By MATT MAIOCCO, THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Mike Nolan is expected to be back next season as the club's head coach despite the team's myriad struggles, including a 31-14 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, said sources close to 49ers co-owner John York.The 49ers (3-9) have clinched their franchise-worst fifth consecutive losing season.Nolan is completing the third season of a five-year contract that pays him a reported $1.6 million a year. York has not commented publicly on Nolan's job status. Two weeks ago, Denise DeBartolo York told the San Francisco Chronicle she expected Nolan back next season but that he would likely be asked to relinquish his personnel powers.York is not inclined to make a coaching change after the season, if he can avoid it, because he likes the structure Nolan has put in place with the organization, sources said. The 49ers were believed to be on the right path for the first two seasons of Nolan's tenure, so York does not want to blow things up after one bad season.However, this season has been worse than anyone around the team could have expected.The 49ers on Sunday were knocked out of contention for the NFC West title. With four games remaining, the 49ers trail division-leading Seattle (8-4) by five games.Nolan appears to have maintained the support of the locker room through the team's travails."Coach Nolan, I know how much he wants it," running back Frank Gore said. "I want it for him. Coach Nolan is a hard worker. We'll get there.
We just need to keep working and keep focused."Quarterback Trent Dilfer said he liked the message Nolan sent to the team with his sideline talk in the second quarter after the 49ers fell behind, 17-0."He's been great through all of this," Dilfer said. "His message was just stay the course and keep believing. Just because things haven't gone our way early on doesn't mean we should stop believing. That's a great message."Cornerback Nate Clements, who came to the 49ers with an eight-year, $80 million contract in the offseason, said he did not want to comment on anything he can't control."I don't think about that," said cornerback Nate Clements. "Nobody is thinking about their jobs being on the line. We're just focused on playing football. I don't get into all that other stuff. I'm just here to play ball."
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