San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Mike Singletary
9-8-10
(On if he knows Pete Carroll at all) “Yes, I do. I met with him…he was nice enough to allow
me to come to USC a couple years and spend some time with him.”
(On when that was) “Oh, it was while I was coaching in the NFL.”
(On what the purpose of the visit was, if he was considering coaching in college) “It was a
possibility. And I thought that there was no one better to talk to than Pete Carroll. And he had a
tremendous program there. Just built an outstanding organization there and so I felt that if I could
have the opportunity to spend some time with him, that if I did indeed coach in college, then that
would certainly help, any information that I could get from him.”
(On how he reads Pete Carroll’s team up in Seattle) “I think that they have a lot going on in
terms of the personnel changes and what have you, but I just think that it’s very important for us
that we don’t get caught up in the changes, that we just make sure we continue to be consistent
here and do the best that we can to matchup correctly and play the best that we can play.”
(On what maintaining some stability from last season, relative to the other teams in the
NFC West, means to this season) “Well, I think you know as well as I do anytime you have
good people and you can continue to keep good people and good players, it makes all the
difference in the world.”
(On how he manages the expectations of being division favorites) “I think the only thing that
I want our team to focus on…it’s not about the expectations, it’s not about all of the writers and
everything else, I think it’s just very important to us that the only expectation we should have is
to go out every day and to earn the right to be the best that we can be. And that’s really the only
expectation that I have and I think everything else will fall in place.”
(On if he feels he got away from the run game in the last game vs. Seattle) “Well, there were
a lot of things that happened that day. Frank Gore was a part of it. But there were too many other
outside factors that came in to last year’s game. They did a good job, they made plays, and we
didn’t. And in the final analysis that’s what it came down to.”
(On how important it is for Alex Smith to have consistency with his offensive coordinator
for the first time in his tenure) “Well, when you look at the quarterbacks around the league,
and you look at the successful ones, the one word, the common denominator that they share is
consistency. And I think for any quarterback, whoever he is, I don’t care how great of an arm he
has, how smart he is, or whatever, if there’s not going to be consistency around him to create the
timing and those things then it’s going to be very difficult for him to be successful.”
(On what the greatest difficulty was for him to get the team to ‘buy in’ when he took over
as head coach) “I really don’t know, as far as the ‘buy in’ is concerned. You’re always fighting
to help your guys understand how important it is to go out each and every day and pay the price
to be a good football team, or a great football team. And what was the most difficult thing?
Probably working through some of the setbacks and things that have kept this organization from
being a good organization for a long time.”
(On what he said to Vernon Davis after the Davis/Crabtree mishap) “Everything we do has
to do with respect. I think it’s very important that we treat each other the way we want to be
treated. And that was really the bottom line.”
(On if they will have the same sort of run/pass differential that they had last year) “I just
think we’re going to do whatever we have to do to win the football game. It doesn’t matter if we
run, doesn’t matter if we pass, if we feel that that’s the thing that we have to do to win then that’s
what we’re going to do.”
(On Taylor Mays) “He’s a work in progress. He continues to work hard, very thankful that we
have him. He’s been a blessing, he’s a guy that studies really hard and works really hard and has
really taken to the coaching and just really has done everything that we have asked him to do. So
he just continues to get better.”
(On if the predictions of the 49ers to win the division feel good and make it seem as though
they are heading in the right direction) “Well, I just think that it’s interesting when writers get
together and begin to write. I just think it’s important for our team to really focus on what’s
important, the things that we have to get better at. In terms of the division and people saying that
we are the favorite or whatever that is, I think that it’s just as important that we continue to not
get involved and not get involved in what people are saying. It’s important what we do. And
that’s really the only thing that matters.”
(On why he feels it’s important not to get wrapped up in predictions) “Well, if we had got
wrapped up in it before we really would have been a bad team last year. And I think that, you
know they said we’d be horrible. And I just think that we weren’t great, but we continued to fight
and scratch and kick and ended up pretty decent. Even though decent wasn’t the thing that we
were aiming for. I just think it’s very important for us to set our own expectations and set our
own goals and make sure that each and every day that we go out and earn the right to talk about
greatness, earn the right about being a great football team and a great football organization. And
let everybody else do the talking. We just need to do the working.”
(On how much he stresses just being ‘physically tough’) “Well, being physically tough is
important. But you have to have talent as well. And I think it’s important that you have a good
blend, that you don’t ever sacrifice the character of your football team. I think it’s really
important that you have boundaries set, in terms of what you have on your team, to go out and
win. It’s going to be for us, you know fighting, scratching, kicking, everything we have to do to
get wins. We just have to be aware of some of the setbacks and make sure that our guys respond
appropriately.”
(On Michael Robinson) “Well, I can’t tell you anything that you don’t already know if you’ve
had a chance to talk with him. He’s one of the classiest individuals you’re ever going to meet. To
me he exemplifies everything that you want on a great football team; his attitude is superb. But
he’s a guy that I felt that with our football going forward, we just felt that it was better to move
in the direction that we move, simply because we could not find a way to get him on the field
more on the offensive side of the ball. So for us, Mike (Michael Robinson) is a tremendous loss.
And I explained that to him. (I) love Mike, he’s somebody that you always want around you,
quality people like him.”