Last week we brought back the Mike Singletary approval rating for the first time since week one, only this time it was a rating of 1 to 10 instead of a simple yes, no poll. Given all the negativity on the site the last couple days I was hesitant to post this poll. However, having a poll last week after a win without a follow-up after a loss would make less week's poll all the more insignificant. Might as well see how much of last week was a post-victory bump. Everybody please play nice in the comments.
Of course, this week might very well be a post-loss dive. I'm sure this happens to many fan-bases, but it certainly seems like we've had a roller-coaster ride here at Niners Nation. We've been in existence since the last week of December 2006. One could argue that in terms of in-season excitement, we might have actually peaked during that initial week. Ever since that time it seems like we've gone into seasons with a lot of excitement and things went in the crapper shortly thereafter, with this season being only the latest such example.
We've basically spent much of the last decade in the proverbial pit of despair. If Mike Singletary doesn't work out as head coach, we'll have gone through Dennis Erickson, Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary, and come out the other end with a more talented roster, but not much to show for it. THAT is what I fear more than anything, and what really has me dismayed. It's not that 2010 would be a lost year. Rather, it's that 2003 to 2010 would all basically be lost years.
Maybe I'm being a whiny baby. After all, during my first 23 years of life, the 49ers won five Super Bowls and won 10 or more games in 19 of those years. I'm sure there are a lot of fan bases that would tell me to shut my mouth and suck it up. Of course, part of being a fan of the 49ers franchise until 2003 was that you expected to be a playoff contender, if not Super Bowl contender, every year. Now, we find ourselves wandering through the desert of mediocrity. The accumulation of talent does indicate a light at the end of the tunnel (to mix cliches), but patience is certainly wearing thing.
I'm not here to blame the Yorks because I know some of you will jump all over them with reckless abandon. I do blame them for many problems with this franchise, but as I've said over and over again, I do think they've improved as owners and are trying to do right by the franchise. They've made mistakes, and while my patience has certainly worn thin, I would actually like to see them in charge when things finally do turn around so they can get credit for their involvement.
Given the team's struggles, consider these just the random musings of a fan slowly being driven towards insanity.