TSI Salutes: Mike Singletary «

TSI Salutes: Mike Singletary

In his head coaching debut -- a 34-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks -- San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Singletary set the tone for tenure in San Fran by a) dropping his pants and showing the team his bare ass at halftime as a visual representation that they were getting their butts kicked and b) sending tight end Vernon Davis to the locker room with a little over than 10 minutes left in the game after Davis was penalized 15 yards for slapping Seahawks safety Brian Russell on the helmet after a reception.

In the post-game presser, Singletary dropped this gem:

I would rather play with 10 people and get penalized all the way until we’ve got 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. 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.

Singletary’s message was clear, and one year later, Davis bought into what Singletary was selling so much that prior to the season, he was named of the 49ers team captains.

After a surprising 3-1 start this season, the 49ers were brought back down to earth Sunday against the Falcons, in more ways than one. With the 49ers trailing 35-10, 11-year vet Dre Bly intercepted a Matt Ryan pass and with nothing but green pastures ahead of him, began to high-step ala “Prime” in his prime at his own 20-yard line. Of course, Falcons wideout Roddy White caught his ass, stripped the ball and the Falcons recovered while he could only look on confused and scared because he instantly remembered that this dude was his coach.

One can only imagine the verbal beating Bly took from Singletary, but whatever happened, Bly addressed the media Monday afternoon and apologized profusely for his actions:

“I want to publicly apologize for yesterday. My comments were totally inappropriate. I apologized to coach, I’m not a selfish guy. I didn’t mean to embarrass him if I did, embarrass my team, embarrass the ownership, embarrass the fans. I’m a prideful guy. I like to have fun. I got caught up in the moment and it was wrong.”

Singletary has stated that the entire ordeal is over and that the team is moving on. However, the significance of what is transpiring in San Francisco can’t be ignored. Singletary is not only teaching young punks like Davis the merits of leadership, but grown-ass men like Bly how to be respectful of the game, his teammates, and most importantly, his self.

While Singletary’s actions may have initially seemed like the doings of a former legend turned out-of-touch coach who would be done in by his own stubbornness, he has made the 49ers not only respectable again on the field, he has also instilled a no-nonsense policy in the locker room that is fostering a sense of personal responsibility and pride in playing the game the right way.

For this, we salute you Mike Singletary.

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One Response to “TSI Salutes: Mike Singletary”

RJ says:

October 13, 2009 at 4:02 pm

Dre Bly has been in the NFL for 10 years and I have yet to see major break-away speed from him. With that said…I have no clue why he thought he could showcase Deion-esque swagger from the Falcons 20 yd line. That was good.