SAN FRANCISCO (Map, News) - Except for his puzzling delay in naming Daunte Culpepper his starting quarterback, Lane Kiffin gets high marks so far in his first year as Raiders coach.

A good coach is vital to a football team’s success because of the nature of the sport. Coaches can determine strategy on every play, which is not possible in baseball or basketball.

Some feared that Kiffin, because of his youth, would have problems gaining the respect of veteran players, but again, that’s a basic misunderstanding of the sport. A baseball manager has to gain the respect of his players, and that’s even more true for NBA coaches. Despite his collegiate success, Mike Montgomery never won over Warriors players. But in football, players are programmed to respect their coaches. Coaches can lose that respect, as Bill Callahan and Art Shell did, for different reasons, but it’s always there at the start.

The Raiders have had great success with coaches in their early 30s. I saw John Madden and Jon Gruden at the start of their careers, and even saw some of Al Davis. None of them had any trouble commanding respect. The players realized that all three coaches knew what they were doing.

And so does Kiffin. He has shown from the beginning, when he reorganized the coaching staff and brought in younger assistants, that he had a clear idea of what he wanted to do.

This Raiders team is much different from the league-wide joke of last season. The offensive line, under the tutelage of Tom Cable, is opening holes for the running backs and protecting the quarterback. There is an overall crispness to the team’s play. Kiffin says, “We should be 4-0,” and that’s not too much of a reach because their losses came to Denver in overtime and Detroit, which may be the surprise team of the NFC, in the closing minutes.

But to continue the momentum of the first quarter of the season, Kiffin has to settle on Culpepper as his starting quarterback.

It was understandable when he went with Josh McCown in the season opener against the Detroit Lions. McCown knew the offense much better than Culpepper, who wasn’t signed until early in training camp, and he is a good fit for Kiffin’s offense, which is run best by a mobile quarterback, much as Gruden’s was.

McCown played well enough in the opener to win the game — it was the defense that failed the Raiders — so it was logical to keep him as the starter. But injuries have knocked him out of games and Culpepper has played well in relief, especially in the last win, over the sad-sack Dolphins.

That shouldn’t come as a surprise. Culpepper, when healthy, has been a standout NFL quarterback, a three-time Pro Bowler, and his surgically repaired knee seems sound now. McCown had failed to win the starting role in Arizona and Detroit before coming to the Raiders.

Nevertheless, Kiffin continues to spar with the media about naming his starter for the San Diego game, which comes up after this week’s bye. I hope he’s not naive enough to think that will upset the Chargers’ preparation.

That may work in college ball, but not the NFL.

Culpepper is the obvious choice. Kiffin needs to make it and put any potential controversy behind him, so the Raiders can continue their drive to respectability.

Glenn Dickey has been covering Bay Area sports since 1963 and also writes on www.GlennDickey.com. E-mail him at glenndickey@hotmail.com.

Comments from Examiner Readers

12:53 PM MST on Tue., Jan. 1, 2008 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

Examiner Reader said:
wishful thinking, oh but what a thought!

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6:41 AM MST on Tue., Dec. 25, 2007 re: "Dickey: Cal needs brains over Braun"

Examiner Reader said:
Notice from your Ben Braub article of March 6, 2007---that you had great praise for Jeff Tedford. Since the collapse of the Cal football season---do you want him out also?

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11:04 AM MST on Mon., Dec. 24, 2007 re: "Dickey: Raiders appear to be in the right Lane"

Raider Fan Tired of Losing said:
It's time for Al Davis to recognize the fact that the game has passed him by. He was ahead of the curve in the sixties and seventies, but he just hasn't stayed current. And, at age 77, who can blame him? For proof of his gradual decline, note the Raiders' performance has dropped with each passing decade. They won 72% of their games in the seventies, 58% of their games in the eighties, 51% of their games in the nineties, and a leauge worst 40% of their games this decade. Al, no disgrace in getting old; now pass the reins to someone younger.

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12:25 PM MST on Wed., Dec. 19, 2007 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

Examiner Reader said:
I see that the Falcons are going to hire Bill Parcells to fix up the franchise. This is exactly the type of move the 49ERS should make. Unfortunately that moron John York would prefer to hire MBA's from business school instead of quality NFL guys!!

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3:02 PM MST on Tue., Dec. 18, 2007 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

49er Fan said:
If there's a problem with the head so the tail shall be! I wish the owners would stop being so selfish and sell this team to someone who WANTS the 9ers to win. Preferably to Steve Young and co. I am in anguish at the resurgence of the Cowgirls and GB Slackers while SF has not had a winning season..I'm trying to hold on here...

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2:12 PM MST on Tue., Dec. 18, 2007 re: "Dickey: Haren deal shows Beane can see bigger picture"

Examiner Reader said:
The Giants are still sitting with an opening at first and third.They will probably need to sign Feliz for one of the positions and trade for a third baseman like Garett Atkins or Inge from the Tigers.If that does not work out perhaps they can sign Chipper Jones. He is old enough to start for the Giants. Another ho-hum season for the Giant offense. I hope the pitching and the defense are good!

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11:45 AM MST on Tue., Dec. 18, 2007 re: "Dickey: Haren deal shows Beane can see bigger picture"

Examiner Reader said:
Billy Beane has yet to get the A's to the World Series with his "Big Picture" philosophy. So, I'm not ready to crown him the resident baseball genius. We'll see how good the trade of Haren was when some of these prospects produce in the majors...if they produce. Personally, I'm glad to see that the Giants did not trade either Cain or Lincecum for unproven prospects or for Alex Rios. Pitching talent like Cain, Lincecum and Haren is too hard to find to be putting it on red or black, spinning the wheel and hoping for the best.

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8:33 AM MST on Tue., Dec. 18, 2007 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

niner said:
How stupid are the Yorks. Rumour has it Jed York likes Nolan. ON what concievable basis could that be? I understand his father is a bean counter, and he likes Nowin becasue he is cheap but this guy still cant say he's inept. He is now blaming Larry Allen for going for it on 4th down instead of being up 2 scores. This guy makes Erickson look like a rocket scientist. This week, Garcia and Grudin will show the fans what we could have been. I like Hill. He reads quickly and has a fast release. Without that ,he would be demolished like Smith and Dilfer.

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8:35 PM MST on Mon., Dec. 17, 2007 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

Examiner Reader said:
pretty obvious that Nolan has put some good players on the 49ers. Its also obvious the team was in horrible shape when he got it. Except for the Urban Meyer NFL snow job, he deserves to stay.

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4:53 PM MST on Mon., Dec. 17, 2007 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

it's my ball after all said:
I love the Yorks! They are not one bit interested in the endless moaning of the permadolescents in the S.F Bay area and they are going to do what they damn well please with their possession (9/10ths of the law kiddies!). I hope their pleasure is the hypocritical Bay Area Jock-o Associations' pain! In America, sports is all amount money and not even remotely about decency any more, so why should the Yorks be any different than the players or their highly emotional fans?

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2:13 PM MST on Mon., Dec. 17, 2007 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

Brad Keith said:
York is the worst thing to happen to the 49ers since Joe Thomas. He is however not smart enough to override his testosterone and sell the team.

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12:18 PM MST on Sat., Dec. 15, 2007 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

Examiner Reader said:
STOP whinning you didn't whine when you were winning. these writers are full of themselves how can low rated writer like dickey say that someone should sell their team. WHy don't Dickey go to another town that cares about his writing cause this town don't. do a Ira Miller and beat it. Why not fix the problem

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11:56 PM MST on Fri., Dec. 14, 2007 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

kurtiss77 said:
Denise is said to be attending the 9er game on Saturday vs the Bengals, how about as many 9er faithful as possible bring signs to be seen on TV and for her to see that she and her husband are hated as owners, and how badly the fans want them to rot in hell......

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11:36 PM MST on Fri., Dec. 14, 2007 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

Fire Nolan said:
I am begging all of you do whatever it takes to blackout the Bucs game> Do not let Fox televise this crap at all. I'm sick of Raiders/49ers in my region. I don't want to hear JC Pearson again! I want 20,000 at the stick, and a blackout. Protest the ticket sales and do not let anybody buy them, I want a blackout.

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10:10 PM MST on Fri., Dec. 14, 2007 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

Examiner Reader said:
The way to get the Yorks attention is to boycott the season ticket sales. Do NOT renew your season tickets. An empty stadium will get their attention.

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5:24 PM MST on Fri., Dec. 14, 2007 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

Niner Fan said:
Maybe if we ticket buying fans boycott the games until the team is sold, we can force the Yorks to sell. Can you imagine the statement an empty stadium would make? I sat thru lean years at Kezar and thru the awful Joe Thomas years at Candlestick but was never so bored as I am this year. I truly no longer care to watch.

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5:18 PM MST on Fri., Dec. 14, 2007 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

Examiner Reader said:
why would denise sell the team? believe it or not if only half of the seats were sold for for any of the eight home games the niners would probably still be in the black or at worst break even. you can thank t.v. monies along with nfl licensed products for this enormous revenue stream. now the first rule of investing is buy low and sell high. the yorks know that and they will wait.

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2:26 PM MST on Fri., Dec. 14, 2007 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

dream on said:
yeah right sell the team and next year win the super bowl. sorry people it doen't work that way...dream on

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1:16 PM MST on Fri., Dec. 14, 2007 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

Streetlight said:
Its interesting that virtually all the high draft picks has been subject to attack by their fans as a result of a team's poor performance. The 49er's had to have a franchise TE - V. Davis - who would start for any team. Second, Smith WILL become a 80+ QB given the right support. He has just too much athletic ability. About the Yorks. Hard to believe but there's actually a line formed of jillionaires wanting to plunk down a billion or so buckeroos for an NFL franchise. So when and if the Yorks decide to sell its not a problem. The question is - should they sell? The fans of course are talking with their hearts. Now I don't think the Yorks are in need of cash. And I don't think they're necessarily any less competant than most other owners. But in any case its a tough read.

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1:15 PM MST on Fri., Dec. 14, 2007 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

Examiner Reader said:
i hope they do sell the team so they can be a winning team again

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1:12 PM MST on Fri., Dec. 14, 2007 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

Sean McKenna said:
The question is, is there anything we can do as fans to help York to complete a sale of the 49ers. We're sick of his lack of football knowledge, and have been looking for him to sell the team for years now!

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12:20 PM MST on Fri., Dec. 14, 2007 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

Examiner Reader said:
Every successful NFL teams start with great ownerships. I declare myself no longer a 49er fan for as long as the Yorks own the team. The 49ers shouldn't have drafted Alex Smith. Huge mistake. Then they shouldn't have drafted Vernon Davis the following year. Another mistake. Bad ownership comes incompetent management/coaching team comes poor scouting/drafting comes bad product on the field. John York won't sell the team for one simple reason - people wanted him to..... more presure comes more resistance.

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12:05 PM MST on Fri., Dec. 14, 2007 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

Examiner Reader said:
Dickey is right on; the Yorks have been a disaster. Denise needs to do the following: (1) Tell her husband and son: "Nice try, boys, but it's time to let the professionals take over, and let's sell before we lose anymore credibility;" (2) Call Carmen Policy and say: "Get me out of this freaking disaster." Once those two things happen, Carmen can get a stable and local ownership group together, with him as the Managing Partner. Then he can call Mike Holmgren, and offer him whatever it takes to bring him down here as President of Football Operations. Mike will find the right blend of coaching to help salvage whatever is left of Alex Smith's career (if that's possible). Carmen will no doubt get a state-of-the- art stadium built (not sure about Hunter's Point though; getting in and out of there will not be much fun); maybe the Niners could play at Stanford and/or Cal for 2 years until a beautiful new "Bank of America Field at Candlestick Park" is ready. Let us pray.

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11:43 AM MST on Fri., Dec. 14, 2007 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

CroNiner said:
And jopefully they will sell the team to Steve Young and Brent Jones, so teh link to the glory days would be reestalished. All in favor? Good!

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11:06 AM MST on Fri., Dec. 14, 2007 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

Examiner Reader said:
No one, but, no one, sells a machine that prints money. Silly article.

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10:51 AM MST on Fri., Dec. 14, 2007 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

Examiner Reader said:
What a load of rubbish. Try writing on sports Mr Dickey and leave the world of high finance to those that have a clue.

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10:12 AM MST on Fri., Dec. 14, 2007 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

An AIDS ACTIVIST said:
when the 49er ( a crappy team now) was going to move to San Jose, the people there were told they would not have to pay for a stadium. now it seems that san jose wants thier tourist and business travelers to pay for this stadium, so now hotel fees in san jose will be put upon strangers that are just visiting the city. all touris boycott this and stay elsewhere....the bay area is very easy to get around and belive me you can get to that LIARS CITY just as fast as if you were staying there. i guess a stadium is worth more than those sleeping on the streets in san jose. sports are not worth it to spend millions of dollars on these lying cheaters that play sports. my god this team sucks!

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9:47 AM MST on Fri., Dec. 14, 2007 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

Examiner Reader said:
Please sell the team. Mr York, for the sake of the team and the Bay Area. It is a torture to watch 49er footbal as it is.

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9:35 AM MST on Fri., Dec. 14, 2007 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

Examiner Reader said:
I have said for several years that the only way to fix the 49ER franchise is to get rid of the Yorks. He has no idea of how to run a pro football team, and has refused to bring in a knowlegable manager. His son and the group of recent college grads that are posing as an administration are a joke. No good GM or head coach would even consider working for York. A new owner is needed to rebuild the team and THEN start planning a new stadium. I still maintain that the answer to the stadium is a partnership with Oakland. There is not enough money available to build two new stadiums.A new stadium next to the present Oakland Colliseum would be perfect. Most of the 49ER fans do not live in San Francisco and getting anything built in SF is impossible. The Colliseum has a BART station and is next to a major freeway. There is open land for parking and the weather is good. A squadron of B52's can take care of Candlestick.

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9:23 AM MST on Fri., Dec. 14, 2007 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

xensen said:
The Yorks must sell if there is to be any hope for this franchise. If Eddie D can't come back, then any of the three groups you mention would be a huge upgrade. Nolan has proven to be an empty suit (maybe he has a career as a male model). He has done the one thing that is unforgivable for the 49ers -- not losing, but being boring.

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9:03 AM MST on Fri., Dec. 14, 2007 re: "Dickey: It's time for Yorks to sell"

Examiner Reader said:
Oh, Glenn. Don't play with my hopes and dreams like this! I want to believe that the Yorks will finally crawl their way back to Ohio, but I've been hoping for that too long to get excited now. Imagine a competitive, demanding, competent owner like Larry Ellison leading this team. There's no way he'd put up with the crap the Yorks have created over the past several years. Alas, I fear we'll be sharing that same dream for the foreseeable future...

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8:43 AM MST on Fri., Dec. 14, 2007 re: "Dickey: Now would be great time for Yorks to sell"

Examiner Reader said:
As a 20 year fan, I have to agree. The well-intentioned York's have made enough bad business decisions with the team to deserve their fate. Although I said in an earlier post I didn't think knowing on which shelf the flashlight's are kept was a prerequisite to owning an Ace Hardware franchise, certainly knowing how to pick someone to manage that store is a forgone conclusion. Although Nolan successfully navigated the team's cap problem, a reasonable person cannot find reason to be optimistic about his chances for success with the team going forward--or anyone else the York's choose, if ownership remains in tact. Time for wholesale change--again, IMO.

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7:53 AM MST on Fri., Dec. 14, 2007 re: "Dickey: Now would be great time for Yorks to sell"

niner said:
EXCELLENT! Denise is a Debartolo first. She cant help but think what did she get herself into. (i dont think she or her father or brother are used to being laughed at) If she sold a minority share to some real football people (steve young) they could have their cake and eat it as well. Googles of money and still be owners without all the headache. But then unfortuanately she is married...........

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6:04 AM MST on Fri., Dec. 14, 2007 re: "Dickey: Now would be great time for Yorks to sell"

Knot2brite said:
Maybe the team will go 0-16 and then the Niners will have to be EVICTED from Candlestick. Think of it: an entire NFL team homeless, local games blacked out on television, and THEN sell! That would be sooooo San Francisco.

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9:34 PM MST on Thu., Dec. 13, 2007 re: "Dickey: Time to drop the ax on Nolan"

OldNinerCalFan said:
And if Dr. Phil is really an answer...maybe more people need to get in that meeting or meetings of their own...a few of the Yorks, the DeBartolo's, the Stadium commission...Steve and Joe, TO (once he loses another Superbowl) and Mooch/Greg Knapp, J. Garcia -- this could be a really cool reality TV show.

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9:28 PM MST on Thu., Dec. 13, 2007 re: "Dickey: Time to drop the ax on Nolan"

OldNinerCalFan said:
In this Nolan vs. Smith debate, one name not yet mentioned is Phil...as in Dr. Phil. Maybe what they need is some of that "so how's it working for you?" talk on things like...oh...I don't know...accountability, running up the middle plays, etc.

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9:25 PM MST on Thu., Dec. 13, 2007 re: "Dickey: Time to drop the ax on Nolan"

OldNinerCalFan said:
How about Jim Harbaugh as new HC (to relate to the young players, and with his own experience as an NFL QB, to really develop A. Smith), and Mike Holmgren (or Carmen Policy) as GM, Sam Wyche as Off. Coordinator/QB Coach (the world's full of business speakers already, having Wyche back would bring back the guy that helped develop J. Montana, and a lefty name Boomer into Superbowl QBs, Vinny was just an aberration, and plus he was jinxed by being a Heisman winner). Ok, for the Defense, you can't do better than the guy who drafted Bryant Young -- it's been a few years already, and I am sure he's not sore anymore, and he really was a great defensive coordinator -- and fine, call it a back to the future theme, but imagine what Seifert can do with a talent like Willis, and maybe he will help find the next BY. That's all I want for Christmas, for the next Decade or so. I will take this over a dozen iPhones.

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4:54 PM MST on Thu., Dec. 13, 2007 re: "Dickey: Time to drop the ax on Nolan"

Examiner Reader said:
If Mike Nolan is fired (let's keep our fingers crossed) who should replace him? Well, let's assume we choose a GM and also a Head Coach and not one man doing both jobs. How about the Big Tuna as GM and Marty Schottenheimer as Head Coach?

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4:51 PM MST on Thu., Dec. 13, 2007 re: "Dickey: Time to drop the ax on Nolan"

Examiner Reader said:
Several readers have written that the 49ers have New England's pick in the 2008 draft. That is incorrect. They have the Ind. Colts' pick which will be near the bottom, but probably not last.

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1:43 AM MST on Wed., Dec. 12, 2007 re: "Dickey: Time to drop the ax on Nolan"

Chucky said:
If they do fire Nolan, don't forget to get rid of some of them assistants and coordinators too (especially Jim Hostler). What's the use of upgrading talent if the coaches don't know what they're doing? Time for the Yorks to stop being nice and go on a firing spree. Trust me, you'll make all the 49ers fans happy again.

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11:47 PM MST on Tue., Dec. 11, 2007 re: "Dickey: Time to drop the ax on Nolan"

Chris Trelles said:
What the Niners need to do is stabilize the o-line...sign Faneca who plays for the steelers and trade this first round pick we have from the patriots and get a big name receiver...chad johnson who wants to leave the bengals or larry fitzgerald who i think is on the last year of his contract. Alex Smith is a definate bust and they need to get a veteran quarterback that can lead a team to victory...Mcnabb is a option. The secret of the 49ers success has been the strength of the quarterback (Joe Montana the best EVER!) play and having the best receiver in the league..Jerry Rice and T.O. That was another huge flaw...letting go of Terrell Owens who now has the most yards receiving, avg., is 2nd in TDs. Another Tackle could definately help out...But without a good coach you can't build chemistry...all eleven players playing as one. Frank Gore is a great back but with no o-line he can't run. Vernon Davis should get used alot more but with no deep threat and no QB that can get him the ball..

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8:52 PM MST on Tue., Dec. 11, 2007 re: "Dickey: Time to drop the ax on Nolan"

Chris said:
I agree with everything being said in the article about Nolan and they need to bring in a coach (and gm) with a history of winning in the NFL... Bill Cowher, Marty Schottenheimer, Mike Holgram (last year of his contract I think?) are just a few ideas... The one thing I don't blame him on is the development of Alex Smith because I don't even think Bill Walsh would make this kid into a qb because he is not god and you can't put abililty into somebody and Alex can't even make throws that high school qb's can make the kid is a bust.. He showed NOTHING last year (16 tds 16 ints) and he had a 1,790 yd rusher last year which he should have put up 25 tds 15 ints in his sleep bare minimum. So if Nolan should be blamed it should be for drafting this bust excuse making bum of a qb that played against weak competition at Utah and started one year in an offense that doesn't translate to the NFL game... By the way, Alex Smiths injury is the same one Eli Manning and Tom Brady played through

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8:00 PM MST on Tue., Dec. 11, 2007 re: "Dickey: Time to drop the ax on Nolan"

Angel Reyes said:
i agree that the 49ers won't go anywhere with M. Nolan, also the development of Alex Smith with the 49ers isn't very impressive also.Its a waste of the 1st round draft choice, and money wasted on him..higher draft choices did lot more better then alex.So it means he too should pack up his bags along with nolan.Its time to bring some experience to the team and respect back to the 49ers.I too and the rest of the 49ers faithful are sick and tired of waiting for something good to happened.we should bring Bill Parcell in for a couple years to developed the 49er team into a winning franchise again and give him money to do so..

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7:54 PM MST on Tue., Dec. 11, 2007 re: "Dickey: Time to drop the ax on Nolan"

Examiner Reader said:
Who should replace Coach Nolan if he is not retained?

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4:53 PM MST on Tue., Dec. 11, 2007 re: "Dickey: Time to drop the ax on Nolan"

OldNinerCalFan said:
Looking back at Nolan's 3 years, last year seem like an aberration -- as Dickey alluded to years ago, Nolan is fundamentally insecured about his role as HC, his "my way or the high way" approach is a big sign of someone that by not knowing how to use his authority ultimately loses it. His conversative take-a-risk-when-there's-no-other-choice approach to game-time decision making reveals his fundamental weakest as a coach -- he don't trust himself, he don't trust others and his fear of losing is what wins. Maybe K. Barlow, A. Bryant had it right about his dictatorial complex -- which showed up more and more as the team got worst and his excuses rang empty. Nobody is perfect -- Dickey was one of the few to recommend Nolan before he was hired, perhaps out of nostalgia -- but I commend Dickey now for digging through the player rumor mills and giving us insights from inside the player/agent community -- no other journalist seem to mentioned anything about that -- Thanks Glenn!

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4:53 PM MST on Tue., Dec. 11, 2007 re: "Dickey: Time to drop the ax on Nolan"

Examiner Reader said:
let's see. thanks to some very savy trade making by the niners general manager (also named mike nolan) the niners will have probably the last pick in first round of the 2008 draft. to the stunned delight of niner fans worldwide they take........ nate longshore, who comes out early..

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