Singletary: I'm joining Vikings

A note from The Chronicle Sports Desk:

Former 49ers coach Mike Singletary said on the radio today that he is joining the coach staff of Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier. He said he'll be the "linebackers coach/assistant head coach."

Frazier, who took over as Minnesota's coach when Brad Childress was fired, was a teammate of Singletary's on the Bears.

This will be Singletary's second stint as a linebackers coach. That's the role he filled with the Ravens for two years, before coming over to the 49ers.

Posted By: The Sporting Green (Email) | Jan 18 at 10:44 AM

Aaron Rodgers - What could have been

This weekend's divisional playoff round reflected poorly on the legacy of former 49ers general manager Scot McCloughan. The most glaring example was the play of Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, a player McCloughan scouted as being second to Alex Smith in the 2005 draft. Rodgers is now on his way to being the league's best quarterback, if he's not there already.

In beating the top-seeded Falcons on Sunday, Rodgers showed it all - accuracy, mobility, pocket presence, and an uncanny grasp of knowing who was open. His timing with his receivers was impeccable. McCloughan and the 49ers weren't the only ones to miss on Rodgers. He dropped to the 24th slot in the first round before the Packers stole him and that contributed to his success eventually.

He went to the stable Packers, a team that has stayed with the same offense during five of his six seasons in Green Bay. He sat behind Brett Favre for three years and soaked up the scheme, luxuries not afforded to Alex Smith. Nevertheless, Rodgers' talent is so great, he might have been able to help solidify an offensive direction for the rudderless 49ers.

Now the 49ers are without a quarterback and have no means to get one with a labor stoppage looming.

Another failing of the 49ers was their handling of offensive guards. The Falcons won 13 games with Harvey Dahl as their starting right guard, a player the 49ers kept on their practice squad and then eventually cut. Dahl tried playing tackle with the 49ers, but he wasn't athletic enough. The Falcons signed him and moved him to guard and his chippy, aggressive style sets the tone for their excellent offensive line. The team also dumped Justin Smiley, who's now in Jacksonville, and Kyle Kosier, a starter in Dallas.

Read More 'Aaron Rodgers - What could have been' »

Posted By: Kevin Lynch (Email) | Jan 17 at 12:31 PM

Harbuagh adds two DCs

As you've read on Twitter, the 49ers have finally secured Stanford defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to run their 3-4 defense (first reported by Matt Maiocco on CSNBA, and needlessly confirmed by my team sources).

Fangio is a fourth-time NFL defensive coordinator, but he isn't alone in that experience department.

The 49ers have also landed Broncos assistant Ed Donatell to coach their secondary, according to a league source. He was a defensive coordinator in Green Bay (2000-03) and Atlanta (2004-06) and was the secondary coach in Denver's Super Bowl repeat in the 90s.

Consider Donatell the first step, and a major step at that, toward addressing the NFL's 24th-ranked defense. Read More 'Harbuagh adds two DCs' »

Posted By: David White (Email, Twitter) | Jan 14 at 03:11 PM

Roman makes the jump

New 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh just lured his first prized assistant from Stanford over to Santa Clara, hiring Greg Roman as his offensive coordinator.

The hire was first reported by the San Jose Mercury News and, though not yet announced by the team, has been confirmed by a team source.

So when does Stanford defensive coordinator Vic Fangio make the jump?

A team source confirmed what everyone has suspected and reported all along. "In all likelihood, he is the guy," the source said. But, Fangio has not agreed to terms on a contract, so we'll just have to hold our horses on that one.

It would seem to be a matter of time before Harbaugh fills his top-two staff positions with coaches who have a combined 36 years of NFL coaching experience.

Instead of repeating their credentials, here is what I wrote about them a few days ago when I first reported Roman had emerged as an offensive coordinator candidate.

Posted By: David White (Email, Twitter) | Jan 14 at 09:20 AM

49ers Offense - A crazy idea

Word is new coach Jim Harbaugh will leave the defense alone, particularly if he can get his experienced former NFL coordinator, Vic Fangio, to follow him from Stanford. The scheme will likely stay as a 3-4, and all Harbaugh and general manager Trent Baalke need to do is concentrate on the difficult task of acquiring some cornerbacks and pass rushers.

Offense is another story. One fear is Harbaugh will be seduced by running back Frank Gore, the potential of the young offensive line and do the same thing the two Mike's (Nolan and Singletary) did before him - run the ball.

It seems logical to do just that, particularly with a line that doesn't pass protect and a gaping hole at quarterback. But this strategy has failed miserably. It's the major reason the 49ers remain a winless lot for the last eight seasons and counting. It leads to boring, predictable and ineffective football. That's why the creative Harbaugh needs to get crazy and this is the perfect place and time to do it.

San Francisco is the birthplace of offensive innovation - the shotgun formation, the Alley-Oop pass, the Bill Walsh, west coast offense. Why not eschew the NFL's stodgy obsession with the run and install a college spread?

Read More '49ers Offense - A crazy idea' »

Posted By: Kevin Lynch (Email) | Jan 13 at 06:28 PM

David Carr - Starter by default?

Trent Baalke recently said the 49ers next starting quarterback is not on their roster. With Nate Davis signing in Seattle, Alex Smith due to become an unrestricted free agent and Troy Smith due to become a restricted free agent, the 49ers have only one signed quarterback in the fold - David Carr.

This is the wrong year to have a questions at quarterback. With a labor stoppage looming, teams with entrenched starters will be miles ahead when and if a new agreement is reached. Say, for example, a new CBA is in place a week or two before next season. That means teams, and particularly quarterbacks, will only have that amount of time to get ready for the new season. So whoever is on the roster is likely going to be the one who starts the season. In other words, the 49ers might very well be stuck with Carr as their starter depending on the timing of the new CBA.

The team will take a quarterback at some point during the draft. But that player will be unable to practice until labor issues are resolved. The 49ers have already seen what happens when they subject a young quarterback to the rigors of starting before he's ready. Had they waited with Smith, the direction of his career might have been different.

Also, if there's little time to get ready for the season, bringing in a free agent quarterback doesn't make much sense. Compounding the problem is the lack of talent on the potential free-agent market. Philadelphia is likely to sign Michael Vick at their first opportunity. That leaves Matt Hasselbeck, Marc Bulger, Seneca Wallace, Brady Quinn, Matt Moore and Trent Edwards as possibilities. With the exception of Hasselbeck, Carr is equal to or better than the rest of that group.

Read More 'David Carr - Starter by default?' »

Posted By: Kevin Lynch (Email) | Jan 12 at 05:12 PM

Staff search heating up

New 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh is meeting with the current coaching staff this week and making calls to outside candidates to decide who's staying, who's going and who's coming.

Some already have a good idea -- namely, defensive coordinator Greg Manusky, who is interviewing today in Arizona, and then is off to Dallas, accoridng to initial ESPN reports.

Others have been told they will know more by the weekend. One potential speed bump for Harbaugh is he wants to see who Stanford hires as his replacement before bringing staffers over.

One candidate getting a strong look is Stanford offensive line coach Greg Roman, and he may be doing more than working the front five -- he is under consideration for the offensive coordinator job, according to a league source. Read More 'Staff search heating up' »

Posted By: David White (Email, Twitter) | Jan 11 at 10:30 AM

BCS draft prospects

BCS PROSPECTS: While one part of the 49ers building tries to compile new coach Jim Harbaugh's future coaching staff, another part is attempting to evaluate Harbaugh's future players, and that's where tonight's BCS Championship game between Auburn and Oregon comes in. 49ers fans should watch for these players tonight:

Auburn on offense: Cam Newton -quarterback. The junior Heismann Trophy winner did everything imaginable for this Auburn offense, including accounting for for 49 touchdowns (28 passing, 20 rushing, and one receiving). Yet some draftnicks don't like him. ESPN experts believe he's not a first round talent.

Terrell Zachery WR - Late round prospect and the second-leading receiver for the Tigers. Is also dangerous on end arounds.

Mario Fannin RB - Another late round prospect, but he has the size (230 pounds). He shares the back field with freshman Michael Dyer and sophomore Onterio McCalebb.

The Tigers have other prospects, particularly on the offensive line, but that's not an overriding need for the 49ers. The main one here is obviously Newton.

Read More 'BCS draft prospects' »

Posted By: Kevin Lynch (Email) | Jan 10 at 03:46 PM

Roger Craig and Eddie DeBartolo Jr. don't make HOF cut

Too bad that running back Roger Craig and former 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. didn't make it as finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Craig was a main cog in the glory years, particularly in 1988, the year the 49ers rebounded from a 6-5 start to go 10-6 and win Super Bowl XXIII in dramatic fashion over the Bengals. That was the last 49ers team Bill Walsh coached, and he would later say that he relied too much on Craig that season. Craig set a then team record with 1,502 rushing yards that year.

That was also the season he broke seven or eight tackles in a historic run against the Rams in Anaheim. That run was recently compared to Marshawn Lynch's tackle-bursting 67-yard bull-doze to the end zone to beat the Saints on Saturday.

I've also thought DeBartolo never got the credit he deserved for crafting a winning organization. Walsh often left and returned to the 49ers; and the team won with a completely new roster in 1994 from the one in 1981. The one constant was Eddie.

Recently, he went on KNBR to explain that he was never banned from the NFL. Suspended, yes, for his role in trying to illegally obtain a Louisiana riverboat gambling licensee, but never banned. DeBartolo said if he wasn't forced to sell part of the team to his sister, he'd still own the 49ers. Former 49ers Charles Haley and Deion Sanders made it to the next round of voting.

COMING: Players to look for in tonight's BCS Championship Game.

Posted By: Kevin Lynch (Email) | Jan 10 at 02:36 PM

Jim Harbaugh - Three impressions

Three impressions on the 49ers hiring of Jim Harbaugh:

IMPRESSION 1: In the slew of interviews Harbaugh and general manager Trent Baalke conducted, the most revealing was on KNBR with Tom Tolbert and Ralph Barbieri. When Tolbert has new football coaches on, he asks them what they do if they were faced with this situation: You're on defense, there's a minute left, the score is tied, you have no time-outs, and the opposition is deep in your red zone. When Tolbert outlined this situation to Harbaugh, he immediately said, "let them score." In fact, Harbaugh even has a defensive call for that circumstance, which he called "highway." The thought is to allow the opposition to score so you can get the ball back.

Tolbert said when he puts this scenario to coaches, they either have never thought of it, or they say allowing a team to score under any circumstance is against their philosophy. Harbaugh has not only thought of this situation, he has a defense designed for it, and he's not foolishly wedded to a stop-the-offense-at-all-times theology.

IMPRESSION 2: Harbaugh has precious little control, with Baalke having final say on trades, the final roster and the draft. But many believe Harbaugh will wrest control of those areas rather quickly, but I don't think so. People shouldn't underestimate Baalke. While he may not be as savvy with the media as Harbaugh, he's equally ambitious and he's a grinder. He's not going to give up his authority easily.

Read More 'Jim Harbaugh - Three impressions' »

Posted By: Kevin Lynch (Email) | Jan 09 at 11:53 AM