49rs fire Singletary

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)—Mike Singletary was fired by the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night after two disappointing seasons, including a 5-10 showing this year for a franchise expected to win the NFC West.

The team made the announcement late Sunday upon returning to the Bay Area, several hours after San Francisco was eliminated from playoff contention with a 25-17 loss at St. Louis. Defensive line coach Jim Tomsula was promoted to interim coach and will run the team in next Sunday’s season finale at home against Arizona. He was to be formally introduced in a news conference Monday.

Team president and CEO Jed York addressed reporters in St. Louis after the Niners’ loss Sunday and was noncommittal about whether Singletary would coach the final game, saying he planned to think about it. Singletary was told of his dismissal back at the team’s Santa Clara complex after the trip home.

“I want to thank Mike Singletary for the passion and effort that he brought to this organization,” York said in a statement. “He is a tremendous person for whom I will always have great respect.”

San Francisco began the year with high hopes of winning the West and reaching the postseason for the first time since 2002. Singletary finished with an 18-22 record in two-plus seasons.

“One of the greatest experiences of my life was having the opportunity to coach the San Francisco 49ers,” Singletary said in a statement. “What made it so special were the players. They were some of the most outstanding men I have ever been around in my life. The coaches were truly professionals. I wish the 49ers nothing but the best. I am thankful to the York family for having given me the opportunity to be a head coach in the NFL. I am indebted to them for that. I am also thankful for the Faithful fans, I am just sorry I couldn’t give them more.”

The 49ers began 0-5 and will finish with a losing record for the seventh time in eight years. They went 8-8 in Singletary’s first full season, then produced an unbeaten preseason this year only to drop their first five games. It was the franchise’s worst start since losing seven in a row to begin a 2-14 season in 1979—in the late Hall of Famer Bill Walsh’s first year as coach.

No team has recovered from an 0-5 start to reach the playoffs, but the 49ers would have made it if they had defeated the Rams and won again next Sunday. If that had happened, San Francisco would have won the tiebreaker over Seattle and St. Louis to win the division and become the first team with a losing record in a non-strike season to make the playoffs.

“You know what, I’ll put it this way: a personal failure. I’m the head coach of this team and obviously wanted us to do better, felt that we could do better,” Singletary said after Sunday’s loss. “There are some obvious questions that I hoped would be answered as the season went on, and obviously were not answered. When that happens, you end up out of the playoffs.

“I take full responsibility for every unanswered question.”

it's a shame when the players are allowed to yell and talk back to the coach....the video of troy smith yelling at Coach Singletary is disturbing.....so they fire the coach and the players are no longer accountable (mostly due to their inflated salaries......and egos)......times are changing for the worst........

irish_2003 said:

it's a shame when the players are allowed to yell and talk back to the coach....the video of troy smith yelling at Coach Singletary is disturbing.....so they fire the coach and the players are no longer accountable (mostly due to their inflated salaries......and egos)......times are changing for the worst........

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i agree its bullshit

I disagree with you both.

Have you watched this fucking coach all year? Fuck this year, even last? He's the most arrogant loud mouth prick in the NFL, bar none. He's touted two years straight that his team will go to the playoffs and how his team is the best in the leauge. He's a fucking dick and after two years of abuse, the QBs, after being substituted in and out for one another and treated like shit, had enough. If I were that player I probably would knocked the son of a bitch out. Smith -- both of them -- are much too disciplined however.

He is a loud arrogant asshole, but he is still the coach, nonetheless. That shouldn't be allowed on any level, if a player did that in college, he'd be suspended by the school. This should carry over into the pros as well. This is an example of why Rick Petino won't coach in the pros anymore, once they're making money, they don't care about what the coach says. I know the NBA and NFL are different, but this happens in both leagues and it shouldn't happen, it makes the team as a whole all the way up and down the ladder look bad

Why should this necessarily be the case? Actually, in the end, we both agree; I too believe this should never happen. However, why do athletes need to be held an inhuman standard when faced with poor management and abuse? I don't think it's as cut and dry as you'd like it to be. The coach was a poor leader and down right unprofessional. After two seasons Smith snaps. Why is he not aloud to do this? Sure ideally this shouldn't happen, but come on man, the guy's human--emotional and all.

In the end, I think, a good coach is respected based on his character, not his antics, anger, control mechanisms, or even record (though a winning record is usually associated with a coach of good character). Look at Bill Belichick - how many times do you see him yelling at players or even raising his voice? The guy's as cool as ice.

This should never happen, yes...but the coach produced it.