There is something about Mike Singletary that made Chicago love him when he played for the Bears. Maybe it was his work ethic, his hard hits on the field and his untouchable character off of it. Maybe we just knew that we had something special when he was in the middle on defense, maniacal eyes staring down the other team.
I was reminded of all that we loved about Singletary today when, in his first game as the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, Singletary sent tight end Vernon Davis back to the locker room. Davis was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for slapping one of the Seattle players. After the game, a 34-13 loss to the Seahawks, Singletary was quite clear that Davis' behavior would not be tolerated.
"I'd rather play with 10 people and just get penalized all the way until we have to do something else. Rather than play with 11, when I know that right now, that person is not sold out to be part of the team. It's more about them, than it is the team. You can not play with them. You can not win with them. You can not coach with them, can't do it."
How can you not love a coach with that sort of integrity? His team lost in his coaching debut, but he saw the bigger picture. He understood that getting control of the team was more important than one win or loss. He is the exact sort of coach that every team should be fighting to hire. I am not, by any stretch, hoping for a switch at coach for the Bears. Lovie Smith is a good coach, and he can make the Bears win. But after today, I can't help but wish to see Singletary back in the navy and orange.
