Article on what are Jimmy Raye & Mike Singletary up to these days?

Originally posted by znk916:
at least Jimmy never forgot to give Frank the ball

Singletary told me that while he has had some conversations with teams, he has not had any formal interviews, and has not been offered any positions as a defensive coordinator over the last two years that he turned down. "I didn't want to be a linebacker coach again. I've been studying my tail off since I left San Francisco to become a coordinator at the very least, and hopefully become a head coach," said Singletary. "When that didn't happen, I began to work that much more, visiting coaches and learning everything I could possibly learn, primarily on offense."

I asked Singletary about whether former players face different challenges when working as coaches.

"If you are a former player, particularly a good former player, there is a distinct difference. When I came back to the game, it was 'oh, he's Hall of Fame'–all those little type of jokes, guys not really meaning anything, but at the same time, it means something."

According to Singletary, he frequently heard things like "You don't have to go the same route that we have to go," and "We have to do this, but why are you doing this?" It's true that Singletary doesn't have to coach again to secure his legacy, and he could make as much money doing speaking appearances (or even going into sports media, as he has a good voice and presentation).

"For me, I'm coaching because I really want to change lives, I want to make a difference, I want to make the game better," said Singletary. "That's the thing that I have been busting my tail on in the past year and a half, doing everything I want to do."

Joey Porter, a former all-pro linebacker, was involved in a notable incident at the end of the Pittsburgh-Cincinnati game, after coming on the field following the Antonio Brown injury after a hit by Vontaze Burfict. He wasn't the only coach on the field, nor was he the only one involved in an incident (Mike Munchak was penalized earlier in the game). But Porter is in his second year as a coach, and his first as a position coach, after retiring following the 2012 season. I asked if that incident, unfairly or not, could be held against Porter going forward as he tries to advance among the ranks of coaches, primarily among those who did not play in the league.

Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, for example, called it "an embarrassment to the coaching profession."

"I'll put it this way," Singletary said. "My father was a pastor, and he said, 'When you guys leave the house, just make sure that before you make a bad decision, always know that they may not know any other kids there, but they are always going to say, you know what, that's the pastor's son right there.'

"And so, we always knew that, and that was the stigma we had as kids. On one side, it's a positive thing, but on the other side, it's a negative thing. It's a two-edged sword for any former player, particularly an all-pro player."

I asked Singletary if it was about finding that relationship, since the profession is very inter-connected.

"Absolutely, It does come down to, for a guy like myself, someone taking a chance," said Singletary. "The first time I was a head coach, all you know about me is I'm passionate about what I'm doing, and maybe a little overzealous in some areas. So, it's an owner taking a chance on someone you don't know. I've had interviews for head coaching jobs, and it always comes down to 'you know, I really like what you have to say, but I know this guy. I've really had some experience with this guy, so I have to go in that direction.' I really understand that, and that's fine."

Singletary also said that learning about offensive coaching has been a big emphasis recently. "It's amazing to me the amount of guys who've been head coaches, but only know one side of the ball. I don't ever want to have to rely on somebody on the other side of the ball to help. Some of these head coaches are at the mercy of the coordinator … I want a defense and offense to complement each other … we are going to be a team. That's the thing I want to achieve."

Finally, Singletary thinks he has learned about the other things that came at him suddenly, handling the media and the talk that often came from sources within an organization, and how perception can be shaped by what one does publicly. "One thing for sure is, whatever organization it is, you have to make sure that everybody is on the same page," said Singletary. "My last job in San Francisco was not. When the GM [Scott McCloughan, now in Washington] left, when the GM got fired after we went 8-8 and had the first non-losing season in 8 years, we were ready to take the next step. Then we lost the GM a week before the draft."

"I was good when I had that GM that I knew and I could trust and that I felt confident around, but when he was removed, it just made things awkward, made them a lot more difficult. So obviously there were things that I could have done better, and that we both could have done better, and it just didn't happen."

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:


The HC for your Memphis Express of the AAF!