Peon's Place

Alex Smith was the No. 1 overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2005 NFL draft. With that selection came huge expectations that Smith has been unable to meet. Simply put, Smith has never measured up to his high draft status and has been a big disappointment.

Following the 2010 season, the odds for Smith returning to the 49ers were astronomical. The 49ers’ management didn’t want him back, Smith had no desire to continue playing in San Francisco and the fans despised him. Somehow, when team owner Jed York and GM Trent Baalke brought Jim Harbaugh aboard as the new head coach, the thick block of ice between the team and Smith melted.

Although Smith is not officially a 49er due to the lockout, it is a virtual certainty that when the labor impasse ends, he will be signed and start the year as Jim Harbaugh’s quarterback. Harbaugh has frequently praised Smith and even given him a copy of the playbook, even though he was unsigned.

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Vernon Davis was caught by TMZ one night, stating he does not miss his old head coach Mike Singletary, and that he’s fired up about the prospect of playing with injury-riddled Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton, who is rumored to be on the outs in Denver with Tim Tebow starting to take the reigns. When asked if an Orton-to-SF deal was in the works, Davis told us, “Kyle Orton, if you’re coming, come on buddy. I love you.”

I liked Kyle Orton several years ago when he was with the bears, the Orton to Greg Olsen (TE) was a huge combination, so I can only imagine that Orton-VDavis will be huge as well.

With the NFL season officially over and the playoffs starting this weekend, here is a recap of the head coach firing madness:

• Wade Phillips – Dallas Cowboys – November 8 – Fired after Dallas, projected to win their division, were thought of as the worst team in NFL (despite the Buffalo Bills having a winless season at that point).
• Brad Childress – Minnesota Vikings – November 22 – Fired after multiple arguments with star players and realization that the playoffs were no longer reachable this season, as they made it to the NFC Championship game last season.
• Josh McDaniels – Denver Broncos – December 6 – Fired after being caught videotaping the 49ers before the London game.
• Mike Singletary – San Francisco 49ers – December 27 – Jed York fired Mike just hours after the loss to the St. Louis Rams which put the 49ers officially out of the playoff hopes, after San Francisco was projected to win the division. Mike’s coaching record for the 49ers ended at 18 wins and 22 losses.
• Eric Mangini – Cleveland Browns – January 3 – After 2 straight seasons at 5-11 including losing the last 4 games of this season, Mike Holmgren made the decision to not give Eric a third chance.

Mike Singletary made a name for himself as a coach with that bold “I want winners!” declaration more than two years ago. Ultimately, he didn’t produce enough victories to save his job.

The Hall of Fame linebacker was fired by the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night after two disappointing seasons, including a 5-10 showing this year for a franchise that expected to win the NFC West. The team made the announcement upon returning to the Bay Area late Sunday, several hours after San Francisco was eliminated from playoff contention with a 25-17 loss at St. Louis. Defensive line coach Jim Tomsula was promoted to interim coach and will run the team in the season finale at home against Arizona. He was to be formally introduced in a news conference Monday.

After team president and CEO Jed York told reporters in St. Louis after the loss he would think about whether Singletary would coach the final game, Singletary then was told of his dismissal back at the team’s Santa Clara complex. “I want to thank Mike Singletary for the passion and effort that he brought to this organization,” York said in a statement. “He is a tremendous person for whom I will always have great respect.”

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You can see it as clearly as I can, right? The San Francisco 49ers aren’t just last place in the division (NFC West); they are last place in the conference. They’re second-to-last in the entire NFL, beating only the winless Buffalo Bills (AFC East).

They suffered yet another embarrassing 4th quarter loss by a field goal, and now head to London to play a battered and bruised Denver Broncos. After that, they get a bye week. I’m sad to state this, but if the 49ers lose to the Broncos, there will be a changing of the guard in the Head Coach department during that bye week, despite 49ers owner Jed York stating that Mike’s job is safe, and despite Singletary having the vote of confidence from his players.

The loss yesterday was more than a devastating blow to already dismal playoff hopes. It was a sure sign that they are not nearly the team the Faithful hoped would come out for the 2010 season. Rather, they are who we feared they’d be.

And for all of you chanting “We Want Carr, We Want Carr” — well, you got him. And you know what you received in that 3-week span of wanting Alex Smith removed? Carr replaced Smith on the third play of the second half after Smith’s non-throwing shoulder was sprained while he was sacked by Charles Johnson. Carr attempted five passes in his first 27 minutes of play with one 6-yard completion. From midway through the third quarter until late in the fourth, he went more than 18 minutes with just one pass attempt (and one sack) as the 49ers ran on 10 of 12 plays. Carr didn’t air out the ball until the Panthers tied the game 20-20 inside the two-minute warning, only to throw an interception that set up Carolina’s game-winning field goal.

So there you have it. Where’s Troy Smith when you need him?

Perhaps we can now acquire a quarterback who wants to work with a different offensive coordinator, hmm? A day after 49ers coach Mike Singletary said Jimmy Raye would be the offensive coordinator for the rest of the season, Raye was fired by San Francisco. Quarterbacks coach Mike Johnson was promoted to lead play caller, and becomes the 49ers’ eighth offensive coordinator in eight seasons. What a headache!

San Fran yesterday had just 251 total yards of offense, 11 first downs, and held the ball for just 26:10. The team lost their opener 31-6 in Seattle, hung in but lost to the Saints 25-22, and now have lost to the Chiefs. Coach Mike Singletary gave Raye a vote of confidence after the game yesterday, which now means nothing that the Niners will move in another direction after their awful start.

In a recent writeup, Anthony Davis was named the #2 Rookie in an Ideal Situation, with the San Francisco 49ers.

Don’t mess with Mike Singletary. Just ask Vernon Davis, the former sure-bet draft prospect that had bust written all over him before getting verbally undressed by his new coach. Davis bought into Singletary’s program and rebounded in a huge way, bettering his previous career high in receptions by 26 (up to 78), yards by 456 (up to 965), and touchdowns by nine (up to 13). Given an ultimatum – the Singletary Way or the highway – Davis chose the path to NFL stardom.

Mike Singletary is a culture unto himself, and he’s molded his 49ers team in his image. This is one of the brightest young teams in the league, and they play hard, they play physically, and they’re going to win a lot of games in the very near future.

Singletary’s presence, and the culture he’s quickly established in San Francisco, was really driven home when the team made Anthony Davis, Mike Iupati and Taylor Mays its first three draft picks this past April. Iupati is a road-grading guard that will start immediately and will have an instant impact on the team’s rushing attack. Mays is the most uniquely gifted and physical defensive back to emerge in quite some time, and at a bare minimum adds explosive hitting to a defense that could use more physicality.

But that culture means the most when talking about Davis, the No. 11 overall pick out of Rutgers. No one questions Davis’ talents, as many scouts believed that Davis was the most gifted offensive lineman available this past year. Despite serious questions about his maturity (he’s only 21 years old) and work ethic, he was still the third lineman off the board. He’s in a fantastic situation. Singletary is the perfect coach to get the most out of Davis between Sundays. The rookie enters an offense that made serious strides during the 2009 season behind quarterback Alex Smith.

There is a lot of talent offensively in San Fran, but better line play – and more consistency from Smith – are required. Davis will get a chance to start right away. Under Singletary, he’ll have an opportunity to develop alongside some of the league’s best young skill players (Davis and Michael Crabtree come to mind). Things are looking up in San Francisco, and this young tackle could really solidify a promising young team’s offensive fortunes.