I think Singletary would be a great fit for you guys, but his earliest opportunity may come elsewhere.

POSTED 11:13 p.m. EST, December 11, 2007

SINGLETARY EMERGES AS EARLY FAVORITE TO REPLACE PETRINO

An industry source tells us that 49ers assistant head coach Mike Singletary is the guy whose name has initially popped up in discussions regarding the potential successor to former Falcons coach Bobby Petrino.

Per the source, Blank wants Singletary; Petrino was hired at the behest of G.M. Rich McKay.

There are multiple potential benefits that would flow from such a move.  First, Singletary will be (in our view ) a great NFL head coach.  Second, the thinking is that he'll straighten out a dysfunctional locker room.  Third, the Falcons have the highest concentration of African-American season-ticket holders at 52 percent; in the wake of the Mike Vick fiasco the hiring of an African-American coach could go a long way toward reconnecting with an important segment of the Atlanta fan base.

In our view, however, skin color shouldn't be a factor in any hiring decision.  The best person should get the job.  But it would be naive to think that Blank isn't thinking about the potential impact of hiring a coach who is of the same race as a majority of the season-ticket holders, especially as the franchise moves forward without a player who is still beloved by many Falcons fans, whether white, black, purple, green, yellow, or red.

Stay tuned.

WILL FALCONS' VACANCY FORCE 49ERS' HAND?

Let's assume for a moment that the San Francisco 49ers are considering a coaching change.  It's not unreasonable to think that.  After all, the Niners are talking openly about hiring a G.M. who would have full control over personnel.  And that's the kind of thing that could hasten the departure of the guy who currently holds all (or, at a minimum, a big part) of that authority.  And that guy is coach Mike Nolan.

So given the early rumors that 49ers assistant head coach Mike Singletary could become the next coach of the Falcons, will the Niners move quickly to part ways with Nolan and make Singletary as the head coach?

It's an interesting situation, to say the least.  Especially since Singletary can be hired by any team without the delays associated with "Rooney Rule" compliance.  The rule requires that at least one minority candidate be interviewed for each head-coaching job.  Thus, there's no barrier to hiring a specific minority candidate without talking to anyone else.