Momentum to no-mentum

OK, time to hide all sharp instruments, turn off sports-talk radio and put away your Beats by Dre. The 49ers' slide from Super Bowl participants to hosts of Super Bowl 50 has been a sports soap opera meets Game of Thrones with a pinch of Shakespearean tragedy thrown in for seasoning.

 

I went back to an article I wrote in January of 2012, looking into the amazing turnaround that the 49ers were experiencing. It might be instructive to reprise that piece and let you play the role of business-school professor asking your MBA students to analyze where it all went wrong.

 

Jan. 19, 2012

Turning it around:

The leading business turnaround experts are looking at the wondrous work done by Jim Harbaugh, the coaches, players and football operations staff to discover the secrets of their stunning success. Management metricists should come equipped with microscope, telescope, stethoscope, pivot tables and focus groups to figure out how this revolutionary resurrection took place.

Even first-year MBAs learn there are a few bedrock principles that lead to business success. The 49ers coaching staff used them to perfection on their joyous journey this season.

Expect to win:
"I want winners" sounds great, but "You are winners" resonates at a higher level with players. From day one the staff assembled by general manager Trent Baalke and Jim Harbaugh laid out a logical, consistent step-by-step plan for how this team was going to win. No five-year plans here; let's try five months instead.

Encourage risk, promote trust:
The coaches gave the players a mentality that taking chances was OK. We are not going to be who they thought we were going to be. When was the last time you saw the kicker fake a field goal and hit the lonesome Michael Crabtree for a surprise TD? If I told you that Joe Staley and Isaac Sopoaga were going to channel their inner Jerry Rice and turn into pass catchers, you would have spit up. Great managers promote trust in their workforce by supporting risk, even if it fails.

Define a winning culture:
Underperforming businesses usually have a poorly defined culture. In failing enterprises employees will not be able to answer what their company's culture is with a unified response. It is imperative that players embrace a single culture, one that will define success. The core values taught by the 49ers' football management experts defined that the organization is about winning football games. Anything else will be minimized.

Manage people:
Entrepreneurs don't invest in companies; they invest in people. When you look at the long-term picture, it isn't so much who you fire as who you hire or keep. Harbaugh has been there and done that when it comes to knowing every part of football culture. The immediate and total support and buy-in to Alex Smith was an early sign that this wasn't going to be business as usual. This decision was met with significant derision by fans and the media, but the coaching staff knew how to manage Smith and the offense coming out of the gate. There was no ready-fire-aim in their approach. Their plan gradually took shape and built systemwide confidence in the quarterback and his leadership qualities. It has paid off beyond any ones wildest expectations. (That is, until Jim Harbaugh replaced Alex Smith with Colin Kaepernick and that immediately paid even larger dividends.)

Get rid of status symbols:

The work shirts early in the season gave the team a new vision of its future. It helped define the mental toughness we saw against the New Orleans Saints. Everyone was part of the assembly line. Alex Smith appeared at the conference championship post game press conference with his name stitched on his mechanics shirt. Who would have blamed him if he had showed up with a t-shirt cannon and blitzed the media with tees that were emblazoned with "How do you like me now?"

 

Share the rewards:

Wednesday before the New Orleans Saints game, quarterback coach Geep Chryst drew up the Vernon Post. He had coached for the Carolina Panthers and saw New Orleans twice each season. He knew there was a soft Red Zone tendency that the Niners could take advantage of. The Vernon Post became an instant classic and Chryst was given the credit. Great leaders always take the negative hits and give the credit to their colleagues.

 

Everyone is a leader:
The 49ers trail the New Orleans Saints 24-23 with 2:18 left in the game and have the ball on the Saints 28, third-and-8. Harbaugh is talking to offensive coordinator Greg Roman in the coaches box. Roman suggests a play in which Alex Smith takes a shotgun snap and heads to the end zone. Twenty-eight legendary yards later Smith crosses the goal line. (The 49ers would win the game, 36-32.)

 

This wasn't a case of the smartest-guy-in-the-room syndrome but leaders working together to get the job done. The coaching staff assembled by Harbaugh and Baalke were all leaders. Without the following coaches this season would not have come together the way it did:

Brad Seely Vic Fangio Greg Roman Michael Christianson Geep Chryst Reggie Davis

Ed Doantell Tim Drevno Bobby Engram Peter Hansen Greg Jackson Jim Leavitt

John Morton Tom Rathman Mike Solari Jim Tomsula Mark Uyeyama

Don't worry, be happy:
There isn't a 49ers team in nine years that wouldn't have folded, being down 20-3 at the half in Philly (on October 2, 2011) or anywhere else. But the coaches kept it cool, calm and collected in the locker room. The team knew through their coaches' confidence that it was possible to get back in the game. In the middle of adversity, calmness is the ultimate cool. (The 49ers would win the game, 24-23.)

Team, team, team:
How did Harbaugh create this time warp to greatness from a decade of mediocrity?

Planning a turnaround takes an intimate understanding of a business or a team, including its players, coaches, management, ownership, fans, training programs and processes. Powerful leaders define the culture and vision and communicate these directly to gain employee support. To have accomplished this turnaround in a virtual nanosecond is something that management consultants and the sports media will be deconstructing for a long time.

 

Fast forward:

What better graduate business-school project for the geniuses of tomorrow at the Haas School of Business at Cal and the Stanford Business School than teaming up and using their smarts to see where the 49ers went wrong after being so right.

Andy Dolich has worked as an executive in all four major sports leagues, including the Oakland A's, Golden State Warriors and San Francisco 49ers. He is the managing director and head of U.S. sports practice for Odgers Berndstson, the UK's leading executive search firm, and director of career development for the University of San Francisco's online master's program in the business of

collegiate athletics.

Send us your Memorable Sports Moment or Sports Pulse and we will share them with our readers. Write: theultimatesportsguide@gmail.com. 

Jerry Warren -- RaiderJerry

 

It all started back in the 1970s. As a young boy I played on a Town League football team called the Pleasanton Raiders. Since I played on the Raiders, I wanted to be an Oakland Raider when I grew up.

 

After Town League I played high school football for the Foothill Falcons in Pleasanton. I was a wide receiver and on special teams and some of our coaches knew some of the Oakland Raiders players. The second year of high school some of the Raiders came out and coach us. Gene Upshaw lived a quarter mile down Foothill Road and he would bring his teammates with him. After high school I was asked to play for a semi-pro football, the San Jose Tigers. I felt that was the best way to be seen by a pro team since I was not able to go to college.

 

I was not as good at playing football as I thought. I decided to join the U.S. Army and after serving 10 years I decided to get out and go back home with my wife, whom I met in Germany. (We were married for 32 years but she passed away from cancer on January 9, 2012. RIP Maggie.)

 

When the Raiders came back from Los Angeles I was able to buy the PSL and got my season tickets and have been a Season Ticket Holder ever since. As I was going to the games wearing a Raider shirt and hat, I felt like that was not enough. I started to paint my face and after a couple of years, Raider Jerry became my name.

 

I have always been a Raiders fan, no matter where they have been, no matter where I have been. As it is said "Win, Lose, or Tie Raiders, until I die."

I have believed this from the early 70s when the Raiders were in Oakland, when they moved to Los Angeles, and of course when they came back to Oakland. In the years of being Raider Jerry I have gotten to know some of the Oakland Raiders, past and present.

 

Being part of a hosting tailgate, the Bad Boyz Of BBQ, I have spent time with Raider families and Raider Legends like John Vella, Cliff Branch, Bruce Wilkerson, Skip Thomas, Mario Henderson and Kenny "The Snake" Stabler. The list goes on and on.

 

As part of a hosting tailgate we invite all types of fans. We have had Boltman Sgt. Colt, Bear Man, Barrel Man (RIP) and many other Ultimate Fans at our tailgate. I support our team no matter what. I have NEVER booed my team.

In 2011 I was honored by being inducted into Pro Football's Ultimate Fan Association at the NFL Hall Of Fame in Canton Ohio. To me this was a Great Honor.

 

I am involved in many charities. I help raise money for the Boys and Girls Club of Stanislaus, I travel to Los Angeles, Oakland, Fresno and other places to raise money and I also started a charity called Characters Supporting Charities. I have taken my part of Characters Supporting Charities (West Coast) and with the help of Lisa, my fiancé, we have raised money for the Boys and Girls Club, giving 200 backpacks to the J. Babe Center in Canton, Ohio, with school supplies and many other things.

 

I volunteer over 100 hours a month to help guide 120 members from first to fifth grade. It has been so rewarding seeing these kids grow and prepare for their future. Lisa and I have dedicated our lives to helping guide them. Most are members in the section 8 program with the state of California. Sometimes it is very trying but in the end, it has been rewarding

 

We also bring Raider Legends to Ricky's Sports Theatre & Grill in San Leandro to reconnect with the fans. It has been a lot of fun seeing the guys I watch and gotten to know in the past years.

 

So who is RaiderJerry? RaiderJerry is a guy who loves his Raiders, loves life, loves having lots of fun, loves working and raising money for a great cause. 

 

RaiderJerry is among a number of Oakland Raiders fans who add excitement and delight to attending Raiders games. Photos by Ed Jay. 

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San Francisco

Abbey Tavern, 4100 Geary Street

The Blue Light, 1979 Union Street

Bus Stop, 1901 Union Street

The Chieftain, 198 5th Street

Danny Coyle's, 668 Haight Street

Dave's, 29 Third Street @ Kearny

Final Final, 2990 Baker @ Lombard

The Holding Company, #2 Embarcadro Center

Il Pirata, 2007 16th Street

Jake's Steaks, 3301 Buchanan Street

Jullian's, 101 4th Street

The Kezar Pub, 770 Stanyan Street

Mad Dog in the Fog, 530 Haight Street

Mucky Duck, 1315 9th Avenue

Nickie's Bar, 466 Haight Street

Players Sports Grill, Pier 39, Buildings L & M

Polo Grounds, 747 3rd Street

 

East Bay

Brennan's Restaurant, 4th & University, Berkeley

Churchward Pub, 1515 Park Street, Alameda

City Beach, 4020 Technology Place, Fremont

Crogan's Montclair, 6101 La Salle Avenue, Oakland

Cue & Brew, 1029 Arnold Drive, #6, Martinez

Dan's Irish Sports Bar, 1524 Civic Street, Walnut Creek

Diamonds Sports Bar & Grill, 77 Hegenberger, Oakland

Ed's Mudville Grill, 6200 Center Street, Clayton

The Englander, 101 Parrott Street, San Leandro  

Evie's, 7138 Village Parkway, Dublin

Francesco's Restaurant, 8520 Pardee Drive, Oakland

Frank's Saloon, 2014 Marina Blvd., San Leandro

Funky Monkey, 22554 Main Street, Hayward

George & Walt's, 5445 College Avenue, Oakland

Grand Oaks Restaurant, 3701 Grand Avenue, Oakland

Go Sports Bar, 736 Washington Street, Oakland

Ivy Room, 860 San Pablo Avenue, Albany

Kingfish, 5227 Claremont, Oakland

Linguini's Pizza & Brew, 1508 Park Street, Alameda

Livermore Casino Sports Bar, 3571 First Street, Livermore

McCovey's Restaurant, 1444 N. California, Walnut Creek

Mr. Lucky's Bar & Grill, 1527 Locust Street. Walnut Creek

Oakland Moose Club, 690 Hegenberger Road

Oaks Corner, 4099 San Pablo, Emeryville

Otaez Mexican Restaurant, 1619 Webster Street, Alameda

Pacific Coast Brewing Co., 906 Washington Street, Oakland

Pasta Pelican, 2455 Mariner Square Drive, Alameda

Pete's Place, 610A San Pablo Avenue, Pinole

Rancho Sports Bar, 3912 San Pablo Dam Road, El Sobrante

Ricky's Sports Grill, 15028 Hesperian Blvd., San Leandro

Sports Edition Bar, Hilton Oakland Airport, Oakland

Stadium Pub, 1420 Lincoln Avenue, Walnut Creek

Tierney's Sports Bar, 540 San Pablo Avenue, Albany

WPLJ's Dance Club, 2112 North Main Street, Walnut Creek

 

Brisbane

7 Mile House, 2800 Bayshore Blvd.

 

Burlingame 

The American Bull Bar & Grill, 1819 El Camino Real

Knuckles Historical Sports Bar, Hyatt Regency, Burlingame

 

Campbell 

Capers Eat & Drink, 1710 West Campbell   

 

Fair Oaks

Players Sports Pub, 4060 Sunrise Blvd.

 

Half Moon Bay 

Cameron's Restaurant Pub & Inn, 1410 South Cabrillo Hwy

Half Moon Bay Brewing Co., 390 Capistrano Road

 

Foster City 

The Club House Bistro, 1221 Chess Drive  

 

Palo Alto 

Sundance The Steakhouse, 1921 El Camino Real

 

Point Richmond

Up & Under, 2 West Richmond Avenue   

 

San Jose 

Bay 101 Casino, 1801 Bering Drive

Britannia Arms, 5027 Almaden Expressway

Britannia Arms, 173 West Santa Clara

Britannia Arms, 1087 De Anza Blvd.    

 

San Rafael 

Pete's 881, 721 Lincoln Avenue

 

Santa Clara

City Beach, 2911 Mead Avenue

 

Santa Cruz 

One Double Oh Seven Club, 1007 Soquel Avenue    

 

Vacaville 

Stars Recreation Center, 155 Browns Valley Parkway