7:58PM
[ArtSpander.com Exclusive] Singletary’s caution being swept away in excitement
7:58 PM
SAN FRANCISCO -- The head coach is acting like a head coach, wary, cautious. Do not get too excited, Mike Singletary is saying in so many words. It’s like telling a rooster not to crow at a sunrise. We’re not listening.
We’re watching, watching as the San Francisco 49ers return to the past; watching as linebacker Patrick Willis plays the way Mike Singletary once played; watching as the NFC West is turned upside down and the Niners turn into a team that, even if it can’t do it all, does enough.
Do not get too excited. That’s always the mantra of coaches. The team must get better, must work harder. Look at how the Niners started on Sunday against the dreadful St. Louis Rams. They were “fortunate’’ to get a first half touchdown.
But look at how the Niners finished, with a 35-0 victory -- their first shutout since the end of the 2001 season, 119 games.
But look at how the Niners finished, with a 3-1 record in the first quarter of the season, a victory over every other team in the NFC West.
But look at how the Niners finished, with a belief that even when they are less than perfect, even when All-Pro running back Frank Gore is missing because of an injury, even when they only have 228 yards in total offense, they can be successful.
Not in seven seasons, 2002, the last time they were in the playoffs, have the Niners been 3-1. Not in a long while have the Niners had a linebacker such as Willis, who in the fourth game of his third year had five tackles, three assists, two and a half sacks and a 23-yard interception return for a touchdown.
“Wow,’’ was the response from Singletary, a Hall of Famer, about Willis. “Wow is the only thing I can say, because he has so much talent. He just has to put his talent and knowledge together, and that’s where he is going to take it to the next level.’’
The 49ers already have reached the next level. Not the level of the Steelers and Patriots and Colts, but to a position they haven’t been in for seven seasons, where performance equals dreams, where respectability replaces regret.
Not because they defeated a Rams team that has been blanked in two of its four games, a Rams team that has scored only 24 points in four games. But because even when the Niners had their problems on offense, they were excellent on defense.
They were efficient, a term the late Bill Walsh used when he was pleased with a result.
Singletary is in his first year as full-time coach, having been elevated from the interim status given last season when he replaced Mike Nolan. There are no one-liners from Singletary, no routines. Just the simple, understated concept of hitting your opponent harder than he hits you.
“We don’t want any team coming in here and setting the tempo,’’ Singletary said when asked about his advice at halftime to a Niner team that led only 7-0, and only because the Rams fumbled a punt in the end zone.
“We want to set the tempo. We were not doing that. I had to remind ourselves this is our house.’’
Willis is their gem. So often we hear about high draft picks who are busts. Willis, to the contrary, has met all the expectations and met a great number of running backs head-on.
Someone wondered of Singletary, who some two decades ago was the middle of the champion Chicago Bears defense, if he ever had a game with the statistics Willis compiled against the Rams.
“Not an interception returned for a touchdown,’’ said the coach. “Those didn’t come very often, hands like rocks.’’
Those who a month ago suggested the Niners, without a winning season since ’02, would be atop the NFC West after the first month would have been judged to have rocks in their heads. Yet that is what has happened.
“That is our goal,’’ said Singletary, “to win the division. But that is not our goal. When you look at NFC West, a lot of people think it’s a weak division, but I don’t think that’s the case. We want to be one of the best teams in the NFL. But as we go forward, the most important thing right now is to win the division.’’
To do that, Gore, with a bad foot, must return soon. To do that, quarterback Shaun Hill must not get sacked four times. To do that, Patrick Willis and others on the defense, Manny Lawson, Takeo Spikes, must play as they did Sunday, limiting the Rams to 82 yards passing and 95 rushing.
“I think,’’ said Singletary, “our defense right now, we’re making plays. We’re headed in the right direction, but I want to make sure our guys understand we still need to improve. Did they do a good job? Yes, they did. Can we get much better? Absolutely.
“It’s a good sign we can generate points somewhere else, but at the same time, you say, ‘OK. Once our offense gets set, we’re really going to make some strides. ’’’
The excitement is building. Be careful Mike Singletary doesn’t find out.
We’re watching, watching as the San Francisco 49ers return to the past; watching as linebacker Patrick Willis plays the way Mike Singletary once played; watching as the NFC West is turned upside down and the Niners turn into a team that, even if it can’t do it all, does enough.
Do not get too excited. That’s always the mantra of coaches. The team must get better, must work harder. Look at how the Niners started on Sunday against the dreadful St. Louis Rams. They were “fortunate’’ to get a first half touchdown.
But look at how the Niners finished, with a 35-0 victory -- their first shutout since the end of the 2001 season, 119 games.
But look at how the Niners finished, with a 3-1 record in the first quarter of the season, a victory over every other team in the NFC West.
But look at how the Niners finished, with a belief that even when they are less than perfect, even when All-Pro running back Frank Gore is missing because of an injury, even when they only have 228 yards in total offense, they can be successful.
Not in seven seasons, 2002, the last time they were in the playoffs, have the Niners been 3-1. Not in a long while have the Niners had a linebacker such as Willis, who in the fourth game of his third year had five tackles, three assists, two and a half sacks and a 23-yard interception return for a touchdown.
“Wow,’’ was the response from Singletary, a Hall of Famer, about Willis. “Wow is the only thing I can say, because he has so much talent. He just has to put his talent and knowledge together, and that’s where he is going to take it to the next level.’’
The 49ers already have reached the next level. Not the level of the Steelers and Patriots and Colts, but to a position they haven’t been in for seven seasons, where performance equals dreams, where respectability replaces regret.
Not because they defeated a Rams team that has been blanked in two of its four games, a Rams team that has scored only 24 points in four games. But because even when the Niners had their problems on offense, they were excellent on defense.
They were efficient, a term the late Bill Walsh used when he was pleased with a result.
Singletary is in his first year as full-time coach, having been elevated from the interim status given last season when he replaced Mike Nolan. There are no one-liners from Singletary, no routines. Just the simple, understated concept of hitting your opponent harder than he hits you.
“We don’t want any team coming in here and setting the tempo,’’ Singletary said when asked about his advice at halftime to a Niner team that led only 7-0, and only because the Rams fumbled a punt in the end zone.
“We want to set the tempo. We were not doing that. I had to remind ourselves this is our house.’’
Willis is their gem. So often we hear about high draft picks who are busts. Willis, to the contrary, has met all the expectations and met a great number of running backs head-on.
Someone wondered of Singletary, who some two decades ago was the middle of the champion Chicago Bears defense, if he ever had a game with the statistics Willis compiled against the Rams.
“Not an interception returned for a touchdown,’’ said the coach. “Those didn’t come very often, hands like rocks.’’
Those who a month ago suggested the Niners, without a winning season since ’02, would be atop the NFC West after the first month would have been judged to have rocks in their heads. Yet that is what has happened.
“That is our goal,’’ said Singletary, “to win the division. But that is not our goal. When you look at NFC West, a lot of people think it’s a weak division, but I don’t think that’s the case. We want to be one of the best teams in the NFL. But as we go forward, the most important thing right now is to win the division.’’
To do that, Gore, with a bad foot, must return soon. To do that, quarterback Shaun Hill must not get sacked four times. To do that, Patrick Willis and others on the defense, Manny Lawson, Takeo Spikes, must play as they did Sunday, limiting the Rams to 82 yards passing and 95 rushing.
“I think,’’ said Singletary, “our defense right now, we’re making plays. We’re headed in the right direction, but I want to make sure our guys understand we still need to improve. Did they do a good job? Yes, they did. Can we get much better? Absolutely.
“It’s a good sign we can generate points somewhere else, but at the same time, you say, ‘OK. Once our offense gets set, we’re really going to make some strides. ’’’
The excitement is building. Be careful Mike Singletary doesn’t find out.
Reader Comments