Despite Alex Smith’s fiasco with the press instead of keeping it in-house, he is at the point of no return. He knows that. That’s past chemistry between Smith and Nolan. What I am stressing here is team chemistry in 2008. Nolan in his socks and dapper tie is not in the trenches when the referee whistles play. It will be the best 11 players that Nolan chooses to start, including the starting quarterback.

Martz definitely will not depend on Alex Smith. Martz will play the best quarterback, Smith or not. How about shooting from the shotgun with Smith and Wesson? It will be ultimately Martz’s offensive scheme that will utilize the talented wide receiver corps, not Smith’s chemistry with the team or with Nolan. Nolan will go with the best 11 players that operate with the special team chemistry, that is present.

If we move forward from the past into a new quest for the championship, let’s uncork the champagne bottles and spray!

If Smith survives in the trenches, he will be entrenched with champagne.

I think people asking of Martz could replace Nolan at the end of the season have a VERY valid question. Nolan’s contract is up at the end of the season, and if I remember reading correctly, the 49ers have never went into the final season of a head coach’s contract. What does this mean? Either the 49ers will ask Nolan to step down, or they will extend his contract.

Naturally, which way the team goes will mostly depend on what goes on throughout the season. If the team wins, and Nolan doesn’t make a lot of the same mistakes he’s made in the past (i.e. the Alex Smith “fiasco” or game management type issues), then he will more than likely be back. However, the 49ers will have to ask themselves this question: which is more difficult to obtain, a solid defensive coordinator that will stick, or a solid offensive coordinator that will stick? The past four years (and one could argue to include the few before that) are living proof that it is VERY difficult to find a competent offensive coordinator who will stick with a team.

As DesertFox points out in his comment above, Nolan’s reputation, along with the overall success of the team, rides on Alex Smith. Alex Smith’s success will depend on Mike Martz, primarily. So if the 49ers succeed this season, a great deal of it would be attributed to the ONE offensive coordinator who got Smith’s train rolling. If Martz threatens to leave (for a head coaching job), do the 49ers let him go and just extend Nolan? Or do they feel like he’s more important than Nolan?

Don’t get me wrong, Nolan’s done a VERY commendable job in improving the overall structure AND talent of this team, but sometimes you have to draw the line. Marty Schottenheimer was fired not because he couldn’t win, but because he couldn’t take his team to the next level. If the 49ers get to the next level this year, it’ll be (primarily) because of Mike Martz, so it IS a very valid question of whether or not the 49ers would choose him over Nolan.

Does anyone else see it this way, or is it just me? I just really think that with a successful campaign, the 49ers will actually consider choosing Martz over Nolan. Will that actually happen? That’s left to be seen, but it is VERY possible.

Despite Nolan’s track record as a head coach, losing more games than winning, and going through 4 different offensive coordinators as of late, Nolan fosters close relationships within the team clubhouse and promotes team chemistry which is more than we can ask of Nolan to do.

It is up to the players to execute.

As for game management, Nolan just started head coaching several years ago. He is a defense coach which is his speciality.

Lastly, keep in mind that it may take Nolan and Martz to mesh together in staffing and to get things rolling, because of the new offensive scheme, or rather, a more elaborate and complex offensive scheme that all the players have to learn.

I’d give the 49ers two years to achieve our goals and dreams.

Two years max. That is reality, and a run to the playoffs or a championship this year will be the icing on the cake.

Just don’t catch yourself putting a finger to the frosting and licking it. Wait until the champagne bottle uncorks, 49er fans. Be patient.

...but aren’t we a little late for April Fool’s Day?

I would like to ask a question, what do you guys think Nolan accomplished during his now-present tenure as the Niner’s head coach? Do you think good players were brought in and signed, and did we have good drafts? Never mind Alex Smith, he has not really proved anything yet, but who do you have in mind that made Nolan successful? I’d like your thoughts about the Mike Nolan era. Don’t tell me about his suit and ties, or the trend that is starting among the head coaches in the NFL. Was Nolan dead-on the right track by hiring Martz? Never mind Hostler, last year’s offensive coordinator. I don’t want to think about that.

I do have thoughts about Mike Singletary, the assistant head coach succeeding Nolan several years down the road, and have Martz stay on as offensive coordinator. That’s my ideal scenario later on..

I have seen Singletary coach in person, and whoa he has so much energy while coaching his players, he’d make a fine head coach.

But now is the Mike Nolan era, and never mind the public relations fiasco with Alex Smith or the on-field management, what does Nolan represent? That’s what I’d like to hear from you folks.

My assessment? He brought in a solid group of players, and did well with the drafts, and fostered an exceptional locker room atmosphere, he has a great vision for the 49ers..never mind the miscues regarding the communication breakdown with Alex Smith, that was going to happen anyway, under the duress of seeing a no. 1 draft pick get a separated shoulder during a third offensive coordinator change, amidst gripes about the shoulder rehabilitation process. Free speech in the press prevailed over the censorship or in-house communication. If I was Nolan, I would have said to Smith, “Shut up and get with the program.” Smith has shut up and now he speaks very positively and he is excited to have the keys to the Maserati Nolan gave him in driving Martz’s offense.

The question is who will snatch the keys from Smith and what does the Nolan era represent?

Not the one who knows the playbook the best, but the one who is the best playmaker, one who can go 120 mph in a Maserati, will get the starting quarterback job and the Nolan era represents a wardrobe filled with tailored suits and ties with the 49ers logo, and a much improved damage control tactic from the Alex Smith syndrome.

Mike Nolan is a really good coach. We will know by January, for sure.

I lost a lot of respect for Nolan the last couple of years.

Many of his decisions have been suspect, IMO.

I like the idea he’s a hard nosed, don’t mess with me coach. Sent a few players packing, to “set the tone” so to speak, some a business decision, some seemed to be a “personal” decision. I’m ok with that.
Not so sure he handled Smith correctly from the get go. When Nolan decided to out Rattay, and insert Smith as starter for second half of a year that was already shot, that was a mistake. At the time our O line was not only one of the worst in the NFL, but it was a revolving chair O line because of non-stop injuries. Seems each week we had a new lineup, sometimes it changed during the game.
Should have kept Rattay as starter, and put Smith in selectively.
Yeah, there is nothing like experience, but getting experience behind a porous O line, running for your life, getting slammed into the turf isn’t ideal. Needed the reps, didn’t need to be shoved in as permanent starter.
Onward to last year.
Yes, Nolan threw Smith under the bus. There is NO WAY Smith was ready to go back in. Yes, Niners were struggling with backups in, Nolan was probably viewing a pink slip if the team didn’t turn it around, and rushed Smith back in.
Smith didn’t just look in pain as he was throwing, but he was literally bouncing balls off the turf, sometimes yards in front of the receiver, something Smith has NEVER done. His missed balls would sail, not dive. Still Nolan left him in. To Smith’s credit, all he said was ‘lots of players play hurt. It’s not a big deal”, even though it was obvious it was.

When Julian Petersen made the comment that it was obvious to everyone that Smith couldn’t use full motion, and was in pain, and shouldn’t have been in there, Nolan replied, at the press conference “I didn’t know Petersen was a doctor”.

Classless comment.
Followed by Nolan commenting ‘Smith’s problems throwing the ball are not because of injury.” MAJOR FAUX PAS CLASSLESS COMMENT.

That is throwing your qb under the bus. I’m glad Smith stepped forward and called Nolan out. He should have. He should done exactly what he did. Nolan DIDN”T KEEP IT in house. Nolan ripped Smith in the media. Classless act that warranted a rebuttal.

Lots of other decisions Nolan made that lead me to believe he may end up being of the Mike Martz mode of coaches…stick to your forte’, in this case defense, and forget trying to run the ship. The weekly defending of Hostler didn’t help Nolan. Hostler was so out of his element, and for Nolan to state he was very happy with his OC, and was sticking with his OC meant he makes personal decisions in lieu of business decisions.

Nolan still hasn’t grasped the not so fine art of clock management, calling timeouts, or even the right time to go for it on 4th down, which, IMO, has cost us games, or the chance to win them.

If Nolan goes at the end of the season, I don’t see that hurting the Niners.

The question will be, will the front office stay intact if Nolan gets fired? It’s important for the front office to stay intact. Nolan, as I agree with sfgfan, brought to the 49ers a front office that knows football. I rather just give Nolan the benefit of the doubt and see where the 49ers go in 2008. My conclusion is that Nolan is a great coach, given the miscues with the Nolan/Smith debacle with the media, and certain aspects of game management, if we lose him, we have to replace Nolan with a coach that can continue the 49er’s tradition, without bringing in some other inept coach. Nolan has done a lot of things for the 49ers, it is up to the best 11 players to give the Nolan era something to show for. It’s not Nolan that will be taking the field, he will take the sidelines. I want to see Nolan achieve his goals for the 49ers, don’t we?

If we are diehard 49er fans we need to back up the head coach and his players. And Nolan won’t be departing anytime soon as long the Maserati stays in top mint condition in running the 49ers’ offense.

Nolan is the man right now! If you want to write a column for 2009 speculating who the new coach would be or making bets if we bring in Billick..

If we want a successful year and not put too much mud into Nolan’s name and his thoughts, let him have the full control and see where Nolan takes it.

Then at the end of the year, we can go yak, yak, yak, sure…because you’d have earned the right to, because every man has to prove himself..

I am backing Nolan 100% as he IS the head coach and we are at his mercy of his coaching prowess..

If his ship sinks, then we move on to new things.