San Francisco 49ers fire Head Coach Mike Nolan

The San Francisco 49ers front office decided that they had seen enough of Mike Nolan as their head football coach and made a swift decision on Monday afternoon to get rid of him after the first 7 games of the 2008 NFL Season.

Nolan, who has coached the 49ers the last 4 years, compiled a 18-37 record and never brought the franchise back to prominence like many thought he would. Although Nolan has improved the team significantly from the one he inherited, he did not provided a winning team quick enough.

Assistant Head Coach Mike Singletary will take over as interim-head coach and guide the team for the rest of the season.

When Nolan first took over the helm of the 49ers, many thought it would be a great move for both parties. He proved his worth as a Defensive Coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens and was a hot coaching prospect. Even though he brought revolution to the franchise, including professional clothing, he was unable to capitalize and make the right decisions.

From the beginning, Nolan was given the 1st round 1st pick of the 2005 draft. That draft was especially important for the direction of the franchise, and looking for a quarterback the 49ers went with Utah product Alex Smith. There was lots of discussion about whether or not former-USC QB Matt Leinart would declare for the draft or not, after having an amazing year and winning the Heisman award.

Leinart did not declare and opted for his senior year, so Nolan was left to choose Alex Smith over the likes of Jason Campbell and Aaron Rodgers. Smith started from the beginning and took a beating, while Campbell and Rodgers were given time to learn the offense and the professional game. Smith never did prosper into the quarterback many expected him to be, and was benched at the start of the 2008 season for J.T. O'Sullivan.

The other major move that has affected Nolan's tenure was the signing of former-Buffalo defensive back Nate Clements to a 8-year, $80 million contract that included $22 million in guarantees. While I agree the 49ers needed to get some help on the defensive side of the ball, they overpaid for a corner that is good, but not the best in the league like they are paying him.

The drafting of Alex Smith and the signing of Nate Clements may not have been entirely on Nolan's shoulders, they are the main reasons why he is out of a job right now. Hopefully, we will see Mike Nolan to rebound with a coordinator job somewhere and, down the road, another head coaching job. He certainly brought class to a league that definitely needs it with the likes of Michael Vick and Adam "Pacman" Jones.