What's Jerry up to now?

by Dave Halprin on Jan 29, 2007 6:03 PM CST in News Comment 35 comments

It seems that half of Cowboys Nation had the same thought I did when I heard the news about Mike Singletary coming in for an interview. It goes like this - Norv is the favorite for the job and he and Jerry were discussing the defense. Norv says he already has somebody in mind for the defense, as reported this morning. In this hypothetical world, Norv tells Jerry he wants Mike Singletary to be the defensive coordinator. Jerry says he doesn't know Singletary but would like to meet him, and the commish is all over his case about the Rooney Rule. So Jerry said let's kill two birds with one stone and call Mike in for an interview. We'll say it's for head coach, but really, we want to check him out for the defensive coordinator position.

OK, that may be a little cynical. Maybe the Cowboys really are considering him for the head coach position. Maybe Norv said some good things about Singletary to Jerry, so Jerry decided to give him a shot. Maybe Norv isn't the front-runner and we're really going defense for head coach. Maybe my head will explode thinking about all the different machinations that could be going on at Valley Ranch. Would the Cowboys really be screwing around with Singletary without his knowledge? Or is he in on the plot? And what of San Fran, who has to be fuming that the Cowboys are all up in their coaching staff.

Never a dull moment with Jerry. If he hires Turner as the HC and Singletary as the DC, I'll feel a little better. Singletary would get instant respect from the Cowboys defensive players; he seems to be an energetic coach - did anybody catch him at the Senior Bowl - and he has been working with Mike Nolan, who is no slouch with the 3-4 defense.

Open for all thoughts on the issue.

Update [2007-1-29 19:25:41 by Grizz]: Deke reminds me of something in the comments that I should've have written in this post. If the Cowboys try to hire Singletary for the DC position, the 49ers can say no. It's at their discretion.

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Can Singletary even be hired

as a defensive coordinator??? Does he not have the title as assistant head coach with the forty niners. Wouldn't that be considered a lateral move as defensive coordinator, wouldn't he only be considered as the head coach position with the Cowboys

by Deke on Jan 29, 2007 6:11 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

The 49ers don't have to let him go.

It would be their decision if it was for the defensive coordinator position.

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by Dave Halprin on Jan 29, 2007 6:22 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't believe...

...that a move from Assistant HC of the Defense to DC is a lateral move. He is not considered the DC of San Fran -- reports are that he wants the Coordinator posish, but Nolan isn't even going to grant him a courtesy interview.

I don't think SF can put a halt on this is he wants the job.

Poke

by Poke on Jan 29, 2007 9:07 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Take that back

It would be considered a lateral move by the NFL Offices.

Poke

by Poke on Jan 29, 2007 9:07 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

He has title of

Assistant head coach of the defense. DC would not be a lateral move.

by Longhorn on Jan 29, 2007 6:51 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I believe the league

has now ignored all titles except Head Coach and staff coach. The assistant head coach stuff is now only for ego and internal organizational purposes.

by lee3022 on Jan 29, 2007 8:03 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I think you are correct

because at some point teams started making up important-sounding titles just to keep other teams from recruiting their coaches. I remember Parcells joking about titles at some point.

by dunkman on Jan 30, 2007 6:42 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Hmm.

I'm not sure the Niners can say no to Singletary moving UP in the coaching ranks...

by Longhorn on Jan 29, 2007 6:50 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

I would love Singletary as HC

I've been watching football for over 30 some years now, and I've never ever seen a player as intense as Mike Singletary. You want to talk about a football playin' dude, as Parcells used to say, this guy is it.

I can remember those eyes as he was lining up his defense to absolutely wreck havoc on opposing offenses. The '85 Bears had the very best defense I ever saw play the game and Singletary was the leader and coach on the field of that group.

I think he would make a great HC because he would demand so much respect from all the players and he would have our defense to elite status in no time. He's had experience with many defenses, including the 3-4.

Also, if there is anybody that could put T.O. in his place, it would be Samari Mike. He would bust T.O. across the mouth so fast, he wouldn't know what hit him. To have a guy that intense as HC would be awesome.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Jan 29, 2007 6:50 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Yeah

Right. Let's do a Art Shell type atmosphere here in Dallas with those last comments about TO. No, thank you.

by Longhorn on Jan 29, 2007 6:52 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

we need a coach to control T.O.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Jan 29, 2007 6:54 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Careless Discipline Doesn't Work

Shell tried that by benching and cutting bad attitude players left and right and it only resulted in a lockerroom that didn't trust him and tuned him out because they thought he was insane. Same thing happened to Ray Rhodes, Tom Coughlin twice and Mike Sherman.

by kk218 on Jan 29, 2007 7:16 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Yep.

by Longhorn on Jan 29, 2007 7:21 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

T.O.'s different

you can't treat him like anyone else. There isn't a player on the team that wouldn't want the HC to put T.O. in his place if he started his crap again.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Jan 29, 2007 7:52 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

yawn.

Um, what exactly is the problem?

The new coaching staff will follow Parcells' lead and ignore TO; the media and certain fans will stir themselves into frenzied moral outrage on a daily basis; Romo will smooth TO's feathers when he feels mistreated; and the offensive will continue to score lots and lots of points with TO, which is the only thing that I really care about.

by jsdoty on Jan 29, 2007 8:08 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

yeah

that sounds good in theory, but will that happen? Who's to say the new HC will handle the situation like Parcells did?

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Jan 29, 2007 8:11 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

not knowing is the very nature

of "the future."

But the template for successfully handling TO is in place, and the new coach would be a fool not to follow it. And I think TO's friendship with Romo is important and might help defuse any meltdowns.

During the whole last offseason, nearly every sportswriter in America predicted that TO and Parcells would explode. Didn't happen. TO had a great season & led the league in TDs. TO may never be as bad as the media wants him to be again.

by jsdoty on Jan 29, 2007 8:22 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

He also led the league in

Dropped passes
and
"alleged suicide attempts"
plus
he's due some big bucks in the near future
plus year 2 with a new team is historically when the honeymoon ends with this guy.

Like the TD's, and the match up problems for opposing defense, but thats it.

by APerfectStar on Jan 29, 2007 8:29 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

TO is not unique.

He is just another in a long line of selfish, insecure, primadonna, attention whoring "superstar" athletes. When has the tough guy act ever worked with any of these guys? Someone else made the comparison here once, and it's very true. TO is very much like Dennis Rodman. That tough guy stuff never worked on him. Phil Jackson even wrote about it in his book. He said they just ignored him and let him act out off the court, and he would be fine on the court.

by Parl on Jan 29, 2007 8:42 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Yep. I thought we'd be on the same page.

As a Baylor Bear, I'm psyched of the possibility of Singletary coming on board (as HC or DC).

Get him here, Jerry!

Poke

by Poke on Jan 29, 2007 9:09 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Sic'em!

I think he'd be a good coach and have heard that he's made a good impression on people throughout the NFl, so I was glad to see his name come up for the 'Boys...

...part of me though is glad to see the possibility of a Baylor Bear working for the Cowboys.

Sic'em Bears!

by GhettoBear04 on Jan 29, 2007 10:12 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

49ers might even allow him to be DC w/ us

Nolan seems to not want him as anything more than a LBs coach considered he has been interviewing other people for defensive coordinator since firing Henderson.

by kk218 on Jan 29, 2007 6:52 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

No offense, but actually Billy Davis was fired

Donnie Henderson -- who was just axed in Detroit as their DC of the 2006 season -- was interviewed for the vacant D coordinator position in SF.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" - Ric Flair

by kcbrett5 on Jan 29, 2007 10:15 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

If Singletary wants to jump ship

since the 49ers are set on keeping him from moving up in their organization right now, I'd say let him go. I don't know much about Nolan, but I'd say it would be 50/50 he would allow it to happen.
He likes Singletary, yet he's interviewing Campo, Manusky, for his own DC position. Kind of a mixed signal.

by APerfectStar on Jan 29, 2007 8:34 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

Nolan

doesn't need Singletary as bad as we do since he essentially runs SF defense anyway and the DC there is just a title to whomever occupies it.

In Romo we Trust

by Terry on Jan 29, 2007 8:42 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Singletary

Getting Singletary to be DC would be a coup for the Cowboys. He's tough, brings instant credibility and has worked in both 3-4 and 4-3 schemes. Let's hope Norv and Iron Mike II (Ditka will always be Iron Mike I) are in the fold by this time tomorrow.

by Roger2Drew on Jan 29, 2007 9:07 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

worked in one of the best 3-4's no less

the ravens (along with the steelers) are what every 3-4 aspires to be. of course they draft defense better than any team ever has or will.

by ab03 on Jan 29, 2007 9:23 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

trivia

mike singletary's last game was at texas stadium (also mike ditka's last game as bears head coach). cowboys gave them a whooping and singletary was out for most of the second half but they called on him in the 4th and he did the googly eyes one last time. Was fun for me because the cotton bowl was that week and the notre dame football team was sitting next to me - and there was an interesting bit of trash talk aggies walked by as they were leaving.

by ab03 on Jan 29, 2007 9:58 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

i have to disagree

singletary has almost know coaching experience... garrett looks like parcells compared to him

www.royalsreview.com

by RoyalsReview on Jan 29, 2007 10:51 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

"know" coaching experience?

he actually has more than garrett

by ab03 on Jan 30, 2007 8:52 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Experience

Singletary was the field general of the most potent defense I have seen in my football-watching lifetime.

Garrett spent time on the field and on the sideline as a backup QB for Cowboys and NYGiants. He was regarded by many as a player-coach.

Both have relatively few years on coaching staffs, maybe, but you have to factor in their NFL playing time to get a true sense of their "experience" IMO.

Keep doing what you been doing, keep getting what you been getting.

by OskieOskie on Jan 30, 2007 3:04 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

There is no evidence

that just because you're an all time great player, that doesn't makes you a good or great coordinator or a head coach. The facts usually way in the opposite, a player with less talent or someone who has never played the game more often make better coaches, its just one of those things.

by Deke on Jan 30, 2007 3:28 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

So of course I had to look

and two names jumped out at me...

Jimmy Conzelman (inducted as player and coach)

Mike Ditka (inducted as a player, success as a coach)

by dunkman on Jan 30, 2007 3:48 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Tom Landry

was a pretty good DB at the Giants and was sort of a player/coach there before coming to Dallas.

Sure, not every good player would make a good coach. Doesn't mean a good player can't become a good coach.

Garrett and Singletary both seem to be rising stars on the coaching scene and I think their playing experience will serve them well on the sideline.

Keep doing what you been doing, keep getting what you been getting.

by OskieOskie on Jan 30, 2007 10:13 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I tend to agree

with your first point... that there is no correlation at all. It doesn't follow, though, that being a great player could not make a great coach. Too many factors that make up a great player or a great coach. It may be rare to find them in the same person, but there's probably nothing absolute.

For example, it could be more a case of great players being able to make their living more comfortably than through coaching.

by dunkman on Jan 30, 2007 3:39 PM CST reply actions 0 recs