Well we all saw this coming. A lot of us saw this coming weeks ago. And because the NFC West was so dreadful, the 9ers still had a shot at the playoffs even if they were 5-9. Too bad, Singletary should have been gone weeks ago. It’s a shame really. When he took over, he seemed to light a fire under the team. It took some time but they had a spirited finish. Like in 2006, it was a mirage. Last year there was modest improvement to 8-8. Again, just a mirage.
I REALLY, really wanted to keep an open mind about Alex Smith. And who knows if he might have been successful if he’d had talent around him when he first started out and the same coaches each season instead of the coaching carousel he endured. But the team this season seemed to always be out of control, no discipline to them. The offense sputtered. Even when it looked like it was pulling together Smith would throw an interception or fumble or miss a receiver. Some people think the 9ers should have drafted Aaron Rodgers now. The 9ers did Rodgers a huge favor by not drafting him over Smith. Rodgers would likely now be the dud, instead of being the Packers’ QB of the future. So now Smith like Singletary will be gone too.
Yesterday’s game was a microcosm of how this season went horribly wrong. Missed passes, costly turnovers, defensive and special teams lapses. But what was telling was Singletary’s yanking Troy Smith late in the game. Even Montana would have hard pressed to pull that game out with only 8 minutes left. That was a bizarre move. If Singletary felt Troy Smith wasn’t doing it, he should have put Alex Smith in much sooner or not replaced Troy at all. To me, that screamed desperation. Of course Smith seems to play best when his team is behind. Or should I say WAY behind. He brought the team back vs New Orleans, only to have the defense allow the Saints downfield and kick the winning field goal. There were countless times this season we all saw stuff like this happen.’
Hopefully Singletary goes back to being an assistant somewhere, learns how to actually employ offense and gets another job as a head coach somewhere. Hopefully he learns from his mistakes here and is successful. Just like I wish the best for Alex Smith somewhere else. Although he is doomed I feel to be a backup elsewhere.
So once again the 49ers need a new coach (and quarterback). I’m not confident things will get better any time soon.
Thanks goodness for the Giants this season. At least they provided the Bay Area with some joy. I’ll post about them soon.