NFL NEWS
Singletary Did Every Coach A Favor
Published by MoonDog on October 26, 2008
San Francisco’s Mike Singletary did more than make his mark during his debut as the 49ers head coach on Sunday. Whether he realizes it or not, every coach, regardless of sport, owes Singletary a debt of gratitude.
San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Mike Singletary
During the 49ers-Seahawks game in San Francisco, tight end Vernon Davis was called for an unnecessary roughness penalty for slapping a Seahawks defender’s head after a tackle on a 7-yard reception in the third quarter.
Davis tried to avoid Singletary as he ran off the field but the new coach got in his grill, reading Davis the riot act and sending him to the bench.
It didn’t end there, with Singletary walking over to Davis with 10:41 left in the game and telling him to go into the locker room. As Davis left the field, he waved his helmet towards the fans at Candlestick Park.
“I told him that he would do a better job for us right now taking a shower and coming back and watching the game than going out on the field,” Singletary said after the game. “Simple as that.”
Singletary said he was upset by what he considered a nonchalant attitude by Davis, who did not seem to understand why his coach was so upset.
“I’d rather play with 10 people and just get penalized all the way until we have to do something else rather than play with 11 when I know that right now that person is not sold out to be a part of this team,” Singletary said.
“It is more about them than it is about the team. Cannot play with them, cannot win with them, cannot coach with them. Can’t do it. I want winners. I want people that want to win.”
I applaud Singletary’s decision and frankly I’d like to see more coaches stop tolerating prima donna-like behavior from players.
I realize Davis is an emotional player, and I admire that. This is football, a game meant to be played with emotion, passion and aggression. But there’s a fine line between playing the game the way it’s meant to be played and committing stupid penalties that hurt the team.
This isn’t the first time Davis has reacted on the field. Former coach Mike Nolan pulled Davis out of a game earlier this year but stopped short of sending him to the locker room.
Davis was chosen with the sixth overall pick by San Francisco in 2006 and was one of the more bally-hooed players in the draft that year. He later signed a deal worth $23 million, with $15 million of that guaranteed.
San Francisco 49ers Tight End Vernon Davis
But he hasn’t lived up to expectations during his first two seasons and has just 16 receptions for 196 yards in eight games this season.
Sunday’s incident reminds me of a Monday night game years ago when Bill Parcells, then the head coach of the New York Giants and quarterback Phil Simms got into an argument on the sidelines.
With millions watching Parcells finally told Simms to shut up and go sit on the bench. Later, as Simms recalled the confrontation, he expressed regret for having yelled at Parcells.
Therein lies the difference between players of yesterday and those of today.
Many “star” players are brought up being told how great they are, with many even having an entourage before they graduate from high school.
Players today are coddled and some are even told their athletic prowess will one day serve as a means to an end.
Many coaches are guilty of fostering this behavior from players at the pee-wee level all the way to the NFL. Not only does it prove to be a disservice to the individual player, it’s a detriment to the entire team.
If ever there was a player who went about his business the right way, it was Singletary. And remember, Singletary played for one of the most volatile coaches in the history of the NFL during his days in Chicago when Mike Ditka lead the Bears.
You can even go back to Singletary’s college days when he played at Baylor for coach Grant Teaff.
To give you an idea of what Teaff was all about, before taking the field against Texas in 1978, he gained notoriety by eating a live worm in the locker room prior to the game, telling his players he would “keep the worm warm.’
Baylor beat the hell out of Longhorns that day, 38-14.
I’d be willing to bet young Mr. Davis didn’t have a clue who he was trifling with Sunday. He found out the hard way that Singletary is old school, taught by tough former coaches on how to play the game the right way.
Essentially, Singletary announced to his team Sunday that he didn’t care about how much money you make or how good a player thinks he is.
He served notice to everyone on the 49ers roster that he’s the boss, players are going to play the game the right way and if they don’t like it, they can sit on the bench for the entire season.
More coaches need to subscribe to Singletary’s way of thinking and get players to understand it’s not about statistics and money, it’s about the team.
The sooner players get their heads wrapped around those facts, the better every sport will be.
I’ll bet the 49ers players have their heads wrapped around it. Now they know Mike Singletary isn’t a man that’s going to tolerate any foolishness.
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NESW Sports Headlines 10/27/2008 | NESW Sports, Sports Videos on Mon, 27th Oct 2008 09:48
[...] I like Singletary a lot < Moondog Sports [...]
CK0712 on Mon, 27th Oct 2008 10:26
Moondoggy, this was without a doubt,the beginning of great things for the niners! great write up!!
swnole on Mon, 27th Oct 2008 15:40
Singletary is definitely the ideal coach for the Niners. We’ll see if they keep him around long enough to really make a difference.
NFL Weekly Blogging Wrap-up | Gunaxin on Tue, 28th Oct 2008 09:41
[...] Singletary did every coach a favor – Moon Dog Sports [...]