Despite Changes, 49ers May Be Doomed

SAN FRANCISCO -- They don't need much. Just a head coach whose motivational skills equal his experience, a general manager who has unfettered run of the team, a quarterback who's not interchangeable, a disciplined defense, a reliable offense, and a one-week calendar that can give a bitter fan base some smidgen of hope.

Jed York, the baby-faced president of the San Francisco 49ers, stood before the cameras Monday afternoon and, without quite saying it, all but confirmed it was finally time to make drastic, sweeping changes to one of the NFL's most storied franchise.

The first step came hours earlier, after York told reporters he didn't want to make any "emotional decisions." But somewhere over the Rockies, as the 49ers' charter plane flew home following one of the most disheartening SF losses in years, it was decided that Mike Singletary needed to be jettisoned. It was the right move, done in all the wrong ways.