In San Francisco, four straight losses have done little to destroy the sense of optimism that emerged after the Niners won three of their first four games.
So what's the difference? It could be that many assume the up-and-down Cardinals will still have to endure some valleys, and that San Fran will once again find some peaks. Or it could be that we all like coach Mike Singletary, and that we assume he'll find a way to make good things happen.
To his credit, Singletary still sees a path to the postseason.
"Absolutely," Singletary said regarding whether the 3-5 team can still make the playoffs. "Absolutely."
But what about the 5-3 Cardinals?
"I don't care about the Cardinals," Singletary said. "I care nothing about the Cardinals."
Then again, these Titans are suddenly different. Running back Chris Johnson added another 135 yards, putting him on pace for more than 1,900 this year.
"Dang, that boy is fast,'' Titans receiver Nate Washington said after the game. "He is an amazing player. . . . We heard so many things about this being the best run defense in the league, but we came out with one goal in our mind and that was to show we have the best back in the league."
But a running back alone can't win games. Quarterback Vince Young hasn't made a single mistake yet with a low-risk passing attack that, in two weeks, has delivered with respect to the only statistic that counts.For the Titans, it might be too much to expect a complete turnaround. But the team is laying a strong foundation for 2010 -- and it's making us wonder what might have been if the flip had been switched from Kerry Collins to Vince Young before the team's record was 0-6.
As to the Niners, they'll have to turn things around quickly. Thursday night, Singletary's old team comes to town, and the Bears need a win almost as badly as the 49ers do.
I just do not see Vince as a long term answer.
What's up with the Niners? Did Singletary stop pulling down his pants or something?
"the Bears need a win almost as badly as the 49ers do"
I'd say the Bears need the win a hell of a lot more the SF. Chicago had much higher expectations going into the season, and they are much farther behind the Vikes than SF is behind AZ.
The Bears lose this one and their season is just about over if the Vikes win which would seem likely against Detroit.
It's amazing how conned 49ers fans were just because Mike Singletary can give a good speech. On that basis, Martin Luther King, Jr. would have been one helluva NFL head coach.
What did the 49ers add to their mediocre 2008 mix this offseason? Um, half a season of Michael Crabtree. Everything else was taking the same old chicken shit and trying to make it into chicken salad, led by weekly podium pounding and pants-dropping by Mike Singletary. The Niners' 2009 mediocrity was as predictable as the sunrise.
"We're going to hit people in the mouth," Martin Luther Singletary thundered to the rapt Bay Area media, whereupon the team has gone on once again to feature one of the worst-rated O-lines in the league. They're a "2nd down, nine yards to go" team. Way to hit people in the mouth, Mike. Absent a few fluky long TD runs by Frank Gore, they go about 2 yards a crack on the ground.
The Niners also struggle in the second half of games every week. I guess X-and-O master Singletary isn't as good at halftime adjustments as Walsh, Shula and Lombardi. I simply can't believe that he doesn't coach as well as he pounds the podium while throwing out gems like, "We're going to hit people in the mouth." Face it, he's yet another 49ers heach coach with zero head coaching experience, and his hand-selected O-coordinator is a total NFL retread.
The good news is that the Niners are 3-5 and will no doubt get a high draft pick, and they own Carolina's (3-5) #1 pick. They need a pass rushing D-lineman, 2-3 offensive linemen, a real NFL QB plus another corner and 'backer to replace the soon-to-be-washed-up Nate Clements and Takeo Spikes. Manny Lawson is a non-entity and they need a lot of help at safety, too. And they have almost zero depth team-wide. SF is ten quality NFL players away from being a legit playoff contender.
Just as I said before the season started.
First, Singletary is clearly not an NFL coach. I said from his hiring he would not work out and just look at him. The dude is the poster-child for instability. The 9ers need to establish who they are before Singeltary ruins what little talent they have. "I care nothing of the Cardinals". Well you better, they are ahead of you in the division, wake up buddy, they are your contention for that playoff spot you think you have.
Second, Young is merely the beneficiary of timing. They would have won those games with Ryan Leaf at QB. It was not Collins fault his team can't catch and quits after they get down a score, just like it's foolish to give Young an iota of credit for anything other than not throwing an INT in his oh-so-deep passing attack
"I just do not see Vince as a long term answer"
I don't understand this statement.
The guy takes the reigns of an Oh for six team and wins two straight out of the gates, shaking off 18 months of rust in the blink of an eye.
7 wins in his last 8 starts.
20 and 11 as a starter overall.
Some people will never believe in Young because he doesn't put up huge passing numbers. But the guy is clearly a winner.
I think the mistake people make is to compare him to Vick. They make the assumption that Vick was the ultimate 'running' QB, and that a 'running' QB will never take a team to the super bowl.
But Young is a much better QB than Vick was. He has a better arm, and at 6'5" he sees and reads the field much better. Vick's talent was running, but aside from that not much else.
Young is Vick's equal as a runner, but he is a better SCRAMBLER. This is the key. He doesn't only know how to run - he's bigger, stronger, and knows how to scramble and make plays happen with his legs and his arm, and he handles the ball much better.
StevieMo, you are exactly right. Because of his tough guy persona and bravado, fans and analysts were quick to call Singletary a great young head coach who was turning the 9ers around. But, what has he really accomplished outside of a few meaningless wins against weak opponents in the second half of last season?
They're 3-5 now, which is about the same results as Mike Nolan had. Shaun Hill flamed out. Alex Smith looks to be on his way to flaming out, again, leaving them back at square one at QB. Yesterday's loss was a backbreaker. Singletary can talk as tough as he wants, but that doesn't change the fact that his team has a porous offensive line, shaky QB situation and defense that it pretty good but hardly dominant, and now banged up. The best they can possibly hope for is to duplicate last year's 7-9. That's progress?
"The dude is the poster-child for instability."
Hey at least he hasn't broken anyone's jaw (yet).
"They would have won those games with Ryan Leaf at QB"
Bit of an overstatement there. Young was a lot better than just "the beneficiary of timing".
@StevieMo
did you just copy and past your comment from the
last Niner article? Well go read my reply there.
@east bay rat
you, and anyone else that says Singletary is a bad coach are
idiots. He has coached around 1 seasons worth of games, Bill Walsh was 2-14 after his first season. The expectations were certainly high
and our reccord does not reflect them. How ever, we do have a great defense, every team we have played we could have beat. We are 1 piece away: QB. Now that everyone wants to jump off the bandwagon can do that but once we find a quality QB and use our draft picks in O-Line than we will have a qualitity team. The run game is there, the D is there all that's missing are a couple more liemen and a solid QB.
@this class sucks:
You might want to work on your grammar before calling others idiots. I didn't say Singletary was a bad coach. I noted that many in the media and among fans share Florio's sentiment that "...it could be that we all like coach Mike Singletary, and that we assume he'll find a way to make good things happen."
Why is it seen as a given that Singletary will be successful with this 49er team? Not saying that he's bad, but he certainly hasn't proven to be good yet. And I actually think that his fiery approach, while it gave the team a boost in the short term, might wear thin on players in time. Comparing him to Bill Walsh in any way is absurd. Walsh pretty much revolutionized the NFL and built a mighty dynasty in the process. I guess it's possible Singletary might someday do that, but why don't you wait until he at least has a winning season?
As for the 9ers being 1 player away, and that is a QB, first, that's a false statement. They need more than a QB. And, you might have noticed that QB is the most important position on the team, and that finding one that you can win with is difficult. For now, they have a big hole at the most important position. Tough to win that way.