Bye Bye Nolan

Yesterday the San Francisco 49ers fired head coach Mike Nolan. If only the Niners had played half as good as Nolan dressed.

Assistant head coach Mike Singletary will be the interim head coach, general manager Scot McCloughan said. ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported the two sides are working on a suitable contract for a head coaching position.

Nolan's firing came late Monday afternoon after he met with ownership. Earlier Monday, ESPN's Michael Smith reported that Nolan was going to be fired after next Sunday's game and be replaced by Singletary. Whether that story sped up the process or not, it was clear that Nolan's days were numbered following Sunday's 29-17 loss to the New York Giants in the Meadowlands.

Nolan, 49, was 18-37 as coach of the 49ers. Though the offense improved its scoring under the play-calling of offensive coordinator Mike Martz, the defense -- which is Nolan's specialty -- has been inconsistent all season.

Nolan brought back a measure of respectability to the franchise, but the 49ers have had five straight losing seasons and were 4-12, 7-9 and 5-11 in three full seasons in his tenure.

In fact, Nolan might be best known for his insistence on wearing a suit and tie on the sideline for the 49ers' home games. After protracted negotiations with Reebok, which has a contract to supply clothing to all the league's coaches, Nolan got permission to wear his specially designed suit.

Nolan's future also was heavily tied to quarterback Alex Smith, the No. 1 overall pick in 2005. Smith never became a consistent starter, and he had an embarrassing public spat with Nolan last year over the severity of the quarterback's shoulder injuries, which forced him onto injured reserve last year.

Smith's shoulder gave him more problems this year, and the quarterback went on injured reserve before the season began. [ESPN]

What remains for Smith's future is still uncertain. Some of have said he will be released after this season but it appears only time will tell. Check out the video BELOW.
Mike Nolan addresses his job security just hours before he was fired Monday night.