49ers Coaching Staff: Coaching Staff Complete

Today Jim Harbaugh met with the media to announce his official coaching staff. As expected Jim Tomsula (defensive line), Tom Rathman (running backs), Mike Solari (offensive line), and Ray Brown (offensive line) will all be retained. That makes three coaches for the offensive line but it should be noted that Brown will also help out on the tight ends as well. He will probably help with the blocking aspect of the tight end position.

Harbaugh also announced the most recent hire which was to replace Kurt Schottenheimer with Brad Seely as the special teams coordinator. Seely was in Cleveland the past two seasons in that same role. Harbaugh also added that they hired Ejiro Evero as the quality control coach. Last year Evero was with the Buccaneers as the defensive quality control coach. I imagine that is just a nice title and ultimately all they do is watch film.

Of course, Harbaugh was asked about Jed York’s conversation on KNBR as it relates to Alex Smith’s future with the 49ers. Harbaugh did not rule out Smith’s possible return but based on Alex’s no way in hell response at the end of the season, it is unlikely we will see Smith in a 49ers uniform again.

“I’m not into absolutes and ‘alwayses’ and ‘nevers — those kind of bold statements,” the coach said. “My part is an evaluation. And that will be of Alex and our football team. That’s the neat thing about being the head coach — you get to coach them all. You get to evaluate them and be a part of the team evaluation.”

49ers-Alex Smith Divorce: Where do they go now?

Don’t worry 49er fans.  The six-year disaster is over and you will never have to see #11, Alex Smith, wear the red and gold again.  When Smith was asked if he could see a possible return back to the 49ers he seemed to suggest that was not going to happen.

“Are you being serious?” Smith said. “Uh…no.”

After six years the front office has finally figured out that he is not the quarterback they thought he was when he was drafted as the first pick overall in the 2005 draft. 

Even Al Davis was able to figure out that their #1 pick was a bust after two years.

Smith will likely get many offers in the off-season to come in as a backup quarterback.  If he was smart then he would go to a team with stability at head coach and a quarterback guru who could possibly help him reach his potential.  The teams that need a quarterback very badly, like San Francisco, are the teams he should stay away from.  If I was Alex, then I would have my agent call Norv Turner in San Diego and see if they are interested in him as a backup to Phillip Rivers.  This way Smith could get back to the coach that he had the most success under and he could come back home. 

For the 49ers, it will not be as easy.  Both of the Smith quarterbacks are free agents and probably will not be back next year, no matter who the GM is.  Troy Smith is not a NFL starting quarterback and may never have a chance to audition for that kind of job like he did this year.  He will likely get an opportunity to be a backup and could be a good addition to a team that wants to run the wildcat occasionally. 

David Carr is the only quarterback that is currently under contract for next year but that doesn’t mean he is the starter.  Carr is not starting material and is not even backup material.  There is no team that wants him on the field—even in emergency situations.  His only value as a backup is that he is a good locker room guy that won’t cause any problems.  The 49ers should release him.

The 49ers will need to address the quarterback position in the draft and in free agency.  If they can get a veteran quarterback in the meantime while they develop the rookie, that would be the best case scenario.  If they just insert the rookie quarterback into the starting lineup right away then we are looking at another Alex Smith situation.

Unless that quarterback’s name is Andrew Luck….

NFL Injury Report: Rams-49ers (Wednesday)

Mike Singletary has not made an official announcement but all indications are that it will be Smith.  That's about as much as we know that it will be a guy named Smith.  Whether it is Troy Smith or Alex Smith it is hard to say but if look at what Singletary said in the media session it's likely going to be Troy.

On whether he has made a decision for the starting quarterback against St. Louis:
“As of right now, it looks like it’s going to be [QB] Troy [Smith]. Something could change, it depends on how [QB] Alex [Smith] progresses through the week, but as of right now, it looks like Troy is going to take all the snaps.”

Let's assume that I pretty good at reading between the lines but I'm not so that will make this assumption most likely wrong, but I digress.  Singletary appears to be going with Troy Smith as the starting quarterback at this time because he can.  Alex is still hurt, allegedly, so Singletary can play that card.  This gives him another week to see if what Troy did in London was a fluke or if he actually found his quarterback.  If Troy is bad, then Alex will continue to be the starting quarterback and no harm no foul.  But if he leads the team to another victory and is somewhat impressive than Singletary will make him the starter for the reason that seems to be ever popular in the coaching circles, "he gives us the best chance to win."  But let's keep in mind that the decision for the quarterback of the future won't be immediately after Sunday's game--Singletary will have to "look at the tape" first.

The rest of Singletary's transcript is after the jump.

St. Louis

Did Not Participate: CB Danario Alexander (knee), S James Butler (ankle), RB Brit Miller (calf), TE Fendi Onobun (back)
Limited Participation: CB Ron Bartell (neck), DE James Hall (hand), RB Steven Jackson (finger), LB James Lauranitis (knee), LB David Vabora (hamstring)

San Francisco

Did Not Participate: QB Alex Smith (shoulder)
Limited Participation: CB Nate Clements (ankle)

49ers-Panthers: Mike Singletary Day After Press-Conference

No regular press-conference today for Mike Singletary due to the time difference and since the Bay Area media hadn't made it out to London yet, Singletary sat down with the London media.  He probably preferred it that way.

A lot of questions about playing in London and not a lot of questions about his playoff guarantee or whether he would promote Nate Davis from the practice squad.  It's my guess that we will hear about the severity of Alex Smith's injury tomorrow but I would venture to say that he is out this game and maybe a couple of weeks after that.

Head Coach Mike Singletary

Monday Press Conference (London) - October 25, 2010

San Francisco 49ers

On his thoughts about playing in London:
"I think it's great. For us, it's a nice chance to kind of get away, regroup and rethink. I think it came at a good time."

On whether he's worried about the travel right after the game having an impact on the players:
"No, not at all. I think the fact that we came over right after the game, the guys will have a chance this week to kind of get caught up, relax a bit and get used to the environment. I think it will be a plus for us."

On the NFL having teams playing internationally and whether it is a bonus to the league or a disruption to the schedule:
"It depends on the way you look at it. I think for us, it really works to be a bonus for us. I think it really gives us a chance to kind of get away from the hustle and bustle of the NFL. To come over here and think through some things, look at maybe some changes you need to make, it gives you a chance to slow down the pace a bit. Like I said, the environment here is a great environment for us."

On whether QB Alex Smith will play this weekend:
"As of right now, we have to get the X-Rays and see what the doctors are thinking at that time and get a feel for it."

On what his chances are:
"I'm not a doctor, so we'll have to wait and see."

On whether Smith is at the doctor right now:
"No."

On having lost close games and what needs to be done to overcome those close losses:
"We're going to figure it out this week. It's important for us to continue to try and put the pieces in place that give us the chance to get over the edge. You hate to be at this particular time trying to figure it out, but we are in the first half of the season still, so we still have a chance to have a good season and accomplish some of the goals that we wanted to accomplish at the beginning of the season. On one hand, you look at close games and you say you're not that far away. On the other hand, you look at the record and it's just not very exciting right now. So, you're at that place where we have to get over that edge, we have to get over that hump, to get where we need to be. I think this week gives us a great opportunity to take a step back, smell the roses a bit and put the pieces in place that we need to put in place to get there."

On whether it is a mental thing to win close games:
"I think for us, we're still maturing. I want our guys to mature faster. I want us to get there yesterday. I feel that this week will be a pivotal week for us. I'm excited to see how we respond on Sunday to some of the changes we'll make this week to try and get better."

On what he expects this Sunday at Wembley Stadium:
"Excitement. I think football is a great game. We're playing in a great atmosphere and hopefully they really get into it. So, it should be very exciting."

On what went wrong against the Panthers:
"Too many big plays. We weren't detailed enough in our coverages. We had some mix-ups on the offensive line. A few guys got hurt, so the continuity wasn't there. I guess to sum it up, too many mistakes to overcome."

On whether it is an advantage financially for the NFL to play games internationally:
"I'm not sure, in terms of the financial gain one way or the other. I think more than anything, it's the exposure. I think the NFL is a tremendous game. I think having a game here really gives the NFL a lot of exposure. I think it gives the people here - it's a two-way street, the fans here have a chance to see the game. In what you call ‘futbol,' I think there are some similarities. The fans could get very excited about it and want more of it. We're hoping that is the case."

On the feeling of having a franchise in London:
"It would depend on the team. That would be really interesting. It could be a good thing. It could be dependent on if the team is young. It depends on if it's a mature team, if it's a young team. I think if you had a mature team here, it could possibly work, and work to their advantage. I'm not trying to sell you on it, but I do believe it would have to be a veteran team, it couldn't be a young team."

On thinking back to his playing days, and whether this could be a disruption to play internationally:
"As a player, I didn't really care. I didn't care where we played. We showed up, let's play. We can play in the street, play in the park, I didn't really care. It really didn't matter to me."

On whether the players are embracing the scenery and atmosphere:
"I think so. I think coaches and players alike. This has really come at a great time for us. I think we're going to take full advantage of it and get the things done that we need to get done to get on track Sunday, and head into the bye week and get ready for the rest of the season."

On the decision to travel to London early in the week rather than at the end of the week:
"I always believe that we want to give the guys a chance to get acclimated. If you're going to come for just a couple of days - we know it's a business trip and we know that we're coming here to win a football game, but at the same time, we have a younger football team. I wanted our guys to be able to come and get a taste of the culture, and at the same time, get a feel for the environment. The weather and the whole nine yards, and just be settled by the time the game starts. I think it was a great decision."

49ers-Panthers: Mike Singletary Post-Game Press Conference - Singletary Always Good for a Laugh

Matt Maiocco asked the best question of the entire press game conferece.  He asked Singletary if he ever thought about the fact that since they keep losing to bad teams that it is possible they are not that good.  No surprise but Singletary doesn't think that's possible.

Another hilarous moment came when one of the media members asked him that is Smith couldn't go then would David Carr be the starter.  His answer of course was:

"I don't know, going to have to take a look at the film."

That answer is Singletary's default answer.  It basically means I don't have no clue, and I have to talk to people who actually understand how to coach football.

One more quote that I wanted to share before I post the video.  When asked if the 49ers can make the playoffs, Singletary of course said:

"....I still believe we can go the playoffs, I still believe we can get those things done, we just need to get the right things in place and go from there."

The entire video is after the jump:

49ers-Panthers: Alex Smith Injures Shoulder

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith left the field in the first offensive series in the second half.  The injury came on a sack by Carolina Panthers defensive lineman Charles Johnson.  Johnson beat rookie offensive lineman Anthony Davis and got a free hit on Smith who never saw Johnson coming. 

Smith walked off the field with the 49ers trainers to go get x-rays which showed nothing serious but he did not return to the field.  Preliminary reports is that it is a sprained left shoulder.  David Carr came in for Alex Smith and remained in for the rest of the game.  He threw for 67 yards and one interception during that time.

No word yet on how long Smith will be out or if he will be able to play next week.  Right now the 49ers are on their way to London for next week's game against the Denver Broncos.  Smith did say that he will have an MRI in London this week.

49ers Offense: Mike Singletary the Reason for the Offensive Failure

Offensive coordinator Mike Johnson met with the media yesterday and after reviewing the transcript and writing that last blogpost I decided to spend some time watching these 49ers highlights, or low-lights, from the Sunday night game against the Eagles.  After watching a couple videos I came across the video of the first TD after Mike Singletary rips Alex Smith.  You know, the one where all of a sudden he became a different quarterback.

Funny thing is that Alex Smith and Singletary are saying that it was because Alex let it fly after that.  Well, that's not exactly it.  After Singletary ripped Smith on the sideline, 13 out of 15 plays were run out of the shotgun.  You know, the formation that everybody in the world knows that Smith is successful in except Mike Singletary and the offensive coaches.  In those 13 plays, Smith was 11 for 12 in completions and threw two touchdowns (videos of both drives are below) and in the first drive of the game where they marched down and scored a touchdown Smith was 5 for 5 that drive with the touchdown throw coming out of the shotgun.

The reason that the 49ers offense hasn't change since the firing of Jimmy Raye is not that Mike Johnson lacks creativity, it's the fact that Mike Singletary won't get out of the way.  Whether Johnson wants to fully admit it or not, he is doing exactly what Singletary wants and that is to have Frank Gore on the field all the time and run the ball as much as possible.  It is only when the 49ers are down that they let Alex Smith pass the ball.

Singletary even admits that he still has control over the offense in his press conference on Monday:

On Offensive Coordinator Mike Johnson’s scheme:

“I think [offensive coordinator] Mike [Johnson] was trying to follow through with what we had talked about during the week. This is not a game that we wanted to go in and just throw the ball all over the place. We wanted to try and formulate a balance, and as the game got going, you know, there were a couple of things that were there, as we thought they would be, but for one reason or another it did not happen. But I think as we go forward, Mike is still getting situated and still getting his feet underneath him as well. So I’m sure that he’s learning too. So hopefully going forward there will be a better mix.”

Mike Johnson isn't as willing to say the same thing but he admits that Singletary is involved:

On how much control he has over the game-plan and whether there is truth to the perception that he is being held back by what Singletary wants: 

“It’s all perception. It’s all perception. And I think, like I said, going forward you will see a different style, slightly. But we have a core philosophy that we believe in, that coach Singletary believes in. But I think you will see a better balance of all the things I’ve said earlier. And I think going forward you’ll see that.”

Mike Johnson is right, it is all perception.  But remember, "perception is reality" and the reality is the 49ers offense is not creative, and is very predictable.  All the teams know that they are going to run the ball up the middle for the first play of the game if not the first drive.  I guarantee you that the Oakland Raiders will put eight men in the box against the 49ers in the first play.  

I would like to see the 49ers come out in shotgun formation, and throw the ball to start the game, not just run the ball up the middle like they do 66% of the time they run the ball.

If the 49ers want to win a game this season, Mike Singletary is going to have to be kicked out of offensive coaches meeting.  His 1985 vision of how to win football games is archaic.  In 2010 teams pass the ball to setup the run, not run the ball to setup the pass.

The first TD drive after the Smith/Singletary blowup:

The 2nd TD drive:



Mike Johnson's entire press conference transcript is after the jump.

Michael Vick will not start against the 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers chances of getting their first win just got easier.  According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Michael Vick will not be playing Sunday night due to a rib cartilage injury.

Vick was hurt in Sunday's game on a quarterback sneak towards the end-zone.  He was tackled just short and was immediately removed from the game.  There was some speculation that it was not as serious as it looked but the story is that at this point he has trouble breathing without feeling pain.

Kevin Kolb is expected to make the start which will be easier for the 49ers defense.  Kolb has been very unimpressive when he has played quarterback and unless Alex Smith blows it for the 49ers I would expect them to get their first win.

Changing Jimmy Raye's location will not change anything

Even though the theme of the 49ers training camp this offseason was getting better it seems that the follow through on that idea has failed.  Not only did the 49ers not look better than they finished the season last year, they possibly even looked worse.

The 49ers offensive coaches have made what is possibly the easiest thing today in coaching, the hardest.  More than once in yesterday's game Jimmy Raye and Mike Johnson were having trouble getting the play call to Alex Smith which caused Smith to have to burn three timeouts early in the first half of which two were on the same drive in crucial third down situations.  On the second field goal drive the 49ers had a delay-of-game penalty on a 4th and 1 play.  This was the play where head coach Mike Singletary had chosen to go for it but after the delay of game decided to kick a field goal.

These type of issues are ones that happen in pre-season and should be cleared up by Week 1 and these are not the type of issues that a playoff team has.

Singletary said, in today's press conference, that they will look at the situation and make changes if necessary.  Some of those changes could include bringing Jimmy Raye down to the field so that he can call the plays directly to Alex Smith and they could avoid having the middle man, quarterbacks coach Mike Johnson.

"We will take a look at it and we will have an answer for it..."

What's to take a look at?  Your offensive coordinator is completely failing at the easiest part of his job and definitely failing at calling plays.

Having Jimmy Raye on the sideline is not going to solve the problem.  If he is not calling the plays quickly enought this issue will still prevent itself and will be a continual story-line.  Many teams have their offensive coordinator in the booth but somehow manage to get the plays called in a timely manner.

49ers are not NFC West champs yet

The 49ers were expected to run away with the NFC West, possibly the worse division in the NFL this year. Apparently, someone forgot to tell the Seahawks about this.

The Seahawks showed up and embarrassed the 49ers. It sure did not look like the 49ers had 11 defensive starters that were in their fourth year of playing together and that Alex Smith was in his second year of the same offensive system. In fact, it looked like Alex Smith was a rookie quarterback and that he was in a new offensive system. Not a system that he was supposed to be comfortable with.

Lately, we all have been told that Smith was finally maturing as a quarterback and felt comfortable with the playbook. Also, we were being told how he had built rapport with his wide receivers in the offseason.

Yesterday's game sure didn't look like that.

Smith was obviously not on the same page with star wideout Michael Crabtree. Twice Smith threw to Crabtree and the results were two interceptions, one for a touchdown. Whether it was Crabtree's or Smith's fault is anybody's guess and the answer depends on who you ask.

Smith threw for 225 yards with a passer rating of 52.5 but just like last year he seems to be only to put up yards when offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye gives up on the run game and puts Alex in the spread offense.

That plan is not going to work if you want to be a smash mouth team like Singletary suggests. Smith is going to have to be under center for Frank Gore to be the runner that they need.

The coaching still seems to be the issue and the question now for 49ers fans is if Mike Singletary is the right guy. It seems he has said all the right things to have the players and the fans believe but can he get the results.

Could Singletary be in over his head?

Successful NFL head coaches do not have to worry about the play 49erscall getting to the quarterback on time.

It is week 1 and even the best teams have trouble and that is why the Monday night game against the Saints is so huge. It is unlikely that the 49ers win but if they can put up a good showing then the fans will likely be back in Singletary and Smith's corner.

If they don't have a good showing it will be hard to see how they can beat what looks like a good Chiefs team on the road. After the Chiefs, then they play the Falcons on the road, the Eagles and Raiders at home. We could be talking about a 1-6 team if Singletary doesn't get this turned around.

That would likely be the end of his tenure as the 49ers head coach and the end of Alex Smith's chances as a starting quarterback.

Nate Davis clears waivers, moved to practice squad

It was much ado about nothing.

Bloggers (like myself) and fans all over the Bay Area were upset that Nate Davis was released by the 49ers so they could sign QB Troy Smith.  We all thought that Davis was a NFL ready quarterback and he for sure would be picked up  off waivers by another team, especially the Seahawks.

Guess we were wrong.  Davis cleared waivers and the 49ers have signed him to their practice squad and in another corresponding moved waived quarterback Jarrett Brown.

***

Mike Singletary announced the team captains today.  They are the same people from last year with one addition, Alex Smith.  Singletary explained that Smith was not given this honor because he was the quarterback but because of the leadership that he has showed and the amount of work he put in.

2009 49ers team captains

"Alex really put in the time.  You know he's out here when no one was out here.  He was the guy that got the receivers together and threw to him, and changed his schedule around to meet with some other receivers.  So, he was not just doing it once a day, he was doing it twice a day, as well as in the classroom.  He was wearing Jimmy Raye and [quarterbacks coach] Mike Johnson out all offseason."

 The captains from last year and now for this year again are: Patrick Willis, Vernon Davis, Eric Heitmann, Justin Smith, and Takeo Spikes.

Was releasing Nate Davis the right move?

Mike Singletary made it be known, a few times, that he was not impressed with Nate Davis' work ethic and even questioned whether he would make the team.

"That's a question mark.  It will be a topic of conversation..."

The question was whether the public comments were a motivational tool or Singletary had truly gone sour on Davis. Singletary has been known to use press conferences as motivation for players (see Davis, Vernon).

In related news, the 49ers released Davis and signed former Ohio State QB, Troy Smith.

Singletary has been less than thrilled with his backup QBs and when asked about his comfort level he said:

"When you say comfortable, I'll put it this way," he said. "I feel good about Alex Smith. I feel very good about where he's at. I think we have to do a great job of protecting our starting quarterback. When it comes to David Carr, I think David Carr is a guy that I could grow to feel comfortable with. I think he's a guy that has a good command of the offense. I think he understands, I just think that he's still thinking a lot and he's still having to get the rhythm and all the other things, but I think David Carr, I could grow to feel comfortable with him."

That's not exactly praising words for Nate Davis or David Carr.  After those comments it was no doubt that Singletary sent Trent Baalke shopping for a new QB.

The question was would it be Carr or Davis that would be cut.  Personally, I would have thought they would cut Carr.  He has a higher salary and you already know what you have with him.

That move speaks more to Singletary's lack of confidence in current starter, Alex Smith, then his frustration and lack of confidence in his backups.

The whole "why did we cut Nate Davis" sentiment could be all for not.  It's possible he is nothing more than a gunslinger who will never make it in the NFL but why stop the "Nate Davis project" early.  When he was drafted the 49ers brass stated he was a three-year project but then he was cut after the first year and a half.

Raiders could win the NFC West? Not likely.....

I was perusing the ESPN NFL Blog and happened to run upon a debate between blogger's Mike Sando and Bill Williamson.  The debate was on whether if in the NFC West that the Raiders could win that division.  I found it to be a rather interesting debate but there is no way that I could agree with Williamson's stance that the Raiders are better than the 49ers and I am not really sure the Raiders are better than the NFC West's number two team, the Seahawks.

The Raiders have done well to improve their team in the past off-season with the addition of Jason Campbell, the drafting of Rolando McClain and Lamarr Houston, as well as getting rid of JaMarcus Russell but that does not put them in a winning the division status.  As a matter of fact, I don't even see how they win more than 8 games.  After looking at their schedule, my guess is they finish the season 7-9.

Although they have improved the run defense with the additions of McClain and Houston they still cannot seem to stop the run.  In the past two preseason games (I know its preseason) both the 49ers (165 rushing yards) and the Bears (174 rushing yards) have rushed for over 150 yards and the majority of those yards came against the Raiders first team defense.