In an offseason questionnaire he filled out for the NFL, first-year head coach Jim Tomsula was asked to provide his favorite football nickname.
His answer: “The Cowboy,” the moniker given to former 49ers defensive tackle Justin Smith.
Not surprisingly, Tomsula didn’t offer the less-wholesome tag he’s given to the player who could replace Smith this season. His nickname for Quinton Dial?
“He called me “Alabama A—hole,” Dial said, smiling, today.
And the reason for that, Quinton?
“You’d have to ask him that,” Dial said.
Some clues could be found on the field, where the 2013 fifth-round pick from Alabama filled in capably in six starts at nose guard last year after injuries sidelined Glenn Dorsey and Ian Williams.