Lowell, You are fired up today. Relax. Niners don't need red ass Shanahan. Singletary has this team going in the right direction. It would of been to hard to take the group off the track. Shanahan has a huge ego and who's to say he wants into this pile?

Lowell, are you being sarcastic or are you serious?

I am a longtime Bronco fan. I have followed them through the good, bad, and most often lately, the mediocre. Through this all, I can say with the utmost in confidence that the Niners are better off with Singletary than they would be with Shanahan.

Watching the Broncos week in and week out, one thing stands out above the rest. This team is consistently unprepared to play on a regular basis, and when they are prepared, you better hope that something doesn't happen during the game that would damage the fragile team psyche, because they will fall apart. I knew Sunday's game was over when the Prater missed the extra point on the first touchdown.

Shanahan won 2 Super Bowls because he had a team with 3 Hall of Fame players, a world class offensive line coach/team motivator in Alex Gibbs, and a running back that barring injury may have become one of the greatest of all time. Steve Atwater killing wide receivers on a regular basis sure helped as well. He is an outstanding strategic coach. The first 15 plays he scripted often allowed the Broncos to build a 14-0 or 10-0 lead. I wonder what the Broncos point differential was after those first 15 plays during the Shanahan era. I bet it isn't that great. When the game became a entity that required management and strategy, Shanahan was average at best. His personnel decisions lack, to say the least. His staff decisions were often hasty and tinged with shifting blame.

I hate to say it, but this happened about 5 years too late. Shanahan is not as great a head coach as he is given credit, and that I am sure of. He's created this aura on the coattails of a spectacular team, but that was 10 years ago.

Shanahan would have been a great hire! Jed jumped the gun big time. Shanahan is a LEGITIMATE NFL H.C. with rings. Bill Walsh disciple, offensive oriented coach with a strong track record for personnel decisions - both things missing from the current Niners regime. He makes the team legitimate, even with Yorks owning the team. Not to mention, Shanahan might have loved coming to the other side of the bay of Grandpa Al...

Isn't this life in a nutshell? You buy something and it's on sale the following week. You get some cool electronics and in six months something better is on the market. Realistically we don't know what the end result of the hiring of Mike Singletary will be. I'm not ready to say who's right and who's wrong. I like the fact we have someone who cares about winning and isn't playing a part. When you come right down to it fans want to believe that their owner and their coach cares just as much as they do. We haven't seen that in quite some time and Singletary has my support. People thought Eddie D was crazy when he hired Bill Walsh. I say lets give the guy a chance.

Maybe I'm wrong, Lowell, but this article sounds a little like payback to those ungrateful peons who criticized you for having the noive to complain about your advice to the 49ers brain trust to wait rather than anoint Mike Singletary immediately. I'm sure that Shanahan knows the X's and O's better but I'm also sure that the guys will play harder for Singletary.

Lowell,

On what you wrote; I second that!

Exactly.

From 2006 to 2008, the Broncos are a .500 , mediocre team. They got embarrassed by the "No Hope" Raiders and the "Soft" Chargers. Half of Denver's wins were by 4 points or less. They lost the last 3 games of the season, each game pretty much a must win situation.
If you apply the Cohn logics of bad coaching ala Nellie,
Shanahan IS a bad coach.

They could always hire him as an offensive coordinator. Singletary wants to run the ball and Shannahan knows how to run the ball. I think it could work for the Niners.

Mr. Cohn,

You're soo stuck in the yester years of the NFL it makes me sick, those days are long gone....today's players are different, are making way more money and are full of themselves. The game has changed and what better coach is out there to get the most out of the players and demand accountability than Mike Singletary? The guy has what it takes. I'd much rather have him than a re-tread like Shanahan or Holgren (no disrespect to them). He's going to take them back to the Super Bowl in the next 4 years. Mark my words....on top of all that, all those big name coaches want the big bucks and to pay a coach the $8Million+ that Cowher wants is freakin ridiculous and would be a big waste of the York's money. Those big name coaches wouldn't want to come here anyway....

Lowell

While Mike Shanahan would certainly be a fantastic hire, don't you think there is more than meets the eye with his firing at Denver. after all if mike had told pat Bowlen that he was willing to cede GM responsibilities (something he failed at miserably) and just remained as coach, I have a hard time believing that Pat would not have retained him, knowing that shanahan is still one of the best coaches in the game and given he has one of the best young QBs in the league in jay cutler (always the most difficult position to be set at). I think shanahan orchestrated this with some idea of what he wants to do next. Given that, I have a hard time believing he would have come to the 49ers for anything less than the same power he had at Denver (knowing that there are positions like the Jets, Browns, Lions) that might still give him this authority. I think that would have been a mistake for the 49ers to give shanahan GM level powers, knowing he is not good at it.

Plus, I think u are harsh on Scot Mccloughan as a GM. Just look at the emergence of Jason Hill, Josh Morgan, Chilo rachal, david baas just in the last six weeks since singletary took over. Scot had had solid drafts (with the exception of Alex smith which is a completely separate story in itself) I think the reason a lot of these young stars were not emerging under Mike Nolan was not bad drafting but because of Nolan's his stubborn insistence on incompetent coaches like george warhop on his staff whose removal led automatically to better line play or clueless belief in veterans. Scot M has been more right than wrong and I think his drafts and free agents have been solid thus far (BTW, if u look at folks like pittsburgh, they were built on solid drafts over many many years and these things dont happen over night)

I'm sorry Lowell, but the team's going in a different direction and we're going to have to fire you as the team's offensive commentator.

Memo to Lowell: Shanahan has his pick of open and soon-to-be open NFL jobs (such as Dallas). You actually think he'd consider a job under the Yorks with their inept management and worst stadium in the league? Get a clue...the $10m they gave Singletary is less than half of what Bowlen owes Shanahan in termination severance. And btw, what's with this obsession over coaches with "offensive backgrounds"? How did Atlanta do this year with a former defensive coordinator? How about Jeff Fisher in Tennessee? Tony Dungy in Indy? Belichick and Parcells?! Give Singletary a shot before writing him off so quickly - to paraphrase Rick Pittino, "Bill Walsh and Joe Montana ain't coming through that door"

hey lowell, great read, look you were quoted in the oakland tribun about those bad raiders keeping you off the bad email list! Jerry McDonald of the oakland tribune, a fine journalist, I call him jerrence! implied you were half witted, or to be blunt; half brained, sorry lowell, he said you got what you deserve, said you were lazy.

He is a bad guy, and is not a truth sayer!

" [Comment From Skloomsh]
Lowell Cohn wrote that he, Kawakami and Monte Poole aren't notified when the Raiders address the press because they 'tell the truth' about the team. That would imply that those who are notified, don't tell the truth. Do you have any thoughts on that?
3:41 jerrymac: There are guys occasionally kicked off e-mail lists for writing things the Raiders don't like. It's petty on the Raiders part, but it's also true anyone with half a brain contacts the beat writer and then finds out when the press conference is. You don't sit back and wait for the Raiders to tell you, or you deserve what you get.

His firing came as a shock to the entire NFL, so how can you say "How in the world do you hire Singletary when Shanahan might be available?" No one thought that he was available. Also, Shanahan hasn't done much without a certain #7 throwing the football.

we're on the same page...their is a reason we've stunk as the 49ers...the Yorks are always thinking they're right...kind of like a 27-yr-old thinks...Mike fircking Shanahan is available!!!

We are living in the past aren't we? Shanahan hasn't done anything special for a long time. Why exactly is he a better hire than Singletary? Did you watch Denver play. A pee wee offense could score on them. Niners will be a tough, mean football team next year with little twinkie fluff about them and Lowell will eat his words and his exclamation marks.

Mike Shanahan is probably a better coach than Singletary, but his personnel decisions have been lacking. I expect that San Diego will look at Shanahan and what his offense can do for Tomlinson and think twice about retaining Turner. The 49ers should be waiting with open arms to welcome Norv back into the fold with a lucrative, multi-year deal as our OC.

Lowell,

Please take a step back. Shanahan used to be one of the best coaches in the business - about 7 years ago. If you look at the Broncos recent record - well, it certainly wasn't something to write home about. Shanahan really hasn't had a good season since Elway left. Also, his personnel decisions haven't worked out so well either. Maybe the game is passing him by or he is burnt out. Who knows. I wouldn't be surprised if he takes a year off like Holmgren so he wouldn't have been available to the 49ers this year anyway.

A lot of Bronco fans are happy about this. They want change. And give Singletary a chance. Look what rookie coaches did in Miami, Atlanta, and Baltimore. I don't think we missed out on greatness by not hiring Shanahan. Let's just see how it plays out.

LC,

How does it feel to wear the dunce hat so often? You are a real clown, mouse ears and all.

Get a grip dude. I wouldn't have been that excited hiring Shanahan. What makes you think our players would play hard for him when his own players refused to play hard the last four games of the season. This is why your a reporter and not an NFL expert.

How could you say that Shannahan is a better personnel guy that McCloughan? Most Niner fans agree that they probably missed on Alex Smith, but McCloughan is not dumb enough to draft MAURICE CLARETT ON THE FIRST DAY!!

Lowell u are completely on point with this one,To hell with the them suckass fans who kiss the butts of every move made by whoever is in charge at the time.These idiots are the same ones who wanted to give Mike Nolan another chance,Alex Smith another chance,Scot Mccloughan another chance,Think that Vernon Davis is actually worth the coin,Eric Heittman is the best center in the league,wants to bring back Alex Smith,thinks Shaun Hill plays like Dan Fouts,Patrick Willis is better than Ronnie Lott,etc,etc,etc all after not making the playoffs for the last 6 years....freakin remarkable.Lowell u will find that most of the people on these blogs are very young groupies who cant stand the criticizisms of a losing organization who cant keep from hugging the nuts of their favorite players whether they suck or not.Lastly i appreciate writers like yourself who tell it like it is

Remember, Mike freaking Shanahan was OUTCOACHED by Tom freaking Cable !!!
And Norv freaking Turner made Mike F. Shanahan looked like a junior varsity coach. Broncos is a major flop and can Cohn defend that??

Lowell, you are out of touch.

So Shanahan is a superstar coach. So he must have superstar results. So let's see, after Elway retired Shanahan won 1 division title in 10 years. This is not a superstar coach.

He's a great GM. Right. The reason he was fired was because he's a bad GM who couldn't get the superstar coach good players.

Bottom line is that if Singletary's Niners played the Superstar Broncos tomorrow. The Niners would win and handily.

Stop living in the past and join the 21st century.

Lowell
You are SOOOO RIGHT!!
Any of these people that comment above who think Singletary is even in the same room or stadium as Mike Shanahan are either blind, deaf and dumb or have absolutely NO KNOWLEDGE of NFL football! Shanahan is to Singletary as fine wine is to flat soda!
Shanahan is a PROVEN WINNER with ALL the pieces of the puzzle! From being an excellent QB coach, to KNOWING what it takes as a Franchise, from drafting to calling plays, he is THE complete Head Coach!
But of course the 49ers sorry franchise is riddled with the ineptness of the Yorks!! The signing of Singletary without even taking a breath to look around, see where the franchise is at and what it needs, shows how really unprofessional the Yorks are, and how ignorant they are in what it takes to build a winner! Now little Jed will have to act like Shanahan isn't available and will have like to act the fans don't know of his availability! Now he can go into the corner with his little Mike Singletary doll and pretend his doll is the best one of all!
But I guess I have to look on the bright side!! At least Mike Shanahan won't have to sully himself by going into the front office with a loser like Jed York!

Lowell are you serious, are you really serious..why would you hire shanahan in 9 years hasent taken his team to the playoffs, im shouting from my roof top that you are out of your mind! you say bring in some other coaches for an interview, please tell me who's out there? i really do think the pieces are falling in the right direction..

HEY! Max from BayArea??? How many FREAKING Super Bowls have Cable and Turner won as Head Coaches??? If you lost 6 of your running backs this season, how many FREAKING games do you think any head coach in the NFL would have won!!!
GET REAL!!!

Is this a joke? What has Shanahan done since their last Superbowl in '99 (and after Elway retired)? He's won exactly 1 playoff game! The Niners sure missed an opportunity of a lifetime here!

The Broncos have been the definition of mediocrity for the last 10 years. Meanwhile, Shanahan fires co-ordinators left right and center, because surely, he can't be at fault! He sure lead them to a strong finish this year too - oh, wait.

Is Singletary the right guy? Who knows? However, to say that signing him early because we could have missed out on the great Shanahan is delusional. The '00s are almost over and you're still stuck in the 90s!

I've been a niner fan my entire life and you sir are an idiot. Do you have any clue as to what an organization needs to get back on top? Retread hhead coaches and living in the past will get you exactly where you are in mediocrity. No, I take that back. As far as your "craft" is concerned below mediocrity.

So go on, keep writing your horribly opinionated, yet absolutely uneducated articles, blogs, and the like. I am happy for one thing... that whenever I see your name attached to anything related to my beloved 49ers, I will pass on by.

out of touch.... the perfect three words to describe this hack of "sports writer"....

That's even sadder, being OUTCOACHED by " lesser" head coaches. Go ahead and use injuries as excuses, but Denver's defense is awful, and it has been that for the recent years. What's your excuse for that?
Why is he fired if he's so freaking perfect?
Why is the Broncos pretty much a .500 team the past 3 years, injuries??
Does Shanahan need a good D coach along side with him like Nolan needs a good O coach to succeed?? LOL

Shanahan is washed up. Since Elway has left, he's only won the division once in the last 10 years.

In Singletary We Trust. Get a clue.

Compare Shanahan's record against Singletary's? How about comparing his record to ANY of the Yorks jokers!!? Shanahan has been a psrt of 3 Supe Bowl victories including one as the 49ers OC! How about Singletary?
Max from the BayArea? You don;t even have ANYTHING to compare with Shanahan! Every year the Bronco fans had a LEGITIMATE EXPECTATION of making the playoffs! What about the York owned 49ers? We HOPED for an 8 and 8 season! And from past picks the Yorks have made, Singletary will be ANOTHER YORK JOKER!

I look at Singletary as being 5-4 after taking over a under-achieving team at mid season. He breathes new life into this team. What has Shanahan done in the last 10 years? Quit living in the past, Mr. Whiner.

Go back to your Raiders comment area, dude! Singletary's a LOSER and YOU KNOW IT! 5 and 4!! WOW! I'm shaking in my boots!!
Who do you think Bill Walsh would pick!? CASE CLOSED

Lowell showed his true colors again- fans go read his column he hyperlinked- it is comically sad, the guy goes into full myopia as his dear niners of the past were evoked time and again- he shrieked at the singletary bears saying " we are better then that" as evidence to hire the rat. Hilarious, every 3-4 months we have to read a red faced lowell talk about montana, walsh and elegant football- lowell talks in the " we " sense as if he was part of it. I always love it when he does this, it exposes him for the fraud he is. A true biased ewishful blogger covering as a paid journalist. Go read it for yourself, he outdoes this tiny piece, poor guy behaves like he is hurt. Funny thing is, shanahan is a bad coach, 1 playoff win since 98- the raiders have 4, I bet that ticks lowell off!

Singletary sought Walsh's counsel many times in the past. Singletary is hardly a loser. of course you wouldn't know that though.

I am not a Lowell fan but I he to give him credit. He is absolutely correct. I love Singletary but there are a number of better coaches available.

Mr. C, you are a smart guy, no doubt. I'd like to think you are embracing Mike Shanahan, one of my long time beloved persons, for some solid, logical reasons. I know you are not talking about him now just because he won two super bowls when you still had hair and mine was not gray. Could it be that he is one of the fireball offensive minds in the game who REQUIRE a near perfect passing QB for his system not to fail? He did seem to have near total control over all football operations, including the draft, in Denver for the past 10 years...yet the best he could muster absent a near perfect QB was to win ONE playoff game. Mr C, I think you owe it to your open minded readers to try and explain your reasons for this otherwise illogical love fest. (We know Denver had a lot of injuries this year, so let's give him a pass for being defeated this year by Tom Cable's Raiders It's those other 159 games and only 1 play off game I think you need to address to maintain your credibility with me.)

Mr. Cohn,

Your thought on the 49ers' premature, poorly thought-out hire of Singletary is unbelieveably ironic. Because your own poorly thought-out and premature opinion of the 49ers' action demonstrates to me that you too are overrated and is time for you to go like Mike Shanahan.

Mike Shanahan was only successful when he had an experienced quarter back like Steve Young and John Elway. What has he done since Elway and what have you done lately yourself. Shanahan has not demonstrated the ability to develop young Qbs and the changing way of the NFL. It is time for you to join Mike Shanahan on the bus out of town.

The anti Lowell Cohn comments about Shanahan being superior to Singletary only goes to show that many 49er fans are still somehow blinded to the ineptness and futility of the York franchise. Like the mice who everytime stick their necks into the trap only to be caught, they still don't get it about the Yorks and their putrid losing ways.
Erickson, Nolan and now Singletary only prove the rotten structure the Yorks have built. But these same fans, like the mice, still stick their necks in the York trap thinking there will be goodies returned from this unorganized organization. It's a pity that there are still some 49er fans who believe this franchise under these front office fools will deliver a winner.
Lowell's simple words of how a winning franchise would have waited just a few weeks to look at what would be available to the club in the head coaching field is a given to a real winning franchise. NO ONE would have taken the Singletary because he proved NOTHING! So ther was plenty of time to discern!
So go ahead 49er mice, the York trap is just sitting there waiting for you! AGAIN!