I forgot to run the Approval Rating last week so all we have as a baseline for this week is the 97% rating from 2 weeks ago. It would have been interesting to see what Singletary's rating would have been after a loss. Such is life.
So, we move to Singletary instead coming off a big road win at Buffalo. The team seems to be rallying around the coach and really wants to step up their play for him. Things were ugly at times last Sunday, but a common refrain in the comments was that this was a game Mike Nolan would have definitely lost. I would have to agree. There were enough moments where poor game management would have screwed the 49ers and game management was not a strength of Nolan.
Although it might not be wildly important (or maybe it is), a big difference has been the simple fact that the team actually has managed to hang onto their timeouts for much of the game. In the second quarter, the 49ers forced a Bills turnover that led to 3 points. While they couldn't move in for a touchdown, they did have two timeouts to burn in case the situation required them. One blunder that did occur in that sequence of events was using timeout #2 with 16 seconds left, instead of letting the clock tick down to 3 or 4 seconds. A subsequent squib kick put the Bills in great field position, but fortunately they couldn't capitalize.
The important thing is that Singletary seems to learn from his mistakes. As seen in the Golden Nuggets, Mike Singletary hired an ex-NFL referee to be in the replay booth. Although the Cardinals debacle occurred after that, it's still a smart hire by Singletary. It's little things like this that make me feel better about him as head coach.
The win over Buffalo certainly helps in Mike Singletary's bid for the full-time head coaching job. This coming weekend against the Jets will be an even bigger test. Even though the 49ers won on the road against Buffalo, the Bills have been struggling for the last month. I think it's a good win, but I can certainly see why people might take it with a grain of salt. The Jets are coming off a tough loss to Denver, but one could argue it was more of a let-down game following their upset of the Titans. Barring something ugly, a win over the Jets might very well be enough to secure the 2009 head coaching position.
So, the question then is how you feel about Mike Singletary at this moment. Vote, and if you're so inclined, throw out reasons for or againat approval of Mike Singletary.