It sure took a long time. Relevance eluded the San Francisco 49ers for years since Steve Young and George Seifert left town. Once the picture of NFL dominance, the 49ers have been mired in the NFL cellar for several seasons. Last season management fired former head coach Mike Nolan and promoted assistant and Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary to the position. Congrats, Niners. With a single swift move the organization has again been catapulted to prominence again and have another opportunity to prove it this week when they visit the retooled Minnesota Vikings in the best game of THIS weekend.
Everyone in the world is aware of why the Vikings are a story. Besides that quarterback fellow, the defense is fourth in the league in yards allowed per game and in the top 10 in most categories (though the season is just two weeks old). The defense plays hard and hits tough. They are a good and continuously improving defense thanks to the team’s defensive coordinator – Mike Singletary’s former teammate with the 1985 Chicago Bears, Leslie Frazier.
While Frazier is slowly gaining recognition for the stamp he puts on an NFL defense, Singletary has infused the 49ers with a toughness they have long lacked. His commitment to team unity has renewed the team’s confidence. Some significant changes Singletary has made, though he has not yet completed a full season as head coach, include forcing tight end Vernon Davis into both a good talent and a good teammate, ending the quarterback Alex Smith experiment, renewing a focus on running the ball well and playing good defense.
Singletary has now proved he is a good head coach in the NFL. Now the expectations from fans and media will increase. He is not longer the new kid on the coaching block and no longer a talented player turn coach many just root for.
Coming into this game it is billed as another opportunity for Brett Favre to shed rust, for Adrian Peterson to continue to assert himself as a league MVP candidate, and for the Vikings to potentially take a commanding lead in their division with a win and potential losses by Green Bay and Chicago.
For the life of me, I cannot figure out why the media is not covering the story of the 49ers more thoroughly. If the team wins against Minnesota on the road, however, it will be time to pay close attention to these 49ers. For the 49ers to earn the respect it has craved for so many down seasons a few key events need to take place.
First, Frank Gore has to be solid. Just solid. Twenty-five carries, 90 yards and a touchdown should do it. Also, quarterback Shaun Hill has proven he can take care of the ball, and the defense has proven they can play well when the game is on the line. While the aforementioned Vikings defense has some nice statistics to claim in the first two weeks of the season, the 49ers have the more highly ranked run defense, allowing a stingy 53 yards a game. The team also allows just 13 points per game thus far this season, good enough for fourth across the league. The game against the Vikings is winnable provided the 49ers play up to their potential. It seems likely Singletary is the right coach to ensure that happens.
Both of these teams are 2-0. The 49ers, however, have more to lose – and much more to gain. A motivated San Francisco team may shock the Vikings on Sunday and breathe needed life into a stale, but important, NFL franchise.
