Originally posted by VDSF:amen brotha!
The San Francisco 49ers are a stunning 3-1, sitting all alone in first place in the NFC West. Down 20 points on the road in Philadelphia against the big, bad Eagles, the less-talented Niners roared all the way back.
They were calm. They were poised. They were well-coached.
They are the exact opposite of what they were under Mike Singletary.
Jim Harbaugh has truly saved this franchise; he's the absolute right guy at the right time.
Remember the chaos under Singletary? Pick a quote. My favorite was his epic search for a rat. Then there was the "dad-gum" Yahoo report. And of course, "can't coach em" followed by "I want winners." It was great for the media. But it was awful for the players and fans. Singletary was a punch-line, a laughingstock, becoming a cartoon character. He had no idea how to be the face of a franchise. His sideline demeanor was poor. His clock management was pathetic. Mike Singletary was the worst coach in the NFL since Rich Kotite left the scene.
I took this trip down memory lane watching the Niners come back on Sunday afternoon. The Niners looked so professional in the second half. They would've never won this game under Singletary.
Factoring in location, opponent and scoreboard, I would argue that Alex Smith played the best game of his San Francisco career against the Eagles. Smith proved to be a stabilizing factor, rocking steady for 201 yards on 13-of-17 passing in the second half. He tossed touchdowns to Vernon Davis and Josh Morgan. It was beautiful. Finally, Smith, so maligned since being the top pick in the draft, had his moment.
Catching up with Smith Monday on the SiriusXM Blitz, the quarterback didn't name Singletary. But his take on the mentality for the second half spoke volumes about the difference between Harbaugh and Singletary. Smith told us, "It starts from the top down. Nobody was freaking out at the half. There were no crazy emotions. There was no hoopla. The focus was on the details. It was about stringing plays together and starting from there. There was no crazy speech. It was just football."
You mean Harbaugh didn't pull his pants down like Singletary did a few years ago? This is a change for the better.
And Harbaugh's demeanor and toughness and demand for accountability carried over to the field. The offensive line was incredible against the Eagles vaunted defensive line. Frank Gore churned out key, clock-killing drives and huge first downs.
And what Harbaugh has done with Alex Smith has been nothing short of remarkable. Yet, if you have been following Harbaugh's career, his meteoric rise as a coach, it's not surprising. Smith is thrilled to be working with the former NFL quarterback. After Smith had to deal with constant change at the offensive coordinator position and the irrational behavior of Singletary, Harbaugh has saved his career. It's easy to blame Smith for underachieving. He throws the passes. But for years, until Harbaugh arrived, Alex Smith was set up to fail.
In 2011, he has thrown one pick in four games. Let that sink in.
Harbaugh and Smith are attached at the hip. Finally, Alex has his man.
Smith explained, "He knows what it is like. He knows you have to throw the ball away. He has a wealth of knowledge. We are constantly talking football. In past years, I was forcing it. I was trying to do too much and be something I'm not. He wants me to run the offense."
Imagine that concept.
Look, I don't think the 49ers are a great team. But Harbaugh has changed the culture in San Fran. They could easily win the division by default. And they are a fourth-quarter against Dallas away from being undefeated.
Here's the beauty for Niners fans. Harbaugh is building something.They will get better players next year when they have a full offseason program.
And wait until he has a long period of time to work with Smith.
Finally, after years of being mocked by football fans and David Letterman, the Niners are legit, because they finally have direction.
They finally have a head coach.
FoxSports.com
STFU 
