So with the 49ers at 0-5 and with coach Mike Singletary potentially in trouble and owner Jed York proclaiming that the Niners will still win the division, pulling off that unprecedented feat would save Singletary’s job, right?
Nope.
Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports reports that Singletary must do “some extraordinary things” in order to “have any hope” of coming back in 2011. In this regard, Cole says that “extraordinary” likely means winning “a playoff contest or two.”
Cole also reports that York’s decision to stick with Singletary for the rest of the season arises from the absence of a suitable replacement on the current staff.
Coupled with public criticism from Hall of Fame coach John Madden, it has been a bad few days for Singletary.
It’s really not a surprise. When Singletary got the job, folks familiar with his coaching abilities opined that he wasn’t ready. And, by all appearances, he wasn’t. Even worse, he hasn’t grown into the position.
Of course, plenty of great coaches flame out in their first head coaching jobs. But if Singletary doesn’t at least make some progress this year, he’ll have to do some “extraordinary things” in order to have a shot at a second head-coaching job.
In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised if Singletary exits the NFL altogether. After retiring from the Bears in 1992, he was out of football for 11 years before becoming an assistant coach. Now that he has climbed the ladder, he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who’d be willing to slide down a rung or two. Actually, we think that Singletary may be inclined to take a job at the college level, where his personality and accomplishments could make him a very effective recruiter.