SANTA CLARA – Around 49ers headquarters, Mike Singletary is known as "coach." But perhaps "sergeant" is a more appropriate title this offseason.
Players received a quick introduction to what life would be like under the Singletary regime when they stepped outside on the first day of minicamp and were put through a circuit of drills that rivaled a Parris Island, S.C., boot camp.
At one point Saturday, a group was shuffling over bags and between cones while assistant coaches barked at the players to run faster. At the sound of a whistle, the same group moved to another drill that had the players lifting heavy bags in a grueling relay race.
"I didn't know how heavy that bag was going to be," linebacker Patrick Willis said. "I almost fell over."
And though that was tough, perhaps the worst is yet to come. Looming on the north side of the practice field is a grass hill that was augmented with 2,500 tons of dirt. The result is a 15-foot-high climb with inclines of 30 degrees on one side and 40 degrees on the other.
Singletary's name for the new edifice: Pain.
"There's something about the hill," Singletary said, noting Jerry Rice and other great NFL players have trained on hills. "It's beautiful to look at but what it's going to do for our guys is it's going to bring about something that you can't really get in the weight room. Something that you really can't get on the track. It builds something that's kind of a mystery."
Everything that Singletary has implemented this offseason screams the same message: No one will work harder than the 49ers in 2009.
"We're one of two teams in the league, I think, that are having a minicamp in March," said linebacker Takeo Spikes. "And I guarantee you … they're not doing what we're doing out here. People can say it's malicious. People can say it's the 'Junction Boys.' But at the end of the day, it's all about mind-set."
Spikes said the routine reminded him of what life was like when he played at Auburn: Up every day at 4:30 a.m. to run football drills and then off to classes.
"If you didn't see a guy, you knew he caught a Greyhound bus home early that morning," Spikes said. "That's how hard it was."
So far, none of the 49ers is hopping on a bus.
In fact, Singletary said he was impressed how the players reacted when the circuit drills were sprung on them Friday afternoon. At one point, Singletary said he was prepared to end the session early.
"I think Vernon (Davis) was the first one that said, 'No, we are going to finish this.' And everyone else chimed in," Singletary said. "I think it says a lot about our team and it says a lot about our guys. I'm just really excited about it."
Read Matthew Barrows' 49ers blog at www.sacbee.com/ninersblog.
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