Tuesday Morning Running Back Week Seven: No More Panning for Gold for Nolan

If we've learned anything from the NFL season so far, it's that job security for coaches is a relative afterthought.

Last night, Mike Nolan became the latest coaching casualty, joining Scott Linehan and Lane Kiffin in the unemployment line.

If you're a 49ers fan, you had to have seen this coming. In Nolan's 55 games as an NFL head coach, he only won 18 of them.

Plus, Nolan has never had a defense worthy of accolades. Currently, the 'Niners are ranked 28th in points allowed and 23rd in yards allowed. What really kills the defense is that the Nate Clements that rose to stardom in Buffalo hasn't shown up in San Francisco. Because of this, it isn't hard to see why Nolan could not keep his job.

So, after a four-game losing streak that dropped the 'Niners to 2-5, Nolan has now been replaced by Mike Singletary.

If anything, Singletary will whip the 49ers into shape. Today's Sporting News related a story of Singletary dragging the defensive line of the Baltimore Ravens out for a 6:45 AM practice in full pads.

Good Morning San Francisco, your wake-up call has arrived.

If anything, Singletary will bring the same no-nonsense mentality he had as a player to his head-coaching gig.

It may be too late for him to make a run at the playoffs, but he can at least gain some respect back from myself and my fellow pundits across the country.

The days of Rice and Montana are long gone, a new era of greatness must begin.

This was a weekend full of blowouts and miracles, as the bullet points will now show us.

• I know the Ravens have a great defense, but over the last two weeks, the so called wildcat offense run by the Dolphins has looked as weak little kitten struggling to get up a flight of stairs.
• Marvin Lewis told the media he was angry after the Bengals loss to the Steelers. Is that all Marvin, because if I were you, I'd go postal on my 0-7 team.
• Look out for the Steelers. A strong running game and hard-hitting defense has got them to 5-1 in a hurry.
• How ironic was it that the had a power outage in Buffalo while the Chargers were in town? Judging from the final score, it was the Chargers that became unplugged.
• How about those Titans? The running attack of Chris Johnson and LenDale White is something else, huh?
• I honestly think that, right now, the Panthers have the best defense in the NFL. It isn't often that you hold a team averaging 29 points per game to seven.
• Well, if there is a silver lining in San Francisco, it's that they've returned a blocked kick for a touchdown.
• Somebody give Plaxico Burress a pacifier. Please?
• I just can't figure out the Cowboys. How is it that a team that's so loaded on offense has a defense that a Pop Warner team can destroy?
• Whoops of the week goes to Viking special teamer Charles Gordon, who, in an attempt to pin the Bears' special teams unit back inside the five-yard line, had the ball hit off of him and lead to a Bears touchdown.
• So much for the Vikings having a suffocating defense when you allow 48 points to the Bears.
• Credit the Lions for not giving up, but they still have a long way to go before that first win.
  
• What a demoralizing loss for the Jets.
• Tom Cable escaped induction to the Rex Ryan Hall of Fame by actually winning the game when he called a time out he shouldn't have.
• Jim Zorn is quickly proving that don't have to be a coordinator to become a successful head coach in the NFL.
• It was a great effort by the Pack on Sunday. They held the ball for over 20 minutes in the first half and held Peyton Manning to a 50 percent completion rate.
• Hey Julius Jones, do you still think the Tampa defense is old after they pasted you Sunday night?
• You can't blame the schedule makers for scheduling a Sunday night game on the same night as Game Seven of the ALCS. No one thought the Rays were going to be in it back in April.
• If Matt Cassel can learn to throw the ball under pressure, he could be better. It didn't matter last night however, as a terrible offense effort by the Broncos allowed him to be more relaxes.
• Next week, the Rams play the Pats in Foxborough, and the Colts and Titans square off on Monday night; see you back here next week for the analysis.