Is Jed York Delusional or a Man with a Plan?

2014 proved to be a whirlwind for the San Francisco 49ers. Everything that could go wrong seemed to go wrong for the team.

Since taking over the team, owner Jed York turned around a franchise that was down in the dumps, by having Jim Harbaugh come in and coach his football team. Harbaugh wasn’t far down the road already, as he was the head coach for the Stanford Cardinal football team in Palo Alto.

While York was able to bring Harbaugh in, York was also capable of taking him out of that position — in which he did after the 2014 season. With the decision York made, it has led to turmoil among fans this offseason.

Fans are concerned as to what is York’s plan and if the 49ers are headed for dark times.

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The 49ers missed out on hiring former NFL coaches Mike Shanahan, Jon Gruden, Mike Holmgren, and coordinators Adam Gase and Dan Quinn.

This list doesn’t state whether at all if the coaches were initially interested, but what is fascinating is York decided to dump all his staff, besides the likes of Jim Tomsula — who has been around with the team since 2007. Essentially, York dumped all of Harbaugh’s staff.

While Tomsula is no Harbaugh, the 49ers have a plan with Tomsula, as is he is respected by many on the current 49ers roster. Tomsula has one year of head coaching experience from 2006 with the NFL Europe team, Rhein Fire, and an interim head coach duty for one game after the 49ers fired Mike Singletary, a game in which Tomsula won.

With a 1-0 record heading into the full time head coach position, Tomsula is viewed as more than just a head coach by York and the front office. Tomsula is viewed as a teacher — which has been hinted by York — that Harbaugh lacked that quality.

Was there a personal feud between Harbaugh and York? It is strange with the success the 49ers received under Harbaugh, and it was especially odd how fast it fell apart in the course of four years (2011-2014).

As it has been noted by the media and fans — after multiple 49ers press conferences towards the end of the 2014 regular season and the current offseason — York’s body language and decisions have portrayed that he has no plan, and he is living off the silver spoon handed down from the Eddie DeBartolo family.

Dec 28, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers chief executive officer Jed York (left) shakes hands with head coach Jim Harbaugh (right) before the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

York strikes as an immature man in charge, but has the drive to do what he wants. Is that really how York operates? Is it his true personality?

York essentially had everything handed to him, and has been in full attack mode to make the 49ers better. It is easy to bash York after his recent doings, but it begs the question — is York delusional, or is there a hidden agenda behind all of the offseason departures?

One thing that can’t be denied is his passion for the game.

Fear does not slow down York, but it certainly can cause him to react poorly. York is not private about his thoughts as he is involved with social media — in which he has a Twitter account.

While that is not the biggest of concerns, it does mean his words can be misconstrued by the media and fans. For instance, York’s recent famous quote “winning with class is what matters.”

Since when did America not believe in second chances?

Recently signed wide receiver — Jerome Simpson — has had a history of legal issues, primarily related to drugs. Talent is easy to choose over character, but if there is a right system set in place for a player to thrive as a person, past taboos may be forgotten. Simpson’s signing has created some negative reaction by a selective group of 49ers fans, as it seems to trump York’s “winning with class.”

York’s comment is easily misconstrued. Bringing in a player with a bad history doesn’t mean they are going against “winning with class.” By bringing in a troubled player, it can mean two things — either they are brought in on talent alone, or they are giving that player a second chance. If the player gets in trouble while on the team, cutting that player would be the classy decision to make and would live up to York’s message of holding players accountable for their actions.

It is risky business to bring in a player with a history, but sometimes it is a decision a franchise needs to make because that particular player fits their mold.

York has also received heat from 49ers fans, after giving general manager — Trent Baalke — full control of the roster. Baalke got his wish, and York fulfilled that wish.

Baalke has been around the 49ers franchise for quite some time, as he has been employed with the 49ers since 2005. Baalke worked his way up from a scout, director of player personnel, and now has been general manager of the 49ers since 2011.

In 2011, both Harbaugh and Baalke received their respected titles — head coach and general manager. Could a Harbaugh and Baalke disagreement over the four years have led to Harbaugh’s departure?

During the 2011 NFL Draft, Harbaugh and the front office did not see eye to eye on the 49ers’ second round draft choice — Harbaugh vouched for Colin Kaepernick, while Baalke and the front office had their sights on Andy Dalton. In the end, York trusted Harbaugh and let him make the call. With Baalke losing out on the decision, this may have been the start of control issues over the next four years. As a result of control issues, this seemed to create a rift between Harbaugh, Baalke, and York.

It looks like York had to choose between Baalke and Harbaugh, and no doubt York was going to go with his right-hand man — Baalke. Harbaugh was easier to part with, and was more serviceable. In the end, the 49ers and Harbaugh came to a mutual agreement to part ways with each having their own desire. This choice was not in interest of many 49ers fans and felt there was nothing “mutual” about it.