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San Francisco 49ers interim head coach Mike Singletary couldn’t have scripted this Week 17 season finale any better. Moments after his team beat the Washington Redskins 27-24 this afternoon, he signed a four-year, $10 million contract to continue as full-time head coach of the Niners. The ink is still drying as I type this. Kicker Joe Nedney, who won the game with a 40-yard field goal as time expired, was one of many players happy with the not-so-surprising announcement:
“He’s honest, intense and forthright. You have to have those qualities to bring together the chemistry of …read more

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast
It appears San Francisco 49ers interim head coach Mike Singletary will be named the team’s full-time head coach for 2009. And that announcement could come as soon as Monday, a day after the Niners’ season finale against the Washington Redskins. Coach Singletary impressed team officials during a meeting a couple days ago by outlining his game plan for the 49ers’ offensive and defensive future. Thus, it would seem that defensive coordinator Greg Manusky would stay and offensive coordinator Mike Martz (whose pass happy philosophy clashes with coach Singletary’s) would not. The 49ers can’t sign coach …read more

Image details: Arizona Cardinals v San Francisco 49ers served by picapp.com
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In offensive coordinator Mike Martz’s new San Francisco scheme, running back Frank Gore will serve the same type of role that Marshall Faulk played with the St. Louis Rams when Coach Martz was spearheading “The Greatest Show on Turf” to Super Bowls XXXIV and XXXVI:
“I think Marshall’s Marshall, Frank is Frank ….. But, there are things that we’ll play to that are really strengths of his. He’s got that speed and explosiveness. He does it all. He’s a physical guy that you can …read more

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This offseason in San Francisco has offered a lot of hope for 49ers fans, but a big question mark remains at the quarterback position where Alex Smith, Shaun Hill and J.T. O’Sullivan are battling for the starting spot. With OTAs and minicamps complete, it looks like Alex is finally proving why the Niners took him #1 overall in the 2005 NFL Draft. Head coach Mike Nolan said:
“(I’m seeing Alex) do things that I haven’t seen him do before, in practice or in games. Alex is very athletic. He probably has the strongest arm …read more

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In Arizona, wide receiver Bryant Johnson was the team’s third option behind Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. In free agency, he was seeking to become any other team’s second receiver. And he accomplished just that today by signing a one-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers where he’ll most likely start opposite Isaac Bruce. Add do-it-all RB (and leading receiver) Frank Gore plus receivers Darrell Jackson, Ashley Lelie and Arnaz Battle to the mix, and the 49ers have a ton of offensive potential. Of course, the key word here is potential. Darrell …read more

Photo courtesy EAS.com
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Vernon Davis is covered with tattoos and muscle. He looks like a professional bodybuilder. So he fit right in at the site of our interview, the 2008 Arnold Sports Festival Expo. With his shirt off at 6′3″ and 252 pounds, it’s pretty obvious he’s carrying single digit bodyfat. That’s why Under Armour has him wrapped in chains dragging heavy tires around in their commercials. He looks like some kind of sculpture.
Vernon also plays football for the San Francisco 49ers, owners of a colossally disappointing 5-11 record last season after being hyped …read more

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The Detroit Lions fired offensive coordinator Mike Martz on Wednesday. Today, I get a press release from the Lions saying O-line coach Jim Colletto had been promoted to the OC position replacing Coach Martz who “will not be returning to the team.” That’s a nice way of announcing someone was fired.
Coach Martz was supposed to bring his offensive genius to Detroit, the same one that pioneered the St. Louis Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf” teams. And with all-world rookie receiver Calvin Johnson being added as the final piece of the puzzle, the Lions’ …read more

Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Mike Martz said it was a “dream come true” when the team selected Georgia Tech wide receiver Calvin Johnson with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. The Lions’ fans at Ford Field on draft day felt the same way as they let out a loud roar of approval when Commissioner Goodell announced the team’s pick in New York. Much-maligned Lions President and CEO Matt Millen said:
“We couldn’t be more excited to get Calvin Johnson. Our organization felt really comfortable to draft not only what we thought was the top player in the …read more