Popeyejones":1mi4gvxz said:
There was a TON of coverage about this months ago when it happened. There was even a long thread about it here at .net.
It was really bad for sure. He has been MUCH better since then (not that he could have gotten much worse), and much closer to the guy the beat reporters have always described.
It's a small one of many reasons why you don't promote lifetime positional coaches to head coaches; they simply don't have the training and comfort to interact with media, and have to learn as they go.
Yeah...kinda funny to me that peeps are drudging up stuff from several months ago to comment on.
Look, Jim Tomsula admitted to tanking his first interviews, admitted to not getting any sleep the night before, and has been far better since.
When Darnell Dockett signed he said it was because he said he loved the guy. Tomsula would always talk to Dockett after games when he was a Cardinal. Jarryd Hayne had written off the 49ers as an option until he found out it was Tomsula who got the job. Justin Smith is working hard to play one more year to be able to play for Jim. He once referred to Tomsula as the best coach he's ever played for. Brian Baldinger has been making a case for Tomsula to get a head coaching gig for YEARS. Most of the team has come out and spoken about how much they love the guy and tweeted how happy they were when it happened. Hell, even EX-49ers, some of whom left under less than ideal circumstances tweeted out their support of the move (Ricky Jean-Francois, LaMichael James). Mike Martz when interviewed was asked if he'd be willing to be an OC for Tomsula. His response was that "I'd go get Jim Tomsulas coffee". MAD respect for the man...
...so this running commentary about how he didn't do well in the interview and how that has some correlation to his coaching ability is and always has been ludicrous. One of the best coaches in NFL history (Belichick) is one of the worst interviews.
I have no idea if Tomsula will be great or terrible, but peeps who keep linking back to old interviews from the day he was hired are succeeding only in making themselves look foolish. Nobody within the NFL has had a negative word to say about him as a coach. Very much the opposite in fact. Despite fan and media reactions to him, people in the know in the NFL have referred to him as a GREAT coach. Not good...GREAT. It isn't just the 49ers either. Until now, Tomsula has been one of the men at the NFL combine to take D-Linemen through drills. Despite what peeps think, Tomsula is a HIGHLY respected coach in NFL circles. That may not be popular to hear right now, but that doesn't make it any less true.
Will it translate to HC? No idea whatsoever. Could flame out in dramatic fashion. Anyone acting like they already know though that he'll be a terrible coach are simply making stuff up.