Uh oh...

It seems as though Norv Turner is so confident he will be hired by Jerry Jones that he's already making strict demands...such as having free reign on who is hired from this point on...

Losing Turner will not be good for this team...we can only hope he taught his players well enough in his one year, assuming he does, in fact, leave.

Man, the Niners have just been killed by other teams mooching off of their coaches. This will be three Offensive coordinators in three years...

If Turner leaves, who steps in? Nolan NEEDS an offensive genius. He's a defensive guy. And with Smith still so young, having a veteran coach for Smith is absolutely necessary. He needs a role model...

Am I being paranoid?

Or is the following scenario possible...

1. The Cowboys snatch Lovey Smith away from the Bears for an ungodly amount of money.

2. The Bears, in turn, hire Mike Singletary away from us, bringing him back to the Windy City.

To avoid this, perhaps we should think about making 'the intense one' our new defensive coordinator. While the ol' Dave Campo/Norv Turner combination brings back memories of the Cowboy teams that I despised, I think I'd have to reluctantly go with Singletary...he's a stud. We need to keep him on board as a coach...perhaps we should give him a chance as a coordinator.

I hear Turner is also a possibility to replace Parcells...this would not be good for our team either. Let's hope no team goes a-poachin'. We've had enough coaching turnover for one off-season. Leave our mediocre 7-9 team alone, NFL!

Super Bowl thoughts...

Well, my pre-playoffs pick of Colts vs. Saints was close...and, to be fair, I wasn't expecting two to three inches of snow when I made my NFC pick. But, having spent the past three weeks in Chicago, I realize now that I should have expected it...the Bears have a huge home field advantage.

They won't have it in Miami.

Dwight Freeney was outstanding against the Patriots. The Niners should pay whatever it takes. The guy is a one-man wrecking crew. Count me in as sold. He was even decent against the run...one game doesn't mean much, obviously, but this guy is a true talent...and he's been a star from the getgo. I hope the Niners aren't still afraid of putting a lot of money in a defensive player, what with the Gabe Wilkins and Reggie McGrew debacles many seasons in the past...

Gotta think the Colts hand it to the Bears in the Super Bowl...no?

Mr. Mora goes to Washington

Not the University of, but Seattle...as a defensive backs (!) coach...

I guess Mora valued family over job status...guess I can't blame him there, but he would have made for a great defensive coordinator with Nolan...if they were willing to work together...

The hunt for a defensive coordinator continues...

Freeney

Keep an eye out for Dwight Freeney tomorrow...watch how quickly he moves off the line. See if he can beat the Pats' O-linemen to get to Brady. The Niners might be tempted to offer him a boatload of money this offseason. He'd likely be their best edge rusher since Charles Haley. Freeney's had a down year this season, which could convince the Colts that he's on the decline (which, perhaps, he is...).

However, check out the man's stats:

2002	Indianapolis Colts	16	41	40.0	1	13	0	0	0.0	0	0	1
2003	Indianapolis Colts	15	31	27.0	4	11	0	0	0.0	0	0	1
2004	Indianapolis Colts	16	34	31.0	3	16	0	0	0.0	0	0	3
2005	Indianapolis Colts	16	34	29.0	5	11	0	0	0.0	0	0	3
2006	Indianapolis Colts	16	29	26.0	3	5.5	0	0	0.0	0	0	3

Given that Freeney was born in 1980, it's hard to believe that the 5.5 sacks will be a trend. He has blazing speed but has struggled against the run throughout his career (see: Colts terrible run defense).

Freeney's stats are also a bit misleading, as the Colts typically score a ton of points. As a result, teams that get behind often throw the ball, which give Freeney more sack attempts (and thus more sacks).

But if you've ever seen him play, there's no doubting his speed. If he can rattle Brady, the Niners might be convinced to make a run at him...

Duffman is thrusting in the direction of UT...

While the departure of Billy Davis was expected and probably for the best, Larry Mac Duff's exit to be an assistant coach at the University of Texas is a blow to the team.

While Mac Duff has presided over four miserable years in the history of the franchise, the special teams have not been a problem under his tenure. In fact, during the Niners' successful 20-year run, kicking and coverage were annually poor. The team had enough talent to mask both problems, but they seemed to always exist. Much was blamed on the SF winds in Candlestick.

However, Andy Lee and Joe Nedney have each put up consecutive good years. Maurice Hicks is explosive as a kick returner and Brandon Williams shows promise as a punt returner. Before him, Arnaz Battle and Jimmy Williams both had very good stints as return men. Terry Jackson and Keith Lewis also both made names for themselves playing under Mac Duff.

It is somewhat ironic that the Niners exhausting search for reasonable special teams finally occurred in the down years of the franchise. Mac Duff leaves San Francisco on the doorstep of success once again. He will not be around to see the sweet fruits of his labor, but he should be recognized as an excellent coach and one of the few bright spots of the past four years.

Billy Davis...gonzo!

The Niners fired defensive coordinator Billy Davis today...only two days after former defensive coordinator Jim Mora Jr. was let go by the Falcons.

Assuming that Mora doesn't take the University of Washington job (not currently available to him and, after all, he was just joking...), the ex-Niner coach would make for a superb replacement of Davis. A Nolan/Mora Jr. defense would be intense...if merely for the combined personalities of the two men. Add Mike Singletary's stare, and you've got a Pro Bowl trio. If only the team could get some players to match their coaches...perhaps the 40-million in cap room for this season will begin addressing this.

The SF Chronicle and other media outlets are speculating that it might be Singletary's job to lose, perhaps for fear that the former Bears MLB would take another team's D-Coordinator job if the Niners don't give it to him.

However, Lil' Mora has to make for an enticing candidate if he doesn't hook on as a head coach somewhere else. He was very effective here with Mooch and Erickson...one more go 'round might be a good idea...

MISC.

1) Calvin Johnson is awesome. He should be the No. 1 pick, over Brady Quinn or Brian Brohm. The Niners victory yesterday makes it a near guarantee that they will not pay the price to move up to get him. Oh well. He is exactly who the team needs right now.

2) A few people have talked about signing an experienced wide receiver in free agency, but there just isn't anyone out there who will make a real difference. Drew Bennett is OK and adds something to the team given his size (no other receiver on the squad is nearly as tall). However, the best route for SF might be via trade. Remember, the biggest name wide receivers to switch teams recently (Javon Walker, Terrell Owens, Deion Branch) have all been traded--they were not free agents. So, perhaps the Niners ought to wait to see if a receiver has an internal scuffle with his current team and then pop up with a draft pick offer (a second or third round pick) to secure a top WR. A big-time threat to go along with Battle (great game yesterday for him) and Bryant would make the team explosive...that is a huge missing piece that would make the Niners NFC Championship contenders.

3) Where did the pass rush come from yesterday? That was unseen, all year long...

4) Alex Smith played well with absolutely nothing to lose yesterday. Hell, even a loss would have had positive consequences (better draft pick). We can only hope that Smith remembers the feeling and carries it over to next season.

5) I'm picking a Colts v. Saints Superbowl. Yes, the Colts have no run defense...but I think the pressure is off Manning this year...I just have a feeling...