This is the latest post in Kurt’s continuing series to identify the NFL’s Ultimate Franchise Player of All-Time. For an explanation of his methodology for choosing each franchise’s ultimate franchise player, and then how you and he will choose the NFL’s Ultimate Franchise Player from that list, click here.

To see all the category page for this series, of which there will be one for every franchise, click here.

Previous selections: ARI | ATL | BAL | BUF | CAR

The first five installments of Ultimate Franchise Player have been compelling, with each franchise having its own unique history – but now things are about to get serious.

Out of the NFL Network’s list of the Top 100 players of all-time, eight of the top 60 are Chicago Bears.

My first five UFPs came from franchises that will only produce one, or at the very most two representatives in the eventual 64-player UFP field. The Bears and their 90+ year history will be a little different.

However, with only 32 at-large berths to be awarded, I am probably going to have to cap off each franchise with a maximum of four bids. That is going to lead to some agonizing decisions in the selection room, a couple of them involving Monsters of the Midway legends.

Unlike the previous UFP pieces, a lot of great players will be left on the cutting room floor for time and space purposes – although I will throw in a few unique players from Bears football history.

HONORABLE MENTION

George Halas (WR/DE 1920-29)

Much like his counterpart Curly Lambeau in Green Bay, George Halas was a player and also ran his own franchise in the early days of the NFL.

Halas returned a fumble 98 yards for a touchdown in 1923, and that record stood until Oakland’s Jack Tatum’s 104 yard return in 1972.

A member of the NFL’s All-Decade team for the 1920s, Halas coached the team during the period and was on board for three other separate tenures as Head Coach, finally stepping down for good in 1967 and remaining as owner until 1983. Halas also had a cup of coffee with the New York Yankees, going 2-22 as a hitter in 1919.

Red Grange (RB 1925, 1929-34)

In 1925 pro football had a meager following in comparison to its collegiate counterpart.

The Bears were lucky to draw 5,000 a game while the college game drew upwards to 50,000-60,000; in fact the NFL was marketing its game as ‘Post-Graduate Football’, as many frowned on college legends continuing to play the game for money. Halas wanted to change that by signing legendary Illinois back Red Grange, which he did just hours following his final collegiate game (and may had even had him inked before that game).

Halas wasted no time getting Grange into uniform, and he made his pro debut on Thanksgiving Day at a sold out Wrigley Field. After finishing their official league schedule, the Bears went on a barnstorming tour in which eight games were played in just 12 days (the final five in six days) and included a crowd of over 70,000 at New York’s Polo Grounds. The tour concluded with eight more games played between Christmas and January 31, with the Bears tour finally ending on the West Coast.

On the train ride back to Chicago however, the Galloping Ghost literally disappeared like one. Grange made approximately $100,000 (a nice amount of money even today) from the gate receipts in those two months, but wanted part-ownership as well. The result was Grange leaving the Bears to form his own league, along with a couple forays into the movie industry. Grange eventually returned to the Bears in 1929, not quite the player he was in college,  but still made key plays to help the Bears win NFL titles in 1932 and 1933.

Bronko Nagurski (RB 1930-37, 1943)

At 6’2”, 235 lbs, the Canadian-born Nagurski remains one of the great all-time physical specimens, and back in his era he was literally unstoppable.

One of Bronko’s most legendary stories was when something finally did stop him after plowing through two defenders past the goal line, it turned out to the be the left field brick wall at Wrigley Field. Teammate Red Grange once referred to Nagurski as a faster version of Larry Csonka on offense and equal to Dick Butkus as a linebacker.

Later in his career, Nagurski used his profitability in the pro wrestling business, a venture he remained involved in until 1960. Nagurski was a charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Sid Luckman (QB 1939-50)

You all see the graphics Al Michaels pulls out for Bears-Packers games. The Packers have had two QBs over the past 20 years, while the Bears have lost count. Luckman is still the career passing yardage leader in Bears history, and nearly 8% of his career pass attempts resulted in touchdowns.

It was during this era that the Bears employed the T Formation and the man-in-motion for the first time. Luckman only threw the ball six times in the Bears famous 73-0 rout of the Washington Redskins in the 1940 NFL Title Game, but his four completions resulted for 102 yards.

He was in the service for two years and was stationed state-side and played for the Bears on game day. With Luckman introducing the deep ball into the pro game, the Bears won five league championships during his career.

Johnny Lujack (QB 1948-51)

A brief but memorable career for the Notre Dame Legend. The game had opened up much more as Lujack succeeded Luckman as the Bears quarterback (A young Bobby Layne was the third-stringer!!). In the 1949 season finale Luckman threw for 468 yards and six touchdowns, and the following season Luckman rushed for 11 scores, which tied a league record for QB’s.

A shoulder injury ended Lujack’s career, and he returned to Notre Dame as an assistant coach and eventually went into TV broadcasting.

George Connor (OT/LB 1948-55)

Originally an offensive lineman by trade, the 6’3” 240 lb Connor was used at linebacker out of necessity in 1949 in an attempt to stop the Philadelphia Eagles strong running attack. Connor wound up being used on both offense and defense after that, and he earned induction in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1975.

Bill George (MLB 1952-65)

This is where the Bears inside linebacking heritage began. George dropped back into coverage just before plays began, inadvertently inventing both the 4-3 defense and the middle linebacker position.

For his career, George intercepted 18 passes and recovered 19 fumbles. He passed away at age 52 following a 1982 car accident in Wisconsin.

Doug Atkins (DE 1955-66)

At 6’8”, 275 lbs, think of Julius Peppers, just a few generations earlier. And like Peppers, Atkins was originally a college basketball recruit before the University of Tennessee realized that he could make a much better impact on the gridiron.

Atkins was a first-round draft choice of the Cleveland Browns, but was traded after reportedly belching during a team meeting. Atkins went on to earn eight Pro Bowl selections during his time with the Bears.

Jim McMahon (QB 1982-88)

Of course it was another Jim who is by far the most famous QB of recent times, but McMahon is a legend in his own right despite never starting more than 13 games in a season due to injuries, most notably taken down on an infamous late hit by Green Bay’s Charles Martin. Still, the charisma won McMahon over with the team’s fan base.

If you’re wondering what the ‘Rozelle’ headband was about, the commish was fining him during the ’85 season for wearing Adidas apparel. The league was thinking about licensing and marketing even then…

Jim Harbaugh (QB 1987-93)

I have already revealed Sid Luckman as the Bears all-time leading passer, but you will no doubt win bar bets asking who may be #2 on the Bears all-time list. Harbaugh spent seven of his 14 NFL seasons in Chicago. Harbaugh (and Luckman) are both still keeping the seat warm until Jay Cutler blows by them on the career charts.

Brian Urlacher (ILB 2000-present)

Of course Urlacher is just the latest of the iconic Bears linebackers who will follow his predecessors into Canton someday, currently ranked #109 on Pro Football Referances EloRater. Urlacher has endured a couple of major injuries in recent years and the end may be near, but Urlacher has already earned his lore at Halas Hall.

Lance Briggs (OLB 2003-present)

Has earned Pro Bowl bids in each of his last seven seasons. His tenure with the team has been controversial at times, and he could be dealt this off-season, but you can’t argue with the track record.

Richard Dent (DE 1983-93, 1995)

One of pro football’s all-time great pass rushers, Dent recorded 137.5 sacks and 37 forced fumbles in all during his playing career.

In the epic 1985 season Dent recorded 17 sacks in the regular season, and added six more sacks and five forced fumbles in the playoffs. Dent forcing a fumble on Rams quarterback Dieter Brock (which was picked up and returned for a TD by Wilber Marshall) which put the final dagger on the NFC Championship remains an image frozen in time.

Devin Hester (ST/WR 2006-present)

It seems like he’s been in Chicago forever, but it’s only been six years. Bob Costas already made a nomination for Hester’s Hall of Fame candidacy after he scored his 12^th return touchdown during the 2011 season.

If he ends up scoring somewhere around 20 kicks for scores for his career (which he is on pace for), the Windy City Flyer may indeed wind up in Canton.

Brian Piccolo (FB 1965-69) COURAGE SELECTION

Growing up I saw the movie Brian’s Song on television many, many times.

Piccolo had finally earned a place in the team’s starting lineup during the 1969 season when he took himself out of the game due to breathing difficulties. Piccolo was soon diagnosed with an aggressive form of testicular cancer which by that point had already spread into other parts of his body.

After undergoing surgeries to remove his lung and pectoral muscle, Piccolo passed away in June of 1970.

THE FINAL FIVE

Mike Singletary (ILB 1981-92)

Simply one of the most intense players ever to play the game, Samurai Mike earned Defensive Player of the Year honors in the Bears ’85 Championship season and recovered three fumbles during that season’s playoffs. He recorded nearly 900 solo tackles in 172 career starts and was an eight-time All-Pro selection.

Dick Butkus (MLB 1965-73)

You could watch vintage NFL Films footage of Butkus committing mayhem on the football field for hours, as he remains one of the most intimidating presences in league history.

ESPN named Butkus #70 among the best athletes ever in 1999, and was named to the NFL’s All-time team in 2000.

Like Red Grange generations before, Butkus first became legendary at the University of Illinois and placed sixth and third in Heisman Trophy balloting. Today, college football’s best linebacker is the recipient of the Butkus Award.

Gale Sayers (RB 1965-71)

As was the case with Butkus, it was a shame that injuries cut short Sayers career. Had he played a full career he may have been the best back ever, period.

In his rookie season, Sayers accounted for over 2,200 all-purpose yards and 22 scores. His six TD game versus the San Francisco 49ers still goes down as one of the most memorable individual days in NFL history.

Sayers was averaging over six yards per carry when he suffered his first serious knee injury during the 1968 season. He had a modestly successful 1969 season (4.4 yards per carry/1,032 rushing yards) although the team finished 1-13. He suffered another devastating injury (to his left knee this time) in 1970 which effectively ended his career.

Mike Ditka (TE 1961-66)

The Ultimate Franchise Player list is confined to players only, but if you were to include coaching Ditka obviously ranks even higher in Chicago Bears annals.

Ditka caught 58 passes as a rookie in 1961, redefining the tight end position, a job description that involved blocking much more than receiving up to that point. In all, Ditka caught 228 passes and 30 touchdowns in his first four years with the team and played in the NFL 12 years overall.

Walter Payton (RB 1975-87)

A fascinating book excerpt this past fall in Sports Illustrated revealed Payton’s difficulties to adjusting to life post-football, including putting copious amounts of sugar in his coffee, turning to alcohol (which he rarely did as a player), and recreational use of nitrous oxide (try some at your next dental procedure). How much this may had played a part in Payton’s eventual illness and death in 1999 is unknown, but the piece was revealing as a classic case of the struggles of an athlete once the cheering stopped.

Payton’s passing at age 45 was especially stunning as he seemed indestructible for 13 years on the field. Anyone remember Jim Brown contemplating a comeback at age 47 because Franco Harris was going to hang long enough to break his all-time rushing mark? Well, Sweetness wound up making that a moot point.

Payton still ranks second on the All-Time list with 16,726 rushing yards, and he also finished with over 21,000 combined yards and 125 touchdowns. Excluding the three games during the strike-marred 1987 season when replacement players were utilized, Payton only missed one game during his entire career!!!

And, of course, Payton was the star of one of the most memorable teams in NFL history, which shuffled its way all the way to a Super Bowl title.

AND THE WINNER IS…

The NFL Network Top 100 series included the following Bears: Payton #5, Butkus #10, Nagurski #19, Sayers #22, Luckman #33, Grange #48, Singletary #58, and Ditka #59. Payton, Butkus, and Sayers should be automatics for the 64-player field, while the RPI’s of Nagurski and Luckman will provide interesting test cases for old-time players.

After racking up a then single-game record of 275 yards versus the Minnesota Vikings in 1977, NFL Today did one of their then sappy ‘musical tributes’, playing Walter Payton highlights to Carly Simon’s Nobody Does It Better. Unfortunately, of all the items available on YouTube I was unable to find that clip. But I’ll leave you with the next best I can find (but you’ll have to click to watch, as it can’t be embedded).

MSF’s Ultimate Franchise Player for the Chicago Bears is…

WALTER PAYTON

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To make matters worse for the preseason NFC West darlings, there was a lot of fallout in the media (a microcosm here) that made it look like head coach Mike Singletary and offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye might not be on the same page with QB Alex Smith.

Such is life in a league where the regular season is comprised of 16 one-week seasons.

And in case you were wondering how Mike Singletary was dealing with it all, well, he would like you to know that HE’S NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT A DAD-GUM YAHOO COMMERCIAL!

Just watch. It’s worth it. Trust me.

(Note: video will take 5-10 seconds to pop up. Be patient. It’s coming. I promise.)

Update: Or…maybe not. Looks like they pulled the video down. Dad-gum-it.

Source: CBS San Francisco (hat tip: Pro Football Talk)

My favorite line (other than, of course, him referring to the Yahoo article as a “commercial”):

We will not try to stop Drew Brees. We will stop Drew Brees.

Yeah baby! That’s the fearsome middle linebacker we all know and love.

Singletary definitely has the 49ers headed in the right direction. They are not an elite team yet, but they are certainly better than they were when he got there. And you can best believe the 49ers will leave their locker room Monday night believing they WILL stop Drew Brees. Will they stop him? We’ll see. It’s certainly easier said than done.

It will be interesting to see this year and next if Singletary has what it takes to get the team over the hump. In case you didn’t realize it, Singletary is from the Mike Ditka Old School of Coaching, which purportedly is not supposed to work anyone. So far though, Singletary has made the 49ers competitive playing old school style football and, with a little tough love, has helped turn Vernon Davis from an underachieving malcontent into the highest paid tight end in NFL history.

As anyone in Chicago will tell you, never bet against Mike Singletary. The face may be a little bit aged and a little more worn, and the body no longer as physically imposing, but the winning attitude, the intensity, and the stare all remain.

Yikes.

NOW STOP ASKING HIM ABOUT THE DAD-GUM YAHOO COMMERCIAL!

Sadler’s premium meats are perfect for tailgating on Saturday, for grilling out at home on Sunday, or for when you are hosting a group of friends, or even just the family, on Monday night.

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Check out Sadler’s Monday Night Football Recipe of the Week: Sadler’s Smokehouse Pulled Pork Stew

Visit the Sadler’s Smokehouse website: Sadler’s Smokehouse

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Monday Night Football Preview

Arizona Cardinals (8-4) at San Francisco 49ers (5-7)

• Cardinals-49ers Date: Monday, December 13
• Cardinals-49ers Kickoff Time: 8:30
• Cardinals-49ers TV Network: ESPN
• Cardinals-49ers Announcers: Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski, and Jon Gruden
• Cardinals-49ers Point Spread: Cardinals -3
• Cardinals-49ers Over-Under Odds: 44.5
• Cardinals-49ers Spread Pick by Jerod (from Monday): Tough game to predict. The 49ers beat Arizona in Arizona earlier this year and now get them at home. The Cardinals have always been a poor road team, but have somehow reversed that this year to become a very good team away from home. Oh, and Arizona absolutely destroyed the Vikings in Week 13. I’m going with Arizona because they are just so good through the air and the 49ers are not great at defending the pass. Cardinals-49ers free pick: Cardinals -3

Cardinals-49ers Analysis

In the whimsical world of media overreaction, the Arizona Cardinals are the NFL’s flavor of the week. Aside from the Colts and Saints, no team is receiving more love than Arizona right now, after the Cards’ blasting of the erstwhile one loss Vikings last Sunday night on national TV.

Arizona (8-4) has apparently replaced Minnesota in NFL hierarchy and certainly left the three loss Bengals, Chargers and any four loss team in the dust — according to “those who know.”

Truthfully, Arizona is a good team. They are not as bad as they were early when Indy blasted them in Phoenix and especially when San Francisco beat them up in week one. Their passing game is much more in sync now no doubt, but are the ‘Birds as good as advertised here in mid-December? Are they super bowl or NFC title game bound as I now hear daily? Who knows? I won’t venture a guess, because like the media, I’d rather not look silly a few weeks (or less) from now.

The San Francisco 49ers, who’ve ridden a roller coaster 2009 season under fiery coach Mike Singletary, pretty much need to win out to have a shot at a playoff berth. Sweeping the Cards, who they trail by three with four to play in the NFC West, would be a good start, especially since ’Frisco closes with the Lions and Rams. On the other hand, a loss Monday gives Arizona their first back-to-back division titles in over 30 years, in turn sending SF to the golf course on January 4.

The Niners have been a good home team this year (4-2), but Arizona, in a rarity for them and most warm weather teams, has won an impressive five of six away from University of Phoenix Stadium this season, with their lone road loss coming on the final play in Nashville a fortnight ago. (Ken Whisenhunt’s crew won five in a row away from home start the campaign). San Fran has won their past two home games, but has also dropped six of eight overall after a 3-1 start.

Alex Smith, who started the season on the bench before being named starter in late October, completed 27 of 45 throws for a career-best 310 yards with two touchdowns in week 13′s three point loss to Seattle .

The Number One overall pick in the 2005 draft is shining in the team’s new spread offense, throwing for seven touchdowns and one interception in his last three games.  Naturally, with the new air success, the 49ers have struggled with their running game.

Frank Gore has run for just 117 yards (no touchdowns) in his last three games after rushing for nearly 300 and three scores in his previous three games. The Cardinals limited Gore to 30 yards in that season-opener three months ago. And Arizona’s defense is coming off a game where they sacked Brett Favre three times, given them 35 on the season (third in the NFC). Favre, who had only throw three interceptions in his first 11 games in 2009, was picked off twice. Arizona also held Adrian Peterson to a season-low 19 yards in their impressive victory.

If Arizona contains the usually-reliable Gore and the temperamental Vernon Davis, who has been stellar of late, the Forty-Niners may run out of offensive options in a much-maligned 28th ranked unit.

To add to the troubles for SF, Kurt Warner is on one of the best rolls of his career, amassing 12 touchdowns and nearly 1,100 years, with no interceptions his past 14 quarters. That’s good enough for a passer rating of 133.2 during that stretch.

His offensive line, coached by legendary Russ Grimm, has been part of the reason Warner, a possible hall of famer, is on such a historic run the past few games.

As of late this past week, both teams had minimal injury concerns.

Cardinals-49ers Prediction

Arizona, who’s getting contributions everywhere of late, has won six of the last nine in the series, and I don’t see much changing Monday night. Though I don’t think it’ll be a blowout, as these games rarely are, take the hot team and lay the points.

MNF Cardinals-49ers spread pick: Cardinals -3

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* – Mike Singletary photo credit: YouBeQB

Now, you may remember that in 1985 another NFL team produced a cheesy music video that is still remembered fondly today: the “Super Bowl Shuffle” by the Chicago Bears.

This morning, we will stack both videos up side-by-side and determine which one is better.

Let’s look at the two videos, starting with “Locker Room Rock”. A couple things to watch out for:

The guys singing lead vocals for the Seahawks is a linebacker by the name of Michael Jackson. There is something about the name Michael Jackson being attached to this horrendous song that just seems extremely wrong.

The star of the video is, without question, Mike Tice. You remember Mike Tice, right? He was the guy coaching the Vikings during the Love Boat scandal and then later got caught scalping Super Bowl tickets.

He is also extraordinarily goofy, as this video (and the picture to the right) proves, but in a way that I appreciate very much because it is highly entertaining.

Here you go:

Video: “Locker Room Rock” by the 1985 Seattle Seahawks

Take a few minutes to compose yourself and then let’s move on to the most famous of the 80s team music videos, by the dominating 1985 version of the Monsters of the Midway.

A couple of things to watch out for in this one:

The first solo by Walter Payton is just awesome. The juxtaposition of Payton’s sweetness next to Tice’s goofiness in the video above pretty much seals the deal that “Super Bowl Shuffle” was the better of the two.

Mike Singletary’s solo, as “Samurai Mike”, reminded me of the “I got keys, coming from overseas” guy in the 2Pac song “Picture Me Rollin”. Very smooth. And even funnier when you realize how close Singletary probably was to dropping his pants on the whole cast and crew if they’d screwed up a take.

Every white guy in this video, yes, even Jim McMahon, looks extremely uncoordinated and Tice-like.

Video: “Super Bowl Shuffle” by the 1985 Chicago Bears

So, time to vote. Which video wins? You could vote for “Locker Room Rock” simply because it takes cheesiness to a whole other level. But the Bears actually won the Super Bowl in 1985, making the prescient claims of “Super Bowl Shuffle” incredibly impressive.

In case you haven’t heard, the 49ers’ emerging star at the tight end position basically said that the Bears’ defensive front was filled with a bunch of chumps who couldn’t stop the offensive juggernaut that is the San Francisco 49ers.

And you may recall that his coach, one Mike Singletary, at one time led that very same Chicago Bears defense to one of the greatest single-season defensive performances in the history of the NFL.

So what does this all mean?

Not really a whole hell of a lot to be honest with you, except that you will undoubtedly hear Bob Papa and Matt Millen talking about it Thursday night before kickoff. So you might as well be familiar with the comments they are referring to.

Here are the comments by Vernon Davis about the Chicago Bears defense, from MercuryNews.com (via The Big Lead):

“I think we can destroy their front,” he said. “The guys up front, I think we can destroy them. I don’t see anything spectacular about their front line.”

…..

“Their linebackers, I think we can handle them pretty well,” he said. “I like Ogunleye. I like the way he’s playing up front. He’s about the only player I like on their defensive line. I think he’s doing a good job.”

Davis is also quoted discussing Lance Briggs, which you can read if you click over to the article. Those comments weren’t considered to be quite as inflammatory by the writer (Daniel Brown), who describes Davis as “clearly joking” when he said that Briggs couldn’t check him.

As for the comments above, Davis is only saying what everyone else can see by watching five minutes of Bears football: there isn’t anything spectacular about their front line. The Bears are 21st in the league against the run (119.5 yards per game) and they have a pedestrian 16 sacks on the season despite having played teams like Green Bay, Seattle, Detroit, and Cleveland, none of whom are particularly adept at protecting their quarterbacks.

The comments that will get the Bears all riled up are, of course, Davis’ claim that they can “destroy” their front and that Adewale Ogunleye is the “only player I like” on the defensive line.

Will it matter come Thursday night? Who the hell really knows. Maybe a very small, little bit at the beginning of the game. It might have the Bears charged up a smidgen more early on than they’d otherwise be.

In reality though, these types of stories are always hyped up to be way bigger than they really are as the game-long impact of comments like these are always overblown.

Ultimately, I think the Bears-49ers game will be a great, physical, hotly-contested game, but not because Vernon Davis made some candid, confident remarks. It will be a great game because both of these teams are struggling and have their backs up against the wall when it comes to playoff contention. This is a game that both teams need and they will scratch and claw to get it.

All Vernon Davis assured for himself with his comments is that he might get popped one or two times when he otherwise might not have, or hit a little bit harder than usual.

Big whoop. Just like his comments.

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* – Vernon Davis photo credit: Orlando Sentinel

Now, as we head into Week 7, Michael Crabtree is a starting WR in the NFL.

Amazing how quickly things change, huh?

Crabtree got into camp just as the 49ers were entering their bye week and has had two weeks to acclimate himself to the offense, to his teammates, and to life in the NFL. No-nonsense coach Mike Singletary apparently believes that Crabtree has acclimated himself quite well, considering he has reportedly pegged Crabtree to start over Josh Morgan this Sunday when the 49ers play Houston.

Now that Singletary has made his decision, fantasy football owners have their own decision to make: start or sit Michael Crabtree in Week 7?

The answer is an easy one for me: sit him. And there are a number of reasons why.

First, Crabtree is a rookie WR. Even highly talented, highly drafted rookie WRs with the benefit of a full training camp and six games under their belt are risky plays in Week 7 of their rookie year. In most cases with rookie WRs, there is a high degree of volatility from week to week.

Crabtree is certainly highly talented and was highly drafted, but he’s had only two weeks of practice and certainly can only know a fraction of the San Francisco offense. This limits his potential for a breakout performance in his debut.

Second, San Francisco isn’t a good passing team anyway. If this was the Colts or the Cardinals, and we knew the ball would be in the air 35-40 times, maybe you consider Crabtree. But this is the 49ers, a team that ranks 28th in the league with only 160.8 passing yards per game. QB Shaun Hill has thrown only five TD passes this year and only one of those went to a WR (Josh Morgan).

In all, San Francisco’s top two wideouts have caught only 26 balls on the season for less than 400 yards. That’s not a very big pie for Crabtree to attempt to get a piece of in his first week. Obviosuly the 49ers hope that Crabtree will make their offense more dynamic, but do you really think it will happen in his first week?

The third reason why you want to sit Michael Crabtree this week is that Frank Gore is back. Gore is the 49ers workhorse and should get the bulk of the offensive touches on Sunday. This is a run-first, run-second team and Crabtree will be nothing more than a complement to a ball control, smash-mouth gameplan.

Now, if you have Crabtree and your lineup is decimated with bye weeks and injuries, there are reasons for guarded optimism about Crabtree’s potential in Week 7.

Houston is a high scoring team, which means that San Francisco will probably have to get into the mid-20s to win the game; this could necessitate more passing than usual. If S.F. does decide to pass more, the Texans are only 19th in the league against the pass, giving up 226.8 yards passing per game and 6 TDs.

It’s not much, but starting Crabtree this Sunday if you’re in a bind probably may not be a complete lost cause.

Regardless, while I think Crabtree could have some value in the right matchups as we move forward, don’t blindly throw him out there this week if you have other proven options. I have a feeling that Mike Singletary won’t mind Crabtree having a rude awakening in his first NFL start, knowing that it might be an immediate step back that could help the WR take a few helpful steps forward a little quicker in 2009.

And a rude awakening is what I expect for Crabtree this week.

Michael Crabtree Week 7 projection: 2 rec, 27 yards, 0 TDs

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* – Michael Crabtree photo credit: Bay Area Sports Guy

According to Schefter, the basic details of Crabtree’s contract with the 49ers include that it is a six-year deal that Crabtree can void to five should he meet certain performance benchmarks. And as observed by PFT, Schefter has characterized the Crabtree-49ers contract as a “win-win” for both side.

Considering that the crux Crabtree’s holdout has revolved around wanting to be paid more than Darrius Heyward-Bey, I certainly hope — for the 49ers sake — that said performance benchmarks are not in any way associated with Crabtree outperforming DHB. The Raiders rookie has a whopping two catches for 36 yards on the season.

Obviously Crabtree’s contract with the 49ers will not include anything specifically mentioning another player, but these two guys will undoubtedly be tied together for the balance of their careers. Even though most people think Crabtree was being foolish and megalomaniacal in demanding #7 money when he was picked 10th, the Raiders are quite possibly the only franchise that would have selected Heyward-Bey over Crabtree. 

Take one look at Crabtree’s ridiculous accomplishments while at Texas Tech and you see why so many people think, despite his obvious diva qualities, Crabtree could be a great receiver at the NFL level.

He certainly is going to play for the right coach. As Mike Singletary proved with Vernon Davis last year, he’s not going to put up with any B.S. That is exactly what Crabtree needs, and he (ostensibly) provides the pass catching skills that the 49ers need to ultimately become more on offense than just the Frank Gore Show.

This is going to continue to be one of the NFL’s most intriguing teams for the remainder of the season.

And go ahead Steelers fans, get your shots in. Call me a jealous Browns fan who is pining over another one of your coaches after a season spent wishing we could get Bill Cowher. My response is: you’re damn right. The Steelers have six Super Bowl titles and two this decade. The Browns won a grand total of four games the entire 2008 season. Why the hell wouldn’t any Browns fan be jealous of that? We can hate your guts all we want — but it does not mean that we wouldn’t love to have your leadership in Berea in a heartbeat.

With that said, I am willing to be open-minded about the Kokinis-Magini era. And I am very hopeful that these two intelligent, no-nonsense football guys can bring respect back to Cleveland and make us competitive again. But neither has proven he can be consistently successful in his current position, so the jury is still way, way out. We will have to wait and see; and in the meantime, I will continue daydreaming about Mike Tomlin on the sidelines of Cleveland Stadium.

Which brings me to the purpose of this post: who is the best coach in sports right now?

The first task that must be completed before answering this question is to devise the set of criteria by which judgments and rankings can be made. You could look at historical accomplishments, pedigree, statistics, etc, etc. I figured I’d keep it simple and make my judgments based on one simple question: If a new sport were created today, call it footsketball (because, as you may have realized, I only really care about and follow football, basketball, and baseball), and I was the owner of a franchise preparing for an initial head coach draft, what would my draft board look like? And for the purposes of this list, I am only considering coaches who are currently employed by a team as a head coach or manager.

This is how mine would look:

1 — Bill Belichick

No one has been more successful as a coach this decade than Bill Belichick. And while the Patriots did not make the playoffs last season, many have said that it was one of Belichick’s best coaching jobs ever. He lost the NFL’s reigning MVP and record-setter Tom Brady, yet still captained the Patriots ship to 11 wins. The Patriots were one of the six best teams in the AFC, but the playoffs just didn’t shake out in a way that allowed them to keep playing. He has 3 Super Bowl titles in 4 appearances, an undefeated regular season, and the reputation for being a cerebral, game-planning genius with a keen eye for talent and an ability to maintain complete control over his locker room. If I’m starting a team, I want Bill Belichick to be the architect of the organization. I may not like his personality, but my dislike for losing would be far stronger. No one in sports has lost less recently than Bill Belichick, and one 11-win, no-playoff season has done nothing to diminish my respect for his ability.

2 — Mike Tomlin

Yes, he is young. Yes, he stepped into a great organization that was already set up to be successful with or without him. And yes, the recency of the Steelers’ Super Bowl win may be leading to hyperbole about his abilities as a coach. But is there anyone out there who is not legitimately impressed and enamored with this guy right now? His legendary interview with the Rooney family, in which he apparently went from longshot to head coach by “blowing them away”, seemed overblown initially. But 25 wins, 11 losses, 2 AFC North crowns, a Super Bowl later, and we can see exactly what the Rooneys saw in Mike Tomlin.

And it is no coincidence that two football coaches are #s 1 and 2 on this list. If I am starting a team, I want toughness and togetherness to be the two most defining qualities of my team. I think that successful football coaches are better at instilling these two traits in a team than coaches in other sports — by necessity; and I cannot think of another coach that exudes these two traits more than Mike Tomlin. Plus, his youth is a huge plus. He was hired at the age of 34 and look at what he has already accomplished. The only factor giving Belichick an edge in my mind is that he is better at Xs and Os. Tomlin probably needs to be surrounded by solid coordinators to manage the intricate game-planning aspects of competition. But a head coach’s most important job is to set the tone and lead men. Mike Tomlin does this as well as anyone in sports right now. And I’d be confident that for the first 15-20 years of my team’s existence we would always have an advantage because of the leadership ability of Mike Tomlin.

3 — Jeff Fisher

Yes, another football coach. And a guy who I have always thought is severely underrated. Jeff Fisher’s teams are built around the fundamentals of the game, and win with toughness and defense. I don’t care what sport you are playing, toughness and defense win. Fisher may not always have teams that are competing for championships, like Belichick seems to; but he leads an organization that is consistent and seems to maximize the potential of its players. Combine Jeff Fisher with an excellent personnel guy and Fisher can effectively lead the troops.

4 — Tony LaRussa

Tony LaRussa’s name always seem to be controversial on lists like these. Some people swear by him and think he’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. Others think he is overrated and too much of an egomaniac. I don’t get it. The guy has the history of results and championships to back up his abilities, and always seems to maximize the potential of his team. He led an 83-win team to a World Series and also led dominant, star-laden teams in Oakland to titles. He is an innovator and, like Belichick, supremely intelligent while being miles ahead of most of his peers from a strategy standpoint.

5 — Phil Jackson

I love Phil Jackson. As a die-hard Bulls fan growing up, it was impossible not to love and have great respect for Phil Jackson’s coaching ability. And when he went to LA and repeated his Bulls success, that respect level grew even more. But there is a caveat with Phil Jackson: he needs to have great players. And I guess that’s a caveat that could be made with any coach, because no one can succeed without talent. But for the purposes of this list, based on starting a team from scratch in a new sport, Jackson is a wild card. If my team was star-laden and championship-ready, then Phil Jackson would be #1. And I realize that Jackson has shown patience and aptitude in rebuilding the Lakers from their fall in the aftermath of Shaq leaving, but he has still had the best player in the sport over this decade. No one is better at leading stars than Phil Jackson. But without knowing the make-up of my team, I can’t say I would rather have Jackson than the four guys listed above.

6 — Greg Popovich

Another guy who seems relatively underrated considering his consistent success. Popovich is a master of understanding his players and of having them ready to play in the biggest moments. He also has an uncanny ability to lead stars while also developing role players and making sure everyone understands the part they will play in the team’s success. The Spurs have had great success over the last decade or so while Pop has been at the helm, and he always seems to be at his best come playoff time.

7 — Brad Childress

Just kidding.

7 — Wade Phillips.

No really, I’m kidding.

7 — Tom Coughlin

I said before that I want toughness and defense to be the staples of my team, and Tom Coughlin has proven the ability to do this. He also proven that he has the ability to shape his roster in his own image in a market that encourages players to be self-promotional and self-centered. Sure, the Giants fell apart somewhat this year, but that is balanced by the extraordinary way in which they came together last year after being left for dead early in the season. And Coughlin proved that he can make subtle adjustments to his style while not compromising his intense attention to detail. Plus, remember what he did at his first NFL stop with the expansion Jaguars? Coughlin would clearly be a good choice for a brand new team.

8 — Ozzie Guillen

I know that people are going to take exception to this one. And I will state right now, for the record, that I fully appreciate the fact that my love for the Chicago White Sox could be influencing my vote here. But Ozzie did a great job last year of leading a White Sox team that no one thought would do anything into the playoffs. And, of course, he brought a World Series title home to Chicago for the first time in a century. And you have to understand, I grew up a Bob Knight guy — so Ozzie’s outburts and inappropriateness do not bother me as much as it bothers other people. (I also happen to think he there is a very real method to his madness a lot of times, but that’s a debate for another day.)

I was worried coming into last season that Ozzie may have lost the clubhouse after 2007, but the team proved last year that they still respect their manager and play hard for him. Toughness, fight, and will are never going to be a problem for an Ozzie Guillen-led team. I can understand arguments to the contrary, but this is my list for my team, and I’ll take Ozzie any day of the week. Plus, with Ozzie around I would never have to worry about Jay Mariotti coming into the locker room. That’s a huge plus right there.

9 — Bobby Cox

Consistency. Consistency. Consistency. I know the Braves have been down recently, but that does not erase the incredible consistency that Bobby Cox has shown as a manager. His greatest strength is being the leader of a very professional, winning organization that can weather storms and still win games and compete. I don’t doubt that he will have the Braves competing in the NL East again soon, and he is the type of leader that you can build a consistent winner around. Sure, his age is a problem if you’re looking long-term. But to get a franchise off the ground and on the right track, Bobby Cox is a great choice.

10 — Mike Singletary

I am going out on a limb with this one. But if my top criteria is toughness and defense, how can I leave Mike Singletary off? And I don’t know if most people realize this, but the 49ers finished the 2008 season winning 4 out of 5 games. This, of course, came in the aftermath of Singletary’s infamous pants-dropping incident and his sideline rebuke of Vernon Davis. Singletary is another guy, like Tomlin, who I think needs to be surrounded by solid Xs and Os assistants to be successful; but as a leader of men and as an organizational tone-setter, Mike Singletary is going to be very successful. I am actually thinking I should have moved him up on this list, but his limited experience is somewhat concerning. Still, if I was starting a new team in a new sport with Mike Singletary, I would feel very confident in my team’s direction.

Honorable mention: Jerry Sloan, Mike Scioscia, Ron Gardenhire, Andy Reid, Joe Torre, Terry Francona

For the record, when I started this list I was fully anticipating including college coaches. But each time I considered adding one, I came up against the caveat of whether or not recruiting is involved. There is no great way to compare college and pro coaches because such a huge part of college coaching is the ability to recruit. I would have loved to include guys like Pete Carroll, Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, and Roy Williams, but so much of their success hinges on bringing in the best recruiting classes each and every year. And my original thought was the my new footsketball franchise would be a pro team. And we all know how college coaches moving to the pros works out…

Obviously this list is just my opinion, and I open up the comments section for anyone and everyone to provide their our own. If you were starting a team in a new sport and you had the first pick in a head coach draft, who would you take?

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Okay, I need to go hit “Publish” right now, otherwise I may go up and switch Mike Tomlin to #1…

Singletary and the 49ers lost today’s game to the Seattle Seahawks 34-13, but Mike Singletary may have scored a huge win in his own locker room and helped set the tone for his new regime. With 10 minutes left in the 4th quarter, Mike Singletary sent tight end Vernon Davis to the locker room for the rest of the game. Singletary’s post-game press conference is great. Absolutely filled with the passion and emotion of a man who simply burns to lose and will do whatever it takes to win football games. Here is the video:

This quote is the highlight for me:

“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 a part of this team,” Singletary said. “It is more about them than it is about the team. Cannot play with them, cannot win with them, cannot coach with them. Can’t do it. I want winners. I want people that want to win.”

On the same day in which the Cleveland Browns moved to 2-0 without Kellen Winslow, it was great to see a coach stand up for team-first principles. I don’t know how closely Kellen Winslow and Vernon Davis compare, but I do know that more and more NFL teams seem to be realizing that championship teams aren’t always built around a simple assembly of stars. Even the stars have to fit into the team concept. Dallas is learning this the hard way right now, just like the New York Giants learned it to their advantage last year, and are keeping it in mind as they deal with Plaxico Burress this year.

The 49ers may have lost by 21 points today, but every 49er fan should feel good about today. Your new head coach showed exactly who he is and what type of program he will run in San Francisco. It may not have delivered a win today, but it will deliver plenty of wins in the future.