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
4
Sep
2010
It’s final cutdown day in the NFL! Leinart, Houshmandzadeh among the casualties
"The Turk" is going to have a busy day
Yep, it’s cutdown day. For the uninitiated, today is the day that each NFL squad must trim their roster down to 53 players for the start of the season. Coaches and GMs around the league are faced with the difficult decision of which players to hang on to, and which to release. And those in the latter category will be getting a visit from the director of player personnel (aka “The Turk”), asking for their playbook and telling them they need to visit with the coach.
The deadline for roster cuts it 6pm ET today, so we’ll try to keep track of the most notable moves from across the league. And since a bunch of cuts were made yesterday, there are already some recognizable names on the casualty list. Undoubtedly some of these players will be targeted as free agent pick-ups before the season starts, so keep an eye out for guys who still may have some tread on their tires, or could potentially do better in a different situation.
UPDATE: So far the list of players now without a home includes Cardinals QB Matt Leinart, Seahawks WR TJ Houshmandzadeh, Redskins RB Willie Parker, Seahawks QB JP Losman, Bengals WR Matt Jones, Bucs WR Mark Clayton, Ravens QB Troy Smith, Titans QB Chris Simms and a former Rhodes Scholar, Titans S Myron Rolle.
The Matt Leinart era is over in the desert (Image: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
END OF DAY UPDATE: NFL.com has the complete list of cuts, ESPN.com has team-by-team analysis, and CBS Sportsline’s Clark Judge has a good wrap-up of today’s winners & losers.
CONTINUE AFTER THE JUMP FOR THE FULL LIST OF NOTABLE CUTS
13
Aug
2010
VIDEO: Ravens OT gets rejected by goalpost
This is from last night’s Ravens 17-12 preseason victory over the Carolina Panthers. I didn’t watch the game (highlights here if you want to see how Jimmy Clausen did for Carolina), but this is the only play that really jumped out at us, so it must not have been that exciting.
In the 3rd quarter, Ravens QB Troy Smith scores on an 8-yd QB draw, and hands the ball to OT Joe Reitz – who happens to be 6’7″ and played four years of basketball at Western Michigan – to finish it off with a celebratory dunk on the goal post. See if you can guess what happens next:
Shutdown Corner has the full story on Reitz, who added almost 70 lbs of muscle after college to bulk up for the NFL. Apparently plyometrics weren’t part of Reitz’ training regimen, because his vertical leap has clearly suffered.
