49ers QB Smith given playbook; coach expects him to return

By Matthew Barrows - mbarrows@sacbee.com

Published: Sunday, May. 1, 2011 - 12:00 am
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SANTA CLARA – Coach Jim Harbaugh has said he wants, even expects, quarterback Alex Smith to return to the 49ers every time he has been asked in recent weeks, and he stuck to that theme Saturday.

"I strongly feel that Alex is going to come back here," he said.

But perhaps the coach's actions speak louder than his words. Harbaugh also said he has given Smith the team's offensive playbook even though Smith, a free agent, isn't on the team. In normal circumstances, coaches don't let their playbooks off the premises for fear of them falling into enemy hands. Giving one to a player who might wind up on another team is unheard of. All of which points strongly to Smith returning for his seventh season. Smith has a standing, one-year offer from the 49ers.

"He has not signed," Harbaugh said. "There's a leap of faith there."

On Friday, teams had a short window to meet with veteran players before the lockout was temporarily reinstated. Harbaugh said he met with Smith for 30 to 40 minutes, mostly to catch up on family matters. Smith and his wife, Elizabeth, are expecting their first baby any day, which is another reason to think Smith will remain with the 49ers. Smith has not returned several calls seeking comment. Having the playbook would allow Smith to orchestrate workouts if the lockout drags on during the offseason. Smith has been part of a group of a dozen or so 49ers who have been training together in the San Jose area.

On Friday, Harbaugh said second-round draft pick Colin Kaepernick would have a chance to compete for the starting quarterback job. But Saturday, Harbaugh gave the edge to Smith in a hypothetical competition.

"Alex is definitely going to have the head start," Harbaugh said. "He's played in the NFL. … If I'm a betting man, I'm betting on Alex Smith."

Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/05/01/3592416/49ers-qb-smith-given-playbook.html#ixzz1L8RFNtVW

49ers fire Martz

By John Crumpacker, San Francisco Chronicle

It was one and done for Mike Martz as offensive coordinator of the 49ers as head coach Mike Singletary Tuesday afternoon fired the man who resurrected San Francisco's offense in 2008 after one season. The dismissal came after an early afternoon meeting in which Singletary expressed a desire for a different kind of offensive coordinator and by implication, a different kind of personality. He and Martz clashed several times during the last half of the season with Singletary serving as the team's interim head coach. "I am not what he is looking for offensively. I understand that," Martz said in a statement released by the club. "This is just a part of professional sports. I had an outstanding conversation with Mike Singletary this afternoon. I believe he will be an outstanding head coach."

For his part, Singletary said in a statement, "After an evaluation period I felt it was best to go in a different direction. This was not an easy decision because I appreciate Mike Martz, and I enjoyed working with him. He is a true professional, and I wish him the best in the future." Most poignantly, Singletary said, "I do recognize the need for a long term solution on the offensive side of the ball." That's because when the 49ers begin play in 2009 they will have a new offensive coordinator for the seventh straight season. It's a lousy way to build continuity on that side of the ball.

In his one season with the 49ers, Martz elevated the offense from 32nd and last in the NFL to 23rd, based on total yards. The team was 13th in passing offense and 27th in rushing offense. Frank Gore was a 1,000-yard rusher this season and Shaun Hill was the 12th ranked quarterback in the league, ahead of more well-known players at the position such as Eli Manning, Donovan McNabb, Jay Cutler, Jake Delhomme, Brett Favre and Ben Roethlisberger. Before Martz the 49ers had as their offensive coordinators Jim Hostler (2007), Norv Turner (2006), Mike McCarthy (2005), Ted Tollner (2004) and Greg Knapp (2003).

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Niners' last-minute win earns coach a contract

Matt Miaocco, The Press Democrat

SAN FRANCISCO - The 49ers played host to one of just three games around the NFL that did not involve a playoff team or any postseason ramifications.

While the truly important happenings were taking place on the field at most NFL venues, the significance to the future of the 49ers was not on display for all to see at Candlestick Park. Shortly after Joe Nedney kicked the game-winning 39-yard field goal on the final play of the game to lift the 49ers to a 27-24 victory over the Washington Redskins on Sunday, the most noteworthy development of the day occurred. The 49ers' locker room erupted into jubilation when newly crowned team president Jed York delivered the news everybody expected to hear. Mike Singletary will be retained as 49ers head coach for 2009. Singletary signed a four-year, $10 million contract, said a source close to the negotiations. "I don't think we could've written up a script any better than how it happened," York said.

The 49ers finished the season with a 7-9 record, winning five of their final seven games under Singletary's direction. The 49ers fired Mike Nolan on Oct. 20 after the club started the season with a 2-5 record. "I think they've got the right man for the job," 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis said. "I'm glad he got the job. He deserved it. He earned it." The NFL mandates that teams have to wait until after the final game of the season to promote an interim coach to a permanent decision. The 49ers quickly made it official, as they distributed a press release announcing Singletary's appointment as the media were filing into an area set aside for the head coach's postgame interview. "If you know which way you're going, get it done," 49ers general manager Scot McCloughan said. "He showed that there was a change, but he was able to adjust to the change, step right in and not really skip a beat. The players around him stepped up. The coaches around him stepped up as well. We ended strong, but it's not close to where we need to get. With coach Singletary we feel that's not going to be an issue."

York's announcement in the locker room was met with cheers. Nedney said he did not want comment on what the reaction would've been if Singletary had been passed over for the job."I knew it wasn't going to happen," Nedney said. "He's honest, intense and forthright. You have to have those qualities to bring together the chemistry of a team." York said he told the team that this would be the last time they end their season in December. Singletary also has the expectations of the 49ers being a playoff team next season, and he is promises that he will not take any shortcuts to get there.

"I think all the guys who are happy today are going to regret it," Singletary quipped. Singletary said it is important to get everybody on the same page. When asked about the content of that page, Singletary said, "The first paragraph on that page is what we have to do to get the team in the playoffs. Once we're in the playoffs, anything is possible." The 49ers have experienced a franchise-worst six consecutive losing seasons. Many in the organization believed Singletary did not have a strong chance to get the job when he took over for Nolan because management preferred to have a coach with an offensive background. However, Singletary's body of work took the guesswork out of it. Still, there is no clear indication of how Singletary plans to find stability with his offensive staff. Given an opportunity to declare offensive coordinator Mike Martz would return next season, Singletary declined.

When asked if he has made up his mind about Martz's future, Singletary said, "No, not 100 percent." Singletary has the contractual power to hire and fire his assistant coaches. But he said he would meet with McCloughan to discuss those decisions. Martz was on top of his game on Sunday. When the 49ers took over at their own 27-yard line in a tie game with 62 seconds remaining, Martz called all the right shots and quarterback Shaun Hill delivered.

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49ers shouldn't rush to make Singletary permanent coach

By LOWELL COHN, The Press Democrat

You can make this assumption. The 49ers did not expect Mike Singletary to do this well — and he’s been brilliant, so brilliant it’s being reported the team will offer him the real, full-time head-coaching job after Sunday's season finale.

When they appointed him, Niner management was looking for a mop-up coach, someone to see this season through and then, goodbye, Mike. After that, the team could get on with the serious business of finding a full-time head coach, feeling it generously had given Singletary a chance to experience coaching, a chance to showcase himself around the league. All in all a fair quid pro quo. Singletary was wrong for the job in every way. He had no head-coaching experience. He didn’t know enough technical football — that X’s and O’s stuff. He was a novice when it came to offense, and he was coaching the 49ers, a team known for offensive innovation — well, the Niners used to be known for that. After they kissed off Singletary, Niner leadership would launch a search for a young, eager offensive whiz, an energetic guy who would make the offense zing. And this new coach never would be dependent on whether the offensive coordinator left for a better gig. In other words, the 49ers were thinking about long-term stability and Singletary was not part of that thinking.

And now he’s had the bad manners to win four of eight games when it seemed no one could do that. He’s had the effrontery to louse up the 49ers’ careful plans. Last Sunday, he had the flat-out nerve to win when it seemed the team was ready for a fall in St. Louis. A loss might have done him in. But he won and it had something to do with looking into Shaun Hill’s eyes, one of those deep looks Singletary gives you — it feels like he’s peering into your soul. Which leads to an important question: Is it smart for the Niners to appoint Singletary coach — if they in fact do that?

The answer is, no, absolutely not.

No disrespect to Singletary. He’s given the 49ers players and fans a feeling of pride and competence they haven’t experienced in years. But Singletary’s eligibility for the real job — not the mop-up job — depends on more than four or five wins. He disagrees with this point of view and apparently management disagrees, but they are wrong. All along Singletary needed to show management he had a plan going forward. He allegedly did this last Monday and knocked everyone’s socks off. Really? Who in the 49ers’ chain of command is competent to evaluate a plan, including the intimate details of offense and defense and the ability of new assistant coaches? This goes double for an offensive coordinator because the team surely will dump Mike Martz. Certainly John and Jed York can’t do that kind of evaluating. We’ve seen John York’s football acumen in the past. Jed York is too inexperienced. In fact, the Niners are short on football guys making important football decisions with repercussions for years to come.

General manager Scot McCloughan is probably the leader in the hiring of Singletary and he may or may not be up to this serious task. It’s unclear. It’s pretty clear eight games changed his mind because I don’t believe he was a Singletary supporter when Mike Nolan got the heave-ho. The 49ers should take their time, take a deep breath before taking this leap. They have made so many mistakes hiring coaches in the past. Does this mean hiring Singletary is a mistake? Not necessarily. But it is one thing for him to salvage this season, sort of. It’s quite another to be in charge for the long haul. A head coach is part administrator, part teacher, part visionary. Singletary needs to prove he has this combination, and he has to prove it under fire. What’s does under fire mean? It means the 49ers should interview him along with other impressive candidates. Sure, they should identify Singletary as the leading candidate — he’s earned that — but they need to interview several men and Singletary needs to demonstrate his clear superiority in the tension of competitive interviews.

If this does not seem fair to you, think about this. Fans of the 49ers have ripped management for not being professional, for not being big-league. If the Niners latch onto Singletary, hold on for dear life, that would be another symptom of not being professional, of not doing the necessary work. Of course, there’s the issue of being fair to Singletary. But there’s the much greater issue of being fair to the franchise. It’s troubling this news about Singletary is coming out before the 49ers play their final game, against Washington on Sunday. What if Washington absolutely destroys the 49ers at Candlestick? That would look bad for the perhaps soon-to-be coach. His team will have played poorly two games in a row — and the Niners did play poorly against the Rams until they played well at the very end. Two bad performances should go down as a demerit.

Look, I don’t expect the Niners to play poorly. They may even win. I’m merely making a case for caution and I’m asking a reasonable question: What’s the big hurry?

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It's time for the Yorks to hire Scott Pioli as 49ers' president

This article and opinion, follows my call that the best thing the Yorks can do is hire someone to be "the man" and call all the shots. I suggested Holmgren - who is mentioned as an option - but is there a better choice out there to restore this proud franchise to what it once was?

From Nancy Gay, San Francisco Chronicle

So it's settled. We've seen enough from Mike Singletary over the past six games to know he's got the personality, charisma and leadership qualities necessary to turn a listless 49ers roster into a cohesive team that hits hard, tackles well and can efficiently move an offense downfield to score. It sounds so simple when you break it down like that, doesn't it? Teams such as the Giants, Titans, Colts, Steelers and Panthers get this done almost weekly, so they take quality football for granted. We don't. So bravo to young 49ers owner Jed York, who made the midseason move from Mike Nolan to Singletary knowing the risks - his interim choice had zero head coaching experience. That took guts. Now it's time for Jed to lead the York family in taking the next step in transforming the 49ers from a has-been franchise with a case full of dusty Lombardi Trophies into a 21st century football operation that can compete and win in today's NFL.

Hire a team president.

Make sure he is an experienced, dynamic football mind and personnel expert who knows how to navigate the complex world of NFL business and personalities. Unfortunately, this doesn't mean Mike Holmgren is the man for this job. Sure, Holmgren has strong 49ers' ties and a personal history. He's beloved here, with good reason. He would satisfy those who yearn for the good ol' days under Eddie DeBartolo. But that era is over. For all of Holmgren's great strengths as a coach and leader of men, his weaknesses as a personnel evaluator and glad-handing administrator were so obvious - Holmgren is a teacher, not an executive - that the Seahawks stripped him of his general manager duties in 2002. Holmgren is built to coach. He's not in his element studying film of a 20-year-old cornerback from McNeese State, or struggling to get his payroll under the cap limit.

If not Holmgren, then who?

Look at the most successful NFL franchise this decade, the winner of three Super Bowl titles since 2002, for the answer. Scott Pioli, 43, the Patriots vice president of player personnel, should be the Yorks' choice. This is the man - perhaps the most impressive young executive in the NFL - with whom the Yorks should entrust their entire franchise. Let him run it his way. Let Pioli completely reorganize the 49ers football operation from a payroll and personnel standpoint. Allow Pioli and his people to run free agency and the draft, lifting this burden from Singletary so he can focus on what he does best - motivating and coaching players.

And the Yorks should stay out of the way while he does it.

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A half dozen years of hard-to-stomach football

By Scott Dryden, 49ers World

Miami 14, San Francisco 9

Miami ; 1-15 in 2007 to at worst a 9-7 record this year, and maybe more. Along with Atlanta this year, the list of hapless down and out teams that manage to sort things out in short order continues. So why are the 49ers still mirered with losing record after losing record for the 6th straight season?

One word - Ownership

While the turn around efforts of Mike Singletary, Shaun Hill and company the past few weeks have been commendable, the mess left by John York's decision making blunders remain.

It all started with Steve Mariucci's dismissal in 2003 after leading the team to a 10-6 record in '02 and a division crown. (the team's last). Then replacing him with formal NFL failure, Dennis Eriksen, a man with no idea how to be a head coach in the pros, who led the landslide, all the way to the bottom with a 2-14 mark in '04 and let the franchise's most stabilizing player - QB Jeff Garcia walk away along the way. Then, York replaced Eriksen with Mike Nolan in '05, a man with no head coaching experience at any level. While Nolan is an accomplished defensive mind and drafted well on that side of the ball, leaving behind good talent, he had little to no idea how to build or run an NFL offense and it showed.

Drafting a "face of the franchise" QB first overall from a spread formation offense and trying to put him under center was the first indicator. Alex Smith was a flash in the pan at Utah and aside from the second half of a 2006 game at Seattle, never once looked like he had the chops to run an NFL offense. It's a shame too, because his attitude was first rate, and yet, Nolan screwed that up too. Leaving Mike Martz behind won't help Nolan's legacy. Martz will blow up or implode sooner or later. Mike Singletary or whoever is the next head coach would be wise to start fresh and get rid of Martz, who is playing possem til he gets the next head coaching gig he has stated he wants.

That gets us back to the Yorks and to the present. Singletary seems to have the right mix of hard-nosed attitude and leadership qualities to make a long term go as a head coach. Let's hope he gets the chance. However, based on history, I wouldn't put it past the Yorks to do something stupid like let him walk away and let Martz have a shot or some "el cheapo" option to match their financial balance goals rather than head coaching candidate requirements goals. The other issue and Nolan legacy that needs to be corrected is the GM spot. Current GM and former Nolan assistant GM Scot McCloughlan should have been gone along with Nolan. First, that they let Nolan switch places with his assistant rather than fire them both 2 years ago was ridiculous. Second, leaving McCloughlan in place up til now shows no concept by the Yorks for his part in the team's further dismise.

Watching the 49ers, and their "genius" Mike Martz's offense manage 3 field goals against the resurgent Dolphins brought 6 years of frustration to the boiling point for me. Another meaningless November/December game for the 49ers, who try to put a positive spin on things by saying they are "shooting for .500" rather than actually being competitive in the weakest division in football. Meanwhile, the team across the field looks to go from 1-15 to a possible 11 win season and a division crown in 1 season. Couple that with what's going on in Atlanta with Matt Ryan , Mike Smith and co. resurging after last year's 3-13 mess left by Mike Vick and Bobby Petrino, and you have to point the finger of blame at ownership.

Arthur Blank (Atlanta) and Wayne Huizenga (Miami) care - and put their money where their mouths are - and John York doesn't.

One can only hope that the Yorks may come to their senses just long enough to hire 1 decent football organizational mind to oversee things, otherwise the 49ers will continue to resemble the thrift-minded mis-managed Bengals and Cardinals teams of so many decades past. I think looking to the homecoming of Bay Area native Mike Holmgren might be a wise idea. Just because Holmgren has stated he won't coach, doesn't mean he wouldn't entertain upper management offers from his hometown team. He has stated before that coaching the 49ers would be his "dream job"

Offer him the President/GM job, renew Singletary on a 2 year deal and go from there. Let Holmgren shop for the grocerys (much as Parcels has done in Miami), and if he decides he wants to cook again, let him cook.

Anything is better than another year of the hash the Niners keep serving us.

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Keena Turner - vice president of football affairs

Tom FitzGerald, San Francisco Chronicle

Former 49ers linebacker Keena Turner, a link to the team's glory days, has been named their vice president of football affairs. In his new role, according to Jed York, the vice president of strategic planning, Turner "will be in charge of all programs related to player well-being and success including counseling, faith-based and player-development programs."

Turner, 49, who helped the 49ers win four Super Bowls, will serve as an adviser to the coaching staff and head the club's alumni program. Since he retired in 1990 after an 11-year career, all of it with the 49ers, he has represented the team at public events and assisted in player development. He has also done TV commentary on preseason games.
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On The Subject Of Briggs, Wide Receivers, Etc...

Contrary to my comments last night lamenting that the Niners should still be seeking out able hands to fill out the receiving corps, a team insider had this opinion.

From Matt Maiocco of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat,

"...don't expect the 49ers to sign another wide receiver in free agency. When the signing period began, the 49ers did not see many players capable of being No. 1 receivers. But there were a whole bunch of receivers who were going to get paid like No. 1 receivers. According to reports: Bernard Berrian got a six-year, $42 million contract with $16 million guaranteed from the Vikings; Jerry Porter got six years, $30 mil with $10 mil guaranteed from the Jaguars; Donte' Stallworth got seven years, $35 mil with $10 mil guaranteed from the Browns.

The 49ers apparently don't have any interest in oft-injured Javon Walker, whom the Broncos released, or D.J. Hackett, despite rumors to the contrary.

It doesn't seem to make much sense to bring in another No. 2 or No. 3-type receiver. The 49ers already have Isaac Bruce, Arnaz Battle and Darrell Jackson. WR coach Jerry Sullivan talked late in the season as if he thought Ashley Lelie was ready to excel. Then, there's also youngster Jason Hill. You can also expect the 49ers to spend a first-day draft pick on a wideout."

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On the subject of often rumored LB Lance Briggs, he has reportedly resigned with the Bears. Terms have not yet been announced.
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Return To Glory Won't Be Solved By Players Or Coaches

In April 2000, Eddie DeBartolo (right) relinquished his stake as the 49ers' majority owner after being implicated in a bribing scandal. With Eddie gone, the golden era of 49ers football was nearing its end. Denise DeBartolo York and her husband John York (below) took over the team. And in their eight years at the helm of the team, one thing has become patently clear: They just don't get it. Because Denise, Eddie's younger sister, showed no enthusiasm or interest in running the franchise, that responsibility was deferred to John, who admitted in an interview in 2003 that he really wasn't into it, either. A medical researcher by trade, Dr. York was neither a football aficionado nor adept at public relations. And under his stewardship, the 49ers headed for a prolonged decline.

Aloof and often inaccessible, York has been a meddlesome owner who's had a few dust-ups with the media, of all people. In 2002, after a game, York reportedly confronted a 49ers beat writer, berating him and repeatedly poking him in the chest. Apparently, York was unhappy about a recent story that shed light on his micromanagement of the team, the juiciest nugget being that bottled water was taken away from the team's offices and placed under lock and key, in an effort to cut cost. Such matters aside, the 49ers actually performed well in spite of him, making the playoffs in 2001 and 2002. But after losing to eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a divisional playoff game in January 2003, coach Steve Mariucci was shockingly fired three days later.

It was not York's finest hour. Mariucci's firing was handled extremely poorly, with just about everyone in the building knowing the ax was dropping -- except Mariucci. His wife Gayle heard the news on the radio. York did the firing but forced GM Terry Donahue to be the frontman for the news media while York capped the exercise by announcing to all of his front-office personnel that "everyone is expendable."

The 49ers have not had a winning season since.

York's choice of Donahue to replace Bill Walsh as the GM also was disastrous. While Walsh rescued the 49ers from salary-cap hell, Donahue's questionable drafts and free-agent signings -- in addition to his hiring of Dennis Erickson as coach to succeed Mariucci -- laid the foundation for the steady decline of the 49ers fortunes. At the end of the 2004 season, York canned both Erickson and Donahue. But York's troubles continued, on and off the field. In 2005 an internal training video, filled with risqué material and borderline racist/homophobic language, was leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle. It was the final chapter of a power struggle between media relations director Kirk Reynolds and Donahue. While Donahue publicly denied the charge, it was widely believed that he was the source of the leak as a way to embarrass the organization and particularly Reynolds, who was summarily fired.

After yet another losing season in 2007, York vacillated for several days about firing coach Mike Nolan, who is 16-32 in his three seasons, but ultimately decided against it. But Nolan was stripped much of his powers on personnel decisions and Mike Martz was brought in to revive a woebegone offense. At the end, it probably doesn't matter who's the GM, coach, offensive coordinator, down to the water boy. As long as the Yorks continue to own the 49ers -- and now you can add son Jed to the mix -- it probably won't make any difference.

They just don't get it.

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School Is About To End For Nolan

Mark Purdy, Mercury News

The fun resumed Wednesday at Santa Clara Junior High School, 49er campus. First, naughty Alex stood up and apologized to the class for being too noisy. Everyone then spent a couple of hours on the playground. Afterward, Principal Nolan told open-house visitors that he and naughty Alex were still pals. "We spoke," Nolan said. "Our discussion went well. . . . We've communicated well." Right. Whatever. If the two were actually communicating that well, this week's ridiculous kerfuffle would never have happened. But it did. And when 49ers quarterback Alex Smith reacted to reports of locker-room name-calling by saying he was undermined by Coach Mike Nolan, it pretty much made everybody on the premises look like seventh-graders. It also allowed every commentator in the vicinity, including me, to throw out his or her two cents on the situation. (My take: If Nolan and Smith both don't stay, both must go.) But who are we kidding? Those two cents are worth less than one cent. Because we have no say in the matter.

Principal Nolan acknowledged that Wednesday, pointing out that in the NFL, no job is guaranteed year to year. "John and Jed will be here," Nolan said, "but the rest of us . . ." He meant John and Jed York. The owners. John and his wife, Denise, are the team's principal proprietors who live in Ohio. Their son, Jed, is the family representative on the premises. At Santa Clara Junior High, they are even more powerful than the principal. Today, I'm going to take an educated stab at what will happen come January, using information I've gleaned throughout this nightmare season from knowledgeable voices inside and outside the organization. January will not be pretty. Anyone who believes that the Yorks will be content to gloss over the stink of 2007 and make no significant changes does not know the Yorks. Did you notice? By scheduling coincidence, the 49ers' last game will be in Cleveland, just an 80-mile drive from the Youngstown home of John and Denise. They'll be on hand, along with close friends. If the 49ers lose badly that day, it would surely seal Nolan's fate. But that fate is almost surely sealed, regardless. As of today, I give Nolan a 20 percent chance of returning. It was once much higher. But with each loss, Nolan's chance of coming back probably drops another 5 percent. If the 49ers lose all three remaining games, it will drop to 5 percent. Or almost nothing.

If you are wondering why the Yorks have stayed mostly silent during the team's drastic downhill slide, the answer is easy. The losing slide has stunned them - as it has most of the team's fans. As recently as two months ago, even though the offense had struggled, the 49ers had a 2-2 record with continuing playoff expectations, plus the hope that Smith would recover from his shoulder injury and return as the same guy who led that last-minute winning drive in the season opener against Arizona. Back then, there was no need to think about making big changes. Even as the 49ers' losing ways continued into November, radical housecleaning was unlikely. Keeping Nolan and revamping the offense seemed to be the most practical solution. But not anymore. After all that has happened, how can the 49ers bring back Nolan and believe he'll field a better team that will sell tickets next season? The York family is not Idiot Central. And they aren't selling the franchise.

Yes, I know. In the past, I have been accused of being too easy on the York family, too willing to defend its foibles. John York would probably dispute that notion. I guess if you call someone oddly naive and strangely capable of bad judgment rather than labeling him a menace to football and mankind, it passes as softball commentary. I do strongly defend this: the idea that the Yorks are trying to win. They have stumbled and bumbled. They have yet to prove they can hire a winning executive or head coach. People they trusted have let them down. But it doesn't mean the Yorks blithely don't care. They spent a lot of free-agent money last off-season proving they do. And now, just like their team's fans, the Yorks have to be very angry about what has happened with their team - and this totally unnecessary pie fight between Smith and Nolan. As for January, here is how I see things unspooling: After the final game, Nolan will be given a few days to defend himself and outline his plan for avoiding another 2007. At the very least, the plan would include firing his offensive staff, reviewing why the talent evaluation of offensive personnel was so off-base, and figuring out a plan for Smith (or another quarterback) to be more effective.

The Yorks will politely listen to Nolan, then dismiss him anyway. Decisions will be made about restructuring and which front-office football employees will stay. The idea of hiring a proven major name as a head coach will be seriously examined (the Yorks spent millions on free agents, so why not on a coach?). If that idea is rejected, then a strong general manager will be sought. He will hire the new coach. Jed York, who is young but has the most NFL smarts in the family, will take a significant role in this process.

Could I be wrong? Sure. There remains that 5 percent possibility Nolan will save his job. But as I learned in junior high, 95 percent is always more than 5 percent. Even if he gets straight A's these last three weeks, Principal Nolan had better be ready to clean out his office.

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Nolan Receives The Dreaded 'vote of confidence'

Matt Maiocco, The Press Democrat

Yesterday, I wrote Mike Nolan is going nowhere, that I expected the 49ers to retain him as head coach for the 2008 season. Now that he's been given a vote of confidence, there's one point I failed to mention - and this is a big one. A lot of times coaches can talk themselves out of a job. It happens all the time. And over the past couple weeks, Nolan has not done himself any favors with his public comments about Alex Smith's injury, Smith's agent, and his coaching staff.
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The main reason I made the educated guess that John York would stick with Nolan through next season is because I think York is still convinced Nolan's overall plan is a good one. The Yorks hired Nolan to be the central figure in the organization and create the organizational structure. Things were moving in the right direction for two seasons, so I didn't think one bad year would force them to tear up the model and throw it away, while still owing Nolan the final two years of his contract. But it must have been quite alarming to Nolan that Denise DeBartolo York was quoted extensively in today's Chron. There's John, Jed and Denise. John and Jed are around the team. John has not been available for comment, and Jed in an email said this is not his area. Suddenly, Denise is front and center as the voice of the organization. Even though she gave Nolan a vote of confidence, the mere fact that she was quoted on football matters begins to strip away at Nolan's power and control.
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Denise said it is likely that the 49ers will hire a strong GM, according to the provocative article, and that Nolan should no longer have final say in draft and personnel matters. The example given was the Patriots' Scott Pioli, who holds the title of vice president, player personnel. The 49ers already have a vice president of player personnel. His name is Scot McCloughan, and he appears to do a pretty good job. But if the 49ers are looking for a Pioli-like figure, my best guess is that someone is in line for a promotion. Paraag Marathe, the team's director of football operations, is seen by the Yorks as a future star as a general manager.
* * *
Back to Nolan. He is picking fights when he should be taking the high road. Smith found out yesterday his forearm and shoulder are worse than Dr. James Andrews had anticipated, according to a source close to Smith. This comes after Nolan completely downplayed and mocked Smith's injury. ("I'm sore . . . has that affected my performance? Maybe, but I'm not going to talk about it.") The Smith camp contends that the 49ers' staff completely mishandled Alex's rehab. A source close to Smith said he was "lifting to failure" with his forearm muscle group. That means he was lifting weights until he could lift no more. As a primary form of strengthening it is considered ill-advised by many physical therapists, who say a quarterback doesn't need bulk/hypertrophy, he needs control/finesse for throwing. Smith's agent, Tom Condon, voiced these concerns - as well as saying that Smith required a painkilling injection to get through practice last week -- in an ESPN.com report. Again, instead of declining to comment, Nolan decided to take on one of the most powerful men in pro football. "I respect your question," Nolan answered, "but I don't respect the source." Not only is Condon extremely powerful, he is also a person Smith trusts, and someone whom Smith knows has his best interests at heart. Count that as another wedge been stuck between the coach and the QB.
* * *
On Monday, Nolan said he has a better coaching staff than a year ago, that offensive coordinator Jim Hostler is doing "an outstanding job," and he wasn't going to make any changes to the coaching staff. On Tuesday, Nolan hired Ted Tollner to help Hostler as an offensive assistant.
"When it comes to coaching changes, I believe I have a very strong staff, a very good staff," Nolan said in a prepared statement Monday. "I believe the staff is stronger this year than last year. We have come up short on the offensive side of the ball as far as production goes. I have said from the beginning that's a collective problem and I won't change that because it is."
* * *
Up until the past two weeks, the 49ers' problems have been confined to the playing field.
Not now.

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Great America Operator Opposes 49ers' Move - Again

Phillip Matier & Andrew Ross, San Francisco Chronicle

If the San Francisco 49ers want to move to Santa Clara, they may have to buy the Great America amusement park as well. Cedar Fair Corp., which operates Great America - and whose main parking lot the Niners have been eyeing for their dream stadium - said Tuesday that it opposes the $853 million project. The company said that once before, then backed off its opposition. This time, however, it's official. Cedar Fair said it has concluded, after months of study, that the 49ers' plan to build a 68,000-seat stadium east of Highway 101 (right) won't work for Great America because of the loss of parking, traffic disruptions and the overall negative impact on theme park customers. "It places the future operations of Great America in jeopardy," the company said in a statement late Tuesday. Officials in Santa Clara, which collects $5.3 million a year in revenue from Great America, say they consider Cedar Fair's support of the stadium essential for the deal to go forward. The company's announcement came as news to City Hall, where officials said Cedar Fair was continuing to negotiate with Santa Clara as late as Tuesday. "Cedar Fair would need to cooperate with the proposal," Deputy City Manager Carol McCarthy said. "The land is leased to them."

The question is whether Cedar Fair's latest pronouncement is meant as a deal killer, or just the start of intensive negotiations to force the 49ers to buy the amusement park, whose assessed value last year was $114 million. Cedar Fair wasn't doing much to clear up the question - company representatives declined to elaborate on their announcement. Team spokeswoman Lisa Lang noted that Cedar Fair has been "flip-flopping" on the stadium - first backing the idea, then saying it was against it, then taking a neutral stance before going negative again - and that the company's real goal may be to sell Great America. In fact, Lang said, company officials broached the subject with the Niners during recent negotiations. Team officials believe that by announcing its opposition to the stadium deal, Cedar Fair may be looking to drive a harder bargain. The 49ers, desperate to escape Candlestick Point by the 2012 season, aren't ruling out a Great America purchase.

"It's not how we approached this project originally, but if it's something we need to consider to move this project forward, we will consider it," Lang said. Lang said the team is also willing to consider other options - including moving the stadium to a 17-acre parking lot just east of the current proposed site. Great America uses that lot for overflow parking. That plan, however, is less attractive to the Niners because the stadium and its parking lot would be separated, forcing fans to walk farther to get to their seats. "We don't feel it creates as much of an entertainment district," Lang said. Bottom line, Lang says: "There are a number of site configurations (Cedar Fair) could look at if they are serious about wanting to go forward with the project."But she said the company has been sending "litigators" rather than planners to recent meetings.

"From our perspective, it's just flip-flopping noise we will continue to hear as we negotiate with them, and you have to recognize that for what it is," Lang said.

49ers Team Valuation - Forbes.com

NFL Team Valuations - From Forbes Magazine (forbes.com , Sept.13/07)

First - # 1 Dallas Cowboys

Last - #32 Minnesota Vikings

#30 San Francisco 49ers

Team Value - $799 million

Ownership - Denise DeBartolo York - San Francisco 49ers are owned by Denise DeBartolo York, who bought them in 1977 for $13 mil.

The skinny - The 49ers served as the NFL's model franchise through the 1980s and '90s, racking up five Super Bowl wins in the process. But most of the past decade has been marred by salary cap problems, an ownership squabble, losing teams and the inability to get taxpayers to approve a new stadium. Despite playing in the country's sixth biggest TV market, the 49ers have some of the lowest revenues in the league thanks, to an antiquated stadium that features no club seating, and an onerous lease that forces the team to share concession, luxury-suite, naming-rights and signage revenue with the city. Major corporate sponsors are Coca-Cola (nyse: KO), Visa, General Motors (nyse: GM), Anheuser-Busch (nyse: BUD), Comcast (nasdaq: CMCSA), Sprint Nextel (nyse: S), Wells Fargo (nyse: WFC). Naming rights sponsor is Monster Cable.

Revenue - $186 mil
Operating Income - $9.9 mil
Player Expenses - $118 mil
Gate Receipts - $39 mil