SANTA CLARA – Mike Singletary's seminal moment came when he announced – with thunder in his voice – that he wouldn't tolerate selfish players on his team.

"I'd rather play with 10 people and just get penalized all the way until we have to do something else rather than play with 11 when I know right now that person is not sold out to be a part of this team," Singletary boomed mere minutes after a 34-13 bludgeoning by the Seahawks on Oct. 26, his first game as interim head coach and one marked by his ejection of tight end Vernon Davis.

"It is more about them than it is about the team," Singletary continued. "Cannot play with them, cannot win with them, cannot coach with them. Can't do it. I want winners. I want people that want to win."

His "I want winners speech" instantly endeared him to 49ers fans. It was loud. It was honest. It was direct. It was the opposite of the say-nothing-at-all-times coachspeak that pervades the NFL.

It signaled that he wouldn't suffer fools and would act decisively when his players acted foolishly. And it helped him remove "interim" from his job title. After that game, the 49ers committed fewer penalties, played better and won five of their last eight contests. It showed that when Mike Singletary opens his mouth, people listen. It's his gift.

So why isn't Singletary saying much of anything today? His first-round draft pick, Michael Crabtree, has missed 45 consecutive practices and has threatened, albeit through intermediaries, to sit out the season so that he can re-enter the 2010 draft. Talk about a guy who's "not sold out to be part of this team." Crabtree is committing the ultimate selfish act.

Singletary's response? He has either appeared to understand Crabtree's stance as he did at the start of training camp when he admitted that he, too, held out as a rookie. (Singletary missed three training camp practices that year). Or he has tried to ignore the issue as he did on Wednesday when in his preamble to the assembled media he warned that he would not answer questions about Crabtree. "Don't want to go there," he said.

Crabtree is about to miss the start of the regular season, a realm where few rookies ever have had the gall to enter. And yet there's been zero thunder from Singletary; just a lot of pitter-patter.

The gentle approach to Crabtree was a smart one when the contract impasse began in late July. After all, why alienate a player you want to sign as quickly as possible? Why vilify a player you hope will be loved by his teammates? From the beginning, the 49ers – publicly, at least – have treated the situation as if Crabtree were a squirrel they were trying to coax closer: Don't make any sudden moves or he'll run away.

But the kid-gloves approach hasn't worked. We're more than a week into September. Crabtree is holed up in the top of a tree and shows no signs of coming down.

He's made it abundantly clear that being a good teammate is not atop his priority list. No matter how nice the 49ers are to Crabtree publicly, the players are still going to resent him.

When/if Crabtree does sign, the 49ers will have to cut a player from the roster to make room. That person likely will be someone who went through Singletary's "Junction Boys" offseason program every grueling step of the way. Crabtree, meanwhile, has yet to take a practice snap with his team.

How could the 49ers alienate Crabtree any more than he's already alienated himself? It's time to be aggressive. In Singletary, the 49ers have one of the most authoritative figures with one of the most powerful voices in the NFL.

Why not use it?

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