Mike Nolan has spent a lot of time the past two days on the phone, speaking with friends and family and many of his former players.
Nolan was fired Monday after going 18-37 in 3 1/2 seasons as head coach. Today, he was gracious enough to return my phone call. We spoke for about 15 minutes, and covered such topics as what went right and what went wrong.
Ultimately, he said he did not disagree with the decision to fire him because he understands his job was to win football games. He said he will be rooting hard for Mike Singletary to "make up the difference and do the things we couldn't do and win some games."
Here is the complete transcript of Mike Nolan's exit interview.
Q: How was the firing handled?
Nolan: It was uneventful. It just went down, and that was it. There was no drama.
Q: Did you sense it was coming?
Nolan: I have for a couple weeks.
Q: Why did you sense it?
Nolan: I don't know. Maybe I have ESP. (Laughs.)
Q: What could you have done so that it didn't turn out this way?
Nolan: Won more games. That's basically where it was. I don't disagree. It was frustrating. Last year was explainable to me. It was easy. There were a couple issues that had to get corrected. But this year . . . We didn't have an established quarterback, but at the same time he gave us a pretty good chance to win. And it was evident for most of the games, he did. And then we'd turn it over or the defense would go into a funk or something like that. More than anything else, it comes down to winning. And our window of opportunity ran out because of last year. If we looked last year like we do right now, I think it would be a whole different story. I think there'd be a lot more optimism in the air because it just looks better than it did.
Q: A lot of people thought when you hired Mike Martz you doomed yourself because if you lost you'd be out, and if you won, Martz would get all the credit and you'd probably be out anyway. Did you think about that?
Nolan: No. Obviously, I had to answer the question asked of me. I know Mike. Mike's a good friend. My objective is to try to win. I'm not into who gets credit and who doesn't. I know what goes on -- and who does what and who contributes and who hurts things and all those kinds of things. To let the outside influence a decision like that when I want to win, I didn't let that enter into it. If that's the kind of message that gets passed along, and we're winning, it wouldn't have gotten to me. It's just perception. I only had to recognize it because the question was asked of me a few times.
Q: Obviously, this was something that meant a lot to you personally because of the history with the 49ers. Is that the part that hurts you the most?
Nolan: Not really. The part that hurts me the most is probably twofold. One is that we didn't win. The other part was the relationships that were created - in particular with the coaches and players. Those are the two things. Any time there's change, it affects you. If you're winning a lot of games and there's a disagreement and you lose your job, the disappointment again is the relationships. But you feel good about the job you did because you won. In this case, there's the disappointment we didn't win, as well as the relationship that I have.
Q: When you were told was it just Jed York and Scot McCloughan in the room?
Nolan: I don't want to divulge who said what. As I found out today, everybody is throwing different things around. It was uneventful, that's all I can say.
Q: After you were fired, did you ask to meet with the players?
Nolan: No. As a matter of fact, that's what disappoints me, because it happened around 3:30. The ESPN thing got started around 2-something. It was a little disappointing that something wasn't said earlier in the day because I would've liked to at least talk to the players, but I didn't get the opportunity.
Q: Have you talked to a lot of players?
Nolan: I've talked to quite a few and a lot of it is text (messaging). . . . There's quite a few. Most of them I returned all the calls. I've been so busy with family and friends calling. At this point I'm just trying to return calls. Between now and the next few days, I'd like to speak with everyone on the team. I still have some calls to make, but I've spoken to quite a few already. Modern technology and texting saves a lot of time. . . . I'm going to start a blog and communicate with the players (laughs). And because it's a blog, I can say anything I want and it doesn't have to be accurate.
Q: Is that a commentary on my reporting?
Nolan: Not on yours . . . just on blogs in general (laughs).
Q: I know you and Frank Gore really hit it off. You treated him well, and he thinks very highly of you. What was that conversation like?
Nolan: It was sad. Yeah, that's the best way to describe it. It was sad.
Q: What's next for you?
Nolan: Today I got a nap. That felt good. Just taking it a day at a time. It's been too soon. I took my son to school and was able to do a few things I don't typically do this time of year. I'm not sure.
Q: Is there any doubt in your mind you'll some day get a chance to do this over and get it right somewhere else?
Nolan: Be a head coach?
Q: Yes.
Nolan: I can only be hopeful. That's like prior to getting the
Q: What are your thoughts about the 49ers fans and how they treated you?
Nolan: I appreciate them. I'm just as disappointed for them as I am for the players and coaches and everyone else involved. We lost and obviously as a fan you want the same thing we all want, which is to win games and to go to the playoffs. I feel for them, for their disappointment. But, there's a lot of football left -- they're not even at the midpoint, yet. Hopefully, Mike (Singletary) can make up the difference and do the things we couldn't do and win some games. It's a more friendly schedule, other than being on the road, in the second half. There are some great opportunities to win. Not to say that we didn't have some great opportunities to win, as well. At the same time, these last four games were difficult. We felt if we'd played better, with more consistency, we could've won.
Q: What kind of job will Mike Singletary do? Is he ready for this?
Nolan: We'll find out. This is his opportunity. Any time it's your first time, those questions remain. That's where Mike's at right now. I think Mike has great leadership ability. I think he'll keep the players together through a difficult transition. They'll have faith and confidence in him. But as you and I both know, there's a lot of things you experience when you become a head coach for the first time. Nobody wants to hear it, but it's a lot like parenting. Everybody says they're going to be a great parent until they have a child. Then, it's, 'Oh, my God, do I have to do this?' The great thing is that Mike already has a pulse on the team. He has three outstanding coordinators. There's a lot of things in place. Mike just has to lead the team. And Mike is a very good leader. We'll see.
Q: You had never been a head coach. You come to the 49ers and you were a very powerful head coach with final say on personnel. In retrospect, was that too much?
Nolan: No. As a matter of fact, it was more difficult after the change last year. I felt I had to watch it more closely. Maybe that's just a personality trait.
Q: What do you mean when you say you had to watch it too close?
Nolan: When you know have final say, you always know what's going on because nothing can be done without you. When it's the other way, whether it's important or not, you just like to be involved. But, again, that's just because it was a change. It was new; it was different. So it was a little unsettling early. I think it would've been the case either way. I was for it (giving McCloughan final say on personnel), and I still am. But it was different. I thought the first two years, we got an awful lot of work done. There's no question when we came in, the place was a mess. And I felt we made great strides in the first two years. It was unfortunate that last year, the third year, went so awry with some coaching losses and some player issues with the quarterback and all that. It didn't hit right. That year set us back. Like I said, if this year had been last year, there'd be a lot more patience and tolerance. I think there'd be a lot more optimism because you can really see it this year because it looks like it's on the verge. Whereas last year, it didn't look to be on the verge and it was supposed to. And I agree. It was costly.
Q: Let me take you back to 2005. Any regrets about Alex Smith as the No. 1 overall pick?
Nolan: I don't want to go there. That's an unfair question because you're not going to know until he gets an opportunity. He's been hurt the last two years. Anybody could answer that question because you're not going to know. That's not my area anymore. I don't have to answer that, but somebody else will, though (laughs).
Q: Mike Singletary said you had the hard part. Your job was to build the foundation. His job is to build u[on that foundation. Do you leave this job proud of what you did as far as getting the organization on the right track?
Nolan: I think he's right about what he's saying. The best gauge for where a team is at is in the locker room. If you got talent there and they're staying together and they're playing hard and performing and they're close . . . something has to happen for them to start winning, but at the same time there's a lot of things in the building that, without question, are better than they were. At this point, it's just about winning. The pieces are in place. The coaches are in place. It's about winning now. If Mike can get that right, I'll be as happy as he is.
Q: You've said in the past some of your best learning experiences we when things didn't go so well, such as the Redskins job. In the future, how will this make you a better coach?
Nolan: Oh, without question, it's been a difficult experience. Even from the beginning there have been a lot of trials and things - from a player (Thomas Herrion) dying in the locker room to a lot of unexpected things have happened on this job. Without question, I've grown a tremendous amount with it and gained a tremendous amount of experience. I'd still love to be here to coach and enjoying the successes that you reap when you go through all those things. But we're not. If another opportunity comes along, without question I'll call on the experiences that I've had - good and bad - to do a much better job next time.
* * *
And with that I thanked Mike Nolan for his professionalism in dealing with the daily beat reporters and answering a lot of difficult questions through the years. I wished him and his wife, Kathy, and their family all the best in the future.
* * *
Nolan is a pro's pro. No doubt about it.
He sounds like a man quite a peace with himself. He's a pro's pro.
And that closes the Matt + Nolan Chapter......its been engaging reading your Nolan interviews and commentary,..Thank You.....Good Stuff Matt.
Nolan is the consummate professional politician.
Matt-
I will give credit where credit is due. I did not care for all of Nolan's coaching style, however he left the the building like a Pro. Good Luck to him...
I said yesterday morning in a comment to your post about whether the Seahawks game was a must win, that I would make the change at the bye and select Singletary as the interim coach to see if he was the "diamond in the rough" head coaching candidate some believe so I'm already on record as supporting this move. That said, I truly feel for Mike Nolan and I wish it would have been different. I think Nolan is a stand up guy who took a lot of shots, many earned but as many if not more unearned. If the 49ers are successful in the near term - next 2 to 3 years, 49ers fans will owe Mike Nolan a big thank you and apology. Not for the termination - he didn't win enough in year four after a horrible year 3 - but for building that foundation for a return to success and for the unwarranted cheap shots. In this latter connection, Matt, please give us a clue as to who took the final cheap shot by leaking the story to ESPN. I don't think it was McCloughan or the Yorks. My guess is Paraage Maraate. All I know is that person should be disciplined. You can't have management engaging in that sort of backbiting and call yourself "first class."
The fact that he called him back at all shows a lot. Good luck Nolan and thanks Matt
Matt M., it's clear you're at the head of the class when it comes to Bay Area media, or I should say media period (that includes t.v. and radio). Phenomenal interview. I do wish it would've worked out better for him.
For those who like to say Nolan is not an accountable guy, read this interview.
Matt -- great interview. It created a nice piece of closure for all of us, and for you too, I'm sure. To be clear, for most people who post here, this was never personal where Mike Nolan was concerned... This was purely about the frustration of being a fan of a team with five (5) Super Bowl trophies, and seeing the legacy of a once proud franchise be severely tarnished -- largely through what appeared to be rudderless leadership from the top down. What Jed York will do remains to be seen; however, firing Nolan does not fix the larger problem which is this: world championships begin with ownership and cascade down through the front office before they are ever earned on the field. We saw that with the Rooneys in Pittsburgh, the Maras in New York, and -- yes -- Eddie DeBartalo in San Francisco. Unfortunately, that important piece of the equation does not appear likely to be changing for us anytime soon (and I want to reiterate that unless someone else proves capable of "coaching up" the current roster, GM Scot McCloughan is equally guilty in this mess). Best of luck to Mike Nolan and his family; hopefully there is a better fit out there for him where he can succeed.
I agree with Jon in SoCal. If Nolan ever wants another HC opportunity, or even a good DC job, he is better off saying all the right things today.
coach,
No matter what anybody says, you're a good man, and I wish it couldve worked out.
Good luck
quite the scoop Matt, thanks for this, think the whole mess is very very intriguing. Just listened to the McC interview on knbr and think it's fascinating that neither of the two main protagonists (I think we can, for once, forget the Yorks pretty much in this) want to mention each other but are making some very veiled comments.
Sound like a power struggle and a bit of et tu bru-te ?
It's tough to see Nolan go, but I think it was something that was necessary at this point.
It's pretty clear that Mike Nolan was a professional. The way he handled himself, the way he talked about and ran the team all were indicative of a guy who knew how to handle a football team. This is not just true in the aspect of how he behaved himself, but is also evident when comparing the roster of this year and last to what he inherited. He, without question, got things moving in back in the right direction.
But there is more to coaching than just the off-the-field stuff. I think that it was also pretty clear that when it came to game-time, the guy seemed to be lacking something. He seemed so passive, so content with playing it safe. I think we continually see that the teams that have success are the ones that are willing to be agressive and take a chance -- the ones willing to grab fate by the horns and make their own destiny. I never got that sense with Nolan at the helm. It was always conservative, which made them susceptible to other teams that were willing to exhibit some agressiveness.
Now, you could very reasonably argue that my last paragraph was trite and inaccurate; you could say that the team didn't lose because of it's play style, it just lost because of a lack of talent. But I really, genuinely believe Nolan brought the right tools to the job... he just wasn't equipped to use them.
It's easy to cite just his winning percentage, but come on... Nolan did exponentially more than Dennis Erickson in his time here. At least with Nolan it felt like we had hope and potential... I actually think Nolan would be well-suited (pardon the expression) for a front office job.
Well, he still has millions in the bank, and is still going to get his million plus next year. He is a class act, but I don't feel too sorry for him.
aaaahhhhh how touching "a real pro's pro"..
Screw that, he has frustrated most of us for 3 years. Major let down!
Less than 24 hours ago it was boot the suit. Now groveling over an interview that I could have done and you people are now probably thinking...did the 49ers do the right thing?
Hey Nolan "Don't let the door hit your ass on the way out, C-YA wouldn't wanna be ya"!
Football is a boyz game played by men! The NFL is a very tough place to be. When a player get's cut after leaving parts of his body on the field for 10 years, do we give him exit interviews?
Hell NO!! WHO CARES!! GET OUT, YOUR DONE!! YOU SUCKED!! That is the NFL ladies.
What I read were excuses for not winning. YOU JUST GET IT DONE!! You don't look pretty on the sideline with your $1500 suit and $300 sunglasses! Your suppose to look like Bill Walsh, Stressed and pissed off and MEAN and losing was not an option. I can't tell you how many stories I heard of how Mr Walsh instilled such a fear of losing that when they did, players actually puked after losses!! They knew Walsh could careless who you were, he would find away to win on the road at 10am eastern time.
Bottom line is the all mighty buck and the all mighty buck in the NFL is winning.
If it was easy Girl Scouts would be coaching the 49ers
Mike Nolan's a classy guy. You could tell the effort was there, things just didn't click. I wish him the best.
Seems like a good guy that was in way over his head. I think the fans would have cut him alot more slack if his communication as the head coach was as honest and genuine as he appeared to be in this interview. Good work Matt.
Good interview. Thanks.
I am not a big fan of mid-season firings but it's hard to say Nolan did not get a chance. He was paid well and coached for about 3.5 years and had ther are opportunity to coach the same team as his father. I have more faith in him than the Yorks. The team played hard and were at least competitive.
But ultimately, no, I can feel too sorry for Nolan.
He seems like a good guy and still has a lot of money coming to him. I wish him the best.
As far for me, I'm a 49ers fan first and last. The team is bigger than any particular individual and coach and I'll move on.
The Year before Bill Walsh came the Niners were 2-14. His record after he came 2-14, 6-10, 13-3 Super Bowl Champions. Good Personnel Choices, Good Asst Coaching, and a Great Head Coach.
man I really like Mike... I hope he can get another coaching job and be really succesful...
I wish him the best..
he is defenetly a class act...
go niners
Can I just clarify something . . . Yes the team is in much better shape than when Nolan took it over. And yes the locker room is better, the character of the team is better and these are all important things. They are closer than some think to being very competitive if they can just learn how to win. BUT I am a little tired of people that keep saying look how much better he did than Dennis Ericson. If you remember sportsfans the Yorks made Ericson and Donahue get rid of all of their talent ALL OF IT. Ericson didn't have the luxury of signing any free agents they did a huge salary dump. Couple that with some terrible drafting and that is where it was when Nolan came in. Just thought people should remember that.
Matt,
I think this move was necessary but what hurts the most it that Nolan is a true pro. For the most part he did things the right way as far as dealing with people. He did mess up the situation with Smith (injury). I hope he does get a job somewhere else. As far as Singletary, I am affraid that he is destined to fail with a team who is almost half way through the season with no QB & a horrible offensive line. I wish the niners and nolan the best of luck!
Coach Nolan is a classy guy. I am hopeful that he
will use this opportunity to regroup and plan the
future. I am certain that Coach Nolan will deserve
a lot of credit if this 49ers team will be
successful this or next year.
Marco that has been my beef with Nolan in a nut shell.
My analogy was that he enjoys the process of being in control, something he eluded to regarding the loss of the GM duties.
Whether Jed or John realized this last year was a good thing.
His biggest downfall, IMO, is his unwillingness to bend and more specifically, meet a disagreement with civility.
He used the hard headed, man in charge, my way or the highway approach too often it seems.
When you Drafted as high as we have for 3 straight years and whiffed on most of the top 3 picks, you fall victim to FA. He hasn't had any meaningful contributions from the Draft beyond Frank and Patrick, perhaps Staley.
Blame him, blame Scot, blame the Yorks, facts are facts, there is no clear vision on what is actually being built here. Best Player Available? Who assembles the beast? The Head Coach. When the parts don't compliment one another, you gyrate in place.
With professional sports the windows are tight. He was shackled with a huge hairball of a problem when he arrived, and I've always given him high marks for organizational effort. Senior Bowls and the cliche`s involved did show leadership.
Unfortunately he shopped with a very narrow field of vision. Last year especially, with B.Y. nearing the end and the above average crop of DT/NT positions available we passed.
This year he selects Balmer from a very weak class.
It's sad to see a man lose his job, but harsh reality says success can't be forged. You win or you lose.
It's been reported, and many of us can bare witness, that he tinkers too much with tweeners.
I'll beat the Tuna principles to death, but the guy is a proven winner. Build the Lines, Build the Defense, find a QB that moves the chains. Alex hurt us, whiffing on stud OL/DL picks compounded it. Vernon cried on Draft day, I always wondered if he was happy to be here or not.
We can't change what has been done, but we needed to make this move now, not later.
The scheme, the plan, the results were just too predictable.
Credit is clearly due to Nolan for making significant strides in the rebuilding process. At the same time, the last four games suggest that he was not the guy to finish the job. However much he knows about football--which I do not doubt is a lot--the chemistry was simply not right. It will be fascinating to see if Big Mike can add the missing ingredient(s). I sure hope so. Sad as it is to realize that someone's career, and years of hard work, just got hit by a semi, this is the entertainment industry and in the long run I have a hard time feeling sorry for people with multi million dollar contracts. Hats off to Nolan for giving it his best shot and accomplishing many good things; now, lets get on with the job of turning this team into a contender. We need something to root for on Sunday mornings, and a new coach gives us a lot more to hope for than we had 48 hours ago.
PEACE OUT NOLAN!
I still believe that our biggest weakness remains in talent evaluation.
Drafting high is the handicap afforded to the poor teams to get better faster. We needed more bang then we've gotten in that regard.
It could have been anyone as head coach these last 3.5 years.
This is the NFL. Without a QB you cannot win.
He never had a quarterback so he never had a chance.
Thanks Mike.
Baltimore won with Trent Dilfer. St. Louis won with Kurt Warner. yes, the QB is important, but those guys are not close to being hall of fame material. Good coaches get the most out of what they have, and Nolan had enough to do better.
Baltimore won with Trent Dilfer AND perhaps the overwhelmingly best defense in a generation, with respect to the 85 Bears. Kurt Warner has proven himself to be a highly effective, if often inconsistent NFL QB. You need not be in the Hall of Fame to lead your team at that position. So few players are. This franchise is a quarterback away from the playoffs, not a coach away. I wish Singletary the best, but until they have a signal caller nothing will change. Man do I want us to win, but when we don't it will be some vindication for Coach Nolan who did as well as anyone with what was here. Now whether he could have influenced our getting a better QB at some point, I don't know. If he could have and didn't then he bears some of that responsibility too. People love casting blame, and part of the fun of "fan-dom" is that. However the blame here should so obviously point in greatest part to what we didn't have, and not what we had. I just happen to believe, and its one humble fan opinion, that there isn't a coach alive who could win in this league, on a consistent basis, without a capable, tested, healthy, NFL caliber quarterback. Coach Nolan never had that.
I knew this was coming...you could feel it. Still, I felt bad for Coach when it happened. He poured his heart and soul into this team...but, he couldn't get over the hump. There are reasons he's a very well respected man and coach in NFL circles...I think you can see them in this interview. After his trip to Afghanistan with Ron Barr, I sent Ron an e-mail telling him how much I appreciated what he and Coach did to reach out to our troops (I'm retired AF, myself). He replied and said he'd sent my e-mail to Coach and Eric Davis. The day before my birthday (Aug 13) I got a card in the mail...it said SF 49ers on the envelope. My first thought was "cool, how did they know it was my birthday". Well, it wasn't a birthday card...it was a personal note from Coach Nolan, thanking me for my support and saying that his trip to Afghanistan was more than he could've imagined. Needless to say, I was very happy to hear from him...he's an extremely busy guy, and for him to take the time to do that was great. That's the kind of man Mike Nolan is...I wish him success wherever he ends up. Thanks for all your hard work, Coach.
Mike Nolan was forthright about his job status and at least outwardly did his best to keep a possible release from affecting they way he conducted his job. That the news of his impending firing was leaked to the media by one of the 49ers executives is unforgivable. This is a damning sign of a massively dysfunctional organization, and a truly classless individual in whomever leaked the information. The person in question must be identified and removed.
49er Psalm .333
Twinkle Twinkle fading 49er star.
How we wonder where you are.
Oh so high we thought we'd soar.
The day Mike Nolan entered our door.
Our team still needs work,
It's already year four
Thankfully though, you did find Frank Gore.
Sadly you leave, back through that door
Work not completed, we still need more.
We're better perhaps, but still not winning.
Looks much the same as it did?
Way back, at the beginning?
Marathe, spreadsheets, Senior Bowls too,
We still don't convert much,
On 3rd down and 2?
Results that, too sadly, reflect poorly on you.
Losing 2 out of 3?
49ers are winners!
We hoped for MUCH more.
Like possibly winning, 3 out of 4.
Frank: That's a lovely story, thanks for sharing.
I disliked Nolan because of his propensity to blame
everybody else around him. A good coach should
always take the heat personally, and protect the
team by keeping the spotlight off of them. I don't
know him personally, but your story has shown a different side. I'm glad he's not our coach anymore but wish him
well, wherever he goes.
In 4 off-seasons, we never really improved that much, certainly not enough to merit a 5th off-season.
QB, OL, DL and WR were all absolute disaster areas
during his tenure. He had the draft picks, he had the FA's, and he had the time, but ultimately, he just didn't have what it takes to win.
GO NINERS!
it takes to win.
Good riddance as he was a terrible game day coach, but best wishes as he is a stand up guy.
Hopefully, Singletary can put together some sort of a decent game plan for the Seahawks. It will interesting to see what kind of changes he makes. I pray that he won't just "stay the course" as his mentor did.
Good Guy, Great, there are a lot of "Good Guys" around. Nolan was TERRIBLY INCOMPETENT with the 49ers and has once again set the franchise back to maybe an unrecoverable level in San Francisco. As far as he was with the fans he was AWFUL compared to Mariucci, not mention in the Win Column. The only Head Coaching job this guy gets a sniff at is a "middle of the road" College Program.
McCloughan on the Razor and Mr. T last night showed just how INCOMPETENT this organization is. Ralph lit this guy up with appropriate questions and McCloughan was completely lost! If this guy was in New York City he would be DESTROYED by the media for his lack of knowledge. The 49ers are in DEEP TROUBLE!
Not a very good coach but a real standup guy. Yeah he made mistakes with the Alex Smith situation last year, but I think overall he's a good man. Good luck with your next gig, Nolan. Way to go owning up to the issue and not trying to spread the blame around. I can certainly commend you for that. Being a real man is better than being a great coach. Good luck.
Okay the hypocrisy meter just overloaded and blew up, can we move on.
Matt-Great talk with Nolan. Obviously not the best of circumstances. Hopefully you won't have another like it with the Niners for a long time. Nolan did the 'man up' thing by calling you. Tough day for all. Now we move forward.
good job matt
JVI1979: Thanks for the heads-up on the McCloughan
interview, just listened to it. I can see why you
sound so worried, Scot opened it off by using the
phrase, "...transpire itself out...". Definitely
got pushed around by the Razor, at times. His defense
of his bosses and colleagues was somewhat limp.
Let's hope that what he lacks in conversational
skills he makes up for in football smarts.
Glad Nolan was fired, but it's hard to actually
dislike the guy, that's for sure.
I know this sounds crazy,but what about Nolan working as 49ers defensive cordinator.He is obviously a grear football mind,just a little off on his game management skills
He would never accept a demotion to DC
Granted, Nolan has taken his firing well. At the same time, he's still due another $2.5 million through next year -- more than most make -- and he clearly wants another shot at being a head coach. His major problems, though, were obvious and uncorrected. Nolan was a horrible game day coach -- perhaps even worse this year than before; and he was always at his worst in those few games where the fourth quarter meant something. He insisted upon playing the softest of defenses -- and then wondered why opponents always made their third down plays. He kept playing older, slower guys who were "loyal" to him, when younger, faster guys needed to play. He (along with Scot, who is at least equally at fault on this issue) was a poor judge of young talent and a weak judge of free agents' potential. Finally, he absolutely failed to take responsibility for his team's failures and often threw his players under the proverbial bus. He might have earned some points for standing for interviews, but he generally had little of substance to say. No one wishes him ill; all should be happy he's gone. But the overall problem remains systemic so long as the Yorkies run this show.
Is: Great assessment...you nailed it