Mike Singletary and the power/burden of emotion

by Fooch on Oct 14, 2009 7:31 AM PDT in News Comment 27 comments

There are a variety of reasons to enjoy having Mike Singletary as head coach of the 49ers. You might like his take no bull attitude, you might like his motivational nature, or maybe you just love the fact that he does what's right and is settin the style. Generally people seem to like Mike Singletary but one criticism that has come up is his abilities to contain his emotions.

This past Sunday, his emotions got a bit of the best of him when he found himself verbally getting into it with former 49er Harvey Dahl. Initially it was hard to figure out what was going on, but things slowly got out. Tim Kawakami had a column shortly after the game discussing the incident (among other things) and there were some intriguing points made. Normally I don't read Kawakami all that much, but one of the sites I regularly visit, The Big Lead, linked to the post-game column.

In regards to the incident, Singletary said he shouldn't have been jawing with Dahl even in the heat of the moment. Kawakami, however, learned of some interesting additional details:

By the way, Singletary’s players totally had his back on the Dahl incident–Manny Lawson said there were a lot of Falcons’ late-hitting and the 49ers players know that Singletary was standing up for them.

Whatever the case may be, the emotions of Mike Singletary have always been lingering out there. Dating back to his first game as head coach, a big chunk of the spotlight surrounding Samurai Mike has been because of his emotional "outbursts." You can go back to the pants dropping and the post-game press conference. Good or bad, it will likely follow him through his coaching career. Clearly the emotion has been an important aspect of getting this team turned around, or at least working towards getting turned around depending on how you look at it. It's certainly not the only aspect and maybe not even the "key" aspect, but it is certainly a valuable one.

The question becomes will this potentially burn him out? Will it burn the players out? I ask these questions because there were some interesting comments raised in the comments section of the post from The Big Lead I linked to above. Someone actually brought up Ray Rhodes and how fired up he would sometimes get when he was coaching the Eagles. Somebody basically talked about how it wore thin with the players at some point. A later comment in response made the point that "[p]layers won’t lose respect for intensity as long as it’s rational and consistent."

I'm certainly not saying Ray Rhodes and Mike Singletary are cut from the same cloth. Rather, I'm just trying to get a better idea of Coach Singletary from the mental and/or emotional level. None of us interacts with him on a daily basis (or really at all I suppose), so this will certainly be a whole lot of speculation. Nonetheless, I think it's a useful topic to consider.

0 recs | Comment 27 comments | Share

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

Energy has been lacking on this team for years...

Sing brings it back. I think the disruption from the T.O. days never really went away. Our team has been subpar for a while, and the players have known it. I think in that atmosphere, it is easy to start thinking of it as a job. If I do well on my own, I can either get a raise for staying or get traded to a better team. I think the Sing is getting them fired up and wanting to turn the team around. Playing to win. This team has been fired up and Sing seems to be why.

His emotions shouldn’t become a burden unless it turns overly negative toward the players. But with his motivational speaking background, he has experience channeling it in a positive way. I think it is fine until he starts getting ejected from games. Then we will have problems.

by AKinferno on Oct 14, 2009 8:40 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

You take away the emotion, then you might as well take away Singletary. He’s an emotional person.

FIRE BRUCE BOCHY NOW!!!!!!
AND TAKE BRIAN SABEAN WITH HIM!!!!!

by 49er16 on Oct 14, 2009 8:40 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

emotion

But is it possible it affects the way he manages things during the game? Particularly timeout usage?

by Fooch on Oct 14, 2009 9:14 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

He’s been pretty good with his timeouts, except for the 1st half of the Atlanta game.

FIRE BRUCE BOCHY NOW!!!!!!
AND TAKE BRIAN SABEAN WITH HIM!!!!!

by 49er16 on Oct 14, 2009 9:15 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well, he’s now made at least two “gut check” timeouts on the season. I know they’re theoretically useful, but those decisions have nothing to do with clock management and little regard for potential need at the end of a half. It’s a double-edged sword. It’s great if it works and the team comes back from the rah-rah session pumped and playing well. But it’s also a complete waster if they come out a play later and give up 50 yards and a score.

Context, people. More context is good. Less context is bad. If you're willing to be reductive, then you're willing to be wrong.

by howtheyscored on Oct 14, 2009 9:33 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

He likely made a mistake in the Atlanta game

The AZ timeout was due to his defense being tired in the 4th quarter of a road game and needing to get a breath and re-focus. The T.O. on Sunday I would not have called simply because it was an issue of effort not being tired. That said, he knew is team needed a wakeup call and tried his best to give them one. I’m also less critical of first half T.O.s than the 2nd half where they should be guarded like gold, especially if you’re trailing.

I don’t think we’ll see him do that type of T.O. again. It’s important to remember that he has coached 14 games. Emotional or not, there is a learning curve for any new HC and I still say that this season is step one in rebuilding ourselves into a consistent winner.

You gotta bring ass to get ass.

by SpurredOn on Oct 14, 2009 10:12 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

+1 on that.. .

Coach has a learning curve as well.

by WC-Ninerhead on Oct 14, 2009 11:15 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think, and hope, he will.

Sharlon Schoop - de favoriete Nederlandse honkbalspeler van McCovey Chronicles.
You always have to be one step ahead of your drunk friends
--Daisy Owl

by Viliphied on Oct 14, 2009 11:53 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

My dad

calls them “basketball timeouts”, and I think that’s kind of the same line of thinking. I’m surprised more teams don’t use them like that. Sure, situations (like the kickoff return fumble) where having an extra timeout helps a lot, but I have no problem with calling a timeout when the momentum is starting to get away from you before it gets out of hand.

Sharlon Schoop - de favoriete Nederlandse honkbalspeler van McCovey Chronicles.
You always have to be one step ahead of your drunk friends
--Daisy Owl

by Viliphied on Oct 14, 2009 11:53 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I dont think

he’s always like that. There’s a time when emotion can be useful and there’s times that it probably does sound wearing to the players like you mentioned. Singletary has always, from the time he was a player, been very strategic as well as emotional. I think as his “rookieness (if that’s a word)” dominishes, that will too his outbursts. He, along with the team, are growing and maturing together. Experience coupled with chemistry with the guys, IMO, can only make the team stronger. Besides, I don’t think he’s going to let anyone get away with NOT listening to him. He won’t hesitate to bench a guy if they refuse to listen to him. I think that tends to make players scared of loosing their jobs which in turn makes them play harder (equals formula for success)

by Drew K on Oct 14, 2009 11:13 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

is Rhodes a HOF?

he needs to use the TV timeout for the motivation and not hurt the team by taking a time out of his own. the players also need to get in line with this and not cause coach to even have to take a timeout.

"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are"

by Bo$$Ixta! on Oct 14, 2009 9:22 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I tend to agree with you on this one..

If coach wants to regroup and settle the team down or make some “specific:” observation then perhaps the TV time out is more appropriate..However since this is the Pro and not collegegate team there should be no real urgent need to do so, but in the event that the team is just coming unglued (as in the case of that Atlanta game) then perhaps a time out is appropriate. As it turned out the “talk” had no real effect sense Atlanta scored a TD on the very next play. So perhaps Sing will have to evaluate his approach..

My thoughts In general on Mike’s energy and intensity is what the team needed to change the direction and start down the road to success. There will be a time when the team will need to “grow up” and let Mike be a head coach and focus on the managing the team and the coaching staff rather be “head cheerleader” ..

by WC-Ninerhead on Oct 14, 2009 9:57 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs

TV time outs...

… aren’t really that common, and come after a scoring drive or change of possession. The purpose of Singletary’s timeout was to try to rally his defense to prevent a touchdown. I don’t disagree with him trying to slow the Falcons down, as they were pretty much having their way right there, getting into a rhythm early in the game.

In hindsight, of course he should have saved the timeout, but I don’t think it was a bad idea at the time.

by sfgfan on Oct 14, 2009 11:43 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

regarding emotion, I think it is A OK

With Sing it seems to be authentic and genuine. The players realize it and buy in because of where it is coming from. I think for him to change his behavior drastically would take away from his ability to connect with the players.
Regarding Dahl, Sing was pissed, and rightly so, Him getting into it with Dahl, in a way that didn’t negatively effect the outcome of the game, was an authentic sign to the players that he understood them and had their back.
He can’t bark at them all the time and get them to carry sandbags, run up hills, and completely sell out for the team if they think he doesn’t care about them.
Regarding the Time Outs, I think we would have lost the Arizona game if he hadn’t taken it. With the Atlanta game, I think the game was already lost, the time out didn’t change anything.
There are a lot of people responsible for the loss last Sunday, the Head Coach is definitely one of them.

They're called RUNS for a reason.

by connie mack on Oct 14, 2009 9:57 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Everything works when you're winning

I’ve seen fans criticize coaches for being emotionless (Shell, Crennel) too stoic (Landry), not smiling enough (Siefert), too intense (Schottenhiemer), curmudgeon (Belicheck) and seemingly out of control (Ditka). What tends to shake out in the end is if you win, the observation becomes a non-story that only arises from certain fans when you lose.

I say this as a football fan who does not like coaches who seem to be run by their emotions, primarily because teams take on the personality of their HC. I think part of Mora’s fall in Atlanta was due to his being too emotional about everything and his team was very up and down. That was true of Rhodes as well.

I see SIng as emotional but focused. His goal is to have his team be more even keel and consistent, not up and down. His exchange with Dahl, while not recommended for a coach, wasn’t a fight. He made a comment to a dirty player. The situtation would’ve better been handled by a Niners taking a cheap shot back at Dahl seeing as how it would not have cost us anything at that point in the game.

You gotta bring ass to get ass.

by SpurredOn on Oct 14, 2009 10:07 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

They did get Dahl

this from Maiocco’s player review
“51-Takeo Spikes: Started at “Ted” linebacker and recorded six tackles. . . . He was also called for unnecessary roughness late in the game when the Falcons were taking a knee to run out the clock. Spikes got in one last hit on Dahl, who had been antagonizing the 49ers all game."

by tanos135 on Oct 14, 2009 11:41 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I wanted more than a hard hit on kneel down

When you have a guy hitting players after whistle and in the back, and the score has a four or five touchdown spread, someone needs to have their teammates back and light up that Guard when he’s pulling. Cheap shot? Yep. But a permanent scar that he can call upon should he decide to play that was vs us in the future. I think it just shows how mentally out of it the team was on Sunday, from the opening KO out of bounds to the final play.

You gotta bring ass to get ass.

by SpurredOn on Oct 14, 2009 11:46 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thoughts on why???

Do you think that the big win over the Rams the previous week, or perhaps there was some sort fatigue from camp and the first 4 games equated to a “meltdown”.
Not sure what to think but damn all 4 wheels came off at the same time..

Oh well… I can say “refocus, rest up,” and
GOOOOO NINERSSSS

by WC-Ninerhead on Oct 14, 2009 12:08 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Wish I knew

It really was awful in all aspects. No one played well. Maybe they really did get a bit full of themselves and Sing could sense it. I read that he showed the team some clip about the US Olympic relay team and how even though they were the most talented, they lost because someone dropped the baton. If we got a seasons worth of self-inflicted errors, brain cramps, tactical mistakes, etc out of the way in one game then it will have been worth it.

You gotta bring ass to get ass.

by SpurredOn on Oct 14, 2009 7:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

He's a different kind of emotional

Even from what I’ve heard was said during the altercation on Friday, Coach Sing wasn’t flying off the handle.

For all his rep as a mean, intimidating dude, he’s actually very straightforward and always very positive, which I think is the key word to describe his emotion. It’s no secret that teams playing with a chip on their shoulder can’t keep it up for long enough to have meaningful success, but this is a different kind of emotional leadership.

Especially given the relative lack of emotion during the Nolan years, I don’t think this is a hot blooded coach that’s gonna work his way to a heart attack or quit once the fire is gone- I get the feeling Coach Sing is just as fired up when getting his kids up for school as he is getting these guys up to play every Sunday.

49er 'til I die! (if they don't kill me first)

by LA49er on Oct 14, 2009 10:22 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I like the emotion

I like someone who can inspire his players like Coach Singletary can. Not only can he fired up, but he’s always building up his players. If you listen to him when he’s mic’d he’s always talking about players being great instead of mediocre.

That comes from a passion for the game from deep within. I think we need that in a head coach, especially when we’re trying to turn the organization around from the horrors of the last several years.

I don’t see it hurting us at all. I see it drawing players to him and trying that much harder.

by smileyman on Oct 14, 2009 10:57 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Motivation can only do so much...

Motivation won’t make Shaun Hill become Joe Montana, nor will it make Chilo Rachal/Tony Wragge into Randy Cross and John Ayers. Motivation might make average players better (and raise their ceiling), but we might be at the peak for this group. They might be a 9-7 team AT BEST. We’ve seen them at their worst now.

by ToddCommish on Oct 14, 2009 11:02 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Big Mike, the fighter

Not sure if you all have seen this, but I’ll always take Big Mike in a fight

http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2009/10/13/nfl-coaches-fight-club-mike-singletary-1-v-jim-zorn-8/

9ers will bounce back after the bye and with Frank the Tank and Crabtree in tow. Even if Crabs doesn’t get a lot of looks downfield, he’s in good shape and will be able to provide good blocking where it’s needed.

by 9ersFTW! on Oct 14, 2009 12:09 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Cowher was an emotional coach

As long as the emotion seems genuine and isn’t persistent in negativity I think players buy into it and don’t get burnt out.

As for the “gut check” timeouts I think that will subside and get moved to the TV timeouts with time. Singletary is still trying to install a no-nonsense, mentally tough, attack attitude on this team. Taking a TO during a game like ATL may have in game consequences but in the big picture he cannot allow this group to revert back to the lackadaisical, panicky team they were under Nolan. I thought it was a good time to re-enforce his message, even if it didn’t take a hold on the next play.

I can also understand his anger towards the Falcon linemen. From the very first drive they were hitting 49ers defenders just after the tackle or whistle. I believe in the 2nd ATL drive, #77 hit Willis late two plays in the row. The refs were not doing anything about it so it was up to Singletary to try to stick up for his players.

by bignerd on Oct 14, 2009 12:20 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I agree with you

Specifically when you refer to the emotion being genuine. I think that is the key.

Never forget: I am a complete idiot

by Exhibit G on Oct 14, 2009 12:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

t3h em0tionz FTW!!

Well, we're waiting....

by drummer on Oct 14, 2009 11:50 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

motivation

If you think motivation isn’t a big thing, just look at the average “overachievers” that are the 49ers who think that they can beat the world. Just a bunch of average guys, not Montana or Young, Lott or Craig or any of the rest of tose great players, just a bunch of average guys that play with as much heart and emotion as the niners of yesteryear. Maybe it has something to do with motivation.

by old niner on Oct 16, 2009 2:29 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs