Singletary stays cool after blowup with TE Davis
By GREG BEACHAM, AP Sports Writer
13 hours, 31 minutes ago

Buzz Up PrintRelated Video Titans-Colts showdown Titans-Colts showdown


NFC East still top division?

Rewind: Fantasy Football Live
More NFL Videos SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP)â€"Mike Singletary realizes a public apology for his teamâ€^TMs poor play and his postgame trashing of tight end Vernon Davis were the most memorable highlights of the San Francisco 49ersâ€^TM sorry season.

Just donâ€^TMt expect the interim coachâ€^TMs next postgame news conference to be as entertaining as his animated debut.

â€oeMaybe Iâ€^TMll drink a little more water,” Singletary said Monday. â€oeMaybe Iâ€^TMll breathe a little bit.”

After a day to cool down from the 49ersâ€^TM 34-13 loss to Seattle, Singletary was ready to have a calm discussion with Davis, whose reaction to a personal-foul penalty drove Singletary to banish the tight end from the field.

â€oeVernon is not a problem guy,” Singletary said. â€oeVernon just forgets sometimes that the team is more important.”

Singletary also made a bold move late Monday, naming Shaun Hill his starting quarterback for the Ninersâ€^TM next game at Arizona on Nov. 10. The new coach benched struggling starter J.T. Oâ€^TMSullivan shortly before halftime Sunday in favor of Hill, who will have two full weeks to prepare for his third career start.

ADVERTISEMENT


But Singletary wonâ€^TMt attack San Franciscoâ€^TMs myriad problems by changing his style, which got wide public attention Sunday for the first time since the Hall of Fame linebacker retired after the 1992 season.

Thatâ€^TMs good news for 49ers fans who thought Singletaryâ€^TMs frank, creative assessments of the 49ersâ€^TM shortcomings were a welcome change for a franchise thatâ€^TMs been among the NFLâ€^TMs dullest outposts for the last half-decade under Dennis Erickson and Mike Nolan.

â€oeI donâ€^TMt talk a whole lot, but when I am talking, I do know what I feel, and I do know what I want to say,” Singletary said. â€oeI donâ€^TMt ever want to come in there and be a philosopher, an analytical (person). Thatâ€^TMs not who I am. What you see now is what I am, and thatâ€^TMs not going to change any time soon.”

While his predecessor usually wore expensive dress shirts and tailored pants to his Monday television appearances, Singletary showed up in khaki cargo pants and a T-shirt, looking less like a hedge fund manager and more like a drill sergeant on his day off.

Although fans still donâ€^TMt know whether Nolanâ€^TMs coaching protege can fix the 49ers (2-6) on the field, compliments for Singletaryâ€^TMs passion and straightforward style poured in from talk radio, the blogosphere and even the Candlestick Park fans who got Singletaryâ€^TMs firsthand apology after the game.

Singletary wonâ€^TMt lose the fervor that made him a well-paid motivational speaker before he got into coaching, but he hopes his team will give him much less reason to be furious when they return from their bye week.

He got an early jump on fixing those problems by yanking Oâ€^TMSullivan, who has thrown 11 interceptions and fumbled 11 times in his 7 1/2 games as the 49ersâ€^TM starter. His familiarity with Martzâ€^TMs offense didnâ€^TMt trump Hillâ€^TMs steady ball security and game management any longer.

â€oeWhen you look at J.T.â€^TMs capabilities and the arm strength and all of those things, youâ€^TMd say, â€^~Hey, maybe that guy gives us the best chance to win,”â€^TM Singletary said. â€oeBut if you look around the league, there are guys that are very talented, very smart … but they canâ€^TMt play quarterback. J.T. has done a good job. Heâ€^TMs just been inconsistent.”

Singletary hasnâ€^TMt decided whether Davis will be back in his starting lineup after their sideline blowup. Davis got a questionable personal-foul penalty for tapping Seattleâ€^TMs Brian Russell on the facemask after a third-quarter catch, but Singletary got really steamed after Davis feigned indifference at Singletary when he was yanked off the field.


New San Francisco 49ers head c…

AP - Oct 21, 4:45 pm EDT
â€oeHeâ€^TMs not the kind of guy that is a distraction on the team,” Singletary added. â€oe(Sunday) was somewhat of a distraction, but everybody knows Vernon. They know full well who Vernon is, and I did what I had to do so that he wouldnâ€^TMt be so much of a distraction.”

Davis is a well-known hothead who frequently gets into scraps with teammates during practice, yet heâ€^TMs usually calm and repentant the moment he removes his helmet. Singletary didnâ€^TMt care, ordering Davis to sit on the bench and then sending him to the showers at the next timeout.

â€oeI didnâ€^TMt expect him to come at me the way he did,” Davis said Monday. â€oeI guess thatâ€^TMs his way of coaching.”

Davis and Singletary finally had a talk Monday afternoon, although Davis said he mostly listened. Davis said he also didnâ€^TMt talk back on the field to Singletary, who suggested Davis wasnâ€^TMt a team player during his news conference.

â€oeI know that Iâ€^TMm a team guy,” Davis said. â€oeI asked him about the comment he made. He basically said he didnâ€^TMt mean that. … Iâ€^TMd never do anything to hurt my teammates or put them in trouble. Itâ€^TMs about the team, and when youâ€^TMre playing this game, weâ€^TMve really got to lean on each other.”

Singletary knows Davis possesses a measure of passion the Niners coach showed during his playing days with the Chicago Bears, but without the mental awareness that made Singletary among the best to ever play his position.

â€oeVernon is not a guy who doesnâ€^TMt come to practice,” Singletary said. â€oeYou have to tell Vernon, â€^~Thatâ€^TMs enough. Donâ€^TMt hurt the guy. Thatâ€^TMs your teammate.â€^TM He works his tail off. You donâ€^TMt have a problem with Vernon that way. What you have a problem with is with some of the decisions he makes at crucial times.”

• http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-49ers-singletary&prov=ap&type=lgns

AOR

"If the Bucaneers are the Bucs and the Jaguars are the Jags, what are the Titans?"