Quarterback Troy Smith screamed at Mike Singletary, and
Singletary screamed right back. It was a fitting final image for
the 49ers, whose scenes of dysfunction in 2010 could fill a
DVD-boxed set.
ST. LOUIS
Quarterback Troy Smith screamed at Mike Singletary, and Singletary screamed right back. It was a fitting final image for the 49ers, whose scenes of dysfunction in 2010 could fill a DVD-boxed set.
Their 25-17 loss to the St. Louis Rams on Sunday eliminated them from playoff contention. Along the way, they fumbled and bumbled and argued on the sideline. Instead of playing for a division title next weekend, the 49ers (5-10) will need a victory just to avoid last place in the NFL’s worst division.
“Words cannot express the disappointment,” said Singletary, who may have coached his last game. Two years remain on Singletary’s four-year contract, but owner Jed York did not make any assurances that the coach would be on the sideline for Sunday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.
If this was the coach’s last game, his 49ers went down fighting — each other. It happened early in the third quarter when Singletary threatened Smith with a benching.
As Fox television cameras rolled, Smith and his coach went nose to nose with angry shouts. Receiver Ted Ginn Jr., the quarterback’s friend since childhood, tried to step between the two parties as a peacemaker but to no avail.
This marked the second time this season that Singletary argued with his starting QB during a game. He and Alex Smith went at it during a prime-time game against the Eagles on Oct. 10.
Singletary was asked whether sideline shouting matches were proper behavior for an NFL head coach.
“I don’t really know about coaching etiquette,” Singletary said. “I am sure that there is a right way and a wrong way in today’s rules of being politically correct.
“All I know is that I am trying to win a football game. Bottom line is that you have to do what you think is right. You have to go with your gut. If you don’t do that, I think you regret a lot of things later on.”
Troy Smith won the argument, at least temporarily. His near-benching came after he overthrew Michael Crabtree. Safety Oshiomogho Atogwe caught the errant pass, and his third interception of the season set up the Rams’ go-ahead scoring drive. Josh Brown kicked a 30-yard field goal to give St. Louis a 15-14 lead with 9:39 to play in the third quarter.
Troy Smith joked that his argument with Singletary was about “who had more passion. I was trying to tell him I had more.” Then he confessed, “It was definitely about the quarterback switch. And I just felt at the time that I wasn’t ready to come out.”
Troy Smith got three more series before Singletary made the switch. Troy Smith was 7 of 19 for 153 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Alex Smith came off the bench, but the 49ers proved no match for the Rams, who will play the Seahawks in Seattle on Sunday in a game that will decide the NFC West champion.
The Rams, who were 1-15 a year ago, blossomed this season behind No. 1 pick Sam Bradford, who broke Peyton Manning’s rookie record for completions. (Bradford has 335; Manning had 326 in 1998.)
“I guess it’s pretty cool,” Bradford said. “I’m all fired up about the win. If you don’t get excited for a game like this, you’re probably in the wrong business.”
For the 49ers, the game went downhill as early as the opening coin flip. They won the toss but elected to defer their choice until the second half. The Rams thanked them by going on a seven-play, 71-yard touchdown drive and taking a 7-0 lead to start the game.
By the second half, Bradford was rolling. He completed 16 of 20 passes for 168 yards and a touchdown for a 118.3 rating over the final two quarters.
The 49ers had no answers, not even as their season ticked away. They had two last-gasp chances over the final four minutes, when they needed a touchdown and a two-point conversion to tie. On their first chance, Rams defensive end Chris Long beat rookie tackle Anthony Davis and smacked the ball loose from Alex Smith. The Rams recovered the fumble at their 46-yard line with 2:19 to play.
The 49ers’ last chance came on a drive that started at their 19 with 1:06 to play and no timeouts remaining. They eked their way into Rams territory, but the final seconds melted off the clock as Ginn tried to juke his way for extra yardage instead of stepping out of bounds to stop the clock.
That final miscue ensured that the 49ers would be watching the playoffs on TV for an eighth consecutive season. And, in another annual ritual, players predicted better days to come.
“I think there’s a divine plan in store for the 49ers,” Troy Smith said.
And what would that be?
“To tell you the truth, I really don’t know,” he said. “And a lot of times, it’s not for you to know. You just have to stay humble, stayed blessed, stay gifted, and have an understanding that things will get better.”
— Story by Daniel Brown, San Jose Mercury News
