In S.F., Eric Branch noted 49ers CEO Jed York this season has "become the object of endless vitriol." His Twitter account -- "even when he has sent messages about charitable endeavors -- has been stuffed with hateful responses." Before the 49ers' past two home games, a plane has "flown an anti-York banner around Levi's Stadium." Given this backdrop, it is "fair to wonder whether York can repair his reputation." It certainly "can’t be done in a snap, but here’s a good first step: Replace haughtiness with humility." The "most obvious alteration" will be to replace coach Jim Tomsula. Consultant Andy Dolich said, "It’s the CEO, it’s the leader saying, 'I made a mistake. I’m sorry. And I’m going to do everything possible to change this because that is my inner fire.' And I believe that’s in Jed" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 12/27).
BLACK HOLE DONE? In S.F., Tom FitzGerald reported most Raiders fans did not think Thursday's home game against the Chargers "was the last football game in Oakland." But almost all said they would "be distraught if it was." Many of the fans "carried signs saying, 'Stay in Oakland.'" Two grassroots organizations "distributed 6,500 of them outside the stadium" (SFGATE.com, 12/25). In Oakland, Matthew Artz in a front-page piece noted Raiders fans "appeared focused on the game and not the team's future." The pro-Oakland signs "were barely visible, and there were no chants blasting ownership or pleading for the team to stay such as the ones that rang out during the home finales in San Diego and St. Louis." The fans' relative "lack of sentimentality appeared rooted both in a widely held sense that the team wouldn't get the green light to return to Los Angeles and the fact that many of them will remain Raiders fans wherever the team calls home" (OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 12/25). Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said, "Oakland has a very complex situation, and we’re really committed to threading the needle of keeping this team we love but also being responsible to our taxpayers." In N.Y., Ken Belson noted Schaaf is hopeful that when the owners "weigh what city or cities they are willing to abandon, they recognize that Oakland has a booming economy in the country’s sixth-largest television market" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/25).
SAFE & SOUND: In Buffalo, Tyler Dunne cited a source as saying that Bills GM Doug Whaley "is likely 'safe' this offseason." Whaley has one year "left on his contract and, right now, it’s unlikely the team would let him go" (BUFFALO NEWS, 12/28).
