Niners Won't Fire Mike Nolan After Sunday's Game (He's Already Gone)

ESPN is reporting that Mike Nolan will now not coach on Sunday, and has instead been fired effective this evening.

Even with a Niners victory over Seattle, Nolan will still not have reached the 20-win plateau with the once-proud franchise.  His record in S.F. is 18-37, including a 2-5 mark in 2008. 

In a surprising move, it is rumored that Nolan's place will be taken by Mike Singletary, an assistant coach who works with linebackers. This decision would be somewhat puzzling, since it was assumed by many Bay Area fans that Mike Martz (the current offensive coordinator) would take the reins if Nolan were to be axed.

It is generally accepted that the Niners' offense is in need of the most attention, and Martz, architect of the Greatest Show On Turf Rams teams, was seen to have been a natural fit.

Update: According to ESPN, Mike Singletary has accepted the head coaching job, and all that remains is a finalization of contract terms.

Nolan will be remembered most for his role in the disastrous drafting of Alex Smith with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft, although Patrick Willis and Frank Gore were also chosen under Nolan's watch.

Whether Singletary, a great player and a coach who is largely credited with the amazing transformation of Patrick Willis into an elite player, will be the solution to the 49ers problems, remains to be seen.

He will undoubtedly bring the same fierce attitude that he displayed as both a player and assistant coach, and his presence might help give the Niners a new attitude that they have lacked since their last playoff run.

However, the 49ers will be completely over-hauling their offense over the next few off-seasons (hopefully, anyway), and if Martz leaves, the offensive carousel will continue in San Francisco. Also, Nolan, a successful defensive assistant coach, helped the defense some as well, but showed a lack of play-calling ability and did little to help the 49ers offense produce.

Will Singletary be able to draft offense well? Or will he have to lean on Martz (or whoever the next OC is)? It's much too early to tell, of course, but in the short-term, Singletary will bring fresh energy and a sense of purpose to what is already probably a lost season.

Either way one Mike is gone, but did the Niners hire the wrong Mike to replace him?