PHOENIX -- The task before Jim Tomsula was already daunting. As a rookie head coach, having to replace a man who became something of an instant legend in the Bay Area (Jim Harbaugh) at a time when ownership has fallen under considerable scrutiny by the fan base, and during an imminent exodus of franchise-defining players, Tomsula already had considerable terrain to navigate taking over as 49ers head coach.
Add to that a few other shocking developments -- particularly the sudden retirement of cornerstone Patrick Willis and impact rookie Chris Borland that turned their once-significant strength at inside linebacker into a position of immediate need -- and Tomsula is facing circumstances no grizzled veteran head coach could have anticipated, much less one putting together an NFL staff for the first time. Watching Frank Gore -- the heart and soul of San Francisco's offense for the totality of his distinguished career there -- leave in free agency was another blow. Combine that with Justin Smith, who means precisely the same thing to the defense, contemplating retirement, and the reshaping of this team on the field and in the locker room is an ongoing dynamic.
For the ever-buoyant Tomsula, however, who learned to take nothing for granted through his humble upbringing in Pittsburgh and who defied the odds to ever reach this point, these are hardly hardships to dwell on, of course. They have done nothing to dull his infectious enthusiasm or quell his excitement about his football team. But it will surely hasten a learning curve for a franchise that is very much in transition and a roster that just might be in a state of decline.
Will he spend any time delving into the tumultuous recent past of the 49ers as he addresses the full team for the first time at the start of San Francisco's offseason program in a few weeks? Will the events beginning with Harbaugh's controversial exit with a year remaining on his contract, and running through Borland's nationally discussed decision to leave the game at age 24, enter into his equation as he gets ready to dive into the season at hand?
"No sir, I can promise you that," Tomsula said. "As far opposite of that as we can."
If Tomsula's years honing his craft in NFL Europe long ago taught him anything -- in a league in which rosters could literally totally transform from one spring to the next -- it's this simple mantra: "New year, new team." Though even he would concede that the past four weeks for the 49ers have been outside the norm. "Obviously, ours has been a little bit different than most years for most teams," Tomsula said, "but we're going to build a team."
And this will be a very different team. That much is assured.
Quarterback Colin Kaepernick comes in under fire, with his contract essentially becoming a year-to-year proposition after 2015 and team management facing potentially complicated decisions about his future. NaVorro Bowman, another dominant linebacker who would be the dean of this unit, is working his way back from a grisly knee injury, while Aldon Smith, an amazingly talented but deeply troubled pass rusher, is coming off a lost season and faces an uncertain future beyond.
Things are definitely going to change. Tomsula is as far removed from Harbaugh in most ways one could imagine, and their leadership styles and delivery are on opposite ends of the spectrum as well. The brooding stoicism of Harbaugh, his unique quirks and mannerisms, bear no resemblance to Tomsula, a jovial fellow who is just as demanding and who is anything but a shrinking violet himself, though he goes about displaying it in a very different way.
Tomsula is completely self-made. A tough and honest hard-worker, he wears his upbringing and his working-class Pittsburgh roots as a badge of honor. The distinction of being yet another Western Pennsylvania native to reach the pinnacle of the football coaching profession is not lost on him. There are no airs and there is no pretention. There's an earnestness and sincerity to him that's refreshing and that has helped him reach this point, and which he believes is hardwired into the DNA of folks like him from back home.
"Doesn't it go back to the steel mills?" he said, with it sounding more like a statement than a question. He already knew the answer. If you wanted to make your life better, and reach your goals, the path was fairly clear. "Get up and work like crazy."
When asked about the rich tradition of Pittsburgh guys coaching in the league, a group that includes his contemporaries Mike McCarthy in Green Bay and Marvin Lewis in Cincinnati, Tomsula's eyes light up, though he's quick to be self-deprecating, noting he grew up "down river from those guys."
"I would never put myself in the same sentence with all those guys," Tomsula said. However, he should know he's already been welcomed into the fraternity.
"I've known him since he was a young man," McCarthy, who already has one Lombardi Trophy to his credit, said. "He was an excellent high school football player. He was about the same age as my brother, and Jimmy went to the public high school and we went to the Catholic high school, being the good Irish Catholics that we are. I'm very familiar with Jim and I'm excited for him, and I've followed his success. His brother-in-law I went to high school with. So there's a lot of ties there and I'm excited about the opportunity he has in San Francisco. Jimmy's definitely paid his dues and he won a championship over there in Europe, so I'm very, very excited for him."
Tomsula still can hear the words of iconic Pittsburgh high school coach George Novak in his head most days as he goes about his duties. The messages are short but prophetic. Don't try to run the offense and run the defense -- there's enough to do already as a head coach. "The head coach can be a meddler or an enabler," Novak once told him. "Try to be the second one." Focus on the individual, put people first. "It's 100 percent about each individual kid." Oh, and "don't swear on TV," was another piece of sage advice sent Tomsula's way.
If the past few weeks have shaken Tomsula at all, it was impossible to detect observing his animated and often funny interactions with the media Wednesday at the NFC coaches breakfast from the league meetings in Phoenix. Losing Willis was a surprise, but given his ongoing issues with his feet, and with Tomsula knowing all too well what a toe problem did to end the career of legendary Steelers' tough-guy linebacker Jack Lambert, "I don't know that it was a terrible surprise." Borland's decision came as more of a shocker. When Tomsula heard he was retiring his first thought was hoping nothing bad had happened to him ("Is he OK? What's going on."). He soon learned Borland wanted to leave the game due to fears about potential head trauma and came to terms with that outcome. "He made a decision, and I respect it," Tomsula said. "That's his decision."
Tomsula is energized by the 49ers acquisitions, and, as a longtime defensive line coach, the addition of lineman Darnell Dockett from rival Arizona provoked considerable emotion from him. "I love watching this guy play," he said, gushing over years of Dockett's prowess on tape, though it has to be noted the former Cardinal is working back from a season-ending injury.
On offense, the expectation is that burner Torrey Smith, formerly of the Ravens, can add some depth and dimension to an offense that badly bogged down in 2014 by lacking dynamic figures and explosiveness. With Smith drawing safety attention and able to flat out-run by most people, Tomsula believes that will create space for others and bring out the best in Kaepernick's powerful arm. The fact that Smith is of the highest character also helps for a franchise that has espoused wanting to win in a "classy" manner after taking hits for its handling of serious off-field situations with Aldon Smith and Ray McDonald in recent years.
"He doesn't check every box [you look for in a player and person]," Tomsula said of Torrey Smith, "he blows up every box."
Perhaps, the newcomers will make a big impact. Maybe, the 49ers will get better health and production from what was once a bullying offensive line. Perhaps a group of draft picks -- some entering the league with health issues -- from recent years will emerge to fill the void being created by departures and retirements. Could be this team that went to three straight NFC Championships from 2011-2013 before taking a big step back last season, isn't really headed for a further drop down the standings in a uber-competitive NFC West. It won't be easy, but those who know Tomsula won't bet against him.
"He's a fantastic guy. It's really hard not to like him," said Cowboys coach Jason Garrett, who has known Tomsula since Garrett was quarterback in the old NFL Europe and who Tomsula said has been a sounding board for him in this new coaching venture. "I think he's an outstanding football coach from my experience of just being around him and competing against his teams. He's just fantastic person and he has great values as a person and great values as a coach. I just wish him nothing but the best."
No matter how it goes, don't expect to see Tomsula change. He'll work tirelessly and he'll remain upbeat and positive and he'll fall back on his roots, in coaching and life, as he always has. It's carried him this far, to a dream job that didn't seem possible all that long ago, and he's not about changing who he is or what he believes in now. If nothing else, he will enjoy the ride, and he'll do it his way.
