49ers Blog and Q&A

A: This was by far the No. 1 question of the afternoon, and there seems to be a fair amount of uncertainty/guilt/trepidation among the Faithful, who wonder: If I root for the 49ers to make the playoffs, am I also encouraging another season with Singletary at the helm? My take on the matter is that if the 49ers made the postseason and then did some serious damage in the playoffs, those of you who want to see Singletary ousted might have cause for concern. Of course, if the 49ers do well in the postseason, many of the Singletary detractors might become converts. That is, the perspective at that point will be far different than it is now.

But we're getting waaaaaaay ahead of ourselves. At this point, the 49ers are a long shot to win the division, and the best they can finish is 8-8. Strong, or at least solid, finishes have become a 49ers trademark in recent seasons. Mike Nolan did it in 2006 and 2007. Singletary went 3-1 in 2008 and 2009. But those rallies, in my opinion, only helped mask the stench of the season and provided false hope for the year ahead. The 49ers have been a bad version of "Groundhog Day" for the last five years. The only difference this year is that their normal mediocrity - 7-9 or 8-8 - might be enough to win a crappy division. I don't think Jed York will be deceived. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me five times ...

A: I believe the 49ers personnel is good enough to attract the top coaching candidates this offseason. On top of that, I think it's versatile enough to be attractive to coaches who want to run a power-based attack (Harbaugh) or a West Coast offense (Gruden, Shurmur). Offensive linemen like Mike Iupati, Anthony Davis and David Baas are all big, but they also move very well. The receiving group - which includes Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker - should be attractive to anyone. Even Frank Gore, a power guy's dream, has shown he can run out of the shotgun. (And Gore, it should be noted, will be playing in the final year of his contract).

One concern might be continuity. If a West Coast guy gets the job and starts practicing late in the offseason (due to collective-bargaining drama) he would likely get off to a slower start than a power-based guy.

A: Palmer certainly should be part of the discussion if he is available, but I'm betting his former college coach, Pete Carroll, might be tempted in Seattle. Where will Alex Smith land? I think he'll be very smart in choosing his next spot. He'll want both a chance to start and a sound and stable team, which rules out the Raiders. Shot-in-the-dark guess: Arizona or Seattle. (I'd put Miami at the top of the heap if Nolan was not there).

A: Hey, if the 49ers bring in a West Coast head coach and the Seahawks grab Palmer, it makes sense ...

A: They would host - host!! - the top wildcard team, which right now is the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints.

A: Reed is doing a great job of showing the league that he still belongs in the show. However, I think the 49ers will remain loyal to Nedney, who is signed through 2011, (but is due to make $1.87 million, according to players' association data).

A: Doris, send this man a Bee T-shirt pronto!

-- Matt Barrows