Back in 2008, Mike Singletary (the former legendary linebacker with the Chicago Bears) was appointed interim head coach of the San Francisco 49ers after the organization fired Mike Nolan following a 2-5 start. Singletary made a splash that season by leading the Niners to a 5-4 finish to save what could have been a very tumultuous season at 7-9.
Singletary was appointed full-time head coach moving forward, and his head coaching tenure lasted into the 2010 season when the franchise fired him before the final week of the regular season after posting a 5-10 mark. The following season Singletary joined the staff of the Minnesota Vikings as linebackers coach / assistant to the head coach. His career record as a head coach sat at 18-22 at that point.
The past few years though, you probably haven't heard Singletary's name mentioned a whole lot. That's because he decided to step away from coaching for a few seasons to be a "walkabout," taking some time off to travel around the country visiting with different staffs, head coaches, coordinators, and assistants in an effort to fill in the voids he had as a coach.
The list of coaches that he met with include Bill Parcells, Dan Reeves, Mouse Davis (the creator of the run-and-shoot offense), and Howard Mudd (longtime NFL offensive line coach regarded as one of the best in the business).
Singletary sat down with Bleacher Report to talk about those last few years, and why he now feels prepared to be a head coach again.
As a coach, I thought coming into the league that I knew everything that I needed to know. All I needed to do was get the right coaches around me.
But I began to look around the NFL, as well as college, and I saw a lot of coaches who were where I was: sometimes frustrated, yelling on the sideline. I began thinking: 'I know there's a better way.'
I didn't come back to the game just to be another coach. I came back to the game to really change the way we do things, to make things better. I was not getting that done. I realized that I can't get there from being within an organization and coaching. I needed to get outside of the organizations so I could look at things differently.
That's what I did. It's been valuable. I think I obtained all the tools I need and am ready to go.
Among the things that Singletary says he'd do differently is how he'd manage his players moving forward.
You have to be able to sit down and really help a player. Not just look at where he is, but help that player get to the next level.
The only tools I had prior to what I've learned was to deal with things as a player. When you are dealing with players as another player in that locker room with them, they don't suspect anything. You're a leader. You're trying to help them. They're going to listen.
As a coach, it's different. They are looking at you in a different way. A lot of times, depending on your body language, they feel that you're talking down to them. Or you are handling them like a kid. You have to be able to know who you are dealing with and get it done the right way.
Head over to Bleacher Report for the full interview.