Mike Singletary: 'It is important that we finish'

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

49ers head coach Mike Singletary spoke to the media briefly after their practice on Christmas day. Singletary gave the team a late start to practice, allowing them to spend some time with their families. Singletary feels that a strong finish to the season is very important.

Also, recent 49ers award winners spoke on receiving the awards.

First, the injury report.

49ERS
OUT
CB Nate Clements (shoulder), K Joe Nedney (left hamstring)

DOUBTFUL
WR Isaac Bruce (ankle), RB Glen Coffee (hamstring)

PROBABLE
CB Marcus Hudson (back), RB Moran Norris (toe), RB Michael Robinson (shoulder), CB Shawntae Spencer (ankle), LB Takeo Spikes (hamstring), T Joe Staley (knee, elbow)

LIONS
OUT
CB Phillip Buchanon (shoulder), QB Matthew Stafford (left shoulder)

QUESTIONABLE
LB Vinny Ciurciu (ankle), DT Joe Cohen (knee), S Louis Delmas (ankle), LB Larry Foote (foot), WR Dennis Northcutt (groin)

PROBABLE
DT Grady Jackson (knee), WR Calvin Johnson (knee), LS Don Muhlbach (concussion), C Dominic Raiola (knee), DE Dewayne White (toe)

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Head Coach Mike Singletary

On Christmas morning at his house:
“It was fun. All the kids were at home opening gifts bright and early this morning. We did breakfast afterwards because I had to go. It was just a great day and a great morning.”

On why the team started late today:
“I wanted the players and the coaches to be able to have family time, particularly those with little kids. So, let’s come in a little later and let’s get a good practice in.”

On who will not play Sunday besides CB Nate Clements and WR Isaac Bruce:
“[K] Joe [Nedney]. Other than Joe and Nate, [RB Glen] Coffee. Coffee is not going to go.”

On Coffee’s injury:
“It was his quad.”

On whether he knows Nedney’s status for the final game of the season:
“No, I don’t. We are just going to play it day-to-day. We will get through this week and see how it looks next week.”

On the preparation this week:
“It has been good. We had a couple of good days of work. It has been good.”

On whether the team is motivated to finish strong:
“We better be. For us, it is extremely important to finish for many different reasons. The most important reason is we want to win. Going into this game, we found out we are not going to be in the playoffs, so what do you do? Do you just fold the tent and go home or what? It is important that we finish. I know the character of these guys and they are disappointed, but at the same time they know we have an opportunity these last two games”

On whether RB Frank Gore will get all the carries Sunday:
“[RB] Michael Robinson will step up and he will play more. Even [FB] Moran [Norris] will get some carries. We will see how it works out.”

On whether he wants to see Gore get 1,000 rushing yards this season:
“That would be nice. I’m sure Frank would like that as well, but we will figure that out later. The most important thing is that we get out there and play well enough to win the game. Let’s just play our game and finish strong.”

On whether there are any situations where he would not kick a field goal because of the new kicker:
“It depends on how he is kicking in warm-ups. It is going to go right down to the wire for him. We just have to look at him and observe where he is at. I don’t know, we will see how it goes.”

On how he would feel with K Ricky Schmitt lining up a 50-yard field goal to win the game:
“That would be a scenario we would love to stay away from.”

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San Francisco 49ers Award Winners

TE Vernon Davis
On being named the 2009 Len Eshmont Award winner:
“It is an honor to win this award because it really shows that I’ve come a long way from where I was. My teammates can look at me now and see the effort, passion and determination I have towards doing everything I can to help get this team to where it wants to be. They know I am somebody they can count on.”

LB Patrick Willis
On being named the 2009 Bill Walsh Award winner:
“It’s a great honor for the coaches to vote for me to win it. There are a lot of capable guys on this team that could have won this honor and I’m just thankful. I now have to continue to go out there and keep working hard. I have always said that it’s not the accolades that cause me to go out and play harder, but getting this award, it just lets me know that I need to stay focused and continue to do the right things. I have to keep doing the things I have been doing up to this point and continue to do them even better.”

G David Baas
On being named the 2009 Bobb McKittrick Award winner:
“It is amazing. This is a great honor because there have been so many great linemen who have won this award in the past. Every lineman wants to strive for this award and I think it proves that I worked hard this whole season. It means even more since it came from my teammates on the offensive line. This is something I take a lot of pride in and I’m glad I won it. It is nice to get recognition for your effort, but we play as a unit up front so I am very thankful to the guys I line up next to every Sunday.”

NT Aubrayo Franklin
On being named the 2009 Hazeltine Ironman Award winner:
“It’s a great honor and privilege for the coaches to think that I displayed the same skills and passion that Matt Hazeltine did when he was playing. Playing nose tackle or anywhere on the defensive line, it’s a thankless position, and to my coaches to recognize me for my play it’s always big. For us guys down in the trenches, we don’t usually get our name in the paper very much, but to be given this award it is truly an honor and a privilege.”

FB Brit Miller
On being named the 2009 Thomas Herrion Award winner:
“It’s tough to put into words because you don’t really know how the coaches think about you until you get something like that. I was definitely surprised. I told my dad about it last night and he was extremely proud of me, as well as the rest of my family. To get an award like that and to be recognized in front of your whole team, it definitely puts all the hard work into perspective. Going forward, I know that I have now set a standard that the coaches expect from me and I expect from myself.”