NFL Betting News – Mike Singletary Fired As Head Coach of 49ers

Dec 27, 2010

Mike Singletary was never the right man for a young team. His brazen attitude, and inability to shield his players from the media – or his own tirades – made for a bad mix when you have young quarterbacks, big player egos and high expectations. His departure from the sidelines in San Francisco isn’t just fitting, it’s long overdue.

Coaches with big personalities and grizzled pedagogies have their place in the NFL, but it takes the right type of team to respond to them. It certainly requires the right type of aggressive coaching. Rex Ryan is typically the biggest coaching personality there is, but his team is stacked with veterans. What Ryan does excessively well is protect Mark Sanchez in the media and on the field. Singletary did quite the opposite.

The trickle down effect for the San Francisco 49ers will lead them to once again be mired in NFL betting purgatory once more. The team is due to target one of the big name quarterbacks in the draft, meaning that Troy Smith and Alex Smith’s times in the Bay area are dwindling down. While Troy Smith seemed to be a gamer, he doesn’t have the arm to make all the throws. Alex Smith’s mental integrity has been smothered by a coaching carousel in San Francisco that has left him with six playbooks to learn in just six years as an NFL quarterback.



Beginning the season as the outright favorite to win the NFC betting South, the Niners saw their slim playoff hopes shattered when they lost to the St. Louis Rams in NFL Week 16 betting. That gave them a woeful record of 5-10 SU and also dropped them to just 6-9 ATS this season. The Niners will finish the season against the Arizona Cardinals as -6.5 home favorites in NFL Week 17 betting picks.

What this means for the long term remains to be seen. Singletary has his place in NFL coaching, but most certainly won’t be a head coach again. He’s simply too overbearing. His fire and tenacity could very well make him a great linebackers coach, and he could eventually worm his way in to being a viable defensive coordinator, but the resume he built in San Francisco isn’t worth a look for most teams, especially with a potential lockout looming.

The Niners also have to deal with the St. Louis Rams who will continue to take steps in the right direction with Sam Bradford asserting himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the league. When the NFL Futures market opens for the 2011 NFL betting season, don’t be surprised to see the Niners in the middle of the pack to win the NFC West, while St. Louis takes its place at the top of the heap.

Talent needs direction. Singletary had the talent on his roster, but he simply guided them to all the wrong places. Rotating quarterbacks, throwing his young stars under the bus and failing to make the Niners the contenders they were supposed to be led to his deserving dismissal. Unfortunately for San Francisco, the inconsistencies on their coaching staff will lead to them dwindling at the tail end of the back in NFL betting for yet another season. That includes this one, and the next.

Source