San Francisco 49ers: 10 Major Errors By Head Coach Mike Singletary in 2010
I was a big believer in the wisdom of hiring Mike Singletary as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. My belief was that he would bring the intensity and focus that was lacking under former head coaches Mike Nolan and Dennis Erickson. Singletary is also a master motivator and unlike with Wade Phillips, his players play hard and never quit.
Unfortunately, following the 49er loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Niners are now 3-7 and are barely alive in the NFC West race. The team played very poorly at home against the Bucs and were unable to even score a point against a mediocre Tampa Bay defense. The 49ers' soaring expectations at the beginning of the season have given way to supreme disappointment.
I still admire Mike Singletary as a man and feel that he has many truly outstanding traits. However, some of those same traits that make him such a strong, positive presence also can be his biggest weaknesses.
Mike Singletary is a passionate and driven individual who's single minded focus worked extremely well during his playing days with the Chicago Bears. His stubborn resolve to overcome all obstacles with hard work, intensity and dedication is what has made him successful.
However, in a world of gray, Singletary is a man who sees things totally in black and white. His stubborn approach keeps him from making adjustments quickly or having a good plan B, in the event plan A fails.
One of the keys to success of any head coach in the NFL is flexibility. This is perhaps, Mike Singletary's biggest weakness as a coach and will, barring a miracle turn around, cost him his job at the end of the season.
I have listed ten compelling mistakes Mike Singletary has made in 2010 as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. These examples of Singletary's actions make him look like a man who is both inexperienced and over matched as a head coach.
10. Michael Crabtree Is Allowed To Play The Diva
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In an era of the "me first", "look at me" NFL athlete, Michael Crabtree fits right in. There was one ominous cloud hanging over the 49ers in preseason training camp. The issue was that their top receiver, Michael Crabtree was not on the field working with quarterback Alex Smith.
Michael Crabtree missed the entire 2009 training camp due to a contract holdout. The rookie finally joined the 49ers after the fifth game of the season. Crabtree did very well for a rookie, especially considering he missed all of training camp.
The outlook was rosy heading into 2010, but then Crabtree's prima donna attitude got in the way. Michael Crabtree got nicked up early in the preseason and made very little effort to get back out on the field. He missed the vast majority of training camp for his second consecutive year.
Mike Singletary was remiss in not pushing Crabtree to get out on the practice field to work with Alex Smith. Crabtree also did not play in any preseason games, as he claimed his injuries were bothering him too much. I believe that Singletary coddled Crabtree and allowed him to skate by.
The sentiment among the players was that Crabtree was just being lazy. Michael Crabtree's attitude got so bad that one of the 49er captains, Vernon Davis, got in Crabtree's face about it. They got into a heated argument and nearly came to blows before other teammates and Mike Singletary interceded.
When Crabtree returned to the lineup in the Niners' first game, against the Seahawks, he and Alex Smith were totally out of sync. In the 49ers first three league games, Michael Crabtree did not have any chemistry with Alex Smith. The end result was that interceptions and incompletions occurred as Crabtree and Smith were unable to make connections.
This lack of chemistry between Crabtree and Alex Smith was a key factor in the awful start the 49ers got off to this season. I feel that Mike Singletary should have pushed Crabtree a lot harder to get out on the field and work with Smith. Alternatively, he should not have started Crabtree in the first game or two, until he developed a better rhythm with his quarterback.
9. Mike Singletary Refuses To Shake Hands With The Opposing Coach
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In the grand scheme of things, this next issue is not all that important. However, it is another straw on the camel's back of how we are seeing Mike Singletary unravel before our very eyes.
Following an extremely tough loss to the Atlanta Falcons, a game that the 49ers should have won, head coach Mike Singletary walked off the field without shaking the hand of Atlanta head coach Mike Smith. This had no strategic bearing and had nothing to do with the outcome of the game, but it showed Singletary as a petty, immature leader.
Mike Singletary has always carried himself as a man of character and discipline. Those are some of his traits that I admire the most. However, this petty moment showed a man who is losing control. He allowed his emotions to get the best of him and avoided the traditional post game show of sportsmanship.
Again, this does not qualify as a strategic or tactical gaffe, but it does qualify in the buffoon category. In his post game press conference, Singletary did acknowledge his mistake and apologized to Mike Smith for his lack of sportsmanship.
The issue here is that Singletary wants to be seen as a man of principles, ethics and morality. I must say that he normally is, however this incident showed another side of him. It was a chink in the armour, so to speak and is an example of a man who is beginning to buckle under the pressure of coaching a losing team.
8. Where Is Brian Westbrook?
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In what I believed was an outstanding move, the San Francisco 49ers acquired Brian Westbrook, the former Pro Bowl running back from the Philadelphia Eagles. The Niners had just lost Glen Coffee who left the team for personal reasons in training camp. To get a player the caliber of Westbrook at that point in the preseason was a stroke of genius.
Unfortunately, the wisdom ended the moment Westbrook signed his contract. Westbrook has seldom seen the playing field and languishes on the sideline. The immense contribution he could bring to the 49ers is wasted.
How the 49ers cannot seem to find a way to get Michael Westbrook on the field and get him the ball at least five to ten times a game is incredible. Granted, Frank Gore is the main man in San Francisco and rightfully so. He is an outstanding running back, but to leave Westbrook to wither on the sidelines is poor coaching.
Brian Westbrook would give the 49er offense a little change of pace and diversity. In addition, he would be able to spell Frank Gore for a few plays or a series here and there, which would keep Gore fresher.
I envisioned a tandem in San Francisco, much like LaDanian Tomlinson and Darren Sproles used to be in San Diego. You have the feature back and then the perfect change of pace guy.
Westbrook is an excellent receiver out of the backfield and can turn a simple swing pass into a monster gain. Although probably not an every down back at this stage of his career, Westbrook also has the ability to gain large chunks of yardage on the ground because he still has very good speed and elusiveness.
The 49er offensive coordinators, initially Jimmy Raye and now Mike Johnson, have not utilized Westbrook properly. He can also play at the same time as Frank Gore & would be a dangerous weapon going in motion out of the backfield on passing plays. Linebackers would not be able to cover Westbrook in the passing game.
All of this boils down to Mike Singletary's focus on the power running game between the tackles. Against Tampa Bay, for example, the Buccaneer defense stifled Frank Gore. Gore had his worst game of the year, with only 23 yards on 12 carries.
This would have been an opportune time to utilize Brian Westbrook. Against the Bucs, Westbrook had no rushing attempts or pass receptions. In fact, the one time he did touch the ball, the play was disallowed due to a 49er penalty.
Defenses are wise to the 49ers' power running approach and stack the line against them. Singletary's failure to insist on the utilization of Brian Westbrook shows a tremendous lack of creativity and an inability to make adjustments when plan A is shut down.
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7. What "Type" Of Leadership Is Most Important?
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Perhaps the bye week gave the 49ers too much time off, because the media jumped on some budding issues between Alex Smith and Mike Singletary. Coming off a much needed win against Denver in London, the 49ers should have enjoyed a week of rest and then a positive week of preparation.
Instead, Mike Singletary's comments to the media changed that focus. In praising Troy Smith, who led the 49ers to that victory over the Broncos, Singletary made a reference to the leadership he brought to the field. This was also viewed as a slight to Alex Smith.
Now, I must say that Alex Smith should often be slighted because he has not measured up to the quarterback the 49ers envisioned when they drafted him at the top of the 2005 draft. However, when you are the head coach and you have proclaimed on many occasions that Alex Smith is the man to lead the 49ers to the promised land of the playoffs, you should not belittle him in the media.
By questioning the leadership of Alex Smith, compared to the leadership of Troy Smith, what you are essentially doing is questioning your own decision to favor Alex Smith as your franchise quarterback.
This is another example of how Mike Singletary has issues with the media. He is not savvy enough to steer clear of these types of comments, which always blow up in his face. All he needed to say was that Troy Smith played well against Denver and we're happy to get the win.
Mike Singletary is a very straightforward and honest man. However, that often gets him in trouble with the media. By expanding his comments regarding Troy Smith's leadership being the type the team needs, that immediately brings to question the leadership of Alex Smith.
Alex Smith was compelled to stand up for himself, when the media ran to him for a comment. This is the same type of pettiness that undermined the relationship between Mike Nolan and Alex Smith.
The real key is that instead of concentrating on the upcoming game plan against their next opponent, the Niners had to spend time addressing the issue of what type of leadership is best.
At this point in the season, the only thing that matters for the 49ers is that they win football games. There should be nothing that interferes with that focus. Mike Singletary inadvertently created this distraction, which shows a lack of awareness on his part.
6. Excessive Concern With The Officiating
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Mike Singletary is an intense competitor and a fiery presence, which served him well during his Hall of Fame playing career with the Chicago Bears. However, as a head coach, he needs to be in control of his emotions on the sidelines and manage the game.
We have seen Singletary get into several heated arguments with the officials. As he is ranting and raving on the sidelines, he has lost focus of his next move in the football game. A head coach that is in control is always thinking ahead, planning for the next play or set of plays.
A coach also needs to be prepared for several different scenarios that come up, prior to them actually arising. A classic example of this occurred in the fourth quarter of the Tampa Bay game, when the 49ers sent out the punt team on a 4th down and two yards to go. Then, they called the punt team back and brought the offense back on to the field.
The play clock was ticking away and the 49ers were forced to waste a timeout. This also ruined the spontaneity of the 4th down play call, as Tampa Bay was able to get their defense set to defend the play.
A more experienced coach would have already made a decision on what to do on 4th down, before the 3rd down play. If the 3rd down play was unsuccessful, the coach should have already known exactly what the next move for the team would be.
Mike Singletary has been preoccupied with the officials and lost his focus on the sideline in several games. This is unacceptable, as he must move on to the next game situation.
I have no problem with Singletary yelling at an official, but once he makes his point, he needs to quickly shift his attention to the situation at hand. His failure to do that has hurt his team.
5. The Jimmy Raye Departure Was Handled Very Poorly
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When Mike Singletary hired Jimmy Raye to head the 49er offense prior to the 2009 season, he was not their first choice. In fact, Jimmy Raye was probably the fourth or fifth choice to be the new offensive coordinator.
Mike Singletary's insistence on a power running game and a ball control offense turned off the top candidates. I'm sure they felt that they would not be calling the shots for the offense, but would have to adhere to Singletary's conservative philosophy.
The 49ers decided to go with Jimmy Raye and the offense sputtered under his direction. To be fair to Jimmy Raye, however, he was forced to carry out game strategies that coach Singletary wanted.
Heading into the 2010 season, the 49er offense was supposed to be much better. Quarterback Alex Smith was said to have a much better command of the offense and was showing good leadership in the preseason.
The 49ers were also stocked with some decent weapons on offense, with Frank Gore, Michaal Crabtree and Vernon Davis. This was to be the year the offense finally got going. Unfortunately for the 49ers, that did not happen.
In the first three games of the season, the Niner offense struggled. Following that third game, which was a 31-10 loss to the Chiefs, head coach Mike Singletary was asked about the future of Jimmy Raye. Singletary stated that Jimmy Raye would be his offensive coordinator for the remainder of the season.
Less than 24 hours later, Jimmy Raye was fired.
Did Mike Singletary have a change of heart, or did he get a directive from 49er team president Jed York?
I believe Jed York did step in and inform Singletary that Jimmy Raye had to go. While I firmly believe this was the right move, the fact that Singletary insisted just a day earlier that Raye was going to remain, leaves one to wonder if Singletary was overruled.
Mike Singletary is a loyal and stubborn individual, so this overnight change direction was completely out of character. The fact that Singletary was so outspoken about keeping Raye, then fired him a day later showed that he was already starting to lose control.
Mike Singletary made a mistake in hiring Jimmy Raye in the first place, then compounded it by standing behind him so vehemently. When Raye was let go, either Singletary was admitting his mistake or he was being undermined by Jed York. In either case, it was a big negative for Singletary.
4. The Trade Of Shaun Hill And The Signing Of David Carr
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The San Francisco 49ers traded Shaun Hill to the Detroit Lions for a seventh round draft pick, prior to the 2010 season. Mike Singletary's rationale was that he did not want to have competition at quarterback, but wanted to show his faith in Alex Smith.
In his three years with the 49ers, Shaun Hill started 16 games. He had a winning record in those starts, at 10-6. Hill is not blessed with a strong arm and he is only average in terms of mobility. However, Shaun Hill generally avoided making the key turnover, and had 23 touchdown passes, compared to only 11 interceptions. Simply put, Shaun Hill won more football games than he lost.
Alex Smith. on the other hand, is 17-30 over his 47 starts with the 49ers. He has thrown more interceptions, 52, than touchdowns, 46. To just give up Shaun Hill in order to make Alex Smith more comfortable was a very poor move.
Compounding their mistake, the 49ers signed David Carr to back up Alex Smith. Carr played very poorly against Carolina, when Alex Smith was injured. The 49ers lost to the lowly Panthers, who have won only that one game.
David Carr showed extremely poor arm strength against the Panthers. So poor in fact that the 49er offense became ultra conservative, which ultimately caused the defense to tire and they were unable to shut down the Carolina offense.
Do not think for an instant that this series of moves was not the call of Mike Singletary. The 49ers gave away a competent backup in Shaun Hill, who could actually win his share of games as a starter. Then they signed David Carr, who is clearly useless to the team.
3. The 49ers Lack Discipline
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The San Francisco 49ers lack discipline and that is on Mike Singletary and the coaching staff. This is particularly noteworthy because Singletary prides himself on discipline and playing the game the right way. This lack of discipline with the current 49er team shows up in three glaring areas.
First and foremost, it manifests itself in terms of penalties. In the first ten games, the 49ers have been called for 80 penalties. In addition there are roughly two or three additional flags that are not counted because the opposition declines the penalty. That comes to roughly 100 flags thrown on them this season, or an average of ten penalty calls per game.
Many of these penalties show a lack of focus and discipline. False starts, jumping offside, holding penalties because a lineman is getting beat and special teams penalties have become the norm for the 49ers. The 49ers are simply not good enough to overcome these kinds of mistakes.
The defensive secondary is another main culprit for the lack of discipline. The Niner defensive backs have frequently been victimized deep, by biting on fakes and getting burned. Veteran Nate Clements frequently gambles for interceptions, but often gets beat with a pump fake or an out and up move.
Safety Dashon Goldson has also been victimized. He tends to get caught out of position on run fakes, as the receiver runs by him for a long gain. Opposing teams will usually try the flea flicker play at least once a game, as Goldson has shown a propensity to leave his coverage responsibility and bite on the run.
The free safety is supposed to be a ball hawk and create turnovers. Thus far in 2010, Goldson has no interceptions, no forced fumbles and no fumble recoveries. He is playing well below expectations.
Taylor Mays has also been beaten, but that is due more to his inexperience, than a lack of discipline.
The third area where we are seeing a lack of discipline is with the receivers. On too many occasions, they are not running their routes with the precision and sharpness necessary to get open. This puts a lot more pressure on the quarterback who expects the receivers to be at a certain spot, but often needs to look to find them.
When a receiver is not where they're supposed to be, the extra split second that a quarterback needs to find them puts the onus on the offensive line to protect for a fraction longer. In addition, it becomes harder for the quarterback to hit the receiver in stride so he can gain more yards after the catch.
Route running is a science and the 49er receivers need to improve on this area. The coaching staff has to be more diligent with the receivers on this point.
As the head coach, it is Mike Singletary's responsibility to eliminate this lack of discipline. Thus far, he has been unable to make a significant impact in this area and the 49ers continue to make the same mistakes over and over.
2. Too Stubborn And Conservative On Offense
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Frank Gore is one of the top running backs in all of football. He combines power, speed, agility and durability to be an outstanding player. However, the 49er offense needs more diversity and creativity.
Frank Gore leads the 49ers with 801 yards this season. No other 49er running back has even 20 yards rushing. In addition, Gore leads the team with 46 receptions, eight more than Vernon Davis.
Opposing defenses know that the way to stop the 49ers is to contain Frank Gore. They will load the box and clog the running lanes, daring the 49ers to change their strategy of running Gore between the tackles.
A misdirection play, more sweeps or quick pitches, more play action, anything to counter a defense stuffing Gore up the middle. Tampa Bay executed their defensive game plan and did not allow Gore to get rolling.
With the Bucs stopping the inside run, the 49ers had no solid alternative plan. Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree each caught only one pass and gained less than 20 yards between them. That is inconceivable, but it happened.
Frank Gore is a truly great player, but the 49ers need to do a better job of getting him the ball in space and also spreading the ball around to other players. Offensive coordinator Mike Johnson, who took over after the third game of the season has been an improvement over Jimmy Raye, however, the 49er offense is still too conservative and predictable.
The stubborn side of Mike Singletary reared it's head again this past Sunday. Frank Gore was unable to get going, largely due to the poor play of the offensive line and the fact that Tampa Bay stuffed the running lanes up the middle.
Chilo Rachal and Anthony Davis, in particular, were dreadful. For the Niners to continue to try to run the ball up the gut was not working and put the 49ers into third and long yardage situations time and time again.
The lack of creativity was also evident when the 49ers did not utilize the mobility of Troy Smith on more roll outs. Tampa Bay, who came into the game last in the NFL with only eight quarterback sacks, got six in this game alone. This is a function of poor blocking, too many long yardage situations and not utilizing the mobility of Troy Smith by getting him out of the pocket, which was routinely crumbling.
Tampa Bay came into this game with one of the lower ranked defenses in the NFL. For the 49ers to be shut out is extremely alarming. The fact that we could do nothing offensively once Gore was shut down shows a lack of flexibility and a lack of diversity. This failure is on the players for poor execution, but also on the coaching staff for a lack of preparation.
1. A Blind Faith Commitment To Alex Smith
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Head coach Mike Singletary put all of his eggs in one basket. He basically wed himself to the success of Alex Smith and had no plan B if Smith was ineffective or injured. In fact, he got rid of the best plan B he had, when he traded Shaun Hill.
Heading into the Carolina game, Mike Singletary staunchly stood behind his quarterback. The 49ers were 1-5 at the time and had lost games they should have won. Alex Smith showed some very good flashes at times, but his overall play was inconsistent and quite error prone. The bottom line is he played just well enough to get you beat.
When Smith went down in the seventh game of the year against the Panthers, the lack of preparation of his backup David Carr was evident. Carr was so bad, the 49ers basically quit trying to pass the ball. This ultra conservative approach put too much pressure on the defense, after continuous three and outs.
Singletary got lucky with the play of Troy Smith, who only got the chance because Carr was so awful. Troy Smith guided the 49ers to wins against Denver and the Rams, but looked bad this past Sunday against Tampa Bay.
The league now has film on Troy Smith and will be better prepared against him. Mike Singletary and Mike Johnson will need to find ways to make adjustments to give Troy a better chance of success.
By putting all his eggs into the Alex Smith basket, the 49ers put themselves into a huge hole by starting the season 1-6. Alex Smith is not the quality quarterback the Niners desperately need and Mike Singletary missed on that evaluation. It will be this decision that ultimately sinks Singletary as the head coach in San Francisco.
The basket has broken, the eggs are crushed and the mess is too big for Mike Singletary to clean up.
It Will Take A Minor Miracle
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I have outlined ten critical mistakes Mike Singletary has made this season. These errors cover the entire spectrum from bad talent evaluation, poor preparation and lack of flexibility.
I again must state that I am a fan of Mike Singletary. There are so many outstanding things he stands for. I believe he is a good man and has a positive influence in people's lives. The ideals he stands for are true and just.
Unfortunately, Mike Singletary has simply made too many mistakes as a head football coach to keep his job.
Barring a minor miracle, Mike Singletary and Alex Smith will both be out at the end of the season. The only way Singletary can save his job is if the 49ers stage a tremendous turn around and somehow make the playoffs. This is very unlikely.
Mike Singletary is a victim of his own doing. He had all of us believing this was going to be the year the 49ers turned things around and made the playoffs. These high expectations combined with the low performance will be Singletary's ultimate demise as the 49ers' head coach.
Singletary largely tied his future to Alex Smith, who will also be gone after this season. Smith's contract expires following the 2010 season and he will not be brought back.
If the minor miracle does not occur and Mike Singletary is let go, I will have no animosity towards him. He tried his best, gave it everything he had, but just came up short. I will wish him well and know that he will go on to live his life in the same upstanding manner he has always carried himself.
I will then hope that Jed York brings in someone that has a clue about offense.
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