Bill Simmons has a lot of things to say about sports. Some of it has merit, some of it doesn't. Regardless, the Sports Guy is never afraid to let his opinions heard, and his latest suggestion does provide a small bit of intrigue to San Francisco 49ers fans. Why not take a chance on former executive Michael Lombardi for the next general manager?
Which 49ers fan/BS Report listener is starting the "Hire @michaelombardi!" Twitter/Facebook/blog campaign? Come on! it's been 24 hrs!
And also: we need "Lombardi/Harbaugh 2011" campaign buttons and T-shirts! I need a new favorite GM, I'm tired of @dmorey [dmorey being Darryl Morrey, Houston Rockets general manager and long-time friend of the Sports Guy] #lombardi49ers
All this is good and well, but a lot of Niners fans are probably asking themselves, "Who the hell is Michael Lombardi?"
If you're not familiar with Simmons's work, he has a popular podcast, the B.S. Report which he uses to talk to either (a) his old Boston or new LA buddies, and (b) various sports and entertainment personalities. One of the most prominent visitors to the show is Lombardi, who has about two decades of executive experience. He sounds pretty knowledgeable during the podcasts, although it's hard to tell how well that translates to personnel decision-making.
Where has Lombardi worked? He has had experience with the 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos, but the two times he was truly involved in personnel decisions came with the Oakland Raiders from 1999 to 2007 and the Cleveland Browns from 1987 to 1996. But it's hard to draw any conclusions there. Lombardi was fired from the Raiders after never getting along with Art Shell and being isolated from actual personnel decisions, and Al Davis's hand was always heavy in deciding what his football team was all about. The Browns were always strong during the time Lombardi was there. Lombardi now writes for the National Football Post.
So Lombardi does have plenty of qualifications for the job...besides being Bill Simmons's friends. Matt Maiocco also tweets that Niners fans would support the move. Will Jed York take a look at Lombardi?
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