After a decade out of the game, Mike Singletary and his wife, Kim, decided the time was right for him to pursue a coaching career. Understandably, he made contact with the Chicago Bears to see if the organization would be interested.
Singletary, a Hall of Fame linebacker with the Bears, called then-Bears coach Dick Jauron as a courtesy.
As he recalled today during his weekly press conference, Singletary told Jauron, “I’m not asking for a job, but I’m telling you this year or in the very near future I will be coaching. (I) don’t know where and don’t know when.”
Jauron responded, “Mike, let me get back to you and see what’s happening here.'”
Said Singletary, “He (Jauron) got back to me (and said) the way things are here, it looks like it’s going to be a tough situation to work out. I said, ‘Fantastic, thank you.'”
And with that, Singletary said it let him know that he was not destined to coach for the Bears.
Singletary began his coaching career as inside linebackers coach with Brian Billick’s Baltimore Ravens in 2003. Jauron’s final season with the Bears was 2003.
The 49ers play the Bears on Thursday, and Singletary said he feels no special emotions facing the team for which he played.
“I’m just excited for the game,” he said. “No emotions outside of the emotions for facing any other team.”
Here’s what else Singletary said at today’s press conference:
–“This is not the most exciting time in the world,” Singletary said of the 49ers’ four-game losing streak.
–“The offensive line, for the most part, did a decent job.”
–“I thought Alex did a good job throwing the football.” Singletary said on Smith’s first interception the ball took an unlucky bounce. On one of the other turnovers on a pass to Josh Morgan, he said the defender got there a little early and Morgan could have come back to the ball.
–Singletary said he thought there was one interception that was “on” Smith. He said Smith misread the defense, thinking it was a cover-4. “And the guy made a nice play.”
–He called it “one of the better offensive performances since I’ve been here” – other than the turnovers.
–Singletary was asked if Smith’s locking onto a receiver with his eyes was an issue on the interceptions. “I really don’t think so,” Singletary said.
–Is this the end of the line for veteran receiver Isaac Bruce?
Singletary was asked if it makes sense to continue to play Bruce or try to build with the young receivers. “I think it makes sense for us to get together as a staff and figure out the best thing we need to do, going forward,” Singletary said. “We’ll do that this week. We’ll do that today.
“I think right now we have to meet as a staff and really look at our receiver situation. It’s a good situation. We have to figure out the right combination.”
–Defensively, Singletary said, the 49ers “didn’t do a good job of getting off blocks yesterday,”
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The 49ers ran 38 of their 69 offensive plays from the shotgun formation. Half of those plays (19) were in two-minute situations at the end of the halves.
In non-2-minute settings, the 49ers attempted eight run plays and 10 pass plays out of the shotgun.
Frank Gore ran the ball 7 times for 41 yards in the shotgun, while Glen Coffee had one rush for 4 yards, and Alex Smith picked up 3 yards on a scramble.
Overall, Alex Smith was 17 of 28 for 155 yards with two touchdowns, two interceptions and a sack in the shotgun. That includes the stats he compiled in the 2-minute drill when he completed 12 of 18 for 115 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
Singletary said there’s not much illusion to any run plays in the shotgun because there is no fullback.
“I think we just have to see how much of the shotgun look we’ll keep going forward,” Singletary said.
“I like the things that work. I don’t get into a ‘look’ or whatever. I look at, How does it fit with our personnel? It’s something that we have the tools to do.”
Singletary added that the 49ers might want to add more to their shotgun attack and cut back on “some of the other things we’re doing.”
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Rookie running back Glen Coffee will not be available for Thursday’s game against the Bears with a concussion he sustained while blocking on a fourth-quarter kickoff. Safety Michael Lewis is day to day with a left quadriceps strain. Singletary said tight end Delanie Walker is also day to day with a left knee sprain.
There were no further injury updates from Sunday’s game, though Singletary said receiver Isaac Bruce has been bothered by an ankle injury. He was not listed on the injury report.
Here’s the remainder of the injury report from the game: G David Baas (right shoulder stinger), CB Tarell Brown left ribs contusion), TE Vernon Davis (left shoulder contusion), RB Frank Gore (right eye contusion), RB Michael Robinson (right shoulder stinger), and S Curtis Taylor (right shin contusion).
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