Donovan McNabb and The San Francisco 49ers: 5 Reasons Why It Could Work

Mike Singletary's pants-dropping, quarterback-feuding, wins-lacking tenure with the San Francisco 49ers unsurprisingly came to a deserved halt on Sunday night when CEO Jed York pulled the plug on the anointed savior turned Bay Area whipping boy.

Few were surprised when Singletary's oft-bizzarre run came to an end. In fact, both the local media and the perennially frustrated 49er fans were clamoring for his dismissal before the 49ers' fleeting playoff hopes officially came to an end.

Singletary will probably make a fine defensive coordinator someday and, who knows, maybe once he realizes that trying to engulf quarterbacks with his eyes isn't a sound offensive philosophy, could wind up the top dog again.

But ridding themselves of Singletary was only the first step toward the 49ers' fix. Clearly, their problems in 2010 revolved around the offensive side of the ball. Their defense underachieved at times, but much of that could be attributed to a bumbling offensive unit that couldn't keep its defensive counterparts off the field.

Singletary wasn't only to blame. There was the apparently headset-challenged Jimmy Raye, Frank Gore's injury and Michael Crabtree's sophomore slump to name a few.

But as it always is in San Francisco, the problem was front and (under) center: the quarterback. It seems likely—or at least those in the Bay Area are praying—that a new face will be taking the snaps next season.

The best short- and long-term solution? Donovan McNabb.

Here's why.

The Smith(s) Are Done In San Francisco

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GREEN BAY, WI - DECEMBER 05: Frank Zombo #58 of the Green Bay Packers sacks Troy Smith #1 of the San Francisco 49ers at Lambeau Field on December 5, 2010 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers defeated the 49ers 34-16. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

The Smith(s) project of 2010 failed miserably. Six-time savior and six-time bust Alex Smith will likely make his last start in a 49er uniform this Sunday against Arizona. Troy Smith had flashes of potential and developed a strong chemistry with Michael Crabtree, but he, like Alex Smith, proved that he isn't the man to end the 49ers' playoff drought.

Both of the Smiths' contracts are up after the season and it seems unlikely that either would be brought back for anything other than a backup role.

Alex Smith may have been the victim of walking into a horrible situation. He may have been a head case. He may have simply been the beneficiary of a prolific offensive system in college and wasn't built for a pro offense. He may someday be a serviceable quarterback in the right situation.

But it won't be in San Francisco.

The 49ers fans would rather be caught in the shadiest bar in The City's Tenderloin district defenseless with all of their valuables than endure another season of poor pocket presence, overthrowing receivers on routine passes and that aw-shucks look after another failed third-down conversion or interception.

And So Is McNabb In Washington

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ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 19: Quarterback Donovan McNabb #5 of the Washington Redskins on the sidelines against play against the Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium on December 19, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Similarly, Donovan McNabb's time is up in Washington.

Sure, McNabb inked a lucrative extension earlier this season, but the Redskins will be off the hook for the majority of that sum if they sever ties with the 34-year-old quarterback.

Washington owner Dan Snyder hasn't always exactly been the most financially-savvy owner during his tenure, but even those AIG executives would be bright enough not to hand over Scrooge McDuck-like sums of cash for an allegedly out-of-shape bench-warmer.

His numbers with the 'Skins this season (12 TDs, 15 INTs, 75.5 rating) would hardly inspire fans to clog lines trying to get their hands on a No. 5 jersey, but the Bay Area has already helped revitalize the careers of a few struggling veterans this year (see: Huff, Aubrey; Burrell, Pat), so McNabb could be a similar beneficiary.

McNabb will be looking for an immediate opportunity to start and the 49ers are one of the few destinations with a vacant opening.

Jed York Wants Winners

Mike Singletary isn't the only one who wants winners. CEO Jed York does, too (and he does so speaking much more softly and carrying a much, much bigger stick).

The young 49ers owner reiterated in both his Singletary postmortem press conference on Monday and in an exclusive Q&A in Wednesday's editions of The San Francisco Chronicle that he felt the 49ers had all of the right pieces in place to make a playoff run. And why shouldn't he?

The 49ers finished 8-8 in 2009, sweeping NFC West champions Arizona, and returned a youthful, albeit, more talented, team with the benefit of an extra year of experience and continuity. The NFC West looked—and was—ripe for the taking as every other team was undergoing a rebuilding process. 

In the Chronicle interview, York admitted he likely erred in jumping the gun and hiring the inexperienced, yet seemingly up-and-coming Singletary after a successful relief stint in filling in for the fired Mike Nolan in 2008. Now York will rely on experience.

He will hire a GM who will hire the new coach. You would have to think that the new general manager will target a steady hand to lead a 49ers offense that clearly has the right pieces to be prolific, but has lacked the right facilitator to get the ball into the 49ers' playmakers.

McNabb may be past his prime, but he is something the talented but raw 49ers have lacked: playoff experience. 

Unlike recently-struggling teams like St. Louis, Cleveland and Kansas City that have had total overhauls throughout the organization, the 49ers have plenty of pieces in place.

In their case, the quick fix might actually be the right fix. 

The Draft

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SEATTLE - SEPTEMBER 18: Quarterback Jake Locker #10 of the Washington Huskies passes against the Nebraska Cornhuskers on September 18, 2010 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. The Cornhuskers defeated the Huskies 56-21. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Gett

While McNabb could provide a quick turnaround for the 49ers, few 49ers fans don't want to see them contend for a year or two only to deter their future development and warp back into the doldrums of the early-to-mid 2000s.

Few believe that the 49ers will take anyone other than a quarterback with what will likely be a top 10 pick. Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Matt Miller pegged the 49ers to take Washington signal-caller Jake Locker at No. 7, Allen Kim has them taking Cam Newton at No. 8 and Casey Crail-Mayo' has them taking Ryan Mallett at No. 6.

So it isn't exactly a secret that the 49ers will roll the dice on another early-round QB and hope that they've learned from the Alex Smith debacle. (And, of course, we're never wrong here at Bleacher Report)

But throwing another promising rookie into the flames doesn't add up right for the 49ers. They could always cross their fingers for Matt Ryan-or-Joe Flacco-like rookie success, but more often than not, rookie quarterbacks take a few years to adjust to the pro game. Guys like Mallett or Locker who aren't exactly surefire pros could benefit from a year or two behind a grizzled veteran like McNabb before grabbing the reins like the Philip Rivers and Carson Palmers of the past.

And putting a rookie out there right away will appease neither a hungry fan base or the impatient and talented veterans who aren't looking for a rebuilding process.

Frank Gore only has a few years left of top-notch productivity and has already been quoted as saying he wouldn't mind playing for a veteran offensive coach for the first time in his career.

You don't think he wouldn't say the same thing about lining up behind a proven offensive quarterback, either?

The Kurt Warner Effect

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GLENDALE, AZ - JANUARY 10: Quarterback Kurt Warner #13 of the Arizona Cardinals warms up prior to the 2010 NFC wild-card playoff game against the Green Bay Packers at University of Phoenix Stadium on January 10, 2010 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jef

Hopefully (insert GM's name here) and (insert GM's hand-picked coach here) will realize that in a situation like San Francisco's, they don't necessarily have to get mud all over their khakis while trying to get the truck out of the ditch.

As it's been said, the 49ers don't need a drastic overhaul.

They have talent all over the roster and play in a horribly weak NFC West that will boast a winner that, at best, will have a .500 record this season.

Sound familiar?

The Arizona Cardinals had superbly talented receivers in Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald but hadn't had much recent success despite playing in a weak division.

Kurt Warner and McNabb both experienced a ton of success with the teams which their names will be forever synonymous with, then were shown the door for younger arms. They both then landed as saviors to once-proud NFC East franchises and found limited success.

Warner left the Giants to hold the beer bo...reins for youngster Matt Leinart in Arizona. Subsequently, he found the proverbial Fountain of Youth while slinging the ball to Fitzgerald and Boldin, took advantage of a weak division and rode the momentum all the way to the Super Bowl.

Why couldn't McNabb find the exact same kind of success in San Francisco? The NFC West is probably weaker than it was when Warner overtook Leinart and while Josh Morgan and Michael Crabtree aren't quite the prospects that Boldin and Fitzgerald were, they clearly have talent and have yet to meet expectations playing largely with the sputtering Alex Smith.

Throw in the very-much proven offensive stalwarts in Frank Gore and Vernon Davis, and both McNabb and the 49ers could be headed back to the glory days.

Crazy? Maybe.

The Giants won the World Series in 2010. We're used to the crazy and unpredictable around these parts.

Why not?