49ers Lose to Giants, 29-17, Fire Head Coach Mike Nolan

As predicted, the ax dropped on head coach Mike Nolan and his career with the 49ers. On Monday, after losing to the Giants on Sunday, 29-17, San Francisco decided to part ways with Nolan. Assistant Mike Singletary takes over as head coach. Apparently, the decision had been made to fire Nolan after next week’s home game against Seattle. Supposedly, Nolan got wind of this plan and approached ownership. Now Nolan is gone, which might make a bit of difference in the interim, but reflects poorly on a lost franchise, which has fired yet another coach and can’t be counted on to find the right one.

Even though both Bay Area and national media outlets have reported the firing of Nolan, as of Monday night, the 49ers had yet to make an official announcement, which points to incompetence and a lack of leadership. Instead of controlling the flow of information, they’ve let speculation take over.

Whether the 49ers intended to fire Nolan today or next week, his time in San Francisco had expired, especially after the loss to the Giants. The 49ers (2-5) lost their fourth-straight in familiar fashion—turnovers, penalties and undisciplined play. With Nolan gone, maybe it’s time for quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan to go too.

O’Sullivan, the team’s turnover machine, threw for 256 yards, but had two interceptions and four fumbles. It’s the same story each week for O’Sullivan, for every great throw, he makes three bad ones. As a whole, the 49ers can’t maintain any sort of momentum throughout a game because they constantly derail themselves with interceptions, fumbles, penalties and defensive breakdowns. Maybe it’s a lack of talent, discipline or the intangible quality good teams have. Whatever the case might be, Nolan’s exit means all the scrutiny will now fall upon the players.

Even with the Giants not at their best, the 49ers played poorly, especially on offense. Running back Frank Gore only had 11 carries for 11 yards and the team’s offensive line allowed O’Sullivan to be sacked six times. Three of O’Sullivan’s fumbles came on strips, while the fourth was a botched handoff to Gore. O’Sullivan still can’t feel the pressure around him and continually throws into double coverage, failing to see opposing defenders in the area. It doesn’t help that the team’s offensive line gives O’Sullivan little time in the pocket.

> Find San Francisco 49ers jerseys & hats online through Pro Football Fans and check the 2008 NFL scoreboard as well!

Down 24-17 heading into the fourth quarter, the 49ers remained in the game, but gave up a field goal and a safety, which sealed the win for New York. Losing most of the game, the 49ers passed frequently, which made Gore irrelevant. For a team with few offensive stars, the team continues to ignore Gore and not build a game-plan around him. With a shaky quarterback and offensive line that run blocks better than it pass blocks, Mike Martz continues to throw, which just confirms he’s one of the most overrated coordinators in the league.

Singletary as head coach doesn’t necessary mean anything, but the removal of the air of negativity, which had surrounded Nolan for the past few years. Without any head coaching experience, it’s hard to tell how Singletary will impact the team, besides providing a fresh voice. Hopefully, he’ll revert back to football basics—a conservative run-oriented offense and tough defense. No matter what Martz thinks, he can’t win by tossing the ball around and counting heavily on O’Sullivan, the 49ers receivers and the team’s porous offensive line.

However this pans out, whether Singletary is the answer or not, the 49ers find themselves stuck once again—too many questions and not enough good answers.

By Jim Bucci
ProFootball-fans.com San Francisco 49ers Correspondent