When it comes time to fill out my ballot for postseason awards, I have a pretty good idea whom I'm going to tab as "Comeback Player of the Year."
Right now, Buccaneers receiver Antonio Bryant has my vote.
Bryant is having a fantastic season. He was phenomenal Monday night in a losing effort against the Panthers, catching nine passes for 200 yards.
Of course, I was around Bryant one season. He was great to cover, too. He is bright and insightful, and very easy to approach. In other words, he was a lot different than his reputation.
An article written by Sean Jensen for Yahoo! Sports caught my attention this evening. There are many interesting aspects of the report, including the clear indication that former coach Mike Nolan has much fonder memories of Antonio Bryant than of Alex Smith.
Here are some of the 49ers-related highlights:
--Bryant clashed with Smith, and that was one of the reasons the 49ers released him. Bryant said Smith operated under a different set of rules and that he was slow to pick up the 49ers offense, according to the article.
"You go to practice, and you go over something over and over again. When are you going to figure this out?" Bryant said in reference to Smith.
--Nolan admits to mishandling Bryant and said he regretted the decision to release him.
"He was the best receiver we had in
(I made an attempt to get in contact with Smith earlier today, but have not heard back from him.)
--Nolan said he wanted to bring back Bryant but was rebuffed by "team officials." (If you recall, Nolan did continue to speak highly of Bryant last season after he was released.)
--Before he was released, Bryant agreed to meet with the 49ers in
"A white woman comes in," Bryant said, "and the first thing she said to me was, 'I can help you. My husband is black.' . . . "Once she told me that, I looked at her like, 'That was it.' So I got a problem because I'm black? I felt insulted. Then she was asking me crazy questions."
(The 49ers have employed a psychologist to help evaluate the mental state of draft-eligible players at the combine.)
--Nolan did repeat an anecdote he shared with the local media while he was still coach. He said Bryant had a very good handle on the pulse of the team. Bryant was in Nolan's office and Nolan challenged Bryant to identify the leaders on the team. On a single sheet of paper, Bryant listed clear leaders, potential leaders and players who were not leaders. He went through everyone on the team, without the use of a depth chart or any other reference tool.
Nolan said he was in agreement with "95 percent" of Bryant's views. Nolan still has that piece of paper, he said.
To read the entire article, "Bryant using breakthrough season to repair image."
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And, speaking of Yahoo! Sports, it was nice to get a shout out from Michael Silver (and Brazilian 49ers fan Felipe) today in the "Trippin' on E(mail) section of his The Gameface column.
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With the 49ers getting ready to play the Dolphins, I figured the obvious story was about the Dolphins' "Wildcat" formation. The Dolphins PR department touts the success the team has enjoyed with that new/old concept. But I wanted to come from a differnt angle. I wanted to write about the 49ers' foray into the single-wing this season with Michael Robinson.
I asked 49ers representatives whether they kept track of the team's usage of the formation. The answer I received was, yes, the 49ers have those stats, but Mike Martz does not want anyone to know them. I wonder if his answer would've been different had the team been more successful in that formation . . .
Anyway, here's the article I wrote for Saturday's paper, "Robinson understands the single-wing."
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I always liked Bryant, I thought he was really good for the team. I'm glad he landed on his feet.
Im kind of puzzled. I thought Nolan was a coach who was big on boy scout type of guys. You know, high character guys...
And then Nolan makes the statement of a team needing a guy like Bryant. That completely contradicts the perception of coach Nolan in that he likes high character guys.
Kinda confused here. Wasn't Bryant released because of the Lamborghini/DUI incident?
Matt, there's an interesting undertone to Nolan and leadership.
He seemed to rely more on players to police and lead then on himself and the coaches he placed in control?
Were there ever any indications that he was too far removed from the communication channels?
Seems like Singletary has been a master of such communication and, easily identifies the 'problems. within the locker room?
Antonio gets a 'Pop Quiz' on leaders and Nolan keeps the test score?
No wonder it's been 'Alex' in Wonderland.
Curiouser and curiousor, I really should be going now, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!
Q: Kinda confused here. Wasn't Bryant released because of the Lamborghini/DUI incident?
My response: That certainly got the ball rolling, as it led to his league-imposed suspension. Nobody ever cited the Bryant-Smith rift as a reason, but there were always hints of some unspoken elements at play.
The big reason given at the time was that the club felt as if Bryant could not be relied upon. Nolan was quoted as saying Bryant "was not the best fit" for the 49ers.
http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=512265
--Matt M.
If Nolan was so insightful why did his teams play so terribly. Nolan is good for a story now and them but clearly could not coach a JV team.
To follow up on your answer, it almost looks as though Nolan wanted to mask the error made on the QB selection?
I think the injury confrontation was a culmination of Alex's slow development and Antonio's threat of breaking ranks and exposing the real reasons for the failing offense perhaps?
Follow up with Hostler, the injury, the manhood challenge, and you have an instant foxhole in which Nolan can hide?
Glad the charade is over, the golden rule of First Draft Pick Risk/Reward holds true once again and further fuels the argument for a freshman cap.
The botched the pick, tried every conceivable mask to buy time when in fact it may have been OCs looking for ways out of lose /lose situation with a QB who can't get the training wheels off.
More proof that nolan is incompetent to evaluate talent and be a head coach. If only we had MS the last two years.
I don't think that reasoning flies, you don't know how Mike Singletary would do with weak OCs. And it's not that Nolan was that bad at evaluating talent considering that he picked up some players that are playing pretty well now. I give much credit to Mike Singletary for allowing the players nolan got to shine, but at the same time you have to give some credit to nolan for drafting the guys even though he didn't produce results.
What I have noticed about Nolan during his time during the 49ers and now after he is gone and continues to comment about the team is that he tries to make himself sound so knowledgeable about all aspects of the team. If he had such a relationship with Bryant then why would he let him go and now say that he regrets him. Isn't the job of the coach to make sure his players can function together on the field. No one is saying they need to be best friends. I am just so glad that Nolan is gone because it really got to a point where even as a fan I was not buying into what he was trying to do. I'm still wondering what he was trying to do. At least Singletary has a plan and has announced it for everyone to know.
Hi Matt, If a guy produces you keep him simple as that. I'm sure Vick will be back in the NFL upon his release. He'll get good PR, go on talk shows and be born again. Bryant is near the top of receiver lists, some guys take a bit longer to get it, if they don't, in extreme cases they wind in jail. Just Win Baby. Here's to the niners running the table.
Matt, is it my imagination or does Nolan take every opportunity to push blame (is that the correct word?) off for a failed regime on Smith? A few weeks back he said he never had good quarterbacking which was a less than subtle dig on Smith. Now it was Smiths' fault the 49ers got rid of Bryant. Do you have any idea what Nolan might have to gain or is there simply this much bad blood between the two?
Bryant is having an excellent season.
But...
He got a DUI in his Lamborghini. After some issues at earlier stops around the league.
Sure, Matt, I'll buy that he was bright and a good interview and you like him.
But being bright and personable at least at times isn't the issue. And it certainly doesn't preclude the possibility that AB had a drinking problem or other issue.
Addiction is a subtle, tricky beast. And I know from experience that addicts can be some of the most charming people you ever meet. Until their problems manifest.
It could very well be that AB is driven to excellence this year BECAUSE of his issues in SF and the way it ended here.
In any event, taking Nolan's word about anything to do with Alex Smith now is dangerous. This man has a very large axe to grind, and is operating out of self-interest. I would use an extra dose of caution in parsing anything he says.
Matt, this is actually a pretty good case study in how if the QB is underperforming he skews the performance of the other 10 players on offense, which tricks the GM or HC about what the problem is, which leads to bad personnel decisions. It also makes me wonder how much the Niners exec's evaluations of Bryant were influenced by the press. Remember that from day-1 the newspapers & talk radio were ready to pounce on Bryant because of his history.
There's never been any question about Bryant's talent. He's somewhat like T.O. Everywhere he goes, trouble happens. In seven years, this is the first year he's performed at the level he should. Of course, he's playing for the veteran minimum now and on his last leg as a viable NFL player. The common denominator for him is complaining, whether it be about coaches (Parcells) or other players. Now we have two guys (Nolan and Bryant) trying to polish their tarnished apples at the expense of one player who's been injured for two years. Bryant was here in 2006, Smith's second year and his best year (and Nolan's best year). Smith's an easy target and ignores the poor decisions made by both Nolan and Bryant in their own lives and careers. Bryant was driving drunk at 100mph, got suspended, and failed a drug test during his suspension. Let's see if he can put more than one good year on his resume before we pay much attention to him. Nolan mishandled Smith, made him a scapegoat, and probably cost him playing this year. Nolan should acknowledge his mistake about Smith and stop compounding it with character smears about this fine person, who has not said a bad word about anyone and has tolerated a fairly constant stream of abuse with class and dignity. My guess is he'll be making an impact in the league long after nobody remembers either Nolan or Bryant. "Rebuffed by team officials?" Nolan WAS the team official. I supported Nolan throughout his tenure and still credit him highly for restoring this franchise to respectibility, but he's not impressing me now with his revisionist history. He sounds like a guy in denial.
Marc - I'm not sure I agree with your characterization of the OCs. McCarthy was hired to be Green Bay's head coach after presiding over an awful offense - one where Smith really didn't play much. At the time, I was flabbergasted that the Packers would hire the OC from the last-ranked offense in the league, and figured that McCarthy took the offer because he sure as hell wouldn't be getting another one. My Packers-loving friends were aghast when GB hired him; turns out we were all wrong.
Turner, however, was different. He wanted to go to Dallas, sure - all indications are that he still wants to go to Dallas. But when they didn't hire him, he came back and was ready to go for a second season. The Chargers' sudden firing of Schottenheimer - and subsequent pursuit of Turner - was another shock, kind of like McCarthy's hiring a year earlier.
Hostler was an emergency hiring and an emergency firing. Speculation about Martz leaving began the day he was hired - and continues even though Smith hasn't seen the field all season.
That's why I think your characterization is spurious.
We're left to wonder what might have been had either Turner or McCarthy stayed - we keep talking about the drafting failures of the 49ers, but the problem may have been due to NOT PLAYING THEM instead of in poor drafts - lots of our young guys (Haralson, Brown, Hill, McDonald, Morgan, Rachal, Baas, etc.) have finally been getting extended playing time this season and have done well. Basically, had the Niners' coaches trusted the Niners' front office, things would have been fine - and it's weird that that trust wasn't there, considering Nolan was heavily involved in both.
But in all honesty, the only OC that ever had a chance to work with Smith for an entire season was Turner, and the consensus coming out of the 2006 season was that Smith was making strides and the 49ers were on the rise. Smith wasn't having the worst season before he got hurt - some of the drops in the first four games were killers - but he clearly looked different without Turner's offense. If Turner doesn't leave, if Smith doesn't get hurt, if, if, if...missed opportunities all around, and that era's in the rear-view mirror. Now we have to make the best of what we have, develop the young players from the previous regime's drafts, and keep building.
I didn't follow the AB situation because I had overseas duty at the time. Those were legit serious incidents but for a true HC who had any leadership ability & people skills he could have worked with him. Nolan gave up too easily because he just didn't have enough of those abilities. Couple that with his control freak rigid ways he used the main tool he knew how to use to keep order/discipline on the team...he cut him putting up his front that he was in charge. As far as arguing with your QB, big deal it’s to be expected. Plus Smith had to learn a new Offense every year so he was going to make mistakes & have growing pains with his receivers.
Nolan: “There's no question he was making more effort than I was made aware of.” You freakin’ idiot it’s YOUR JOB TO KNOW your players work habits & effort he puts in at practice & on the playing field before you cut him especially in a position where we’re so desperate. Nolan was wrong & admitted it (is that a 1st??) & too late for any damage control once he made up his mind to release him. There was no way Bryant would ever come back to play for him.
We just got Bryant at the wrong time with Nolan being in charge. With Singletary we should be able to take in a few more guys (FA's or draft choices) who have talent but might have some borderline character issues. Guys with that mean streak & attitude who aren't all quiet boy scout yes men types. We don't want a boatload but should be able to utilize & make room for a couple+. I'm sure Coach Sing can work with them & get them to be part of the team & productive. Tough to lose AB who is a big time talent…that could've crossed off another big need off our list. I wish him the best & he deserves big props for turning his life around.
A true #1 WR....it feels like an eternity since we've had one. Man I miss that. Sucks not to have one. We won't have to wait too long I hope.
To me this is much more a story of Nolan than Alex and AB. Nolan spent so much time taking about character while with the 49ers and in the end didn't show any. He handled the "Alex Smith" situation so poorly that he tried to label him a coward when in fact he had him playing with a third degree shoulder separatation that required surgery. Now "high character" Nolan is trying to label Alex as "unintellegent".
I was fooled by Mike Nolan and a big supporter. However, stories like this just expose him for what he really is. You tell me ... do leaders of men ask the individuals in the group to rate who in the group have what it takes to lead them to success? Gee, if that works, I guess I will go to my company tomorrow and ask all of my employees to write down what they think of each other behind their backs. Then, like some stupid mad scientist, I can wait around and see what happens to morale and productivity.
Is is any wonder why the most common comment we are hearing from the players about the new coach is that the love him because he is so honest and tells it like it is?
Maybe if Bryant had worn a suit and tie to the game instead of his uniform, Nolan would have had more respect for the man!?
It's just ANOTHER EXAMPLE of the ineptness of the Nolan choice to be Head Coach and another example of the ignorance of the York family to what it really takes to make an NFL Franchise a winner!
Maybe if Bryant had worn a suit and tie to the game instead of his
uniform, Nolan would have had more respect for the man!?
It's just ANOTHER EXAMPLE of the ineptness of the Nolan choice to be
Head Coach and another example of the ignorance of the York family to
what it really takes to make an NFL Franchise a winner
Nolan will say anything if he thinks it will help him get a HC job. I agree with other posters who think Nolan was simply a below average HC. Not horrible. He made things a little better. But not good enough to get to 8-8. Meanwhile, to listen to Bryant, he never made a mistake in his life. Its always the other guy.
Yeah, Antonio Bryant's reputation as a character risk is 100% traceable to Nolan's conduct. Let's all pile on Nolan. After all, there's nothing at stake. He's not the coach anymore, he's not going to stick up for himself, and nobody else will. It's probably all his fault, anyway. Even if it's not, always good to prop up a player who's got his act together. So what if we run roughshod over some dude who has a losing record anyway? I don't give the benefit of the doubt to losers. No leverage to be gained doing that. Always better to give the benefit of the doubt to winners. I love winners. I hang out with winners. That's what makes me a winner--hanging out with winners. After all, Nolan was asking to get strung up for everything that went wrong--being the head coach and all. In that position, you're just asking for it, and there's no reason to hold back. Holding back is the same thing as being nice, and being nice is for losers. He was the head coach--therefore, we have every right to blame him for anything and everything. If there's one thing I hold dear, it's my rights--rights to dump on losers, and rights to pump up winners. I have every right to do that.
Rambling incoherency. Meaningless fragments of sentences. Snivelling denial.
Damn it, Mike Nolan, what are you doing on this blog?
:))
As mentioned in profootballtalk, who are these unnamed 49ers officials who prevented Nolan from bringing back Bryant in 2007? Didn't Nolan have complete power on personnel until after the season? Whatever the answer, looks like another effort to throw Alex under the bus.
Meaningless? Maybe. Rambling? Okay, I see that. But sniveling? Grumpy, that's a bit much.