San Francisco 49ers Game Release - NFL.com

All head coaches are reliant on their assistant coaches, to be sure. But because Singletary can't just take
over on one side of the ball - such as Arizona's Ken Whisenhunt when offensive coordinator Todd Haley
left to become Chiefs head coach - his success is almost always dependent on his coordinators.
When Alex Smith and Singletary spoke during the season and Smith had complaints about the offense,
Singletary told him to go down the hall and express those same thoughts to offensive coordinator Jimmy
Raye. In this case, the head coach was a middle man.
This is not to say that this arrangement is destined for failure. Because he is not calling plays during the
course of the game, Singletary has the ability to use his strongest asset on the sideline: He reads body
language and manages the temperaments of his players. He embraces the human element of the game.
That is an area at which Singletary excels.
Singletary is a fantastic leader. He is trying to build a mindset with the 49ers. His approach might very
well work for him and the 49ers. But I think it's too early to tell.
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Monte Poole: 49ers coach Mike Singletary may be old school, but he shows he's willing to listen
and compromise, too
By Monte Poole, San Jose Mercury News
As this season has unfolded, by turns cruising and stumbling, the one thing we have discovered with
certainty is Mike Singletary is wiser than his words.
That he's not as obstinate as he sounded the day he was officially promoted to head coach of the 49ers.
Oh, he still believes what he believes, down to his dogmatic core. Singletary is man of principle and
conviction, guided by faith. He will not be moved.
As a coach, however, his ears are much bigger than they appear.
He listens.
It was clearer than ever Sunday, during the 49ers' 20-3 dismantling of Jacksonville that for all his
stentorian rhetoric, Singletary is man of reason, willing to compromise or even defer when confronted with
evidence contrary to his opinion.
In the wake of San Francisco's 30-24 loss last week at Green Bay, several offensive players —
particularly tight end Vernon Davis, quarterback Alex Smith and rookie wideout Michael Crabtree —
offered suggestions to Singletary and offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye, proposing they become more
aggressive throwing the ball.
"The more you play the better grasp you have on what you're doing," Smith said. "As the quarterback,
there is a little more insight that you can put into talking with Jimmy on what we're doing and what I like
and things like that."
Singletary paused, pondered and eventually approved.
And that led directly to a game in which the 49ers threw on 41 of their 61 offensive plays. Making liberal
use of the shotgun formation, mixing in some four-receiver sets and sprinkling in wrinkles of West Coast
offense, it was as if Singletary and Raye had dedicated this game to the memory of Bill Walsh.
"The absolute best thing that happened this week," Singletary said, "was I saw leadership on the
offensive side of the ball in terms of, 'Coach, this is what I think would work. This is what I think we need.
Can we do this? Can we do more spread? Can we put it on us, the receivers?'