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The book on Mike Nolan has been written, and “The End” has been affixed to the last page at long last.

Take a deep breath.  It’s real.

Mike Singletary is the Interim Head Coach, and immediately the critics have let fly.  It’s not necessary to expound his credentials.  Hall of Fame Linebacker, arguably the best to ever play the position, Linebackers coach at baltimore, Assistant Head Coach at San Francisco.  This is not a treatise on how his resume somehow trumps Mike Martz’s or anyone else’s.  This is a defense of Mike Singletary as a man, and why he makes an ultimately better choice as the Interim Head Coach than anyone else.

Singletary was known as “Samurai Mike” for his intimidating focus and intensity.  He was the first player to also be known as “The Minister of Defense,” before Reggie White would earn that moniker.  Singletary, like White, is an ordained minister.  Singletary proved his work ethic, leadership, strength and quality on the football field.

But Singletary did something after his playing career which earns more respect, in my mind, than anything else.  He retired and he went home.  He wrote a book entitled, “Daddy’s Home at Last.”  For any parent, the title of that book alone touches the heart.  Mike Singletary took care of business at home.  He became the father his seven children needed.  After retiring in 1992, he didn’t come to coaching for another eleven years.  That is a long time to wait for a man with a desire to coach.  He saw his priorities correctly.

It is this intrinsic personal character that defines Singletary.  This is not going to be a religious discussion, but Singletary’s belief and faith in Jesus Christ means character is a part of his heart.  He believes strongly in personal accountability, telling the truth, working at your job as though working for God.  Not that he turns his job into a chance to proselytize the unbelievers, but rather if he’s a coach, he coaches to the best of his ability.  This is his foundational philosophy.

Singletary maintained a career as a motivational speaker and founded the company Leadership Zone with Rick DeMarco.  Their goal was simple, but profound: to “work with organizations to develop employees’ leadership potential, teaching them to take responsibility for their role in the organization and to commit to realizing its vision, goals and objectives.”  Responsibility.  Something Mike Nolan could never accept, yet ultimately answered to.  IN Mike Singletary, here is a man whose life has been dedicated to leadership, whether personal, spiritual, or professional.  A man who led by example on the field, and has put himself into a position to teach others to lead.

As it pertains to coaching, he was coached by one of the best in Mike Ditka.  For all of Ditka’s fiery personality and sometimes rude and senseless behavior, his players wanted to fight for him.  His longtime assitant Buddy Ryan created the vaunted 46 Defense, and together with Singletary, kept that Defense among the best in the NFL for a decade.  The story is already out, but Singletary sought out another of the greatest coaches in history, our very own Bill Walsh.  He would fly to the Bay Area to meet with Walsh on his own dime, and Walsh became a mentor.

For all the things people are saying about Mike Singletary, he has just been handed the Interim position, and deserves a chance to show what he’s got.  The tenure of Mike Nolan, a defensive-minded coach, has soured a lot of people on the leadership of a man who made his name with Defense.  But no one has ever accused Mike Singletary of being “vanilla.”  No one has ever questioned his integrity.  No one can say he has the ego of Nolan or even Mike Martz.  He will never be accused of throwing anyone under the bus, because he never will.  Here is a man who immediately commands respect in the room.

Singletary remains an unproven commodity, and has now earned his opportunity to shine.  He has just over half a season to show what he’s got, because if the Yorks let him go without knowing what they’re getting, they stand the chance of him succeeding elsewhere.  Fans and media alike seem reluctant to give him any chance of success, writing him off even before his introductory press conference.

The players will fight for Mike Singletary.  He is a balanced individual, unlike Mad Mike over there on offense.  What this team needs now, more than ever, is not an X’s and O’s Head Coach.  With Martz on offense and Manusky on defense, he has capable assistants.  Martz really doesn’t need more on his plate right now, and Manusky maintains continuity on Defense.  They need a man who they respect, because who do you prefer getting on you after a dumb penalty?  Mike Nolan?  Mike Martz?  Or one of the greatest players in the history of the NFL?  Mike Singletary will never assume he knows more than he really does, and he will never assume he has the media fooled.

No, Mike Nolan did not lose the locker room.  He was not in any danger of a player mutiny.  That’s because he became utterly irrelevant!  One look at the sideline would tell you, offensive players listened to Martz, defensive players listened to Singletary.  Mike Nolan became like distant, reverberating static.  They heard a noise, but ultimately it meant nothing.  Somebody somewhere said Frank Gore gave Mike Nolan a vote of confidence, or absolution for the way things are or something like that.  Nice, but ultimately way too little, and way too late.

The difference between Mike Nolan and his players can be summed up thusly:  After last year’s loss to New Orleans, Frank Gore and Joe Staley were quoted praising Alex Smith for playing hurt and showing his leadership.  After the loss to Seattle, however, Smith was all but blamed for his injury, and two anonymous players were supposedly quoted calling Alex Smith cowardly.  Another example:  Jamie Winborn, a promising young player, was released for daring to speak honestly.  Players knew that Mike Nolan would not have their backs when the chips were down.

Mike Singletary is not that man.  He is a breath of fresh, clean air.

Take a deep breath.  It’s real.