ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

PiersMorgan494 from the Bay Area writes: Hey Mike. Just talked to Damon Bruce on KNBR and he was suggesting Bill Cowher as 49ers HC in 09. What coach should the 49ers get and what are the chances that coach will be a great coach? I'm tired of getting my hopes up each year and they go down the drain by week 8. Also, will Goodell take any action of what Singletary did, and how come the Arizona radio had access to it? It was SF/Sea, what business did Ari radio have in SF?

Mike Sando: It's an upset if the 49ers are able to land Bill Cowher or another coach on that level, based simply on the state of the organization. Any move along those lines would probably require handing over everything short of an ownership stake to get the deal done. We would be talking lots and lots of money, too.

The commissioner would have nothing to say against Singletary's tactics. As for how the story got out, I think it could have gone through any number of channels. Singling out Bryant Johnson because he played for the Cardinals represents amateur sleuthing without regard for fairness.

That information could have gone from any 49ers player to any Cardinals player to a reporter covering the Cardinals in no time. And that doesn't even take into account gossip between coaches across staffs. Three current 49ers assistants worked for the Cardinals in recent seasons. Two more worked at the University of Arizona. One worked at Arizona State. One even worked with Mike Martz in Detroit last season.

Singling out any one person without evidence is unfair.

(Read full post)

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Jon from Goleta, Calif., writes: Your assumption that MIKE SINGLETARY will be or already is a "punch line" in his locker room is absurd...maybe only more absurd is you referencing your "experience in NFL locker rooms" as your primary source of this way of thinking. Are you serious? YOUR experience?

Did you ever happen to watch MIKE SINGLETARY during his hall of fame career on what most people consider to be the best defense ever? Maybe you didn't, so obviously you did see his post game rant on sunday - i can only laugh at someone who thinks that MIKE SINGLETARY is the punch line of anybody's joke.

MIKE SINGLETARY is the kind of person you would never have the stones to say these sorts of things to face-to-face without the force field of a microphone.... YOU sir need to get more acquainted with MIKE SINGLETARY and really see what he is all about.

Mike Sando: Mike Singletary would never be the punch line to one of my jokes. I get goose bumps watching the footage of him dominating games. He represented in his playing career everything that is good about the game.

That does not buy him a free pass from you, me or anyone else who might question the wisdom of calling out players in public or dropping one's drawers during halftime speeches. I haven't found a single person associated with an NFL team as a player or coach who thinks Singletary is on the right track with his handling of the postgame talk or his decision to pull down his pants during a halftime speech.

The feeling I've gotten from speaking with dozens and dozens players over the years leads me to believe some players might laugh at these types of tactics.

Warren Sapp touched on this during an interview on WQAM in Miami. He was laughing at Singletary and predicting no one would ever hire him as a head coach. That seems harsh, but it probably reflects the mentality of the modern player better than I ever could. Click here and look for the interview labeled, "Warren Sapp W Goldstein 10-31".

---

Jeff from Boston writes: Dear Mr. Sando - Apparently, you are too young to have learned respect for your elders. You write that Mike Singletary risks becoming a laughingstock among his players because he pulled down his pants at halftime. What the 49er players know, which apparently you've forgotten, is that Mike Singletary went to the Pro Bowl every year of his career except one. That is why they respect him, and that's why he could pull his pants down every game and they'd still respect him.

For you to disrespect Singletary in this way while bragging about your "experience in NFL locker rooms" - as what, a towel boy? - makes you, Mr. Sando, look like a laughingstock. Maybe you need to go watch some old Bears film and educate yourself before you flap your gums again.

Mike Sando: Mike Singletary says he has no regrets over how he has handled this situation. My only regret is referring to experience in locker rooms as some sort of qualifier. That seems to be the thing people seize upon when defending Singletary's approach in relation to the questions I raised. I don't think my phrasing is relevant to the issues at hand.

If being a great player was what it took to be a great head coach, the Larry Bird-coached Pacers would be facing the Isaiah Thomas-coached Knicks each summer for the right to face the Magic Johnson-coached Lakers in the NBA Finals.

We'll have to see how many teams line up to hire Singletary if he comes available as a head coaching candidate in the future.

(Read full post)

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Interim 49ers coach Mike Singletary sounded determined to find out who leaked the story about him pulling down his pants during a halftime speech in Week 8.

That was one of the highlights of the retired Hall of Fame linebacker's recent appearance with Waddle & Silvy on ESPN Radio 1000 in Chicago.

Singletary on the leak: "It's unfortunate. We will find out who is leaking information out of the locker room because what happens in the locker room should be sacred and stay there."

Leaks happen everywhere, so this might not reflect any problems specific to the 49ers. If the head coach pulls down his pants during a team speech, others in the room are sure to share the story with someone. And that's all it takes sometimes.

But with all the issues swirling around the 49ers, leaks such as that one can cause more damage. They can feed distrust. Singletary can't be sure if a disgruntled coach or player passed along the information, or if this was just something that got out innocently.

I'll provide a few more comments from the Singletary interview below. The above link leads directly to the audio.

(Read full post)

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Singletary

Interim coach Mike Singletary has confirmed the report about dropping his drawers during a halftime speech to the 49ers in Week 8. Matt Maiocco has the details via 49ers.com:

"I used my pants to illustrate that we were getting our tails whipped on Sunday and how humiliating that should feel for all of us. I needed to do something to dramatize my point; there were other ways I could have done it but I think this got the message across. I am excited about having the team back at practice on Monday so we can get back to work." 

I'm not sure what options remain for Singletary if the 49ers fail to respond with victories. Dropping one's pants two quarters into a new coaching job leaves little room for an encore. Really, what's left for future halftimes? Anything short of chewing off a finger is going to have a hard time measuring up.

And while his postgame rant to reporters seemed to satisfy fans, my experience in NFL locker rooms tells me Singletary risks becoming a punch line in his own locker room, if he hasn't become one already.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Mike Singletary's postgame rant was relatively tame compared to the approach he reportedly took at halftime, courtesy of the Arizona Republic's Dan Bickley:

"At halftime of that game, Singletary called for the attention of his players. He then dropped his pants, turned around and pointed to his backside. He used this occasion and that visual to describe what happened to his team in the first half.

"A NFL source inside the room confirmed the story with my radio partner, XTRA 910 football guru Mike Jurecki, and added that Singletary then addressed the team for 3-4 minutes with his pants around his ankles."

The pertinent question at the league level is whether such actions would violate the Mooney Rule. Stay tuned.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Mike from Chicago writes: Just in case you don't read this in the comments: So, Sando, you end your column by calling out one of your readers to send his full name, address and phone number to pass along to an NFL player that you think would be upset with his comments. Have you told Mike Singletary to his face that you think his postgame comments were bizarre and detrimental to the team? Hypocrite.

Mike Sando: Whoa, looks like the intended tone was lost in the written word. That stuff about Lofa Tatupu was written tongue-in-cheek. I'm careful about not making criticisms personal. That tends to be a good policy. I've also been open to other views on the Singletary rant and discussed it at length in the comments section of the item.

(Read full post)

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Your mailbag submissions and comments have piled up by the hundreds since Mike Singletary's postgame rant struck me as bizarre and possibly inappropriate for a head coach. This is a conversation worth having. And so it continues, followed by at least one mailbag item for every team in the division ...

SFkling from Kalamazoo, Mich., writes: Do you mean bizarre, unique, or bizarre out of place? Maybe the man is trying to get his team's attention. It startles me when observers of football, an extremely violent game, want their characters to display erudition and control. Niner fans just want to see their team do well.

Mike Sando: Some long-suffering 49ers fans seemed to view Mike Singletary's postgame tirade as cathartic. I viewed it as a coach whose emotions seemed slightly beyond his control, and I questioned whether that was appropriate for a head coach. His behavior struck me as bizarre -- out of place -- by established coaching standards. And I think some of those standards are established for a reason. They have worked over time.

As noted, Singletary needs to be himself. Plenty of coaches have lost their tempers without losing the team. This first postgame session was unlike anything I had seen in terms of an NFL head coach attacking players and letting his emotions flow so freely.

---

Corey from Sacramento writes: Hey Mike, love this blog... read it every day practically. I usually agree with you on pretty much every assessment you make about the 49ers, however, I have to wonder why you find Coach Singletary's postgame conference bizzare.

I love that the 49ers finally have a coach willing to call out the sub-par effort from his players (O'Sullivan, Davis) and the stubborn nature of his coaches (Martz). As a fan, I think it's about time someone apologized for the shoddy product on the field week after week. If I can believe in anything with the 49ers, I can believe in Singletary.

Maybe he can at least get the team to compete only against the team they are facing instead of themselves AND the team they are facing. I just want to hear your opinion and why you find his comments bizarre.

Also, Shaun Hill has been called a "game player" and a bad "practice player". He seems to succeed really well in a West Coast system and has a quicker release and is (so far) less mistake prone. I will take a long, methodical drive that results in points over a flashy, quick drive that results in turnovers any day. What are your thoughts on Hill and his potential in the offense?

Mike Sando: Thanks, Corey. I do think Singletary's postgame comments were good for the fans, but Singletary doesn't need to win over the fans. He needs to field a defense that doesn't make Leonard Weaver look like a Hall of Famer.

I questioned whether that Singletary's reaction would be good for the team. Fans are going to love it when the head coach says what the fans are thinking. But there's a reason teams don't hire fans as head coaches.

As a one-time thing, Singletary's rant might be fine. It might even be helpful in getting the players' attention. I questioned whether that type of approach would be any more sustainable than the way the team has been playing offensively, and I have my doubts. Let's see how Singletary handles his emotions in the future.

As for Hill, he can't be worse than O'Sullivan from a turnover standpoint. Clearly, a more conservative approach offensively will help the 49ers avoid mistakes. I think Hill fits that mold better than O'Sullivan.

In fairness to O'Sullivan, though, he was playing the game the way Martz wanted him to play the game. The rules are different for Hill -- thanks to Singletary -- and so we shouldn't judge both quarterbacks by the same standard.

(Read full post)

On Mike & Mike this morning, both Mike Ditka and Cris Carter weighed in on Mike Singletary's postgame rant.

Both were fans of the coach's reaction. In order to change the culture of a football team, Ditka says you need to do bold things.

Carter said he loved Singletary kicking Vernon Davis off the field and thinks players will respond to the 49ers' coach.

And here's more from earlier.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Mike Singletary didn't sound like an NFL head coach during his rambling postgame address to reporters following the 49ers' 34-13 loss in his first game. If you haven't seen it yet, do not worry. Just turn on the TV or check out highlights on NFL.com.

We kept hearing before the game how Singletary had learned so much from the great Bill Walsh. When Singeltary spoke after the game, I kept flashing back to those Saturday Night Live skits with Chris Farley playing the role of motivational speaker Matt Foley. Singletary stopped short of ordering tight end Vernon Davis to live in a van down by the river, but not by much.

The 49ers have a bye this week. That's probably a good thing for Singletary. He might want to reconsider the best way to project himself following losses. Singletary is emotional. He is passionate. His motives are obviously pure. He needs to be himself, but emptying his heart at the postgame podium isn't going to work every week. Agreed?

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Interim 49ers coach Mike Singletary took an important stand when he benched tight end Vernon Davis and sent the 2006 first-round draft choice to the locker room.

A lack of discipline has marked Davis throughout his career. Davis drops passes, runs incorrect routes and talks a bigger game than he plays.

Singletary built his Hall of Fame playing career on highly focused, disciplined play. When Davis drew a 15-yard penalty for slapping a Seahawks defender on the helmet following a reception, Singletary made his move.

He sent Davis to the bench and then to the locker room with a full quarter remaining.

Giving the boot to Davis isn't going to fix the 49ers' problems. But in doing so, Singletary sent a strong message to the team. Singletary now has the bye week to drive home that message. Players had better do things the right way, or else.

Update: Here is what Singletary said about the situation after the game, according to the 49ers' Web site:

"It's something I told players at the beginning of the week. I will not tolerate players who think it is about them and not the team. We can't make decisions that cost the team, and then come off the sidelines and it's nonchalant. I'd rather play with 10 people and just get penalized all the way until we have to do something else. Rather than play with 11, when I know that right now, that person is not sold out to be part of the team. It's more about them, than it is the team. You can not play with them. You can not win with them. You can not coach with them, can't do it. I want winners. I want people who want to win."

Singletary also said he made the call on benching quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan.