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Mike Singletary New Head Coach of San Francisco 49ers | Nolan Fired

21 October 2008 2,647 views by JRod One Comment Email Post Print Post

Legendary Chicago Bears middle linebacker and Hall of Fame Monster of the Midway Mike Singletary has been named the interim head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.

Mike Singletary replaces Mike Nolan, who was fired yesterday in the wake of reports that next week’s game against Seattle would be his last. Ownership apparently had wanted to wait until before the bye week to make the coaching change, but Nolan spoke with them and it was decided that a decision should be made immediately.

Mike Nolan ends his 49ers tenure with an 18-37 record, and the ignominy of having chosen and supported failed #1 draft pick Alex Smith. Ultimately, Nolan’s decision to pass on Aaron Rodgers, who is now seeing success with the Green Bay Packers, may have sealed his fate in the eyes of management.

Now, for many fans of the Chicago Bears and the Baylor Bears (Singletary’s alma mater) I would presume, the San Francisco 49ers will become a secondary favorite team. Few NFL players are as beloved by their fan base as Mike Singletary is by fans of the Chicago Bears. Among the many highlights of SIngletary’s illustrious playing career was the 1985 season that saw him lead the Bears to a 15-1 regular season record and Super Bowl victory. That season, Mike Singletary was name NFL Defensive Player of the Year when he recored 109 tackles, 3 sacks, and defended 10 passes. The 1985 Bears defense is widely considered to be the greatest single-season defense in NFL history. (Just don’t tell that to Ray Lewis, or he might stab you….and then obstruct justice.)

For Mike Singletary, this is obviously a huge opportunity. Singletary has interviewed for a few head coaching gigs over the past couple of seasons. Widely renowned for his leadership ability, the biggest question mark about Mike Singletary has been his coaching experience. He reentered the NFL in 2003 as a member of the Baltimore Ravens coaching staff, working there with Mike Nolan. IN 2004, the 49ers hired Mike Nolan, who brought Singletary with him to the Bay Area to be linebackers coach and Assistant Head Coach.

Currently, Mike Singletary has no experience as either a coordinator or head coach at any level. However, this is not necessarily a prerequisite for success if he has experienced coaches working with him. Singletary does have Mike Martz as his offensive coordinator; and obviously Mike Martz has plenty of experience. Something tells me he will have even more control over the offense than he did previously, which should make the “evil genius” and former St. Louis Rams coach very happy.

But no one really cares about the San Francisco 49ers on Midwest Sports Fans, we care about Mike Singletary. Was there a more intimidating sight in football than looking across the line of scrimmage, seeing #50 in the menacingly dark blue uniforms, eyes wide open, with a stream racing out his nose and mouth with each breath? I mean, if you’re a quarterback, how do you focus on reading a defense or calling a play? I wish I had been older then (I was 4) when the 1985 Bears D was at their dominating best, because they are a sight to see from the highlight reel. And Mike Singletary was the leader.

Now he is the leader of a new team, the San Francisco 49ers. It will be interesting to see if any of Buddy Ryan’s 46 principles find their way into the 49ers defensive attack. Singletary does have a young, fast, high-character linebacker in Patrick Willis to build around. If you’re Patrick Willis (which means that you would be an absolute beast), can you think of any better situation to be in than having Mike Singletary as your position coach during your first two years in the NFL, and then becoming your head coach?

The 49ers have two guys on their team that I have always really liked, both from a fantasy football perspective and just because of their stories and ability to overcome adversity in their lives: Patrick Willis and Frank Gore. And now, even though I am not a Bears fan, I’d like to see them do well with Mike Singletary as their head coach. You don’t have to be a fan of the Chicago Bears to have been and be a fan of one of the most hard-hitting and high-character players to ever play in the NFL.

Mike Singletary is the interim coach, but make no mistake: the 49ers want him to be the full-time head coach. The rest of this season is basically an audition for Mike Singletary, who many smart NFL people have pegged for a long time to be a good candidate for a head coaching position due to his extraordinary leadership ability. Surround him with solid X’s and O’s coaches, and Singletary could be on the path to a very successful head coaching career in the NFL. Good luck from Midwest Sports Fans, Mike Singletary. You are one of the legends of Midwest sports now and forever. Something tells me that after I post this, there won’t be anyone disagreeing with me.

[tags]mike singeltary, chicago bears, san fracisco 49ers, mike nolan, nfl, football[/tags]

Tags: Chicago Bears, football, mike nolan, mike singeltary, NFL, san fracisco 49ers