NFL commentary: Singletary’s hard work pays off

SAN FRANCISCO — The Mike Singletary makeover seemed complete. Ten weeks ago, he arrived at his first post-game news conference as the San Francisco 49ers’ interim head coach, full of fire, brimstone and abject apologies after a horrendous loss. On Sunday, he came to the same podium in an impeccably fitted business suit, armed with a four-year contract as the team’s undisputed leader, and full of sober analysis about another improbable win.

The new guy, to be honest, was pretty dull, almost a cookie-cutter NFL head coach.

Singletary wasn’t supposed to be able to pull off that one. When he interviewed for head-coaching jobs two years ago, he came across as an ex-linebacker who had the intensity of a good head coach but not the carefully detailed, practically diamond-cut plans for being a team’s field-level CEO.

Some people still have their doubts, despite the rebirth of the 49ers under Singletary’s command and a rare winning record for an interim coach, 5-4. They don’t know about all those binders that he keeps at home, full of information and treatises on offensive and defensive philosophy, and revisions of the 49ers’ playbook to suit his taste. Apparently, the binders are huge, and Singletary assembled them all himself.

“You know, we own Kinko’s,” said his wife, Kim.

She and their seven children — Kristen, 22; Matt, 20; Jill, 18; Jackie, 15; Brooke, 14; Becky, 12, and John, 10 — all gathered in the 49ers’ interview room after the win over Washington on Sunday. Two

cousins and their mom, Kim’s sister, joined the crowd.

On Friday night, Kim Singletary said, the family members learned for certain that they would be staying in the Bay Area. “But I felt it for a while,” she said.

She has a lively personality, and her husband’s less-inhibited side seemed to be channeling through her Sunday. She said his temperament had changed since he became the head coach.

More uptight, tense, under pressure?

“No, I think he felt more free,” she said. As Mike Nolan’s assistant head coach, she pointed out, he had limited control over the team.

“He was very respectful of his position, but he had stuff bursting to come out,” she said. “There was so much of him that he had to squelch.”

She backtracked for a second, though. Her husband, she said, did seem to feel pressure after that first game against Seattle, which unfolded as both a standard NFL whupping and a wild session of group therapy for a dysfunctional extended family.

Singletary’s halftime decision to drop his pants in the locker room as an expression of disgust became instant NFL lore. His wife said he assured her that he had kept certain things covered, but it was still a little unnerving to see the story turning into a defining moment for a coach just starting to establish his identity.

“It wasn’t really that big a deal or that embarrassing,” she said. “More like ‘Note to self: Don’t do that again.”’

The pressure he felt, though, came from the loss. He thought he could turn around the team faster than was possible.

E-mail Gwen Knapp at gknapp(at)sfchronicle.com.

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)

Talk to us

More in Sports

A look at the Seattle Sounders’ new crest and secondary images unveiled on Tuesday. (Seattle Times photo)
Sounders unveil new crest, colors as 50th season approaches

The new look, which gives a nod to the past, will start being worn by the team next season.

Silvertips’ Andrew Petruk (26) fights for the puck during a game between the Everett Silvertips and Victoria Royals at the Angel of the Winds Arena on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2023. The Silvertips won, 5-3. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Some good, some bad for Silvertips in season-opening split

Everett was missing three key players over the weekend but significantly outshot its two opponents.

Washington's Sami Reynolds bats during a Women's College World Series game this past June in Oklahoma City. (UW Athletics photo)
The Herald’s 2022-23 Woman of the Year in Sports: Sami Reynolds

The Snohomish grad capped an outstanding five-year career with an All-American season and one of the biggest moments in UW history.

X
Vote for The Herald’s Prep Athlete of the Week for Sept. 18-24

The Athlete of the Week nominees for Sept. 18-24. Voting closes at… Continue reading

Prep roundup for Tuesday, Sept. 26

Prep roundup for Tuesday, Sept. 26: (Note for coaches/scorekeepers: To report results… Continue reading

The 1987 Cascade boys soccer team poses for a photo in front of the Space Needle in Seattle. (County Sports Hall of Fame photo)
County Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2023 bio: 1987 Cascade boys soccer

The 1987 Cascade boys soccer team won the AAA title and kicked off a run of five straight appearances in the state title game.

Arlington’s Caleb Reed is thrown into the air by lineman Dylan Scott after scoring a touchdown against Ferndale on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023, at Arlington High School in Arlington, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Prep football power rankings after Week 4

Here are our top 8 local teams after all the action from Friday and Saturday.

Monroe’s Mason Davis (1) celebrates with Trent Bublitz (11) after Bublitz’s touchdown reception against Edmonds-Woodway on Friday, Oct. 14, 2022, at Edmonds School District Stadium in Edmonds, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Reader poll: Make your picks for Week 5 prep football games

Do you think you can beat the experts in our weekly high… Continue reading

Mike Thomas (6) owner of the Everett Royals, shares a laugh after practice at Archbishop Murphy High School on February 2, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Everett’s new arena football team announces owners, coach

The franchise had been shrouded in mystery since the league announced it was relaunching in April.

Most Read