Interim coach Mike Singletary had an eventual first game as interim head coach in the 49ers’ 34-13 loss to the Seahawks at Candlestick.
Singletary had a blistering media session that I’m sure will live on for a quite a while in video archives.
He benched the quarterback that offensive coordinator Mike Martz had been saying was doing an outstanding job. (In fact, Martz acted like the media were a bunch of buffoons for even asking the question last week.)
Singletary benched tight end Vernon Davis and then banished him to the locker room. After the game when Davis wanted to speak with Singletary, the coach told him, “No, you don’t want to talk to me.”
After it was all over, Singletary apologized to the players. He also apologized in his opening comments to the media.
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Singletary tore into Davis in his postgame remarks.
“It was something I told everybody at the very beginning of the week,” Singletary said, his voice growing louder and louder. “I will not tolerate players that think it’s about them when it’s about the team. And we cannot make decisions that cost the team, and then come off the sideline non-chalant. No. You know what? This is what I believe. I’m from the old school. I believe I’d rather play with 10 people and get penalized all the way until we have to do something else, rather than playing 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 who want to win.”
Did you kick him off the field and go to the locker room?
“I told him he’d do a better job for us right now by taking a shower and coming back and watching the game than going back in the game,” Singletary said. “Simple as that.”
When asked if Davis would be the 49ers’ starting TE in two weeks, Singletary said, “We got to think about that.”
Davis was not available for comment after the game.
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And when asked who is starting quarterback will be, Singletary said, “We got to think about that, too.”
Singletary said it was his decision to bench J.T. O’Sullivan after his interception late in the second quarter was returned 75 yards for a touchdown. When asked if he got resistance from Martz, Singletary said he thought Martz knew him well enough from going through this past week that there was no need arguing.
Singletary said he’ll revisit who starts for the 49ers in a couple weeks when the team returns after the bye week. “I think right now, Shaun Hill, today in that situation gives us a better chance of winning,” Singletary said.
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INJURY REPORT: TE Delanie Walker (elbow sprain) is scheduled to undergo an MRI examination on Monday. T Barry Sims (ankle), RS Allen Rossum (hamstring) and WR Arnaz Battle (foot) all have sprains. They were listed as questionable on the preliminary injury report.
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