find employment elsewhere if he wasn't promoted to the top job in San Francisco:

The problem with Tomsula will become progress and whether he can make any quickly to rebound after an 8-8 season. And that's partly out of his hands.

Defense isn't the pressing issue in San Francisco, and it won't be any time soon. Tomsula's defensive mind may elevate an already thriving unit, but the true weakness lies on the other side of the ball.

Which is why the solution for what ails the 49ers is yet to come.

Both Tomsula and, more importantly, his quarterback Colin Kaepernick, need an elite offensive mind. The 49ers offense regressed dramatically in 2014 along with its quarterback, averaging only 19.1 points per game (25th). Worse, throughout the season they averaged a league-low 2.1 points in the fourth quarter.

Kaepernick was erratic at best, sometimes fitting balls through tight windows on throws others wouldn't attempt, but more often making poor decisions and looking lost in the pocket while failing to go through his progressions. He was always going to be a project, and there was always the potential his development would slow.

But Kaepernick stalled in 2014. He needs a reset, and he needs a fresh quarterback whisperer. He needs Marc Trestman.

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Trestman remains a possibility to join Tomsula's staff, as Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News reports:

Despite his recent failings with Jay Cutler in Chicago (who may be a lost cause for anyone), Trestman can be the missing link to guide Kaepernick forward, making him a more confident pocket passer. His history as a quarterbacks coach is well established after Trestman held that position with seven different teams. That includes a stint with the 49ers for two seasons in a dual role as both quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator (1995 to 1996).

Kyle Shanahan is also a possibility and would be a fit after working with the similarly mobile Robert Griffin III in Washington. He was set to be a target for the position if the 49ers promoted Fangio to head coach instead of Tomsula, according to a report from CSN Bay Area's Matt Maiocco.

If the 49ers promote from within again, then quarterbacks coach Geep Chryst would be a top candidate. The transition from quarterbacks coach to coordinator is a natural one, and he already has a relationship with Kaepernick. More of the same may not be what Kaepernick needs right now, though.

In some ways the 49ers faced a choice between defensive continuity and committing fully to bringing in a tutor for Kaepernick. As Kawakami noted before the Tomsula hire was finalized, the next move was always going to be a statement about the 49ers' ultimate focus.

"The 49ers want to keep the defense strong," Kawakami wrote Tuesday. "But they also want to revamp the offense around Kaepernick, and those are two things pulling this search, very probably in different directions"

A move favoring continuity satisfied one of the team's most respected veterans.

"I think for teams to be successful you have to have as much continuity from year to year as much as possible," wide receiver Anquan Boldin told the San Francisco Chronicle. "And I think hiring Coach Tomsula gives us that continuity. The less change that you have, I think, the better chance you have to be successful the following year."

The real direction of the 49ers still lies in who takes the helm of the offense and can steer what was a rudderless ship away from troubled waters. York and Baalke had an opportunity to put an offensive mind atop the coaching hierarchy but chose to pass on Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase.

Gase represented a risk with his lack of head coaching experience. But Tomsula isn't far ahead in that regard, though being a head coach for one season in NFL Europe earns him some experience points.

What Tomsula has, however, is a relationship, and it's one that feels cozy for his superiors. If he represents the status quo, the 49ers have failed as an organization.