San Francisco 49ers "Should cherish Mike Singletary while they have him"

High-profile acquisitions and a solid draft class have given 49ers fans lofty expectations for the upcoming season. The return of assistant head coach and linebackers coach Mike Singletary is an incredible stroke of good fortune for a club laden with young defensive talent in need of Vikings Brett Favre jersey
molding. When a slew of coaching vacancies became available after the 2006 season, Singletary was on the short list of potential candidates for several openings. He interviewed for the Dallas Cowboys' and San Diego Chargers' head coaching positions but lost out to Wade Phillips and Norv Turner, two men whose previous head coaching tenures were barely more than mediocre.It is clear that current 49ers head coach Mike Nolan holds Singletary in very high regard. "Mike teaches with great passion and great energy, two things that are very important, I think, to being a successful teacher," said Nolan. "There are not too many people that command the respect that Mike does the minute he walks into a room." Apparently, the charisma and leadership abilities of Turner and Phillips outweigh Singletary, which is certainly good news for the Niners' faithful. The 49ers' move from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defensive scheme in 2007 makes Singletary's presence all the more crucial to the team's development. The Hall of Fame linebacker is regarded as one of the best to ever play the position. As a member of the Chicago Bears for his entire playing career, he was considered the heart and soul of the "Monsters of the Midway" defense in the '80s.His tutelage of rookie linebacker Patrick Willis and second-year LB Manny Lawson should help make the 49ers' LB corps one of the most feared units in the league. The onus is on the young players on the Niners' defense to soak up as much knowledge as they can, because let's face it, Singletary's not going to be around for much longer. In the next year or so, an NFL franchise is going to hire him as its new head coach. Nolan's stance on Singletary's head coaching prospects is pretty simple. "I want him with me as long as possible," says Nolan. Chances are that next season, teams in need of a head coach won't go the recycling route like the Cowboys and Chargers. Instead, they'll take the approach set forth by the Pittsburgh Steelers' hiring of 2010 pro bowl 4 Brett Favre Blue jersey
Mike Tomlin, bringing in a passionate, high-energy first-timer who commands respect from his players.In any case, the San Francisco's fans and players should cherish the good fortune of retaining Singletary's wisdom and leadership for at least another year.Got a bone to pick with a newspaper columnist, talk show personality or television analyst? E-mail us at mediawatch . For more information, visit our Media Watch info page.