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          NFL Nation

          NFC West Q&A: What's the book on 49ers coach Jim Tomsula?

          • Paul Gutierrez, ESPN Staff WriterJun 30, 2015, 08:00 AM ET
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              Paul Gutierrez joined NFL Nation in 2013 and serves as its Las Vegas Raiders reporter. He has a multi-platform role - writing on ESPN.com, television appearances on NFL Live and SportsCenter, and podcast and radio appearances. Before coming to ESPN, Gutierrez spent three years at CSN Bay Area as a multi-platform reporter, covering the Raiders and Oakland Athletics as well as anchoring the SportsNet Central cable news show. Gutierrez votes for the Baseball Hall of Fame and is also a member of the Professional Football Writers of America and currently serves as the PFWA's Las Vegas chapter president. He is also a member of the California Chicano News Media Association and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Gutierrez has authored three books: Tommy Davis' Tales from the Dodgers Dugout, 100 Things Raiders Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die and If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Raiders Sideline, Locker Room and Press Box with Lincoln Kennedy. You can follow Paul on Twitter @PGutierrezESPN
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          Today's question: Obviously, GM Trent Baalke and CEO Jed York believe in Jim Tomsula as their head coach. But what is the book on Tomsula in the rest of the division?

          Josh Weinfuss, Arizona Cardinals: Who? That’s basically the book on Tomsula, who’s as inexperienced as they come. He’s the type of guy that you could walk by on the street in Indianapolis during the NFL Combine and not realize you just passed the Niners' head coach. Because of his experience as a defensive line coach, the expectations are that the defense will be tough, but the offense will struggle.

          Nick Wagoner, St. Louis Rams: Back in 2006, the Rams were looking to start fresh after firing Mike Martz. Martz had won a lot of games but wore out his welcome as part of a power struggle with the front office. The Rams turned to Scott Linehan as their new head coach in no small part because he was the complete opposite of Martz when it comes to personality. Sound familiar? That seems to be the perception of what’s taken place in San Francisco, where former coach Jim Harbaugh won a lot of games but not a lot of friends with his approach. Tomsula is by all accounts an excellent position coach and the handful of Rams who know him have good things to say about him. But that doesn’t mean it will translate in the move from position coach to head coach.

          Terry Blount, Seattle Seahawks: I think the overall reaction to the hire was: “Really?” Tomsula is respected for his knowledge of defensive football, but we’re talking about a man who had never been a coordinator at the NFL level. And let’s be honest: Tomsula had a major failure in is first news conference after being named the head coach. He didn’t exactly come across as the most polished guy around. Granted, that has little to do with his coaching ability, but getting your point across to the public is a big part of the job. The good news is the players know him and seem to like him. He won’t be the combative irritant that Harbaugh was, a real plus for the team at this point. But I don’t think the rest of the NFC West sees this as the best move the 49ers could have made.