One of the interesting aspects of this game is that we'll be seeing two former players squaring off across the field. We all know about 49ers coach Mike Singletary's playing experience. Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio spent 11 seasons in the NFL as a linebacker, including one Pro Bowl season in 1994 with Minnesota. The list of current head coaches (no longer including recently fired Dick Jauron) includes:
| Coach | Reg. Season Record | Yrs Played |
| Mike Singletary (SF) | 9-10 (.474) | 12 |
| Jack Del Rio (Jac) | 56-50 (.528) | 11 |
| Jim Zorn (Was) | 11-15 (.423) | 11 |
| Ken Whisenhunt (Ari) | 23-19 (.548) | 9 |
| Gary Kubiak (Hou) | 27-31 (.466) | 9 |
| Jeff Fisher (Ten) | 131-109 (.546) | 5 |
| Tom Cable (Oak) | 7-16 (.304) | 1 |
| Sean Payton (NO) | 34-23 (.596) | 1 |
People speculate about players turning into coaches/managers in the various professional sports. In baseball it seems like great players often struggle as coaches/managers. Ted Williams was an amazing hitter, but it didn't really translate to coaching. One theory is that great players often struggle to pass along their information because they get frustrated by players who don't reach their level of excellence. It's also possible that it is something related strictly to baseball. Thoughts on this application to football?