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Monday Morning Quarterback
Singletary Da Man
Mike Singletary just concluded a remarkable Monday news conference, where he confronted a battery of hypothetical questions about his future as head coach of the 49ers.
He was asked about whether he'd be disappointed if he had to go through an interview process and he was asked if the loss in Miami yesterday, where his team took the AFC Eastern division leaders down to their last play, in their stadium, without Frank Gore, impressed the Yorks enough to make him the coach.
"I have said this before and I will probably say it again," Singletary responded. "I'm not here to impress the Yorks. I don't really even think about that. ... I'm not thinking about the Yorks, I'm not thinking about the GM. I'm not even thinking about the media. I'm thinking about, 'Am I doing the best job I can?'"
sfgate
The Yorks should make some sort of announcement with Mike Singletary.
It's so clear that Singletary has earned the job. This team is in every game and more importantly, he has made the right decisions on personnel. He put Shaun Hill in, presumably over Mike Martz's objections. Even though the offensive line was finally showing some cohesion, he went with rookie Chilo Rachal at right guard, and although Rachal's play has been uneven, it was the right move to get the talented rookie some seasoning. That move alone, should convince the Yorks to hire him. Tony Wragge was adequate and the line was doing just fine with him. But Singletary wanted more and he was thinking about the future of the team not his own situation. It was a courageous forward-thinking decision, which is rare for this team.
Singletary provides the team the chance to take the talent and make it better. Singletary is the man, nothing could be more obvious.
NFL rules might prevent the Yorks from naming Singletary now. Nevertheless, the Yorks should say or do something to indicate their interest in him. Say he's the top candidate, say there are very interested and that they would name him the coach if not for the rules. Do something.
This has always been the chief criticism of the Yorks - their inability to act, which typically causes them to react. They made the right decision to name Singletary the interim head coach in the first place. Now, they need to make the next right decision, either make him the coach, or make it clear that's what they want to do at the appropriate time.
THE HILL QUESTION: Shaun Hill is another guy who hasn't fully shed the interim label, despite owning the best passer rating in the league the last four games, before Sunday. Singletary gave Hill his most hearty endorsement to date during his Monday conference.
"Shaun has been great," he said. "Shaun is a guy who brings that confidence. We have a chance with this guy. ... We have a feeling that he's going to lead us where we need to go."
THAT LAST PLAY: Singletary said that watching the film of the game was frustrating because their were so many opportunities missed and that included the last play. The 49ers had five receivers in the game with three of them to the left, away from Joey Porter. Martz called the formation to have three receivers on the right so they could run interference for right tackle Barry Sims on Porter, by chipping on him.
Singletary said Martz was very frustrated that Hill couldn't hear him.
| December 15 2008 at 01:36 PM
First Half Numbers and Notes
First-half notes: Tight end Vernon Davis celebrates too much and is prone to the stupid mistakes, but he plays with such enthusiasm and he's really good as a pass protector and run blocker. .... Part of the reason Shaun Hill wasn't given much of a chance in training camp was because Mike Martz was frustrated by his inability to throw before the receiver broke. Hill is doing that now, particularly in his 20-yard second-quarter pass to Davis. ... Chilo Rachal really came into his own in this half at least, and he handled stunts well, something he struggled with the last two games. ... The offensive line played its best half by far, it wasn't even close. Here are some Shaun Hill numbers:
Throwing to the
Left: 4-5 31 yards
Middle: 5-7 77 yards
Right: 6-8 61 yards, TD
Short (0-10 yards): 12-14 121 TD
Intermediate (10-20 yards): 2-3 28
Long(20 yards or more): 1-3 20
3-step drop: 51 yards
5-step: 1-2 4 yards TD
7-step 5-8 62 yards, sack, scramble
Roll-out: 1-1 15
Shotgun: 2-2 32
Screen: 1-1 6
Versus blitz: 7-8 68 yards, TD sack.
Pressures: 2 both from Adam Snyder resulting in a sack and a incompletion.
Yards after catch: 98
Average seconds in which to pass: 2.8
Reasons for five incompletions: 1 under, 1 over, 1 behind, 1 thrown away, 1 well-covered.
| December 09 2008 at 07:30 PM
Remove "Interim"
It appears clear by now that the 49ers' players want Mike Singletary to be the coach next year. So why not make it happen right now. It would remove all speculation that can hang over the team like a black cloud. It would prove to the players that ownership and management can make a right move after several years of making wrong ones, and it would be interesting how the team plays after Singletary gets the job. Do they settle? Do they continue to play hard?
Also, if the 49ers don't hire Singletary somebody else will. As many as 12 teams will be looking for a head coach this offseason and it's not crazy to think teams might be fighting over him - think how he'd be received in Chicago for example. Teams aren't supposed to tamper, but they do it all the time. Singletary is the only 49ers coach without a contract for next year and don't think his agent hasn't fielded a call or two already for his head-coaching services. Make Singletary the coach now and the 49ers won't have to compete with other teams for him when the season ends.
OtterBill has been on me for weeks for highlighting the tension in the Singletary-Mike Martz relationship. Otter might have a good point. If Singletary and Martz can coexist, it makes a good match. Martz can be an outstanding passing-game coordinator, but he needs someone to sit on him and tell him to run. Lions coach Rod Marinelli apparently tried to do that last year with Martz in Detroit, and according to rumors, Martz threatened to quit. Whether it's the persuasive power of Singletary's personality or the realization that if Martz fails here he could be selling tires, Martz is listening to his head coach.
Having Shaun Hill could be another reason Martz tempers his pass prevalent play calling. Hill doesn't have the arm to consistently throw the digs and daggers (the deep "out"s and the deep "in's of the Martz offense). Still retaining Martz as offensive coordinator and Singletary as head coach will be a week-to-week high wire act. Both are strong personalities and the relationship could plunge into chaos any day. Even though Martz clearly out-coached one of the best defensive minds in the game in Eric Mangini on Sunday, his offense in the long run might be short-lived. Offensives are scoring an unprecedented amount of points this year with shallow dropbacks and short passes. Martz prefers the opposite.
Also, think of the games Martz has lost for the 49ers this year going with J.T. O'Sullivan and then screwing things up at the end of the Arizona game.
GREAT SNAPS
I pluck photos on a daily basis off the sfgate.com web site to post on the blog. It's shameless to promote your own web site, but the 49ers photos this year have been excellent.
Michael Macor, Kurt Rodgers and others are uniquely capturing the action. Check out Rodgers' photo from yesterday of the Jason Hill fumble.
CLAYTON
If the 49ers do promote Thomas Clayton to the active roster, Sophrosyne deserves full credit and they should. The Broncos just lost Peyton Hillis for the season with a hamstring injury and they could be on the prowl for runners. If Frank Gore is going to be out for a game or two, make the December call up for Clayton.
THE TALENT QUESTION
Are the 49ers as talented as the Jets, a team that was beaten soundly by San Francisco yesterday, but is leading in the rugged AFC East at 8-5? Just comparing the offenses there's only one player on the 49ers who would start if the two teams combined their starting offenses - Shaun Hill.
The guy is really playing well with another top performance yesterday. He's so much more than a game manager and can anybody name who's playing better at quarterback right now? If I have to go to the top of Twin Peaks with a bullhorn to declare that Hill is a good quarterback, I'll do it. Why isn't he getting more props?
OK, maybe Isaac Bruce gets the nod over Laveranues Coles and Vernon Davis might get a few votes over rookie tight end Dustin Keller but other than that, the Jets are clearly more talented. Looking at the front sevens of the two teams, Justin Smith, Patrick Willis and Takeo Spikes would get nods over Shaun Ellis, David Bowens and David Harris. The secondary is a toss up.
| December 08 2008 at 11:19 AM
First Half Bills Analysis
FIRST HALF BILLS: The decision to be stubborn with the run worked in Buffalo, but it might have been a disaster against a better team. Gore averaged only 2.8 yards per carry in the game mainly because the run blocking struggled. In the first half, the 49ers went almost exclusively with gap runs, meaning they pulled their guards and centers and tried to attack Buffalo's linebackers and defensive ends. The players pulling, guards Chilo Rachal and David Baas and center Eric Heitmann, did a fairly decent job, but they were unable to execute their blocks quickly, which allowed the Bills to chase down Frank Gore before he got going.
Rachal and Baas might be too big to pull and lead. Asking a center to pull is tough because of his snapping responsibilities and Heitmann isn't the type of athlete who can "pull" it off. Rachal made some memorable blocks, but in general, he plays too high. The 49ers should consider taking the offseason to convert him to a right tackle, where his long arms could be beneficial.
And Gore needs a bone-jarring fullback as a lead blocker. Moran Norris played splendidly in 2006, when Gore set a team record rushing for 1,695 yards. Norris tailed off dramatically last season and was beat out by Zak Keasey, who's more of a runner and receiver than a head banger. Keasey is on injured reserve with a biceps tendon he tore in October and Norris was picked up Oct. 9 by the Lions.
Also, the running game suffers in the Mike Martz offense. Without audibles, quarterback Shaun Hill can't switch from pass to run when he sees the safeties back. Many teams now call two plays in the huddle, a run and a pass and then go with one or the other based on the defense. During the first two drives in Buffalo, the 49ers faced an eight-man or nine-man front seven times and they ran against it five times for a total of 9 yards.
By contrast a week earlier in Dallas, the Cowboys played in 3-4 front with both safeties back and the cornerbacks off a little less than half the time - prime running conditions - but Hill dropped back 38 times and Gore carried 14 times. Even in the first half when the game was relatively close, Hill dropped back 20 times, with Gore getting 12 carries. It goes back to what Mike Singletary said two weeks ago, when the 49ers see seven men in the box, give it to Gore, when it's eight in the box, throw.
The offense needs to be more flexible during the game.
The 49ers are getting more elementary and basic on defense, which could account for their success in Buffalo. They rarely play a 4-3 now and when facing a two-receiver offense, they typically go with their 3-4 with the corners up and the safeties back in a classic "cover 2" mode. The cover 2 means the safety play the deep halves of the field, allowing corners to play tight at the line of scrimmage. On third down, depending whether it's three or four wide receivers, they remove Manny Lawson, insert cornerback Donald Strickland and install a four-man line (usually with Roderick Green and Parys Haralson as DE's and Justin Smith and Ray McDonald as DT's) to rush the passer.
They could be more flexible on passing downs by staying with Lawson as a stand up pass rusher and going with a three-man line with five defensive backs. Many teams have their linebackers and defensive linemen roving on passing downs before the snap, which makes it difficult for the offensive linemen to identify pass rushers. The 49ers call that their "sugar" package but they rarely use it.
They could get more creative on passing downs.
First Half Passing
Left: 2-3 27 1 TD
Middle 2-3 45
Right: 3-7 38
Short: 5-6 66
Intermediate (10-20 yards):3-5 43, TDRight: 0-3
3-step: 0
5-step: 2-4 32
7-step: 3-4 32
Shotgun: 4-7 45
Yards after catch: 47
Pressures: Chilo Rachal 2, David Baas 1, Adam Snyder 1. Hill versus pressures: 1-3 5 yards, sack, two incompletions.
Passes: 10 on target, 1 drop (Zeigler), 1 incomplete shovel pass, 2 overthrown, 2 underthrown.
Versus blitz: 3-5 46 yards, TD
TRANSACTION: The Ahmad Brooks experiment is not over. He was signed again today and put on the roster. The 49ers released wide receiver Chris Hannon and placed him on the practice squad.
| December 02 2008 at 12:33 PM
Singletary's Defensive Standout a Surprise
Mike Singletary was asked at his weekly press conference on Monday, who stood out to him on defense in yesterday's 10-3 win in Buffalo. Singletary mentioned Patrick Willis (who had 14 tackles), Takeo Spikes, but then Singletary settled on nickel back Donald Strickland, which might seem to be an odd choice at first blush.
San Franciscan Donald Strickland gets love from his head coach.
But Strickland settled the defense. The 49ers were trying to attack the Bills with their 3-4 defense even on passing downs and it wasn't working. Then they went with their nickel package and Strickland came in to knock away two passes including one on third down in the end zone.
"Strickland was in the right place at the right time," Singletary said of the San Francisco native who grew up in the Bay View just outside Candlestick Park. "I was excited about what he did."
Another player worthy of credit is long snapper Brian Jennings, who handled the freezing rain well and made an excellent snap on Joe Nedney's 50-yard field goal. Snaps from the Bills were all over the place and a reason why Rian Lindell hit the left upright on attempts of 20- and 40-yards. Other Singletaryisms on Monday:
-He watched the film of the game on the way home on the plane and said what stood out to him was the effort. "It was ugly, it was nasty," Singletary said. "But there was a lot of second and third efforts. That's what I saw."
-Singletary said two weeks ago in Dallas the 49ers tried to pass to set up the run because they anticipated eight men in the box. In this game, despite injuries in the Buffalo secondary, they ran to set up the pass even though Frank Gore gained only 68 yards on 24 carries. Singletary said Gore is gaining confidence in hitting the hole and that the offensive line is starting to jell.
-Singletary was again asked about how many wins he thinks he needs to make the case to return. "When it's all said and done, I won't make a case," he said. "I'm not going to be sitting there, 'Well if we win this one (then I'll be the coach). The only thing I'm thinking about is the Jets. Whoever is going to make the decision (on his return) make the decision."
-Singletary said there's a chance wide receiver Arnaz Battle will return for Sunday's game against the visiting Jets. Battle has an injury in the middle of his foot, which prevents him from cutting. Singletary wasn't as optimistic about the return of rookie wideout Josh Morgan (groin) or safety Dashon Goldson (knee).
-The coach was asked if Shaun Hill could be the starter for next season. "That's certainly possible," Singletary said. "You have to make sure you have the right stuff around him."
| December 01 2008 at 01:00 PM
Shaun Hill's Numbers
Shaun Hill - First Half
3-step or shorter: 1-4 sack 12 yards
5-step: 2-4 14 yards
7-step: 5-5 117 yards
roll right: 0-0
screen: 1-1 6 yards
Notes: Can Hill run the Mike Martz offense? Looking at his production out of the seven-step drops, the answer would be yes. For the stat heads, here's more:
Yards after catch: 25
Missed throws: Two throw aways, one drop, one high, two behind. The two he threw behind receivers both would have gone for touchdowns - The first was when he was pressured by Jay Ratcliff on 3rd-and-goal from the 4 to Bryant Johnson, the other was to Frank Gore on third down, which was knocked away by DeMarcus Ware. If thrown out in front, Gore would have gone for a 48-yard touchdown.
Blitzes: Hill was blitzed on 12 of 19 dropbacks. He was 7-of-12 for 131 yards and sacked once.
Pressures: Overall Hill was also hit four times and sacked twice. Chilo Rachal was responsible for two pressures that resulted on hits on Hill. Adam Snyder allowed another and tight end Billy Bajema whiffed on defensive end Anthony Spencer, which led to another sack.
More Notes: The difference between Tony Romo and Shaun Hill on Sunday? Romo hit the crucial passes and Hill did not. Near the end of the third quarter, Romo had only hit 50 percent of his passes but he hit all his touchdown passes. Hill finished completing 21 of 33 passes but missed on five passes that could have been touchdowns.
A few interesting things about Hill that Fox commentator Troy Aikman pointed out. With more playing time, it would appear he'd get better. He doesn't know the receivers he's throwing to because he's been running the scout team. Ask him what receiver he's most comfortable with and he'll say former practice squad player Dominique Zeigler, because that's who he has thrown to the most.
| November 25 2008 at 02:49 PM
Red Zone Woe
Linebacker Takeo Spikes said after the game that Dallas was only slightly better than the 49ers despite the overwhelming evidence to the contrary in Sunday's 35-22 loss to the Boys on Sunday. But after reviewing the game, Spikes might be right.
Offensive coordinator Mike Martz went into the game with a plan to attack the Cowboys' secondary and in the first quarter that's exactly what Shaun Hill did, throwing completions of 17, 21, 34 and 47 yards and getting the offense a first-and-goal at the Cowboys' 4 twice. On their second drive from the 4 in the quarter, Fox commentator and former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman said, "If the 49ers don't punch it in here, they are going to have a real hard time keeping up with Dallas because it's going to be such an emotional let down."
The 49ers didn't punch it in either time, and Aikman was right - emotionally, the 49ers never recovered. With a five-year history of losing, this team typically plays without confidence, which makes it unable to handle most emotional let downs. After a brilliantly productive first quarter, the 49ers mentally checked out in the second quarter and by that time, the game was over.
So what happened in the red zone on those two drives? During Friday's practice, the team's red zone plays looked crisp and effective, why didn't that translate into the game?
First, the 49ers couldn't run at all, and secondly, they made mistakes and were the recipients of a horrible call.
Here's a break down:
Read More 'Red Zone Woe' »| November 24 2008 at 01:41 PM
The Schedule Gets Harder
Can Mike Singletary conduct a non-eventful press gathering? Today the answer is a resounding yes. Singletary's comments were relatively short after recording his first win of his head-coaching career on Sunday after beating the Rams 35-16.
Previous coach Mike Nolan would grant players the day off on Monday after a win. Not Singletary, he wanted to players to come in and watch the film with coaches.
"I feel that the day after the game, I'd like to see the players and I think that you have something to share with one another," Singletary said. "When you win a game, you want to come in. You just won the game the day before, you come in talk about it a little bit more. But other than that, bring them in let them work out. Let them get the lactic acid out and kind of bond a bit."
Singletary's comment reflects something guard David Baas said after Sunday's game. Baas said Singletary uses his experience as a former player well and having players come in on Monday to discuss the win is an example.
The coach was also asked about giving the speaker helmet on defense back to Mark Roman for the last two games after middle linebacker Patrick Willis wore it for a few games.
"We just thought that it would be better with all the communication going on in the back end that Mark Roman would get it back and have the speaker in his helmet and Patrick [Willis] would just control the front seven and that would be easier on Patrick so that he's not trying to turn around and relay messages," Singletary said.. "Then the ball is snapped and he's not ready."
Singletary was also asked about offensive coordinator Mike Martz. The two had another animated discussion on the sidelines, just like they did in Arizona. Singletary was asked about "creative friction" with Martz.
"I've got to be very, very honest. When I look at Mike Martz, I'm really pleased with everything that he's doing," Singletary said. "There's nothing that's an issue for he and I. We don't ever have an issue where [it's like] 'I disagree with that, well, why don't you do that.' We don't have that. It's 'Mike, I'm thinking about this.' Or 'What do you think about that?' Normally, we're on the same page. So there has been not even a creative friction. Right now, it just works."
As for injuries, Singletary said running back Michael Robinson (stinger) should be fine for the game in Dallas Sunday, and so should cornerback Tarell Brown (neck) and safety Michael Lewis (knee), Singletary wasn't so sure about rookie receiver Josh Morgan (groin) who might his second straight game with a groin strain.
Finally, Singletary was asked about beating the Rams. What does it mean to beat a team that statistically, is the worst the league?
"I'll put it this way: we won the game. It's hard to win a game in the NFL," Singletary said. "We're trying to build something here and that's really all I'm thinking about. I'm not thinking about what a cynic might say or what anybody else [might say]. I really don't care. The most important thing for me is to stay focused on the team and where we're trying to go and what we're trying to do and build. That's it."
Which brings up a question, will the 49ers beat anybody but the Rams again for the rest of the season? They have Dallas, Buffalo, the Rams and Miami on the road, with the Jets and Washington at home.
| November 17 2008 at 07:22 PM
Mike Martz is not to Blame
The 49ers signed former Stanford receiver Mark Bradford to their practice squad Wednesday. The move might have been in response to injuries at wide receiver. Arnaz Battle (foot) didn't practice today after missing the Cardinals game with the injury. Josh Morgan (groin strain) was declared out of Sunday's match up with the visiting Rams.
Tight end Delanie Walker (shoulder) also missed Wednesday's practice but he still might be available for St. Louis.
Wednesday brought more rehash of Monday night's debacle, where the 49ers bollixed the last two plays of the game despite getting a first down from the 1 with 20 seconds remaining. Despite failing to get the proper down and distance from the sidelines for the final play, coach Mike Singletary said he won't make any adjustments in the coaches' booth. Mike Martz said Tuesday he didn't get the down and distance before the final play from the booth.
Earlier this year, Mike Nolan missed throwing the red flag to review plays when his personnel in the booth didn't tell him plays should have been challenged. But Nolan insisted on staying with the team's same system of review.
Now Singletary is doing the same thing despite the breakdowns that led to the loss on Monday night.
"So it's nothing about (changing policy and personnel in) the booth or anything," Singletary said Wednesday. "They were doing a great job getting us the information that we needed, it was just a matter of we had no authority on the field to get those things, nor did we have the time."
Singletary may have a point there. The referees told Shaun Hill before the last play that he had three seconds and they would start the clock once the ball was set. It left Hill no time to call an audible when he realized the ball was spotted at the 2-and-a-half, nor did he have any time to spike the ball and get another play call for the new field position. Obviously, coaches in the booth didn't have time to relay where the ball was with only three seconds left. The referees, who were horrible all night, didn't tell 49ers' coaches where the ball was going to be spotted.
But Martz was under the impression from someone in the booth that the referees were going to put 12 seconds back on the clock, which never happened and that's a screw up.
"That's what we were told over the headset from upstairs," Martz said of the mysterious 12 seconds. "We have some experts up there that are affiliated with that and to not go any further about it, they said you should get 12 more seconds back on the clock, and we didn't get it. Now why we thought that, I don't know."
That expert that Martz referred to might be Paraag Marathe, who's been in the booth since last year to keep track of rules and some time management. Marathe is the team's salary cap expert and chief negotiator on player contracts, but he might be miscast in the coaches' booth and certainly the thinking the 49ers would get 12 seconds back on the clock before the final play added to the confusion. The insistence on keeping Marathe in the booth or anyone who continues to miss challenges and issue wrong information on time is really mystifying.
Martz took the brunt of the criticism for the end-of-game debacle, and his admission that he called for a spike and a change in personnel didn't help. But I admire his stunning candor in revealing his role. And even though the team lost up to nine seconds with Martz's error, they still had first-and-goal from the 1, four downs and 20 seconds on the clock. That's plenty of time to get the yard needed, so Martz's gaffe wasn't what lost the game.
In fact, Martz made two excellent calls on the last two plays of the game. The first was the bounce play to the left, where running back Frank Gore had a free corridor to the end zone and he simply stumbled. The second play, a fullback dive to Michael Robinson, would have worked easily had the ball been at the 1.
Martz also made adjustments going into the game for Shaun Hill. The 49ers ran more than they passed, and Martz rarely had Hill dropping seven steps. So, quit waterboarding your Mike Martz voodoo dolls, he's not to blame for the loss on Monday night. That should be left to coaches' booth and the officials.
| November 12 2008 at 11:49 PM
Singletary -The Day After
Mike Singletary concluded his second news conference with the media following the team's dispassionate 34-13 loss to the Seahawks and this time, Singletary didn't bring the bulging eyes and raised voice. But he did have some interesting things to say:
-Singletary told his players after the game that there were cancers on the team. He clarified his remarks with the media Monday saying there are cancers on every team, but they have to be managed. He also said that he didn't include tight end Vernon Davis, who he kicked off the bench in the fourth quarter, to be a cancer.
"Vernon is not a problem guy," Singletary said. "He's not a guy who's a distraction on this team." Singletary said that Davis works hard and that he just has difficulty with his decision making at crucial times. Singletary also said he had a conversation with Davis early last week and asked him if he was ready to be a leader. Davis said he was ready to go, and then he got caught for a personal foul.
Singletary wanted to remind Davis to be smart and to remind him of their earlier conversation when Davis reached the sideline, but Davis kept saying "What!" when Singletary tried to talk to him. Then when he gave Singletary more back talk on the bench, Singletary told him he was done.
Read More 'Singletary -The Day After' »
| October 27 2008 at 01:37 PM
Veteran 49ers writers Kevin Lynch and David White analyze the stats with an insider's insight.
By Kevin Lynch, David White, Read Bios
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