Hello, NinersNation. After an exhausting weekend, a remarkable game on Saturday, and time to sit and reflect on it all, I started to think about a post somebody made (forgive me for not finding it, credit to whoever wrote it) on NN regarding the best seasons for rookie head coaches. There was discussion in that post about rookie head coaches taking over various teams, and looking at the numbers to see how they did in their first year with their new teams. Tony Sparano (I believe) had the best record with a new team, taking the one win Dolphins all the way up to 11 wins and the playoffs in his first season. Numerically, that was the biggest improvement I can remember. But, this season in the Bay seems to trump this, at least for this fan. Is this season for our beloved San Francisco 49ers the biggest (or maybe most surprising) single season turnaround the NFL has ever seen? It very well could be. Join me after the jump to see why.

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Hello, Niners faithful. I didn't know if this was linked, but found this story and thought it was interesting. We all know it seems the Niners coaching staff does a good job of motivating their players with lack of respect by the media and things like that. But is it possible Harbaugh may have a more "personal" feeling for about matching up with the Saints? Seems that could be the case. I ran across this story and after reading it, I would have to imagine that Harbaugh is definitely gonna use this as a little extra motivation for the Niners first playoff game in nearly a decade

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"The 49ers have fired offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye, according to NFL.com's Jason LaCanfora.

Raye gets canned just 18 hours after the dreaded vote of confidence. Something had to change here, as the Niners are 0-3 and rank 31st in the league in points scored. One source told beat writer Matt Maiocco that Chiefs defenders were calling out the 49ers' play correctly before the snap Sunday and Raye called three straight running plays up the middle while trailing 24-3 in the third quarter. This change can only be seen as good news for Michael Crabtree, who can't seem to get on the same page with Alex Smith. Quarterbacks coach Mike Johnson has been promoted."

   -From MSNBC.com

Just heard on the radio that NFL.com reported that the 49ers have fired Jimmy Raye, effective immediately.  I must admit, even though we have been calling for his head, I didn't think Singletary would do it this season.  Don't get me wrong, I'm stoked we fired Raye, I just didn't think Coach Sing was capable of admitting when he was wrong.  I hope and pray this makes us less one dimensional and actually makes us a little unpredictable on offense.  Our offense staying on the field for more than three HB Dives in a row should be a massive improvement, and maybe defenses won't know what plays we are running before they are even called.

I like it.  I'm still a little nervous about this season, but I definitely think this is an improvement.

Don't know if anyone else has seen this, but ESPN is all over Leinart being on his way out of Arizona.  They have been talking about the Bills, Giants, and Raiders as possible suitors to get Leinart.  Apparently the farther along we go, the more he and the Cardinals aren't seeing eye to eye.

Can't say I'm really shocked about this.  I've been on the side that he is a bust, and the Cardinals need to move on.  What's anyone else got to say on the subject?

So, I was reading Drew's post about next year's crop of running backs.  (Great post, by the way).  I went through the list, trying to remember which of these backs I had or had not seen, and how good they were.  Then, I came upon Noel Devine.  I then noticed he was the only player listed I didn't need to look at his stats or video.  I instantly could click on the response button and state what I thought about Devine.  The point is, every time we have any kind of post about next year's stars, the draft, or anything involving college players, I always step up to the plate for my Mountaineers.  I did it for Pat White and Jarrett Brown, and I'll do it for Devine.  Anytime I see people talking about them, I try to chime in with what I know and love:  WVU football.  I love my 49ers, have since a kid, and will as long as I live.  But, they are not my only football love.  Being from the state, we live and breathe WVU football (save for the few Marshall fans) all over the state.  There are no other colleges.  There are no pro teams in any sport.  WVU is us.  And we love them.

Every time I talk about WVU to people, it puts me in the mood to watch highlights of WVU, it's players, and everything I love about them.  I was just wondering if anyone else cared about an NCAA team as much as we do the Niners.  Does anyone else love a particular college as much (or more) than you love our 49ers?  If so, chime in with what team you love, how long/why you love them, your favorite players, greatest rivals, fondest memories, or whatever comes to mind.  Give us thoughts, stats, videos, whatever.  

And in case you didn't hear me say it before, GO NINERS (And Go 'Neers!!!)

I love Nate Davis.  Big fan.  But, as a Mountaineer at heart, I must try to officially begin the "Jarrett Brown" is our future campaign now.  I know many of you may not know a lot about Brown, so I will try to give some links to entice you to jump on the JBIOF band wagon. He does need coaching, but has great mobility and a cannon for an arm.  I'll try to provide better links to better highlights when I can, but he simply hasn't gotten a huge amount of experience.        Nate Davis, you're my boy, but I am off the NDIOF bandwagon.

Go 49ers.  Go Mountaineers.  Go sign up for the JBIOF T-shirts. 

JARRETT BROWN IS OUR FUTURE!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT_zRZJI8j0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZdwc_gi0Co

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYvcluRfUHI&feature=related

Just a thought, but should we be trying to spend some of our cap to get a DB before the draft?  ESPN just reported that Dunta Robinson from Houston and Leigh Bodden from New England won't be franchise tagged this year.

Should we try to maybe try to get a proven DB such as Bodden or Robinson?  Or should we still wait and try to get someone early in the draft?  Or both?

I, for one, would love to see us try to go after Robinson.   If I'm not mistaken, we have plenty of cap room, so we could definitely afford to go after one of them.  I know we still need to lock up Willis and Davis long term (right?), but we still have money we could use in FA.  Just wondering about what everybody else thinks.

I just wanted us to take a moment of silence for former WVU and Bengals WR Chris Henry, who died today as a result of a car accident yesterday morning. 

Henry's career stats:

Career: 5 Years; Rec: 119; Yards: 1,826; Avg: 15.3; TD: 21

He may have had his attitude problems early on, but he was the anti PacMan Jones and changed for the better.  He was still a Mountaineer, and I hate to see this happen to anybody.

You will be missed, Chris.  Rest in Peace.

I was as heart broken and mad as everybody when we got "Favred" (again...).  I was ready to shatter my TV, and I have a nice TV.   But the more I think about it, the more impressed I am by our team.  This team is GOOD.  We aren't great (yet), but I now see we can win ANY game we play.  For the first time in years, we can all finally say that, mean it, and understand it.  This is the first time in years I have felt good about my team's future.  Sure, we lost a heart breaker today, but I learned more about our team in this loss than in the first two victories.  Even the negatives from the Vikings game gave me hope for the future.  First and foremost, it seems that Singletary is the real deal.  The guy can flat out get in done on Sundays as a head coach.  Discounting the first game he coached when we lost to the Seahawks last year (when he took over for Nolan in the middle of the week), Singletary is what, 7-3?  And look at our three losses:  @Arizona, @Miami (both from last year), and today @Minnesota.  In the ten games Singletary has coached us, we have won them all except for three road games to three playoffs teams  (All three won their divisions last year as well).  And all three games were lost on the LAST play of the game. I know we can (and probably will) change offensive coordinators again in the next year or two, the Head Coach of this team has them playing FOR HIM.  They are laying it all out, and giving more than 100%.  These Niners are fighters.

Sure, it hurts, and we made a LOTof mistakes today.  But if you told me that we had 56 yards on the ground and 188 through the air (while Favre had 301), and that we were 0-11 (yes, we were that bad) on third down, I wouldn't have thought we had a chance to win.  But we had that game.  It was right there.  The fact we were even leading that game at the end blows my mind.  We were sloppy, but we were there.  The stat sheets don't look pretty, but we find ways to win (and when we lost, come close to winning).  Just like the Arizona and Miami losses of last year, the game was lost on the LAST play.  We have nothing to be ashamed of, as a Hall of Fame QB, even if he is fifty years old, beat us with a miracle.  And Mr. Shaun Hill showed me a lot today as well.  I've told my friends I want to hear no more about how bad our QB is.  It may not be pretty and flashy, but he put the team on his shoulders and led us when we needed it.  Gotta give me a ton of credit for that.  Today gave the opportunity to see that, just like the opener @Arizona, when we really need Shaun Hill, he shows up.  We all here know he's not an all-star, but when we need a drive and need points, Shaun Hill is as reliable as anybody in the NFL at this point.  I'd still like to draft the franchise QB next year, but as of now, I am 100% fully behind Hill as our field general.  And, if today is any indication at all, I think we can all smile happily at the thought of the 6th overall pick of 2006 was not wasted at all.  Without Martz' offense, which ignored the TE most of the time, Raye's offense at least seems to have a bigger focus on Davis.  The announcers even talked about his MASSIVE change in attitude and focus, which made me smile even more.  The thought of him having a offense that will implement him a lot, paired with that skill set and a "team first" attitude is a scary thought for opposing defenses.

I know it's not just me, but you guys should all be absolutely stoked.  I'm never glad we lost, but in this case, I at least learned a lot about the skills and heart of our beloved Niners.  We went and fought a team many have picked to go deep in the playoffs very, very hard, even though we didn't come out on top.  First, Gore goes down in the first few plays of the game.  Then, when we went down 10-0 early in the game, and the Vikings defense was absolutely embarressing our offense, I got really worried.  But the Niners did something I haven't seen them do in years in that kind of situation: They responded.  They showed guts, heart, and determination.  They showed toughness.  For the first time in years, our team planted their feet and fought.  Singletary has gotten this team into a mindset I never thought I would see.  They are mean, tough, and hungry.  The Niners of old were synonymous with "finesse".  Their play was a thing of beauty.  This team bruises with defense and manages their offense  (And is it just me, or do we have a NASTY run defense?  The passing D needs to step up big time, but I don't see anybody running on us if Peterson couldn't).  Even more impressive to me is how Singletary has done this with such a young team.  He has rallied them and they believe every word he says.  No other coach in the NFL may have his locker room in the palm of his hand more than Mike Singletary.  And he has done this in less than a year.  That, my friends, is AMAZING.  I refuse to dwell on this loss, blame it on Frank Gore being hurt, blame the outcome on Mark Roman, or any of that.  My team showed me a lot today, even though it was painful to sit through.  They showed me that they truly, for the first time in years, can play with anybody, anywhere, anytime.  Until another team kicks our ass and proves me wrong, I will be looking at most games we play now with the idea that we are truly going to win, as opposed to the wishful thinking I had been doing the last half dozen years or so.  Three losses in ten games, each on the last play, is nothing to be ashamed of.  And the scary thing, with all of that youth, two first rounders next year, the possibility of adding the "C-word" as a weapon, and more time with Singletary means, in the next couple years, we can still get better.  SCARY better.

So, I hope everyone else takes from this loss what I did.  Losses are never good or excepted, but they are inevitable.  At least it happened early and gave us the opportunity to see what our team is made of in the most difficult of situations.  It took a Favre miracle to beat a Gore-less Niners team at Minnesota.  I couldn't be more proud to be a Niners fan right now.  We win, and when we don't, teams have to literally fight until the last second to beat us.  All I can say is Congratulations, Favre.  You truly earned your reputation today.  But, for the first time in years, I'm pretty confident we may have an opportunity to have another crack at you.  Hopefully, we'll see you again in January.

I know this is just my wishful thinking, but I would love for us to take a chance in the 6th or 7th round on one of my actual friends.  David Jones, CB/WR from Kentucky, could be a good returner and special teams player for somebody, and I would give my right arm if it could be Kentucky.  Since Rossum is getting old, and Walker is a tight end, this at least gives me a little hope.

I know nobody on here has probably heard of David, so this is a good opportunity for me to brag on him a little.  David is not just a player I'm high on...I've known him since he was in grade school.  He's my best friend's little brother, and in my opinion, he should at least MAKE an NFL roster.  He's right around 5'10 or so, and weighs around 190 lbs or so.  He has great speed (At Kentucky's pro day he ran the second fastest 40, running a 4.35), and has pretty good football instincts. 

For some odd reason, Kentucky only let David return a few kicks in his 4 year Wildcat career.  In a game his freshman season @ Florida, he returned four or five kicks for an average of about 35 or 40 yards.  Granted Kentucky got beat by a million points that day, but David still stood out.

This is David returning a kick against ECU in this year's liberty bowl.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06FIfrVVlJU

A great run from his sophomore year against Florida. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhNutQNr4is

Like I said before, I don't expect any of you to be excited about this.  David isn't a college superstar, and people outside of the SEC or my hometown have probably never heard of David.  It's just cool that I can actually talk about somebody I grew up with having the possibility to play for the Niners.  It would be the most awesome thing in the world if it happened, but it probably won't.  I just hope SOMEBODY drafts David. 

I don't know how credible this site is, but at the beginning of the season, David was ranked right around 115 out of all CBS.  By the end of the season, he had jumped up to 80 or so, and after his pro day, he's listed at 58 overall.  He must be doing something right.

http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=57423&draftyear=2009&genpos=CB

...does anyone have any information on some of the UK football players heading into the draft?  I'm particularly interested to see what David Jones does, as he is my best friend's little brother.  I think somebody said his pro day was today in Lexington, but I'm not 100% sure.  I was trying to find out if anyone knew how he looked in his drills, and if he performed at anything better than expected. 

If any of you guys know anything about it, or if you would happen to know somewhere I could look to find anything on David's pro day and such, it would be most appreciated. Better yet, do any of you guy's have an opinion on David possibly getting drafted in the later rounds?

I haven't heard anyone talking to much about the possiblilty of getting Haynesworth, as I personally thought it was a given that he is supposed to test the free agent market.  I would absolutely love to see the Niners at least make a try at Haynesworth.  If we do stick with a 3-4, he would be an ideal middle piece, and it would definitely take care of one of our needs.  Anybody else hoping we make an effort to sign Haynewworth?

Who would you have us draft at number 10?  We've all talked a lot about it, and wondered if we will swing and miss or hit one out of the park.  Try to be open minded, but still consider that nine people will already be off the board.  Who do you want to see in red and gold next year, and why?

I'm still kinda hopin' for E. Brown, Maclin, or Jenkins.  Offensive line maybe, but only if there is a opening day starter at right tackle sitting there.

Regardless of what position we go after, I really don' want another player like Balmer from last year who won't step in and make an immediate impact.

Just wondering from fellow Niners fans, what do you guys think about this Vick trade talk?  I've seen a few reports where where Coach Sing "wouldn't rule out a trade with Atlanta" to acquire Vick.  If this did happen, what would you guys think about the move?  Anybody all for or against this trade? It blew me away, as I never really believed that we may actually make that move.  But seeing it on numerous sites and the bottom of ESPN and ESPN2 makes me wonder.....

Do you think it could benefit us, even is he didn't play QB (maybe receiver, safety, return man, etc.)?