SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The San Francisco 49ers are 4-11 and seemingly regressing with mental-error penalties aplenty. So with only a home finale against the St. Louis Rams left on the docket, sure, there are questions about first-year coach Jim Tomsula’s job security, fair or not.

And Tomsula is taking the high road, in some corners, the ostrich-head-in-the-sand approach, in others.

“Yeah, I’m going to coach until somebody tells me I’m not,” Tomsula said Monday in his weekly media conference, and surely, there are fans that hope he is told he’s not coaching their beloved 49ers next week.

With only a home finale against the Rams left on the docket, there are questions about first-year coach Jim Tomsula's job security, fair or not. AP Photo/David Richard

Fair or not.

“We’re in a performance-based business,” Tomsula said. “We’ve got four wins, man. It’s volatile. I understand that; everybody understands that.

“When you’re a coach, the minute you sign the contract, boom, the clock starts. We’re fine with that. We’re just going to keep working. We just work.”

Two things the Niners need to work on after Sunday’s 32-17 disappointing loss at the Detroit Lions are matters that ostensibly should have been fixed in the first quarter of the season, rather than in Week 17 -- the seven offsides/neutral zone penalties and poor tackling.

In fact, the 49ers became the first team since the 1993 Houston Oilers to rack up six such penalties before halftime. And safeties Eric Reid and Jaquiski Tartt were both tagged with three missed tackles by Pro Football Focus.

Critics would say that such foibles are the direct result of coaching, while others would counter by saying the talent level on the team is simply not where it had been the previous few years.

Whatever the case, Tomsula did say he had yet to have any conversations with general manager Trent Baalke about his future in particular, the team’s roster needs in general

“Everything is all encompassed into the week at hand,” Tomsula said. “And that’s really the way I keep it, from my terms. There’s obviously conversation. Not big meetings, not things like that and none of that that I’m going to get into.

“I see people every day and ... the biggest thing that I get asked is, 'Can we help? Is there anything we can do for you? Do you need anything?' That’s what I get asked constantly. And quite frankly, from that end of it, they couldn’t give us any more than they’re giving us.”