PLAYERS SOUND OFF!!!!!!

Players sound off for Singletary

Tom FitzGerald, Chronicle Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 2, 2008

(12-01) 21:23 PST -- Nobody except the York family knows how the 49ers' head-coaching decision is going to be reached. Nobody but the owners know what interim coach Mike Singletary has to do to win the job. If the 49ers beat, say, Miami and St. Louis on the road, would four wins in his nine games be good enough?

Singletary said Monday he hopes the improvement of his team will be enough to convince the Yorks because he doesn't plan to spell out every incremental step the 49ers made on his watch.

"When it's all said and done, I really won't try to make a case," he said. "Hopefully the case is set."

Or will be by that time.

In other words, he hopes the team's improvement will be impossible to miss. "And if it's not there, it's not there. I can't really think about all of the other stuff." Right now, he said, he's concentrating on the New York Jets (8-4), who visit Candlestick Park on Sunday.

"I'm not thinking, 'Let's see now, if I win this one ...' No. I'm thinking about this week. I'm thinking about the Jets. That's it."

Though Singletary isn't about to blow his own horn, some of his players are perfectly willing to man the rhythm section for him. Interim NFL coaches often have the support of the players simply because they've usually had time to bond with each other. That doesn't necessarily help his case with management, or even make him the wisest choice.

Singletary's widespread support in the locker room can't be discounted, especially after the 49ers' 10-3 victory in Buffalo's chilly rain Sunday. The Bills are AFC wild-card contenders and had rung up 54 points a week earlier. They also had a potent offensive player in former Cal running back Marshawn Lynch, even though they strangely kept the ball away from him in the red zone Sunday.

Should the win be considered a major factor in the case for Singletary?

"I think so," quarterback Shaun Hill said, "if you look at all the reasons why we should have lost the game - with the travel, the short week, the weather conditions that we're not used to. Coach Singletary didn't let excuses stay in our minds. That was a huge win for him."

Hill would be expected to give Singletary his blessing because he got to start shortly after Mike Nolan was sacked. Other players, however, didn't seem to have a personal stake in Singletary's welfare.

"I think he should get the job. He's a great coach," said tight end Vernon Davis, whom Singletary booted off the field in his first game as the boss for drawing a dumb penalty and then being blase about it.

When a 10-time Pro Bowler talks, players not only listen, they listen carefully, Davis said. "He's been there, done that. He knows what it takes, and he's very straightforward."

Players who were asked to state the case for Singletary stressed his motivational ability and his unflinching honesty.

"He's going to get you better," running back Frank Gore said. "For one thing, he'll let you know whether you're doing to right thing or not. If you want to be a great player in this league, you need somebody like him over you."

"I would love to play for a guy like Singletary, who's straightforward with you," guard David Baas said. "You're not beating around the bush all the time."

Running back Michael Robinson said he would be disappointed if Singletary wasn't hired. "He's passionate about what he does," he said. "He has a great way of motivating you to play lights-out. I don't know how he does it. There's just something about him."

Cornerback Walt Harris said he'd love to see what Singletary could do with a full offseason and training camp under his belt.

"It takes time for the mentality to soak in, for the players to understand what it takes to win," he said.

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