Mike Singletary was decidedly philosophical today, and he expressed a shining, glowing confidence that the 49ers would pull out of their four-game skid. And when they do, Singletary said, the experience will be that much richer because of the tough times the team is going through now. "In these moments, this is when I'm at my best," Singletary said. "In these moments, you just have to rise above."
I'm sure some of you watched Singletary's presser, which was filled with similar philosophical talk and affirmations by Singletary. His message, obviously, was not to lose faith. I'll let you form your own opinions ...
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As for actual, concrete, game-related items ...
Although four turnovers came from Alex Smith's hands, Singletary said he thought Smith played well. He sloughed off the first interception as an "unlucky bounce." On the last one, which was returned for a touchdown," Singletary said "Josh (Morgan) could have made a better play coming back to it." The one play "Alex had on him" was the other fourth-quarter interception on a pass intended for Morgan. He said that Smith thought it was Cover 4 and that safety Chris Hope "made a nice play." Translation: Smith will be the 49ers' quarterback going forward.
As for the pass-oriented offense the 49ers used against the Titans, Singletary said: "It was one of the better offensive performances I've seen here."
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After the game, Smith said he thought he and Jason Hill had a good rapport because they had spent a lot of time together on the scout team. Could the opposite be true of Smith and Josh Morgan? The two didn't seem to have any sort of chemistry on Sunday: "I think Josh is still maturing into a receiver," Singletary said. "He's going to be a good receiver one of these days. It hasn't happened yet, but he's working his tail to get there."
Hill essentially replaced Isaac Bruce at "z" receiver in the second half. Singletary revealed today that Bruce has been nursing a sore ankle. Still, Singletary hinted that the 49ers could be going with a youth movement at receiver. He said he and his staff would meet in coming weeks to figure out the best combination of receivers.
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Singletary said that running back Glen Coffee (concussion) would miss Thursday's game against the Bears. Including Coffee, there were nine players on the injury list yesterday. Only Coffee, Michael Lewis (quad) and Curtis Taylor (shin) did not return ...
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Scheduling changes due to the Thursday game means the 49ers will be practicing tomorrow morning instead of taking their usual day off. That means I won't be available for tomorrow's scheduled chat. Try to be strong ...
-- Matt Barrows
