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Jed York SF 49ers CEO Fires GM, Head Coach, Lacks Long Term Plan

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Jed York, the San Francisco 49ers CEO and team owner, is someone I really like and enjoy talking to whenever and where-ever I see him: Hala Hizaji’s Professionals VIP event of a few years ago, NFL Owners Meetings, The Bay Lights Super Bowl 50 Ceremony last year, The bar at the Waldorf Astoria in New York in 2015 – the list goes on. He’s a gracious, thoughtful, smart, and engaging person to talk with. So, it’s in that sprit that I write this, rather than the attack-dog, insulting style of a certain SF Bay Area columnist. But I digress. Jed York has a problem. (For more on my take on Jed York, see the Zennie Abraham Zennie62 on YouTube video, above.) 

 

If I were to walk into Mr. York’s office, say, next week, and asked to see his five-year to ten-year plan for the San Francisco 49ers, he couldn’t present it to me. Not because he didn’t want me to see it, but because he does not have one. That, even though he started with the 49ers in their office of strategic planning. As one who’s background is in urban planning, and thanks to a number of teachers and authors of great city planning and public administration books, I don’t need to see his office to know what is going on. There is no book. No understanding of football business dynamics. And no plan.

 

 

 

How else to explain this: four head coaches in four years? Working backward, as now former San Francisco 49ers Head Coaches we have whoever Jed’s going to hire next in 2017 (or his new general manager brings in), Chip Kelly in 2016, Jim Tomsula in 2015, and Jim Harbaugh in 2014. How can anyone claim to build anything that resembles organizational security with a track record like that? The Jed York-run SF 49ers organizationally look like The City of Alameda, California before my good friend John Russo was hired as city manager in 2011.

 

 

 

In order to avoid being one more person going out of a yearly revolving door of city managers, Russo asked for, and was given, a five year contract. While he served four years of that five-year contract, he had enough time to solve a number of key organizational problems and in the process install his own policies and approaches. Russo was able to walk away from that job and go down to Riverside as its new city manager in 2015 having left behind a long list of accomplishments and a better ran city. Russo had a plan; Jed York does not have a plan.

 

 

 

To York’s defense, he might defensively say that what he’s doing is called “incremental planning” but as one who is not a fan of that approach, my retort is that one needs a long term plan to know why and how they’re making a particular change in the organization at any given time.

 

 

 

Because Jed York lacks an overall plan, he and his charges will go into a search for a head coach and a general manager without any really good, robust checklist to find and then evaluate potential candidates. Unlike others in the media, I’m going to provide one. Here’s all that Jed York needs to consider not just in hiring a new general manager and a new head coach for the San Francisco 49ers, but for with respect to the future of the place that Bill Walsh built.

 

 

 

For the General Manager role and scored on a scale of 1 to 10:

 

 

 

1. Does the general manager candidate have NFL budget and business operations experience?
2. Does the general manager candidate understand or have experience with the salary cap and capology?
3. Does the general manager candidate have NFL (or managerial) contract negotiation experience?
4. Is the general manager candidate known to NFL players (which helps in drawing free agents and building a roster of players).
5. Is the general manager candidate known to NFL agents (which helps in drawing free agents and building a roster of players).
6. Does the general manager know who’s who in coaching and administration at the pro and college level (which helps in hiring coaches)?
7. Can the general manager actually draw-up and discuss a football play and talk about how football strategy has changed?
8. Can the general manager identify and discuss what innovations in football strategy have developed over the last 20 years?

 

 

 

The person that Jed York hires should be given a free-path to seek out and hire the head coach that fits a criteria which includes player relationships, football strategy innovation, game management experience, and roster movement experience. And one other note should be placed in the folder of the new general manager as that person searches for the 49ers next head coach: ‘doesn’t need to be known by the media or fans.’

 

 

 

That last point is critical if the new GM is expected to really be allowed to go out and get the best person for the job. Jed should also remember that the next GM can just as easily be a woman as a man, and black or Asian or Latino, as well as white – that’s right. Talented female NFL professionals like Amy Trask and Katie Blackburn have established that a woman can do the job of general manager, president, or Jed’s role, CEO, very well.

 

 

 

Jed York has to use the criteria, and be flexible where he thinks that someone has enough of a strength in one area to overcome a weakness in another – and also be aware that the person being considered knows what their own shortcomings are. Then pull the trigger and bring that person in for a five-year contract, and then work with that person, and the organization, to write an overall plan for the organization – and then stick to it. The Dallas Cowboys first owner, the late Clint Murchison, Jr., did just that – ok, something like that.

 

 

 

Clint Murchison, Jr knew that, in the young, innovative, head coach he hired Tom Landry, he had a person who formed a long term plan for the development of the Dallas Cowboys – he just needed time to make it work. So, when the Cowboys first year under Landry ended without a win, and the next five years without a winning season, in 1964, Murchison gave Landry a 10-year contract, then hired Tex Schramm to run the organization, and stepped out the way.

 

 

 

The rest is history. Your move, Jed. Good luck.

Activism

Books for Ghana

We effectively facilitated cross-continent community building! We met the call and provided 400 books for ASC’s students at the call of the Minister of Education. We supported the work of a new African writer whose breakout novel is an action-packed depiction of a young woman steeped in Ghanaian culture who travels to the USA for college, all the while experiencing the twists, turns, and uncertainties that life brings.

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Min. Rauna Thurston, Chief Mpuntuhene Afua Ewusiwa I
Min. Rauna Thurston, Chief Mpuntuhene Afua Ewusiwa I

By Min. Rauna Thurston, Chief Mpuntuhene Afua Ewusiwa I

My travels to Afrika began in June 2022, on a tour led by Prof. Manu Ampim, Director of the organization Advancing The Research. I was scheduled to become an ordained Minister by Wo’se Community of the Sacred African Way. It was vital that my feet touch the soil of Kemet and my spirit connect with the continent’s people before ordination.

Since 2022, I’ve made six trips to Afrika. During my travels, I became a benefactor to Abeadze State College (ASC) in Abeadze Dominase, Ghana, originally founded by Daasebre Kwebu Ewusi VII, Paramount Chief of Abeadze Traditional Area and now run by the government. The students there were having trouble with English courses, which are mandatory. The Ghanaian Minister of Education endorsed a novel written by 18-year-old female Ghanaian first-time writer, Nhyira Esaaba Essel, titled Black Queen Sceptre. The idea was that if the students had something more interesting to read, it would evoke a passion for reading; this seemed reasonable to me. Offer students something exciting and imaginative, combined with instructors committed to their success and this could work.

The challenge is how to acquire 800 books?!

I was finishing another project for ASC, so my cash was thin and I was devoid of time to apply for annual grants. I sat on my porch in West Oakland, as I often do, when I’m feeling for and connecting to my ancestors. On quiet nights, I reminisce about the neighborhood I grew up in. Across the street from my house was the house that my Godfather, Baba Dr. Wade Nobles and family lived in, which later became The Institute for the Advanced Study of Black Family Life & Culture (IASBFLC). Then, it came to me…ancestors invited me to reach out to The Association of Black Psychologists – Bay Area Chapter (ABPsi-Bay Area)! It was a long shot but worth it!

I was granted an audience with the local ABPsi Board, who ultimately approved funding for the book project with a stipulation that the Board read the book and a request to subsequently offer input as to how the book would be implemented at ASC. In this moment, my memory jet set to my first ABPsi convention around 2002, while working for IASBFLC. Returning to the present, I thought, “They like to think because it feels good, and then, they talk about what to do about what they think about.” I’m doomed.

However, I came to understand why reading the book and offering suggestions for implementation were essential. In short: ABPsi is an organization that operates from the aspirational principles of Ma’at with aims of liberating the Afrikan Mind, empowering the Afrikan character, and enlivening: illuminating the Afrikan spirit. Their request resulted in a rollout of 400 books in a pair-share system. Students checked out books in pairs, thereby reducing our bottom line to half of the original cost because we purchased 50% fewer units. This nuance promoted an environment of Ujima (collective work & responsibility) and traditional Afrikan principles of cooperation and interdependence. The student’s collaborative approach encouraged shared responsibility, not only for the physical book but for each other’s success. This concept was Dr. Lawford Goddard’s, approved by the Board, with Dr. Patricia “Karabo” Nunley at the helm.

We effectively facilitated cross-continent community building! We met the call and provided 400 books for ASC’s students at the call of the Minister of Education. We supported the work of a new African writer whose breakout novel is an action-packed depiction of a young woman steeped in Ghanaian culture who travels to the USA for college, all the while experiencing the twists, turns, and uncertainties that life brings. (A collectible novel for all ages). A proposed future phase of this collaborative project is for ASC students to exchange reflective essays on Black Queen Sceptre with ABPsi Bay Area members.

We got into good trouble. To order Black Queen Sceptre, email esselewurama14@gmail.com.

I became an ordained Minister upon returning from my initial pilgrimage to Afrika. Who would have imagined that my travels to Afrika would culminate in me becoming a citizen of Sierra Leone and recently being named a Chief Mpuntuhene under Daasebre Kwebu Ewusi VII, Paramount Chief of Abeadze Traditional Area in Ghana, where I envision continued collaborations.

Min. Rauna/Chief Mpuntuhene is a member of ABPsi Bay Area, a healing resource committed to providing the Post Newspaper readership with monthly discussions about critical issues in Black Mental Health, Wealth & Wellness. Readers are welcome to join us at our monthly chapter meetings every 3rd Saturday via Zoom and contact us at bayareaabpsi@gmail.com.

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Arts and Culture

In ‘Affrilachia: Testimonies,’ Puts Blacks in Appalacia on the Map

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Author Chris Aluka. Photo courtesy of Chris Aluka.
Author Chris Aluka. Photo courtesy of Chris Aluka.

By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm Sez

An average oak tree is bigger around than two people together can reach.

That mighty tree starts out with an acorn the size of a nickel, ultimately growing to some 80 feet tall, with a canopy of a hundred feet or more across.

And like the new book, “Affrilachia” by Chris Aluka Berry (with Kelly Elaine Navies and Maia A. Surdam), its roots spread wide and wider.

Affriclachia is a term a Kentucky poet coined in the 1990s referring to the Black communities in Appalachia who are similarly referred to as Affrilachians.

In 2016, “on a foggy Sunday morning in March,” Berry visited Affrilachia for the first time by going the Mount Zion AME Zion Church in Cullowhee, North Carolina. The congregation was tiny; just a handful of people were there that day, but a pair of siblings stood out to him.

According to Berry, Ann Rogers and Mae Louise Allen lived on opposite sides of town, and neither had a driver’s license. He surmised that church was the only time the elderly sisters were together then, but their devotion to one another was clear.

As the service ended, he asked Allen if he could visit her. Was she willing to talk about her life in the Appalachians, her parents, her town?

She was, and arrangements were made, but before Barry could get back to Cullowhee, he learned that Allen had died. Saddened, he wondered how many stories are lost each day in mountain communities where African Americans have lived for more than a century.

“I couldn’t make photographs of the past,” he says, “but I could document the people and places living now.”

In doing so he also offers photographs that he collected from people he met in ‘Affrilachia,’ in North Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee, at a rustic “camp” that was likely created by enslaved people, at churches, and in modest houses along highways.

The people he interviewed recalled family tales and community stories of support, hardship, and home.

Says coauthor Navies, “These images shout without making a sound.”

If it’s true what they say about a picture being worth 1,000 words, then “Affrilachia,” as packed with photos as it is, is worth a million.

With that in mind, there’s not a lot of narrative inside this book, just a few poems, a small number of very brief interviews, a handful of memories passed down, and some background stories from author Berry and his co-authors. The tales are interesting but scant.

For most readers, though, that lack of narrative isn’t going to matter much. The photographs are the reason why you’d have this book.

Here are pictures of life as it was 50 years or a century ago: group photos, pictures taken of proud moments, worn pews, and happy children. Some of the modern pictures may make you wonder why they’re included, but they set a tone and tell a tale.

This is the kind of book you’ll take off the shelf, and notice something different every time you do. “Affrilachia” doesn’t contain a lot of words, but it’s a good choice when it’s time to branch out in your reading.

“Affrilachia: Testimonies,” by Chris Aluka Berry with Kelly Elaine Navies and Maia A. Surdam

c.2024, University of Kentucky Press, $50.00.

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Black History

Alice Parker: The Innovator Behind the Modern Gas Furnace

Born in Morristown, New Jersey, in 1895, Alice Parker lived during a time when women, especially African American women, faced significant social and systemic barriers. Despite these challenges, her contributions to home heating technology have had a lasting impact.

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In 1919, Alice Parker patented the design for a gas-powered central heating system, a groundbreaking invention. Image courtesy of U.S. Patent Office.
In 1919, Alice Parker patented the design for a gas-powered central heating system, a groundbreaking invention. Image courtesy of U.S. Patent Office.

By Tamara Shiloh

Alice Parker was a trailblazing African American inventor whose innovative ideas forever changed how we heat our homes.

Born in Morristown, New Jersey, in 1895, Parker lived during a time when women, especially African American women, faced significant social and systemic barriers. Despite these challenges, her contributions to home heating technology have had a lasting impact.

Parker grew up in New Jersey, where winters could be brutally cold. Although little is documented about her personal life, her education played a crucial role in shaping her inventive spirit. She attended Howard University, a historically Black university in Washington, D.C., where she may have developed her interest in practical solutions to everyday challenges.

Before Parker’s invention, most homes were heated using wood or coal-burning stoves. These methods were labor-intensive, inefficient, and posed fire hazards. Furthermore, they failed to provide even heating throughout a home, leaving many rooms cold while others were uncomfortably warm.

Parker recognized the inefficiency of these heating methods and imagined a solution that would make homes more comfortable and energy-efficient during winter.

In 1919, she patented her design for a gas-powered central heating system, a groundbreaking invention. Her design used natural gas as a fuel source to distribute heat throughout a building, replacing the need for wood or coal. The system allowed for thermostatic control, enabling homeowners to regulate the temperature in their homes efficiently.

What made her invention particularly innovative was its use of ductwork, which channeled warm air to different parts of the house. This concept is a precursor to the modern central heating systems we use today.

While Parker’s design was never fully developed or mass-produced during her lifetime, her idea laid the groundwork for modern central heating systems. Her invention was ahead of its time and highlighted the potential of natural gas as a cleaner, more efficient alternative to traditional heating methods.

Parker’s patent is remarkable not only for its technical innovation but also because it was granted at a time when African Americans and women faced severe limitations in accessing patent protections and recognition for their work. Her success as an inventor during this period is a testament to her ingenuity and determination.

Parker’s legacy lives on in numerous awards and grants – most noticeably in the annual Alice H. Parker Women Leaders in Innovation Award. That distinction is given out by the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce to celebrate outstanding women innovators in Parker’s home state.

The details of Parker’s later years are as sketchy as the ones about her early life. The specific date of her death, along with the cause, are also largely unknown.

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