Fanboy Sports Blog: 49ers

A few weeks ago I called for the firing of Mike Nolan.  Yes me, the optimist, suggested that moving on from Mike Nolan was the best thing to do during this offseason.  The time was ripe, I thought. 

In my mind he had committed the cardinal sin with the injury of Alex Smith.  I thought that it was partly his doing that Smith’s rehab was rushed like it was, though Smith expressed his own willingness to get back quickly.  I believe Nolan is a smart man and knew, as did everyone else with half a brain who has watched football for the last ten years or so, that Trent Dilfer is not a good NFL quarterback.  He’s a smart guy, and a good guy, and a great presence in the locker room.  But the man is a first-round disappointment who rode the coattails of a great defense to the Super Bowl–and that was seven years ago, a long time for a quarterback to go without starting.  He knew the team had a better chance to win with Smith than Dilfer.

Unfortunately, things went south with Alex’s forearm, and the shoulder examination was not as thorough the first time as it should have been.  The timing was just bad for Smith.  Was surgery necessary from the beginning, or was it merely exacerbated by Smith trying to get back too soon?  We’ll never know for sure whether the doctors were incompetent, or Smith was too eager, or Nolan too pressuring.  We’ll never know whether Smith really told him he was still hurt, or if Nolan was completely in the dark and thought Smith really was okay.

That’s all water under the bridge now.  I thought Nolan mishandled it, because it was clear other players were unwilling to speak their minds about the sitiuation.  I thought it had created a bad locker room atmosphere.  I still tend to believe Smith’s concerns about Nolan creating, whether on purpose or by accident, a schism between he and his teammates, because Smith has been such a good soldier for so long.  I thought if he was finally opening up his mouth, it was probably the truth.  I felt like Nolan was simply doing damage control.

Then something happened that no one could have anticipated.  Shaun Hill’s youthfulness and energy, as well as his experience as a student of the game, was the catalyst that brought some life back in.  As I’ve said before, his opponents were not all that impressive, but what Shaun Hill did was make everyone forget the bad taste in their mouths.  Media attention shifted off of Alex Smith and his injury for the time being, which I believe is better for his own sanity.  The flap between he and his coach faded into the background as Shaun Hill won a couple home games.

So why is Mike Nolan the luckiest guy in football?

I don’t believe Shaun Hill saved his job, I believe Scot McCloughan did.  His reputation league-wide is that of a smart player scout who deserves his chance to be a GM.  Ron Wolf, widely respected former General Manager of the Packers, and good friend of Bill Parcells, said as much publicly.  The Yorks would have been utter fools to let him go.  Also, I believe that McCloughan felt he owed Nolan something for making him the VP of Personnel, and starting him on the road toward GM.  I think they genuinely like each other, and that McCloughan realized there were a lot of things beyond anyone’s control, from personal tragedies to freak injuries, and the stresses of the season just built on each other.

Nolan believed that hiring Jim Hostler was the best option considering when Norv Turner left.  I also believe that Nolan wanted to give Hostler a full season to see if he could be good enough to go forward with.  Despite all the struggles, Nolan remained a stubbornly loyal guy, a quality we all should desire in our friends and associates.  Despite the criticism that was unsurprisingly heaped on his head, I believe Mike Nolan knew that would happen as the season progressed.  But the later it got, the more the team seemed to vascilate between good plays and bad plays, the harder it became for Nolan to take concrete steps, and the more unsure he became.

But what about Alex Smith?

When Dilfer was well into his season of playing time, the idea of competition for Alex Smith came to mind.  Many people believed he lacked confidence, drive, passion and leadership.  We didn’t see Smith talking up his linemen after a missed block, or get in a receiver’s face after a bad play, or rally the troops on the sideline.  I think his focus has been learning everything, and letting the coaches do the coaching.  Obviously confidence in his own abilities is a factor.  I see a lot of my younger self in Smith.

I also see the old-school coach mentality in Mike Nolan.  I can see where he may put in a dig to try and motivate someone.  I can see why he would compliment Trent Dilfer, to sort of fuel that competitive fire in Smith.  I can also see Nolan trying to just make Smith mad so he’d break out of his timidity.  I can see Nolan chuckling to himself with pride after Smith called him out, knowing his quarterback is finally speaking up. 

But what about Shaun Hill?

Shaun Hill has suddenly become that competition that everyone wanted.  Now I may have already let the cat out of the bag yesterday, but Hill lacks certain qualities that Smith possesses.  Namely arm-strength and game experience.  Shaun Hill’s ten quarters are nothing compared to Smith’s 32 games.  But what Shaun Hill has is a newfound approval for his limited but effective play, and he’s got that learning experience as a backup on his side.  The team went to great lengths to get a contract for he and his agent’s liking, and they wanted to resign him.

Suddenly Mike Nolan doesn’t have to spend as much money on a free agent quarterback if Dilfer retires.  Smith’s competition doesn’t have to build a reputation with his teammates, because he already has one.  Nolan looks smarter just for bringing the kid on in the first place, and can put on his best “lookie what I found!” face.  Alex Smith now realizes that his spot as the starter is no longer guaranteed, he has to continue to earn the faith and trust of teammates who may be unsure of his status, and he has to now step up and lead if he’s going to be the leader, and it’s no longer a de facto status. 

But what about Mike Martz?

Nolan has managed to hire well-respected coaches to his staff.  First it was Mike McCarthy, now going to the NFC Championship.  Then it was Norv Turner, already a Super-Bowl winning and Hall-of-Fame creating coordinator with the Cowboys, now going to the AFC Championship.  Now in another brilliant coup, Mike Nolan, the supposed lame duck coach of the 49ers, convinced the one unemployed Coordinator with extensive experience, a Super-Bowl track record, who helped make three NFL MVP’s of the last ten years, to come and work for him.  It is a brilliant move that no one saw coming, or even thought possible.  Even Nolan himself was surprised.

So what does all this spell out for Mike Nolan?  He has a built-in quarterback competition that he couldn’t have created if he tried.  He has another chance to redeem himself as the Head Coach.  He has one of the greatest offensive coaches in the league to resurrect his offense.  He has a fire under his #1 draft pick’s butt, and either way, with Mike Martz picking the quarterback, somebody is going to put up great numbers.  It happens every time.  If it’s Alex Smith winning games, Nolan’s pick is vindicated, and so is Smith.  If it’s Shaun Hill winning games, everyone is pleasantly surprised.

It’s a win-win situation for Mike Nolan, something he’s never had before.  And for that, Mike Nolan really is the luckiest man in football.