San Francisco 49ers CEO Jed York was in California trying to explain how swinging for the fences and missing by a mile was somehow a noble concept. Then he promised to swing again in the search for another new coach.

His former coach, Jim Harbaugh, was in Michigan, delivering snarky "subtweets" – "Do not be deceived. You will reap what you sow." At least that's what he was doing when not monitoring gossip from a high school all-star game to see how many more star recruits might become Wolverines.

His more recent former coach, Jim Tomsula – or "Jimmy T" as York kept calling him – was out of a job and hopefully en route to a beach somewhere because he was still owed $10.5 million for coaching the team for precisely one season (and five victories).

View photos Jed York had some explaining to do on Monday. (AP) More

"We've got several years of Jimmy T's salary left," York acknowledged. "We're going to eat it."

York was eating a lot on Monday, taking all the blame, making all the apologies but never quite getting to the root of the problem. The franchise never should have fired Harbaugh, who may or may not be a pain in the neck to be around but is undoubtedly one of the best coaches in the sport.

A year ago York claimed he was doing it so the team could win a Super Bowl and "whenever we don't deliver that, I hope that you will hold me directly responsible and accountable for it." The fans did.

"I hear the criticism, loudly," York noted. "The blame falls on my shoulders squarely."

It should.

NFL franchises generally wander about in search of one of two things – a great coach and a great quarterback. When you get one, you cling to them and deal with whatever baggage they may bring. When you have two you can win it all. When you have them for a prolonged stretch, you become the New England Patriots (or the old 49ers).

San Francisco had one, then it ran him out, and now it tries again to find one again. Until it does, the place operates in the shadow of that original decision, haunted by Harbaugh.

"Jim Harbaugh is a good football coach," York said. "His success at Michigan doesn't surprise me at all … In terms of Jimmy T, we took a chance on someone we felt strongly about. Ultimately that didn't work out. You have to learn from mistakes, you have to learn from failure."

In Harbaugh's first season with the 49ers he took them to the NFC title game before losing in overtime to the New York Giants, the eventual Super Bowl champions. In his second season, the 49ers went to the Super Bowl and lost to Baltimore in a final-minute, goal-line stand &nash; three consecutive Colin Kaepernick to Michael Crabtree passes failing.

In his third season the Niners returned to the NFC title game and fell to Seattle, the eventual Super Bowl champions, when Richard Sherman made a brilliant pass break-up on another would-be Kaepernick-to-Crabtree winner.

Three near misses, yet York was still positioning it differently.

"We're in need of someone who can win a Super Bowl," York said.

Didn't you have that guy, someone asked?

View photos Jim Tomsula's one season with the 49ers produced a 5-11 season. (Getty Images) More

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