Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Jed York interviews candidates

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Team president Jed York had an interesting Q and A with David White of the Chronicle. York said he will interview former Broncos general manager Ted Sundquist. Also, York has interviewed former Rams executive Tony Softli, an African American candidate. The Rooney rule dictates that teams interview minority candidates for general manager jobs and head-coaching positions before making a hire.

Meanwhile the team also announced that linebacker Patrick Willis and defensive end Justin Smith made the Pro Bowl. For Willis this is his fourth straight Pro Bowl, while Smith made his second in a row. Tight end Vernon Davis (first alternate) and running back Frank Gore (fifth alternate) were named as alternates.

Posted By: Kevin Lynch (Email) | Dec 28 at 10:30 PM

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Mike Singletary - Post script

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We media types like to characterize player reaction to team events as a single emotion. That was impossible with the firing of Mike Singletary. Some were likely glad to see him go, including the team's quarterbacks.

Singletary impugned the character of Nate Davis in the preseason, he questioned the leadership of Alex Smith, he never gave David Carr a chance, and called an in-game switch from Alex Smith to Troy Smith "horrendous." He also switched quarterbacks on a whim, highlighting them as THE problem on offense. Troy Smith's explosion at Singletary characterized the quarterbacks' loss of respect for their head coach.

Player reaction to Singletary's firing was mixed.

Player reaction to Singletary's firing was mixed.

For the rest of the team, Singletary's firing seemed to elicit sadness. Defensive tackle Ricky Jean Francois talked about a pall that settled over the locker room; he said players didn't even want to talk about the Singletary firing.

Linebacker Patrick Willis used the word sad to characterize his brief chat with Singletary Sunday night. The firing just seemed to deepen the disappointment players felt about this double-digit loss season; it possibly made them reflect on their part in the team's failing. Replacement coach Jim Tomsula said he apologized to Singletary for not "getting it done."

But players also reflected on the disruptions Singletary created. Running back Frank Gore said the constant switching at quarterback was hard, particularly on the receivers. Vernon Davis said revolving quarterbacks and the firing of the offensive coordinator weighed on the team.

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Posted By: Kevin Lynch (Email) | Dec 28 at 10:00 AM

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