The 49ers have a known commodity in their new leader, the team's former defensive line coach, Jim Tomsula.
And one of the things current players are sure of is that he'll be a bit of a departure from Jim Harbaugh.
"He'll be the same way, but I just think he has a pretty good feel for the locker room," Boldin told 120sports.com via CSNÂ Bay Area. "Not saying coach Harbaugh didn't. I don't think coach Tomsula will be as tough as coach Harbaugh was."
The toughness quote is telling, and speaks to part of the rub players felt with the new Michigan head coach. Harbaugh treated his team like college players, a system that seldom works for long in the NFL.
The hope, of course, is that Tomsula can recapture some of the magic without all the leftover aggression. There's probably an additional wish that he not butt heads with management, but that's something the players won't concern themselves with.
In the interim, it will be about finding the right degree of change. How easy will that be with likely only one assistant remaining on the staff aside from Tomsula? Can he re-create a similar vibe with new voices?
"He's a great coach, first of all," Boldin said. "For teams to be successful, you have to have as much continuity from year to year as much as possible. Hiring Tomsula gives us that continuity. The less change you have, the better chance you have of being successful the following year."
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