26
Dec
2010
Can’t win with ‘em. Mike Singletary fired as head coach of 49ers!
(AP Photo via SFGate.com)
Hours after being eliminated from playoff contention today by the Rams, the San Francisco 49ers have announced that they have fired head coach Mike Singletary. After going 8-8 last year in Singletary’s first full season as coach, the 49ers were the fashionable pre-season pick to win the NFC West. But they started the season 0-5 and never really recovered. And at 5-10, the only reason they weren’t eliminated sooner is because of their awful division. Defensive Line coach Jim Tomsula will step in as interim head coach for the final game of the season, and Jon Gruden & Stanford Head Coach Jim Harbaugh are the early hot candidates for the full-time gig. The Niners will also reportedly be on the hunt for a new GM, so sweeping change is on the horizon in San Francisco.
In his 2-1/2 seasons at the helm of the 49ers, Singletary’s abrasive and unorthodox coaching style found him frequently clashing with his young players … often publicly. And while he made for plenty of great sound bytes, Samurai Mike’s constant demands never translated into consistent wins, and he finishes with an 18-22 records in San Francisco.
So then it seems fitting that Singletary leaves us with one final sideline blowup from today’s Rams game – this time with QB Troy Smith:
This little incident probably hastened 49ers team president Jed York’s decision to fire Singletary, but they really should have let him finish the season out. That would have been the classy thing to do here.
It’s too bad, really. Singletary was an amazing player in his day, he obviously has an incredibly high football IQ, and his passion for the game is unmatched … unfortunately, that doesn’t necessarily translate to ability to teach and motivate 53 different young men. But who knows? If he uses this as a learning experience and softens a little around the edges, he could grow into a better coach some day. Or not. Some guys just aren’t cut out to be head coaches, and Singletary may just be better suited to be a coordinator or position coach.
Lastly, we’ll leave you with Singletary’s all-time classic press conference from 2008, after sending TE Vernon Davis to the locker room in the middle of a game … ”Can not play with ‘em. Can not win with ‘em. Can not coach with ‘em. Can’t do it.”
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
5
Dec
2010
VIDEO: Donald Driver makes 49ers defense look silly
Dashon Goldson and the 49ers D aren't going to enjoy film sessions this week (AP Photo via Yahoo.com)
This 61-yard catch-and-run by WR Donald Driver really tells you all you need to know about today’s Packers-49ers game. Aaron Rodgers threw for 298 yards and 3 scores, including 2 to Greg Jennings, en route to a 34-16 Packer win this afternoon in Green Bay. But it was this touchdown by Driver that really broke the game open for the Packers in the 2nd half:
After catching the pass from Rodgers inside the San Francisco 40-yard line, Driver breaks about a hundred tackles en route to the endzone while 49er defenders flail wildly around him. OK, so it was closer to five tackles, but Driver was able to gain 25+ yards after initial contact, and the 49ers’ spirit was clearly broken on the play.
The Packers improve to 8-4 and look poised for a strong run at the post-season while San Francisco falls to 4-8 at the opposite end of the spectrum in almost every way. And one can only imagine the kind of post-game speech Mike Singletary gave to his team after this one.
1
Dec
2010
Boy, the NFC West really sucks, huh?
Are Sam Bradford and the Rams the best of the worst? (Photo: Getty Images via Zimbio)
Heading into the 2010 season, nobody had particularly high expectations for the NFC West. In fact, it was widely identified as the worst division in football. But I don’t think any of us expected that it would suck quite this badly … did we?
Look at it this way: At 3-8, the Arizona Cardinals – who have lost six games in a row – are only TWO GAMES out of first place in their division. The Rams and Seahawks are currently the best of the bunch at 5-6, but with five games left, it’s anyone’s division for the taking. And one of these teams is going to the playoffs … likely with a 7-9 final record, while a 10-6 (or even 11-5) potential NFC wild card team misses out.
So what happened? We kind of knew the Seahawks were going through a transition period with Pete Carroll taking over, and the two-time defending division champion Cardinals lost a lot of their best players in the off-season. But people had high hopes for the 49ers, who seem to have regressed in Mike Singletary‘s second year at the helm. Troy Smith may have brought some spark to the club, but with the loss of Frank Gore for the remainder of the season, I just don’t see this team scaring anyone down the stretch.
21
Oct
2010
Reminder: We LOVE The Violence With Our Football. Always Have, Always Will
Jack Lambert is the NFL's archetypal linebacker ... does this look like a "clean" hit to you? (Photo: Walter Iooss Jr./SI.com)
(This is the second in our unintentional series of reminders to our loyal audience that the NFL is, in fact, a violent sport. Check out the 1st installment from last season, featuring even more highlights of now illegal hits!)
The sports world has been in a general state of hysteria this week over the shocking fact that violent collisions take place in football. All of the sudden, everyone is horrified over the notion that vicious hits and injuries are an inherent part of the game … as though this was anything new.
NEWS FLASH: Football has always been a violent sport. The NFL has not-so-subtly branded itself for decades around its hard-hitting, violent image. From the time we were very young, we were regaled with stories and NFL Films footage of old-school players like Dick Butkus, Jack Lambert, Deacon Jones and Jack “The Assassin” Tatum. We saw the black & white images of players standing over lifeless bodies, and listened to these men tell of the pure joy & satisfaction of driving an opponent into the ground and hearing the breath exit their bodies. It’s one of the most highly revered traditions of the game.
“I believe the game is designed to reward the ones who hit the hardest. If you can’t take it, you shouldn’t play”
– Jack Lambert
In our youth, we watched guys like Ronnie Lott, Lawrence Taylor and Mike Singletary, and found ourselves appreciating a bone-crushing hit by a defender more than an offensive touchdown. We learned the power of intimidation on the field, and when we played football from Pop Warner through High School, we aspired to play like those guys. To this day, some of my most vivid football memories as a fan involve a devastating tackle. Go ahead, stop and think about it for a minute …
dJack Tatum's hit on Darryl Stingley is widely considered to be the most violent hit of all time (Photo: Riesterer/AP via NYDailyNews.com)
Over the years as fans, we’ve been taught to value the big hit as a defensive weapon, and have come to understand that injuries are just a job hazard for those who choose to come across the middle. In recent days, guys like Ray Lewis, Brian Dawkins and Patrick Willis have nobly carried that tradition forward. But now, they’re being asked to change the way they play the game? Veteran Seahawks S Lawyer Malloy invoked the memory of Lott when discussing the challenges defenders could face in light of the league’s heightened stance:
“When I came into the league you really didn’t have to worry about how you hit, and I’m proud I came in in that era because it’s definitely getting harder and harder for myself and some of these young guys on defense.”
Can I have the ‘Wooo!’ hits like Ronnie Lott use to talk about? They’re really taking that out of the game and it’s really a shame.”
1
Oct
2010
NFL WEEK FOUR THOUGHTS AND PICKS: STEVERODGERS EDITION
Don't stare too closely at that necklace if you have sinned recently.
San Francisco @ Atlanta
Mike Singletary seems like a good coach who also happens to be wicked into God. I would find him terrifying if I played for him– especially with that super-sized piece of the true-cross necklace he wears. If I were a millionaire athlete and I had just spent the night before practice doing massive amounts of blow off a hooker’s breasts in a walk-up apartment in North Beach, would I think a biblical lightning storm would shoot out of Singletary’s cross during seven–on-seven drills and strike me dead? I don’t know, but I wouldn’t want to deal with the possibility, and I know that if I were a millionaire athlete I would be doing tons of coke off hookers’ breasts, so it must just be incredibly hard to concentrate on the other team when you spend most of your time just hoping you don’t get hit by a lighting bolt that shoots out of your coaches necklace. Falcons.
Cincinnati at Cleveland:
What I would like is for Mangini and the Townies to come out and play this game in a freak snowstorm and absolutely run the football all over the Bengals. I really would. I would revel in it, yard after yard, snow in the air, goose-bump inducing NFL Films style slow motion shots of cold breath lingering over the line, smash-mouth, Bengal-destroying kind of football. Unfortunately, it will be a beautiful fall day in Cleveland, the leaves will be gently falling from the trees by the Galleria Mall, the October breeze off the lake will give the Flats that certain unplaceable warm smell of nostalgia that brings you to a euphoric state somewhere between magic and loss, while the humble Browns fans drink their beers in front of TVs across Ohio and watch horrified as the Bengals destroy their team so soundly that Mangini will swallow his Kodiak, get the sweats and pass out on the ten yard line while he is being pelted with water bottles and seat cushions that have been lit on fire by understandably berserk fans. Bengals.
It's the lack of a good Chowfense that hurts the most
NY Jets at Buffalo:
I like that Rex Ryan had to get surgery to stop being fat. I like that instead of just not eating, he went and got something done to make his stomach smaller. I am not a dietitian but that seems extreme. Next time just order 12 Buffalo wings instead of 18, go for a walk maybe, or get some will-power, man up and practice a little Chowfense for once and don’t eat the entire pizza. Regardless, the Bills are in a bad way, so it really doesn’t matter how Rex gets beautiful, they are going to lose and afterwards their fans will shrug their way to the liquor store and proceed to get I-can’t-feel-my life-anymore blitzed in an effort to stop the pain. Also RIP Trent Edwards… we loved him here and we have no idea why. Jets.
Seattle @ St. Louis:
Pete Carroll used to coach my beloved New England Patriots when I was a kid. I thought he was a skinny Santa Claus and since I wasn’t a hardened bitter alcoholic sports writer from Boston, I could never understand why he made people so upset. He is my third favorite Pats coach behind the affable Dick McPherson and the completely non-affable Belichick. Anyway, I have to go Seattle in this game– as Carroll is always one step ahead these days, either in front of the other coach or the good people at the NCAA trying to figure out if that Jock Jams CD he got from a booster counts as a bribe. Seahawks.
Denver @ Tennessee:
McDaniel’s! Clipboard! Orton! Did you see that Laurence Maroney was traded to the Broncos? That will put a good scare into Tennessee don’t you think, with their Chris Johnson’s, and their Vince Young’s, and their Jeff Fishers fabulous mustache. Titans in this one and it won’t be pretty. Orton will have a lot to think about as he drives his Prius and listens to Rusted Root on his way to practice on Tuesday morning.
8
Jan
2010
NFL Coaches get the Auto-Tune Treatment
Auto-Tune, in general, might be the worst thing to happen to music in the last 50 years. Thank you Kanye and T-Pain.
But the one good thing to come from this technology has been it’s usage to turn news and other press conferences into somewhat-funny hip-hop parodies (see Auto-Tune The News). DJ Steve Porter, who created the best of the bunch in Press Hop and the Slap Chop Rap, has now set his sights on NFL coaches, resulting in the “You Play To Win The Game” remix video above. Well played, sir.
7
Oct
2009
Michael Crabtree signs (finally)
Michael Crabtree’s 71-day holdout is over.
The 3-1 San Francisco 49′ers absolutely need help at wide receiver. Right now, their wideout lineup consists of Isaac Bruce (84 years old, 13 catches for 167 yards), Josh Morgan, and Arnaz Battle. Crabtree should help the situation, but it won’t be immediate.
According to Mike Singletary, “Obviously, Mike has missed a lot of time, a lot of valuable time, and has a lot of work to catch up, in particular to spend a lot of time with Jerry Sullivan and Jimmy Raye in terms of getting all the little nuances right about where his position’s going to be, what he’s going to play, and all that stuff that he needs.”
“The other thing here, I know there’s been a lot of things said back and forth. I’ve always said from Day 1, until I heard something from Michael, all the other stuff doesn’t mean anything to me.
“I’m very excited to have Mike Crabtree be a part of this team. In my mind, he has been since the day he was drafted. And today really makes it official. But excited about the talent that he is, excited about his attitude.
“And now it’s just a matter of getting him injected into our organization and what the 49ers are doing, our work ethic, our culture, our respect that we have for each other and the way we play the game.” (Thank you to the San Jose Mercury News for this transcript.)
This guy must be pretty fired up right about now:
13
Sep
2009
Week 1 NFL Live Blog: Late Games
A classic NFC East rivalry resumes this afternoon at the Meadowlands
The early round of games are just finishing up, where we saw Adrian Peterson run wild for 180 yards and 3 TDs, Drew Brees throw for 6 TDs, Donovan McNabb leaving the game with broken ribs, and an absolutely CRAZY finish in Cincinatti, with the Broncos beating the Bengals on a last second 87-yd tipped-ball TD by Brandon Stokley.
There are only 3 late games this afternoon, with the Giants/Redskins the clear marquee match-up. Let’s face it, the 2 lame NFC West showdowns – Cardinals/49ers and Seahawks/Rams - are background noise to this old-school rivalry. Everyone wonders if the Giants can replace Plaxico Burress, and the Redskins hope Albert Haynesworth can help them slow down the NY running game.
We’ll continue to follow the action, and post our wildly insightful/humorous thoughts in the comments.
10
May
2009
Mike Singletary Brings the “Pain” to 49ers Training Camp
Walter Payton's off-season hill runs became the thing of legend (Photo: DailyHerald.com)
49ers Head Coach Mike Singletary knows a little something about pain. After all, the Hall of Fame Linebacker inflicted pain on NFL running backs for his entire career. But he also watched some of the greatest players in NFL history inflict incredible pain on themselves during the off-season, in order to give themselves an edge on the playing field.
Walter Payton and Jerry Rice famously included grueling hill runs as part of their training regimens … hills that pushed players to their limits, and made most men puke before reaching the finish. Now, taking a page from their book, Singletary has incorporated a 45-foot-high, 45-degree hill – known simply as “Pain” into 49ers Training Camp:
“There’s something about the hill,” Singletary told reporters back in mid-March after the 49ers first minicamp and the hill was on full display for the first time. “It’s beautiful to look at but what it’s going to do for our guys is it’s going to bring about something that you can’t really get in the weight room, something that you really can’t get on the track.”
“All the guys that I know that worked out on a hill, they were a cut above some of the other competition around the league and they had a long playing careers,” Singletary said. “So I’m excited about the hill and it just adds another dimension to our workout.”
49ers feeling the Pain (Photo: 49ers.com)
Former Head Coach Mike Nolan actually introduced the hill to the 49ers facility, but Singletary doubled the size in order to maximize the strenuousness of the workouts. But still, it’s nothing compared to the hills used by Payton and Rice. Singletary continues:
“The hill that Jerry Rice and those guys ran, it was a lot higher than that. The hill that some of the guys and I ran on, it was closer to that size where you could do a lot more things. You had a lot more options in terms of things you could do on the hill. So that’s why I’m excited about ours. There’s a lot of versatility to it.”
Let’s face it, Singletary is the MAN. One of the greatest players of all time, and now as head coach, he’s going to turn the 49ers franchise back around in no time. The press conference meltdowns, getting in players’ faces, and bringing the old-school back to the NFL. LOVE IT!
Also, this discussion also gives us an excuse to look back at Walter Payton’s career, and let the video state his case as the greatest RB of all time (in response to yesterday’s Barry Sanders post):
(bonus “Payton’s Hill” run footage at 2:24)
