NFL Needs Character Guys Like Singletary
By David A. Lane Predictem.com
Years and years of futility by the San Fransisco 49’ers led to Coach Mike Nolan’s departure and it would be hard not to applaud the ‘Niners selection of a brand new Mike- as in Singletary- to be head coach of the beleaguered franchise. Not only will San Fran soon grow to love their new coach but so might the rest of the NFL if they haven’t started too already- in an Ozzie Guillen sense of course- because it hasn’t taken long for him to get started. In my opinion, time is long overdue that this long storied franchise gets turned on its ear with the real players being separated from the overpriced pretenders and Singletary absolutely is the right guy to do it.
Known for years as that linebacker in the middle with the intense eyes and Hall of Fame play that made him the heart of the defense for the Chicago Bears, the team hopes the hire brings a certain fire and discipline to a squad that seems desperate for it. His toughness and style on the field can only translate to success as a coach no matter what he does with X’s and O’s. The feeling here is most players will begin to take note immediately and will soon run through walls for this guy and here are reasons why.
The guy has been successful every step of the way through hard work and perseverance. In college, he led his squad the Baylor Bears to their only ten win season ever, made the All-Southwest Conference team of the 1970’s as a junior, and won the Davey O’brien trophy for most outstanding player in the conference two times. In the pro’s all he did was get selected to 10 Pro Bowls, made 1488 career tackles, miss only two games in his career due to injury, and won a Super Bowl in 1984.
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The fact that he took aside longtime fantasy football favorite tight end Vernon Davis, who never seems to play up to his capability, and benched him eventually sending him to the locker room should be a very bright sign for him and others- Play like champions or leave! Singletary couldn’t wait to hit the press room afterwards to announce that the team was “better off with him (Davis) showering then coming back out to watch the team from the stands”. He went on to say that “We will play with only ten players and keep taking the penalties every time until we had to do something else and we’d still be in better off position than we would be with him on the field. Can not play with him, can not win with him, can not coach with him, can’t do it. I want winners!”
Now I have nothing against Davis who unfortunately looks more like an athlete than performs like one but he made the perfect fall guy for Samurai Mike- a guy chosen way high in the draft who was just another overpriced over-hyped rookie that didn’t live up even close to his expectations- and he’s just the type of target Singletary or any other decent coach would need to take a shot at to make a point. Keep in mind this was done after benching starting quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan without even notifying his offensive coordinator Mike Martz beforehand. What should only be obvious is that Singletary is going to be all over his guys wherever and whenever he needs to be to achieve his desired result, a trait more coaches in the league need to have.
In this era of the NFL with the salary cap and rookies getting paid more than many veterans before even proving their worth in the league, Mike Singletary is a much needed throw back to better days. We all know many of these high picks are merely winners in a popularity contest it’s SUCH a breath of fresh air (after the laughter of course) to hear someone who’s in position to do something about it to actually say it! Emphasizing it the way he did can only strike fear into guys which should translate immediately into better performance on the field and the possibility of some players looking for new jobs on Monday.
The 49’ers have underperformed their talent for years and that looks to be soon nearing an end. Singletary not only will bring burning desire to succeed but also a work ethic that has served him well every step of the way- and will also rub off on his team. If a player so chooses not to be a team player, that player will be gone. Apparently Chicago Bears legendary Coach Mike Ditka had a great influence on Singletary because his toughness and heavy handed coaching style will be just what the doctor ordered for this franchise. It won’t take long for the NFL and the rest of the world to see the results.