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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It’s official: Singletary hired as 49ers permanent coach

By Tim Kawakami, Mercury News

Minutes after the 49ers’ last-second victory over Washington was complete, the 49ers announced that interim coach Mike Singletary was no longer an interim. As reporters filed into Singletary’s usual post-game interview room, 49ers staffers handed out a press released headlined: “49ers announce that Mike Singletary will remain as head coach.” No financial terms were announced and they did not indicate the number of years for the new contract. But a Fox TV report indicated that Singletary had agreed to a five-year deal. “Mike Singletary’s leadership ability has galvanized the players and coaching staff to deliver improved results on the field,”

General Manager Scot McCloughan said in the release. “By turning the second half of the season around, he has accmoplished what few interim head coaches have been able to do.” After taking for Mike Nolan in October, Singletary finished 5-4. The 49ers finished with a 7-9 record. “After discussions with ownership, we agree that Mike has earned the head coach position,”
McCloughan’s statement continued. “I look forward to working with Mike to continue to build on the momentum he has created as we prepare for the 2009 season.” There was no announcement on the loudspeakers at Candlestick Park as the fans left the stadium. But word had begun to filter out about a half hour after the game.

After Joe Nedney made the 39-yard field goal to win the game, Singletary hugged quarterback Shaun Hill then left the field to roars from the remaining crowd.
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Gore running for a record

By Daniel Brown, Mercury News

After his most extensive practice in weeks, 49ers running back Frank Gore looks ready to make a run at an unprecedented milestone. Gore updated his status to "probable" on the injury report after he ran hard and changed directions in team drills. He needs 22 yards in the season finale Sunday to become the first 49er to amass 1,000 rushing yards in three consecutive seasons.
"He's looking good," Coach Mike Singletary said. "He did a nice job today when he carried the ball. He ran well and he cut well. It was nice to see." Gore suffered a sprained ankle against the New York Jets on Dec. 7, and was sidelined the past two games. Singletary cautioned, however, that the personal milestone would not play a role in deciding whether Gore would face the Washington Redskins at Candlestick Park. The coach's concern is that Gore, compensating for the ankle, could suffer a more serious injury.

"I don't want him to reinjure anything trying to get 1,000 yards," Singletary said. "Hopefully he can do it, but if he can't, I want him to be smart and look at the longevity of the decision." The game could be Gore's last in Mike Martz's offense. The Sacramento Bee reported this week that Singletary met with 49ers officials and made progress toward a multiyear contract extension. The paper said that under the current plan, defensive coordinator Greg Manusky would be back, but Martz would not return.
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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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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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Singletary must wait to see if he'll stay with 49ers

By Matt Barrows, The Sac Bee

MIAMI – Mike Singletary has won on the road. He's beaten bad teams and teams with better records. And if he wins again today, he'll be 3 for 3 against AFC East teams with playoff aspirations. But while fans and players alike are rooting for Singletary to win the 49ers' coaching job for 2009 and beyond, they shouldn't expect an early Christmas present. That's because league rules prohibit interim coaches from signing long-term deals during the season. The earliest the 49ers could sign Singletary – who is in the final year of his contract – to a new contract is Dec. 29, the day after the season finale against Washington at Candlestick Park. Ironically, the NFL's Rooney Rule, which strives to create more head-coaching opportunities for minority candidates, prevents the 49ers from making an early deal. The Rooney Rule states teams searching for a new head coach must interview at least one minority candidate. If an interim coach were given a long-term deal during the season, so the thinking goes, that would circumvent the interview process.

That situation arose earlier this year when the league voided a contract for St. Louis interim coach Jim Haslett. Haslett's original deal included a clause that said that if he won six games after he took over, he would get the job outright for next season or be rewarded with a million-dollar payday. It was excellent motivation but, unfortunately, against the rules. But what of Singletary? Since he's African American, shouldn't his case be an exception? No, said league officials in New York who responded to queries about Singletary's situation by e-mailing excerpts of the Rooney Rule. According to the league, unless an assistant coach has a prior agreement to take over as head coach – as is the case in Seattle with defensive assistant Jim Mora – teams can't make a commitment to an assistant during the season that extends beyond the end of the club's playing season. League officials did say once the season ends, the 49ers would not be required to interview any other candidates.

The 49ers, meanwhile, seem content to live by the letter of the law and are in no rush to commit to a long-term deal. General manager Scot McCloughan declined a request to discuss Singletary's situation. Singletary also insists he is in no hurry. As his wins – and popularity – have mounted, he's tried to brush aside questions about his future in San Francisco. Singletary wants to avoid lobbying for his job and hopes his final record will do all the arguing for him.

"I'm really not auditioning," he said. "I'm really not trying to show anyone anything. I'm just working. I'm doing what I love to do, and that's all that I can do. After that (I) let the film speak."

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Nolan's Final Draft: A Master Piece of Wasted Opportunities

The 49ers totally screwed the pooch again on the most crucial day of Mike Nolan and Scot McCloughan's careers respectively. Draft day. If Nolan doesn't get the Niners off to a good start this season, he will undoubtedly be given his pink slip and McCloughan, Nolan's former assistant and now his "boss", (yeah, right, you really laid down the law, Dr. York) will be shown the door with him....and they did nothing this weekend to help keep that from being a reality.

Start with needs -- a wide receiver would be nice. With apologies to Arnaz Battle, Jason Hill, newcomers Bryant Johnson and Isaac Bruce, or any wide receiver. "Any" were there. Better than any, in fact. Devin Thomas was there for the picking and he was a first-round pick until pickers began plucking. So was James Hardy. And what about DeSean Jackson? Sorry. Niners pass, even though coach Mike Nolan said it: We need offense.

What else? Another linebacker -- one of those hybrids known as a "rushbacker" would be just the ticket. Or a versatile inside/outside linebacker who can move around and fill spots next time Manny Lawson blows out a knee.

This isn't their fault. They actually had one in mind and not the one I figured they'd look at in Quentin Groves but rather -- Penn State's Dan Connor, who went to Carolina one pick before the 49ers could nab him in the 3rd round, if you're wondering. Instead, they had their eye on Oklahoma's blockier, slower version of Connor, Curtis Lofton. They figured they'd wait until Round 2 to take care of the position. Two picks before their Round 2 shot came up, the Falcons stole him out from under their noses. So they took guard Chilo Rachal, another reasonable need given the injury status of David Baas and the who-knows-where-he-even-is status of Larry Allen, the free-est of free agents.

But what the Niners really needed was a defensive lineman. One of those nice pass-rushing kinds of guys , to play opposite Justin Smith, who will stop at nothing until he's shaken hands with a quarterback and told him how much his stuff stinks.

Instead, they took Balmer. Defensive tackle who will be asked to replace Bryant Young (like anybody could do that) at left end or maybe play a little nosetackle in the 3-4 ... where Isaac Sopoaga would seem to be in a blood feud with Aubrayo Franklin to start. Only Sopoaga is now being billed as a left end. It boggles the mind. Balmer presumably is a burr under the disappointing Franklin's saddle and asked to play . . . At end. At tackle. At discombobulation? Oh, and did I mention this? If it's end, as a sack guy Balmer collected exactly 3.5 last year when he had his one really superior year at North Carolina. That to go along with $45 million dollar man Justin Smith's whopping 2 sacks last year for the Bengals.

Later on, Reggie Smith, in the 3rd from Oklahoma is a solid project corner. Center Cody Wallace in the 4th was a good choice, but that's about it. Josh Morgan, WR from Virginia Tech, the only offensive skill player taken, has off field issues that smell like Thomas Clayton Part II. Nolan finished off with what I say will be his final 49er draft choice by selecting......wait for it.....oh shucks.....another Linebacker!!!!, Larry Grant from Ohio St. in the 7th, to add to the already deepest position on the team.

In summation, they did little to desuade me from expecting the worst. This final act for Nolan, Alex Smith and "GM" Scot McCloughan is in the hands largely of the self-proclaimed "genius" offensive co-ordinator Mike Martz. While Nolan keeps focusing on defense, with the worst offense in the league, Martz will have to make chicken salad out of chicken s@#t to give them any hope of .500. Defense is great Coach Nolan, but you have to score to win.

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Nolan & Martz Will Sink Or Swim - Together

Mike Martz will last a year, maybe two, as the San Francisco 49ers' offensive coordinator. The question is: How will this end? The worst-case scenario is, of course, is that the 49ers experience their sixth consecutive losing season and miss the playoffs. Mike Nolan gets fired and with him, the entire staff, Martz included. The best thing the 49ers can hope for is that Martz turns around a terrible offense and rescues the fast-sinking career of quarterback Alex Smith. He leaves after a year or two to get another NFL coaching job, with the 49ers' thanks.

Without question, Martz is one of the NFL's preeminent offensive minds. He was the creator of the "Greatest Show on Turf" offense of the St. Louis Rams. He can scheme, as well as make effective use of his players' particular talents and abilities. In his seven years with the Rams (the first as offensive coordinator), Martz built a unit that had few rivals in its day. The Rams finished in the top 10 in total offense in six of those years and never worse than No. 5 in passing. St. Louis led the league in total and scoring offense for three consecutive seasons (1999-2001) and made the Super Bowl twice. And Martz made stars out of quarterbacks seemingly with pedestrian skills. Kurt Warner, a former Arena League player, was transformed into a two-time MVP. Marc Bulger, a little-known sixth-round draft pick, became a two-time Pro Bowler. Even Jon Kitna, who had mostly an undistinguished career, surpassed 4,000 passing yards in each of the last two seasons under Martz in Detroit.

While there is no questioning of his credentials as an offensive coordinator, Martz has flaws that makes him a ticking time bomb. Not the most diplomatic kind, he's been known to alienate, from players, fellow coaches, management to the media. He was an easy scapegoat when the Lions, 6-2 at the season's midway point, collapsed to a 7-9 finish. His stubbornness and even arrogance sometimes gets the best of him. Case in point: In the 2001 Super Bowl, his heavily favored Rams lost to New England partly because of his refusal to adapt to the Patriots' defense by running the ball more. And last season, he virtually abandoned the running game -- to the chagrin of the Lions' management -- that hastened his ouster.

Even with the league's bottom-ranked offense, Martz should be able to make enough hay with either Smith or Shaun Hill at quarterback. He will also have a healthy Frank Gore, which makes the offense more potent and versatile. His ability as a play-caller alone should be worth a few more points and additional yardage per game.

The question is: Will that translate to more wins, thus saving Mike Nolan's job?

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Nolan Nearly Delirious For Mere 'Exhibition' Win

Lowell Cohn, Press Democrat

This is what I know. The 49ers were losing before the Bucs declared the game an exhibition.After Jeff Garcia threw a touchdown pass late in the second quarter, putting Tampa Bay ahead 13-7, Jon Gruden removed Garcia from the game. It had something to do with the correct priorities -- Gruden needs Garcia for the playoffs. He doesn't need Garcia against the Niners, who currently don't matter in the National Football League.After Garcia came out, the Bucs bagged the game and the Niners won. That's how the game played out and if you see it differently, if you take hope from the 49er win, you are kidding yourself.Niner coach Mike Nolan helps you kid yourself -- he is a kidder and a fooler and a purveyor of fantasies and a trickster. The 49ers now have won two in a row and, even if they lose next week in Cleveland, Nolan can tell his bosses he won two of his final three. That sounds good. Last year, he won two of his last three and he probably bragged about that, too.But if you look closely, you'll notice he lost four of six to finish things out in 2006. With Nolan, things always require scrutiny. He offers false promise and his team does not come together. I am sorry to sound critical, but I can't praise Nolan for winning a mere exhibition game.Nolan was happy, verging on delirious, after beating the semi-interested Bucs. Of course, he was."We shot ourselves in the foot early in the season," he said by way of justifying himself. It was an interesting statement and it makes you question the word "early." Before the current two-game, umm, winning streak, the Niners had lost two of three and, get this, 10 of 11. So they didn't only shoot themselves in the foot early. They shot themselves in the foot most of the time.

Basically, they are foot shooters.Among other limitations, Nolan has a short and highly selective memory and he wants to convince people his interpretation of reality is better than theirs. At his postgame news conference, he declared open competition at quarterback next season between Alex Smith and Shaun Hill. That's assuming Nolan himself has a job next season."To be a good football team, you need competition," the coach lectured. Well, wait a minute. Hill has been a pleasant surprise, has performed well in a desperate situation. But he is not Joe Montana and he's not Steve Young and he's almost certainly not Smith.I mean, let's be real about this. We have not exactly entered the Shaun Hill Era. You can badmouth Alex Smith all you want -- he's been a disappointment -- but he is a better athlete than Hill and he has a better arm and a more promising future.Hill has superior instincts than Smith. Give him that. But he will be a career backup. Nolan will try to make you think differently, but it's another of Nolan's illusions. He deals in daydreams.When Nolan, the myth maker, left the interview room, congratulating himself on the splendid progress of his team, Bryant Young came to address the media. He was saying goodbye to the home fans and to his exemplary career and to the Niners as they are now and as they used to be. He represents an end, not a beginning. Keep that in mind. He is the last Niner to win a Super Bowl -- it seems so long ago.So we praise Young, but we wonder about the 49ers, about who they are and where they're headed. I asked what he hopes for his team as he prepares to walk away."I hope they establish themselves back on top," Young said. "In time, it will happen."He didn't say how much time. Nolan has had three years and made no progress. Young might be talking decades or centuries.Young considered quitting after last season, he said. Oh, this is the saddest part. He came back because he believed in Nolan -- as we all did at the time.

In 2006, the 49ers won seven games and Young, in his loyal, earnest heart, felt he couldn't abandon his teammates on the verge of greatness. He was getting old and his body hurt, but he had come this far and he carried the standard of former Super Bowls and his teammates needed him. So he returned. It was his duty.He had swallowed Nolan's illusion, wanted to believe the best about his coach. Who can blame him?"I felt we would win 10 games or more and be right in position to go to the playoffs," he said of this miserable season. "It is what it is. When you make those types of commitments, nothing's ever promised."Well, things definitely were promised, but the promises never materialized.

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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Adrian Peterson stopped, but rest of Vikings run over 49ers 27-7

By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports writer

After the 49ers schemed all week against Adrian Peterson, their plan to stop the NFL's leading rusher worked splendidly — and that was the extent of San Francisco's successes in another big win for the resurgent Minnesota Vikings. Though, to be fair, nobody could have planned for a game that began with a 311-pound man returning an interception for a touchdown on the very first play. Defensive tackle Kevin Williams rumbled into the end zone just 14 seconds in, and Chester Taylor made an 84-yard scoring run in Minnesota's fourth straight victory, 27-7 over hapless San Francisco on Sunday.

Though Peterson managed just 3 yards on 14 carries, the Vikings (7-6) still jumped to a 27-0 halftime lead while getting back above .500 for the first time since the season's opening week. Minnesota is in the sixth spot in the NFC playoff picture, controlling its own destiny in a season that nearly went out of control. "I think if you told our guys a month ago that they were going to be the hunted instead of going hunting, they probably would have asked you, 'Well, how's that going to happen?'" Minnesota coach Brad Childress said. With patient offense and another strong game from a resurgent defense, that's how — and even without help from Peterson, who finished with a career-low 3 yards on 14 carries. San Francisco linebacker Patrick Willis made eight tackles to win the meeting of two high-profile rookies.

Robert Ferguson caught a 19-yard TD pass from Tarvaris Jackson, who passed for 163 yards. Minnesota's only dynamic offensive play was Taylor's TD run, the third-longest in franchise history and the bulk of his 101 yards rushing. Yet nothing fancy is necessary to beat the 49ers (3-10) these days. "We weren't trying to force anything," Peterson said. "Chester is capable of coming out and having big games, too. You can't just focus on one guy on our team." Frank Gore rushed for 68 yards, caught eight passes for 49 yards and lost two fumbles for San Francisco, which has yet another injured quarterback after its 10th loss in 11 games. The Vikings defense turned in its third straight solid performance, limiting the 49ers' league-worst offense to 79 yards in the first half. After Trent Dilfer went out with a concussion shortly before halftime, third-stringer Shaun Hill went 22-of-28 for 181 yards and a score in the first significant NFL action of his six-year career.

"Trent's just a warrior, one of the best guys I've ever met in the game or out of the game," Hill said. "That being said, I had a job to do when I got in there, and I was excited." Dilfer's day was painful from the first snap. Williams, the Vikings' two-time Pro Bowl defensive end, was able to hang on to his own deflected pass and had the presence of mind to run with it. "That really changed the momentum in the game," Williams claimed. "We do a tip drill every week, and it paid off today, as you saw." Williams eluded Dilfer for the fourth touchdown of his career. It was even his second of the season, following a 54-yard return on Atlanta's first possession in the Vikings' season opener. "It's rare to get one of those in a career, and he's had two in a season," Childress said. "I'm just glad he didn't have to run as far on this one so we didn't have to get him some oxygen." Taylor made the third-longest run from scrimmage in Vikings history in the second quarter, breaking at least three tackles down the Minnesota sideline and sparking boos from the thin Candlestick Park crowd.

"I thought our defense stepped up to the challenge," 49ers coach Mike Nolan said. "They did give up some plays a couple times on some missed tackles. The 84-yard run was one in particular. It was right in the face of a blitz. How it came out, I do not know." Dilfer was hurt when he scrambled for a first down in the final minute of the first half. Backup cornerback Charles Gordon made the tackle with a shoulder to Dilfer's head. With Alex Smith in street clothes because of his injured shoulder, San Francisco turned to Hill, who spent four years with Minnesota before joining the 49ers last season. Hill's only regular-season snaps were kneeldowns on the Vikings' final plays in 2005. Hill immediately led a 12-play, 61-yard scoring drive culminating in Arnaz Battle's short TD catch, completing six of his first seven passes and celebrating jubilantly in the end zone — but he threw an interception on the Niners' next drive.

Notes:@ Taylor also made the longest run in Minnesota history last season, romping 95 yards against Seattle. ... Nolan said the 49ers haven't decided whether QB Alex Smith will have season-ending shoulder surgery next week, contrary to a media report. ... San Francisco's Maurice Hicks returned two kickoffs for 55 yards apiece.

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-There's nothing constructive that I can say about this team this week, so don't hold your breathe for any pearls of wisdom from me in the next couple of days. Mike Nolan and this entire organization are one incredible joke right now. I am sick of watching this s@#t from these idiots week in and week out. They are just fortunate that Miami plays in this league, and that they don't play the Dolphins this year.-

Robinson...Why Not?

Are there other options for the future at quarterback? Maybe Nolan & company need to consider in the wake of Alex Smith's demise and no help coming from Trent Dilfer or the draft next year.

"I support the guys who are playing and doing their jobs," Nolan said before backing Trent Dilfer as his starter this weekend. Dilfer did his job -- if you count four interceptions and 171 passing yards as working hard. Nolan hasn't been eloquent this year, but this week he really has no choice. Alex Smith's shoulder still isn't right, and he should probably sit for the rest of the season. The third-string quarterback, Shaun Hill has one snap in 6 years to go along with a broken finger on his throwing hand. Who's the next option, Michael Robinson?

They way things are going, that might not be such a bad idea. Maybe Robinson's toughness could give the 49ers a spark. Remember, he was a quarterback at Penn State(below). Tennessee's Vince Young hasn't been throwing great this year, but the combination of his running, timely passing and the Titans' strong overall ground game has equaled relative success. While Robinson isn't even close to Young's level, the 49ers still might want to consider inserting him under center.

The Vikings, the 49ers' upcoming opponent, are using the same formula, going with punishing running backs and a mobile, tough quarterback in Tarvaris Jackson. They've evened their record and will go to 7-6 after they dismantle the Dilfer-led 49ers. For San Francisco, changing to Robinson would put two of its most dangerous weapons on the field at the same time and give the team a passer who can move when the rush gets hot - which is often.

Crazy thinking, probably, but this season is over. Gone. Why not see if Robinson has any of that college magic left at his old position? Dilfer proved last week he is completely washed up. Dilfer's win over Arizona two weeks ago was an aberration; four picks and 171 passing yards in Carolina proved the sun shined on an old dog a pair of Sundays ago. At this point, going with Dilfer is like conceding defeat.

Really, though, the only light at the end of the tunnel is that the end of the season is near for the 49ers. The Vikings are just another freight train coming their way.

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Nolan likely to return for 2008 campaign

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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Nolan's sideline rant could define his era with 49ers

Tim Kawakami , MEDIANEWS STAFF

MARK IT DOWN: Mike Nolan's last stand and public passion play began midway through the second quarter of the 49ers' 12th game of this morose 2007 season. Please note that the 49ers had just given up a 73-yard interception return for a touchdown, and they trailed the woeful Carolina Panthers 17-0. Remember that Nolan gathered his entire team around him, then screamed, gestured and raged, until his face flushed and his eyes looked like they were ready to pop all the way to the South Carolina border. Make sure it's noted that, at first, the 49ers responded -- holding steady for the rest of the quarter and jumping back into the game with two touchdowns in the third quarter.

But let it be recorded that the 49ers eventually stalled, inevitably collapsed, and repeatedly blundered their way to yet another defeat, this time by a 31-14 score to a Panthers team that had not won at home in nearly a year. When the history of the Nolan Era is chiseled into stone, we are probably going to memorialize that explosive second-quarter sideline moment, and we will know one of two things:

Either that tantrum galvanized this team for the rest of 2007 and earned Nolan a chance to coach into 2008 and prove his worth once and for all ...

Or it was the loudest, reddest-faced example of Nolan fury and frothiness, signifying nothing, no progress, and certainly no 49ers' significant victories.

I know which way I'm leaning on it, but I'm also prepared to let this play out, loss by loss, interception by interception.
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One Win Doesn't Fix This

With the list of possible replacements growing with names such as Mike Holmgren, Andy Reid or even toss in Jim Mora Jr., and Mike Singletary, if Mike Nolan thinks one win gets him a "Survivor immunity" until next year, he'd better think again. With his handling of the Smith situation, the Hostler situation and the on-field product being what it is, staying with this guy beyond this year looks like a crap shoot at best. For a brief moment on Sunday, 49er faithful everywhere must have been elated to see the team get an overtime win, until you look at the season's win column and realize...way too little, way too late, like always.

To be fair to Nolan, this has been a weird, frustrating and emotionally trying year. As one might reasonably expect, while his body has been in the bay area, his heart and mind have been in Grapevine, Texas , where about 200 friends and family, including several former NFL players and coaches, gathered for Dick Nolan's funeral. Nolan didn't miss a game, winging his way home in time for last week's yawner against the Rams, which shows great dedication. The sole act of showing up for work under what had to be the most extreme duress deserves great respect.

Having said that...and taking into consideration the hard-fought win this Sunday...

That doesn't fix the serious problems that have developed on a Niner team that was supposed to have been right in the middle of the playoff race, after investing very heavily in the free-agent market and stocking via the draft this off-season. What they need is a separate GM. Restructure the organization and hire an experienced general manager to share the considerable load of runinning this team. Nolan is spread too thin and as it stands now, he has as much, if not more control over his team than any coach in the league.

If Nolan could concentrate on what he is good at, defensive coaching, then maybe keep him around. To do that, a strong offensive coordinator, ala Norv Turner would have to reappear, since Nolan has shown no ability to run an offense, or direct those that should. The move to bring in Ted Tollner may have single handedly saved Nolan's hyde for the balance of the year, but it's still not enough. Personally, I think that if someone like Bay area native, Mike Holmren were to be available, and he has stated that he is not sure how long he wants to coach for, they should woo him. Holmgren, or his possibly available protege, Andy Reid, are Walsh disciples and share the same vision and eye for talent that Walsh had. Holmgren has a contract clause that allows him to leave the Seahawks if he finds a GM position he likes. If they get a guy like that in to call the shots, then ok...maybe give Nolan some more leash. You'd have a great back-up plan in the GM's suite then if a change had to be made.

Personally, I'd like to see Holmgren in as GM and Reid in as coach. Ain't gonna happen with this ownership, I know, but nice to think about right now. After looking at the on-field product, and losing the draft to dream about, front office changes are all we have left.

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The Recap From Nolan's Press Conference

Matt Maiocco, The Press Democrat

INJURY UPDATE (3:45 p.m.): Cornerback Marcus Hudson is expected to miss "a few weeks" with a sprain of the posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, a team spokesman said. No surgery is required. Also, cornerback Shawntae Spencer has a quad strain. The team has not received the results of his MRI examination, so his status is uncertain.
* * *
Coach Mike Nolan said the team will not get overconfident after its 37-31 overtime victory against the Cardinals. Here are some of the highlights from Nolan's weekly press conference:

--Nolan took complete responsibility for allowing the Cardinals an opportunity throw the Hail Mary pass at the end of the first half. When I asked if why they didn't take a snap and throw the ball out of bounds -- or do anything -- to run some time off the clock before sending out Joe Nedney for a 55-yard field goal, Nolan answered, "You're right."

Nolan said he was particularly impressed with the way his team handled the situation at halftime. "The adversity in that situation did not get the team down." --On the plane ride home, Mike Singletary, who sits across the aisle from Nolan, leaned over and said about Patrick Willis: "Patrick's special." After the film review, Willis was credited with 15 solo and six assists for 21 tackles. He had the big play to run down wide receiver Sean Morey in overtime to prevent what would've been the game-ending touchdown. Nolan said that play showed Willis' speed and desire.

--On the game-winning play, Ronald Fields got the sack; Tully Banta-Cain jumped on the fumble in the end zone. But, perhaps, the biggest effort on that play belonged to Derek Smith. The veteran linebacker gave the tight end on the play a chuck, knocking him into Anquan Boldin, who was the primary receiver. Warner saw that and had to hold the ball, allowing Fields and Banta-Cain to make the play.

--Nolan said his MVPs of the game were little Michael Lewis on special teams, big Michael Lewis and Patrick Willis on defense, and Trent Dilfer and Frank Gore on offense. He also credited the play of Bryant Young, Marques Douglas, Mark Roman and Walt Harris on defense.

--Nolan said he couldn't really answer how Ted Tollner helped, but he reflected on his own experience. He said when he had Bill Arnsparger helping him in '99 when he was Redskins defensive coordinator, it gave him more confidence.

--Back to that Hail Mary play, Nolan said his guys just got outjumped. He said he used to have Manny Lawson deep on those plays because at 6-6, he is also the team's highest jumper. He has also considered Vernon Davis back there but he didn't want to put too much on his plate, because if the Cardinals do something other than a Hail Mary, his defensive assignment would change. Ashley Lelie could do it, but he might not be strong enough to go up in traffic with all those bodies around.

--I had to step away there for a couple minutes to go on with Fitz and Brooks on KNBR. I'll be back on at 4 p.m. (or did they tell me 4:30?) with Ralph and Tom.

--Nolan said defensive coordinator Greg Manusky made a wise decision to put together a defense that was designed to allow some give and take. The Cardinals rolled up a lot of yards, but the 49ers also made a lot of plays. The 49ers are responsible for seven of the Cardinals' 17 sacks allowed this season.

--Kwame Harris saw some action as a second tight end on selected run plays. Harris did not replace any of the starting offensive linemen when he was on the field, Nolan said.

--Nolan told the Fox crew during their Saturday production meeting that Dilfer's game against the Rams was the 49ers' best-quarterbacked game in his three seasons with the 49ers. That's an interesting statement, considering Alex Smith has started 30 games for the 49ers. Anyway, Nolan said Dilfer's game yesterday was his best, yet.

--Nolan thanked the fans for "staying with us."

Two for the price of one: Turner taking down two franchises

Mark Kreidler, ESPN.com

Is Norv Turner finished in San Diego yet? Because it looks for all the world like they're keeping his seat warm in San Francisco. Oh, sure, it won't happen. Head coaches seldom voluntarily walk away from their bloated contracts in order to accept an assistant's job. There isn't really a rational line of thought under which Turner wakes up from his afternoon nap, has a sudden epiphany and declares, "I'm such a better coordinator than I am a leading man. San Diego can finish .500 without me. Let me go back to what I'm good at." We've bleated it before and we'll bleat it again: There is no substitute for figuring out where you excel in this world. No jury would convict Norv Turner for taking this third ill-fated ride of his on the NFL head coach merry-go-round, because, look, it's a really well-paying ride. But they need you up north, Norval. It's your calling. You must consider.

The head coach, Mike Nolan, is having communication problems with his putative starting quarterback. That quarterback, former No. 1 overall draft pick Alex Smith, has a lingering shoulder injury that seems to be growing in severity with every re-telling of the story (it's now scheduled to fall off completely next Tuesday). Smith, even while healthy, has been but a shell of the reasonably promising performer he was a year ago, when Turner was the offensive coordinator. The current offensive coordinator, Jim Hostler, left, has reached the point in his tenure that the club announced the Week 11 hiring of Ted Tollner as a sort of, you know, "helper" for the rest of the season.

By the way: What a rag-tag franchise the 49ers have become. What a wasteful mess of an organization with real, built-in value. When owner Denise DeBartolo York this week pronounced herself "devastated" to the San Francisco Chronicle over the state of things, she may really have done so oblivious to the fact that many, if not most, 49ers fans hold her and her husband, John York, directly responsible for said devastation up and down the franchise. From the day they fired Steve Mariucci without a Plan B, which led to the unhappy and virtually un-memorable Dennis Erickson era, the Yorks have consistently demonstrated almost no aptitude for the sports ownership thing. They have at times invested significant money -- it was never a matter of simple cheapskatery -- and it's clear from their words that, hey, all things being equal, they'd rather win than lose. They're just no good at it.

The latest from the DeBartolo-York axis is the word that, come the off-season, Mike Nolan will be yielding some of his organizational control to a yet-to-be-named general manager. That's not exactly ye olde vote of confidence for Nolan, but then 2-8 with possibly the worst offensive output in 49ers history does not inspire much. And that, bizarre as it sounds, brings us back to Norv. With Turner calling the shots as Nolan's offensive coordinator last season, Smith looked like a quarterback who might, with fair progress being marked at each turn along the way, become a bona fide force in the NFL. The offense as a whole wasn't setting the league on fire (26th overall, 303 yards per game), but Smith passed for close to 3,000 yards behind a shaky offensive line and with nothing more than an average receiving core. There was a chance to improve.

Right now, the 2007 season shapes up as almost a total loss for Smith, for Nolan and for the 49ers in general. Smith was lousy for weeks before getting officially banged up. He and Nolan publicly disagreed on the severity of his shoulder injury, with Nolan appearing to hint that Smith ought to get a little tougher. The injury turned out to be a Grade III sprain, which is severe enough to warrant consideration of surgery. So much for that theory. And the 49ers? Lost, simply lost. The offensive line is perhaps worse than ever, and whether it's Smith or Trent Dilfer or the recently signed Drew Olson back there throwing passes, it won't matter unless the San Francisco receiving corps gets over its recent bout of the dropsies. I don't know if Turner could fix all that. I do know that, in every iteration, Turner has proven himself a very capable and highly thought-of offensive coordinator -- as opposed, one has to note, to the weekly public-opinion beatings he takes as a head coach. It's probably even too much to speculate on what might have happened if the Nolan-Turner partnership had been given another year to run, in 2007. But, staring at the carcass on the field along Candlestick Point these days, it's tempting. And this, too: You hate for a decent guy like Turner to be the punchline to the joke about the time that the coach left one team and joined another, and both got worse.

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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.
* * *
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.
* * *
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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49ers News On Tollner, Smith, Olson

From The Press Democrat

The word is official from the 49ers: Ted Tollner has been hired as an offensive assistant. He will help the entire coaching staff, a team spokesman said. Obviously, with his experience as an offensive coordinator he'll lend a lot of assistance to Jim Hostler. "Ted Tollner has been hired as an offensive assistant," Mike Nolan said in a statement. "He will work with offensive coordinator Jim Hostler and our offensive coaching staff. Ted has great experience with over 30 years in the NFL and in college coaching and is well respected in the football community. He will be a tremendous asset to the 49ers organization. We will continue to make every effort to improve our team."

Tollner has more than 30 years of coaching experience. He was head coach at USC and San Diego State. Since 1987, he has worked as an assistant with the Bills, Chargers, Rams, 49ers and Lions.This move comes one day after Nolan said of Hostler, "Jim is an easy scapegoat for everybody to jump on to. As you look at the entire offense and the production of the offense, and you look at what we do on the field, the production isn't as good as it was last year, although it wasn't off the charts. Let's recognize that last year it was (ranked) 26th. That is considerably better than we are right now, but I wouldn't put all of that on Jim. Jim is doing an outstanding job. He busts his tail and is always looking for ways to get better."
* * *
Also, a source close to Alex Smith confirms a report an ESPN.com that Dr. James Andrews told Smith today that his shoulder and forearm are "worse than anticipated." There was some talk that surgery might be needed to correct the problem if his shoulder and forearm don't show improvement. Smith might seek yet another opinion from a specialist. The 49ers did not comment on this report because their doctors have not received the report yet from Dr. Andrews, a team spokesman said.
* * *
Quarterback Drew Olson was signed to the practice squad to run the scout team offense with injuries to Smith and Shaun Hill (broken right index finger). With the uncertainty surrounding the backup QBs, Olson could find himself in uniform for Sunday's game. Olson was originally signed by the Ravens an undrafted free agent last season out of UCLA. He spent the season on the Raven's practice squad. Olson went to NFL Europa this past off-season. He was waived by Baltimore following training camp this past summer. He joined the Carolina practice squad in early November and then was signed to the Panthers 53-man roster for one week.
Offensive lineman Sean Estrada was waived from the practice squad to make room for Olson.

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It's Becoming Clear Nolan Won't Revive 49ers

By Ann Killion, Mercury News Staff

Sunday was Alumni Day at the 49ers game, and they should have passed out blindfolds for the veterans in attendance. The product that befouled Bill Walsh Field was an embarrassment. Again. The 49ers lost 13-9 to the Rams, a team that was winless a week ago. Now the 49ers are tied with the Rams for the worst record in the NFC. After their eighth loss in a row, 11 consecutive quarters without a touchdown, another session of "I have no clue what's wrong" from the head coach, the 49ers have no answers. No ideas. No direction. And it seems more and more apparent that Mike Nolan will have to be fired at the end of the season. Harsh? Perhaps, and we understand Nolan has had a tough week. But losing teams fire their coaches; that's what happens in this league. With a loss next week in Arizona - and who wouldn't expect that? - Nolan would become the first 49ers coach to lose nine consecutive games. That would match the 49ers record for futility from 1978 (a feat that was accomplished under two coaches). I am not one of those critics who think that Nolan should be stripped of his decision-making responsibilities and be left only to coach - an idea that has been floated in recent weeks. While I do believe that Nolan was awarded too much power and control for a guy with no résumé to back up the responsibility, stripping him down to become just the coach is nonsensical. It would leave Nolan doing something he hasn't proved he can do. With his sole job being arguably his weakest link.

For his entire tenure, the rap on Nolan has been that he's a good Monday through Saturday head coach, but not on Sunday. But that reputation is taking a beating this season. Nolan is proving he's a bad coach every day of the week. Nothing proves that more than his terrible mishandling of the Alex Smith situation, which boiled over this week. The most important relationship on any football team is the one between coach and quarterback, and Nolan has bungled this badly. Everything is bungled with the 49ers. They are a poorly coached team, as they prove every time they take the field. And Nolan is not a good game coach. He has shown that week in and week out, even in the rare games the 49ers have won. He showed it again Sunday with his predictable and uninteresting offense. With his odd decision to kick a field goal rather than attempt to tie the score in the waning minutes - a decision that his tight end Vernon Davis disagreed with. "You have to take the chance," Davis said.

Not Nolan. He doesn't take chances. Whenever he's criticized as being conservative, he usually points to his willingness to try onside kicks as an example of his crazy derring-do. In fact we saw another onside kick Sunday. It didn't work, but, hey, the 49ers tried it. But an onside kick is a gimmick, not a philosophy. Once upon a time the 49ers had a philosophy. They had a system, one that was revered around the league. They stood for something. And, on Alumni Day, with photos of Bill Walsh and Bobb McKittrick gazing out from the locker-room wall over the depressed 49ers, it's kind of sad to remember that. One alum who wasn't at the game Sunday (along with most of the luminaries from the Walsh dynasty, who remain estranged from the team) also thinks that lost legacy is too bad. Steve Young was talking to me the other day about when he was in Pittsburgh for their Alumni Night, with the great players from the 1970s. That night, Franco Harris told him how proud he was that the Steelers had remained consistent in the mindset, their defensive prowess.

"The Steelers stand for something," Young said. "How unfortunate it is that the 49ers had this legacy on offense that there's no attachment to. It's hard for people to draw on it. The fans remember it, but no one inside the building is linked to it." The 49ers have betrayed their once great offensive legacy. It's time to try to reclaim it.

I don't think Nolan is the man to do it.

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