And we're back for the latest edition of the Mike Singletary approval rating. We last conducted these rankings two days after the 49ers victory over the Broncos in London and it's interesting to note that Singletary received arguably his worst rating ever as head coach after this victory. Normally he gets a post-victory bounce, but this one saw him finish with 62% of voters giving him a 1 out of 10.
The 49ers are now coming off a game in which they got the victory but once again it seemed like the coaching staff was getting handled by the opposition for much of the game. The luck finally seemed to fall the 49ers way after a half season of a lot of bad luck (and bad play and bad coaching of course). The most notable instances are the Delanie Walker pass interference penalty and the two times Brandon Gibson decided to cut east/west, when north/south would have gotten him at least one first down and maybe a second.
The Walker penalty wasn't a horrendous call, but the 49ers did benefit big time from that. The Gibson plays though just boggled my mind. Gibson is only a second year receiver, so I guess these things will happen. But he certainly learned a huge lesson about field awareness and knowing where the chains are. If he converts even one of those first downs, it's entirely possible we're talking about a 49ers loss.
Of course, Mike Singletary has no control over a knuckle-headed play by an opposing wide receiver. What I do find myself wondering is this: say the 49ers start to find themselves benefitting form good luck. They played horribly at times in the first half of the season but they also had a lot of things bounce badly for them. If things start to bounce their way a little more frequently this team could find itself right in the thick of the playoff race (or at least more so than now). If the team battled back, would anybody be surprised to see Mike Singletary back at the helm next year?
If somehow Troy Smith proves himself to be the answer this season and this team fights its way back into the playoff picture, are Troy Smith, Mike Singletary, and Mike Johnson a package deal for the 49ers? I suppose that sounds a little ridiculous. But if this team does in fact turn the corner and salvage this season, I can already picture the headlines when Jed York decides to keep Singletary, but they have a closed-door meeting to discuss "the future."
If the 49ers turn things around (still a bit of a long shot) it might be difficult for Jed York to look for a new coach, whatever the reason is for the turnaround. It's all mindless speculation on my part at this time. I suppose we should just ride out the season and take it from there.