Singletary Makes A Statement

The football god’s must have read last week’s column about the downfall of the San Francisco 49ers. They gave me just what I had asked for during this past week, which was a new head coach! His name is Mike Singletary, one of the toughest linebackers to ever play the game, and already in his first game as a head coach, he made a big-time statement to the fans, the media, and most importantly, the team, on what it is he feels it takes to win.

These football gods made miracles, as to how quick they did it! My column was written last Monday afternoon and by Monday night the 49ers were calling for Coach Nolan’s head, while looking internally for a new leader.

The fans had been on their heels waiting for this move to happen, and ESPN’s Michael Smith reported a couple of weeks ago that a Mike Nolan firing would probably take place during the bye week which is set for this upcoming week. The reports must have had a strong influence on the 49ers front office, as they notified Nolan that he was going to be axed.

The replacement: 49ers Assistant Head Coach & Linebacker Coach, Mike Singletary.

He was an assistant coach in Baltimore with Nolan under former Ravens Head Coach, Brian Billick, and when Mike Nolan was hired to come to San Francisco as the new head coach of the 49ers in 2005, he brought Singletary along for the ride.
Mike Nolan had to inherit a team that finished with the NFL’s worst record in 2004, and to keep it real, he brought a little intensity and respectability to the team. He just never found a way to win or motivate his team in his three and a half seasons as the 49ers head coach.

So, in steps Singletary, waiting to be announced as the new San Francisco 49ers Head Coach at his press conference last Tuesday. Pretty much he thanked Mike Nolan for giving him a good luck blessing, as they have been friends for quite some time now, and also praised Mike Nolan for bringing back respectability to a once storied football team. Singletary stated that the team is talented and that it just needs direction, and his main focus was getting his team prepared for what was their game against the Seattle Seahawks.

Now to the game that was played Sunday at home against those Seattle Seahawks, Singletary’s head coaching debut. The 49ers lost 34-17, but Singletary made a strong statement about this team by getting rid of the bad apples in the tree.

First off, Singletary yanked QB JT O’Sullivan in the 2nd quarter. He had seen enough of O’Sullivan after the quarterback started off the game quite terribly as he has recently. He fumbled inside the red zone, which was recovered by Seattle and set up a score. And then the last straw came when he threw a horrible pass behind his receiver that was picked off and ran back for another touchdown for Seattle.

Secondly, he took matters into his own hands, after TE Vernon Davis gave the 49ers an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for getting into it with a Seahawk defenseman after the play. Singletary sent Davis to the bench, and then eventually to the locker room early in the fourth quarter.

Last, after the game he made his presence felt in the press conference. He is showing the media, the fans, and his team, that he means business. As a 49er fan, I love it, and hopefully it will shape this shambled team up and make them play hard.

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