According to my email and voicemail these are the three most disliked people in the 49er organization. I want to make something clear. These are what my readers are saying — the ranking of these people does not reflect my personal views. Got that? OK.
The Number One Most Disliked 49er: John York. Hands down.
The consensus is that he’s ruined the 49er brand, the entire 49erness of 49erdom, the entity all of us used to be so proud of. He has presided over the collapse of the greatest franchise in American sports. Everything he tries just won’t work out. He can’t get a stadium. He is not charming with the media. He seems to be in hiding these days. And worst of all, he doesn’t know anything about hiring the right coach. Which brings me to . . .
The Number Two Most Disliked 49er: Mike Nolan by a wide margin.
On web sites all across America people refer to Nolan as Coach Suit. The nickname implies empty suit as in nothing going on, as in all facade and no substance. People who write to me complain bitterly that Nolan, who is supposed to be a defensive coach, can’t put together a defense that actually defends. They say he is not head coach material — can’t lead an entire organization. Many people who write to me really dislike this guy. They say he doesn’t answer straight questions in a straight way and often says he needs to look at the tape. And they complain loudly about his draft choices. Which brings me to . . .
The Number Three Most Disliked 49ers: Vernon Davis.
This surprises me because Davis is a good guy. But that’s not the issue. Fans see Davis as representing everything that’s wrong with Nolan (and York). The Niners took him sixth in the draft — the sixth pick is a big deal. But Davis hasn’t been catching many passes this season. He is seen as a false pick and seems to prove Nolan doesn’t know what he’s doing. When Nolan defended Davis the other day saying he does two out of three things well as a tight end, fans went nuts. The two things were run and pass blocking. Forget actually catching the ball.
Fans write to me that Davis has bad hands, is afraid to run across the middle, is scared to stick out his arms for a pass — one writer said he has croc arms. One Davis defender did point out that last season Davis caught 52 passes for 509 yards. So maybe this Davis detestation is only temporary.
Two Niners people do NOT get down on are Scot McCloughan and J.T. O’Sullivan. Readers simply don’t write to me about McCloughan. Maybe they figure this is his first year as GM so they’re giving him a break.
Readers like JTO, like his guts, like how hard he tries, want him to succeed.
— Lowell
