Mike Nolan...how do you rate him so far?

bleedredandgold · Post #1 » by **bleedredandgold** » Mon Apr 2, 2007 11:51 pm

I actually give him a B+ right now...he is entering his 3rd year...if the 49ers make the postseason in 2007 then he is in sure fire A+ category.

This team was going absolutely nowhere by the end of 2004-2005 season...49ers were the true laughingstock of the entire NFL (and that is not an exaggeration) they had minimal talent on offense(except for EJ and Arnaz)...evident by your best player being Brandon Lloyd...no talent on defense...no true young talent to look forward to except for Keith Lewis and Shawntae Spencer...the coaching staff sucked...and the front office was just a joke...

I think the outlook has drastically changed since then and its all a credit to Mike Nolan.

Thoughts???

Post #2 » by **Harry Palmer** » Tue Apr 3, 2007 3:06 am

It's funny...I generally don't like his overemphasis on size over skill. It's not the kind of football I enjoy, but I can't really argue with the results. I think we really overachieved last year, and he seems to make moves that mostly work, though few are walk off homers.

UKF · Post #3 » by **UKF** » Tue Apr 3, 2007 3:49 am

I think he still is learning but he has definitly done a good job. He has made a few mistakes but I like what he has done so far.

Especially when you compare what he has done to what the Kings coach in sac has done. I wonder if he knows anything about basketball....

HitMan52 · Post #4 » by **HitMan52** » Tue Apr 3, 2007 5:46 am

For now I give him an A because his first year he had no talent at all. The next year with the help of the offensive line and gore almost got us into the playoffs with again a team with hardly any talent.

This is the first year when we are actually expected to do something so my grade for him could drop if we do not make the playoffs.

ticknyler · Post #5 » by **ticknyler** » Tue Apr 3, 2007 6:05 am

What he has done is remarkable. But it makes it unbelievable for the amount of short time it has taken him. I cant think of any other team in sports to be so far below everyone else in the league talent wise, only to have it turned around in about a year....and then have serious playoff indication a year after that.

One thing he can work on is his in game decisions like 4 and a centemeter with Gore and Larry Allen and punting the ball instead. Of course thats a no win situation because its a shoot me if i do or shoot me if i dont situation. I give him the benefit of the doubt because of the lack of talent the past couple years but i expect him to start playing to win with a kiiller instinct instead of playing not to lose.

ticknyler · Post #6 » by **ticknyler** » Tue Apr 3, 2007 6:06 am

What he has done is remarkable. But it makes it unbelievable for the amount of short time it has taken him. I cant think of any other team in sports to be so far below everyone else in the league talent wise, only to have it turned around in about a year....and then have serious playoff indication a year after that.

One thing he can work on is his in game decisions like 4 and a centemeter with Gore and Larry Allen and punting the ball instead. Of course thats a no win situation because its a shoot me if i do or shoot me if i dont situation. I give him the benefit of the doubt because of the lack of talent the past couple years but i expect him to start playing to win with a kiiller instinct instead of playing not to lose.

Post #7 » by **Hopper15** » Tue Apr 3, 2007 6:11 am

I like the organization he's put together. I like that he has a high standard for character, yet is still willing to take a shot at an Antonio Bryant. I like that he's gotten to blow the dust off of York's checkbook. He still has lousy time management skills during games, but that's the only bad thing I can come up with. B+ sounds about right for now. But, his legacy hinges almost entirely on Alex Smith.

Sports_1140 · Post #8 » by **Sports_1140** » Tue Apr 3, 2007 2:13 pm

Ultimate Kings Fan wrote:I think he still is learning but he has definitly done a good job. He has made a few mistakes but I like what he has done so far.

Especially when you compare what he has done to what the Kings coach in sac has done. I wonder if he knows anything about basketball....

lakafanfolife · Post #9 » by **lakafanfolife** » Tue Apr 3, 2007 11:09 pm

i would have given him an A but ever since that game in st. louis, when it was 4th and 1 inch and he decided for us to kick a field goal, i'll have to lower it to a B. If we had won that game we probally would have made the playoffs, he's too conservative.

GS Warriors 1 · Post #10 » by **GS Warriors 1** » Wed Apr 4, 2007 6:41 am

He probably is too conservative but I argue that he almost has to be when you look at what he had to work with the past 2 seasons.

I think they overachieved last season. I thought this team was 4 or 5 win team on paper and they ended up getting 7, 3 of them on the road, which I think is a good mark. They have to improve at home though. You have to give him credit for what they did after the game @ Chicago. They could have easily crumpled up and fell apart on their way to a top 3 pick in the draft. Nolan is still learning as a coach. He will be better prepared for what to do in key situations. Yes, the 4th down thing in STL was key but I don't think it costed them the season. Speaking of that game, they have to improve on short down situations. They were times where they struggled in the red zone during the season. And I agree with Hopp, his HC career pretty much will be connected with how Smith does. As for front office, I think he has done a good job working with Scot McCloughan. They seem to be on the same page, which was an issue for the 49ers for a while in the past in terms of HC/Front office being on the same page. The players also seem to be fully behind him, which is a very good thing.

I'd give him a solid B right now, as a coach and front office. This team is clearly in the right path.

Rainmaker · Post #11 » by **Rainmaker** » Thu Apr 5, 2007 4:01 pm

I'd give him a solid 8 out of 10.

I support Alex Smith now that he's a niner, but I wish Nolan would have traded down some. Moot point now, but that's really the only thing I give him a major decrese on.

I think for the most parts, he's made mostly solid, if not great moves. Nothing really glaring (other than Antonio Bryant, but that has been rectified quickly enough)

Post #12 » by **gswhoops** » Fri Apr 6, 2007 12:46 am

Right now I'd give him a A- (it would have been an A but we lost some games we could have won down the stretch and missed the playoffs because of it).

After our 2-14 season in 04-05, we WERE the laughing stock of the NFL. We had no talent with a huge payroll, a stingy owner, a terrible stadium, and a lame duck coach.

We still have the terrible stadium (which is totally not in Nolan's department) but Nolan's given us talent and character, while getting York to pony up for some top FAs. Going 7-9 last year was really impressive.

After 04-05 I predicted to my brother that it would be 8 years until we made the playoffs again. Now we're poised to make the postseason in the 3rd year of the Nolan era. That's a job well done in my book.

As long as Smith continues to progress, the defense continues to improve, and Nolan continues to add talent like he has through the draft and free agency, I see no reason why we can't be an elite team in 3 or 4 years. That's an indication of how good Nolan has been.

RayRe · Post #13 » by **RayRe** » Sun Apr 15, 2007 11:30 pm

lakafanfolife wrote:i would have given him an A but ever since that game in st. louis, when it was 4th and 1 inch and he decided for us to kick a field goal, i'll have to lower it to a B. If we had won that game we probally would have made the playoffs, he's too conservative.

ya, that wasn't the only game either. Definately didn't agree with a lot of his decisions but cant complain with our results.