To San Francisco 49ers fans, coach Mike Singletary's anticipated firing at the end of this season is as certain as the phasing-out of the Fast Pass.
But with a high-level 49ers executive firing late Monday afternoon -- and more front office firings rumored to follow -- indications are that the 49ers will be replacing more than just a head coach this offseason.
The San Jose Business Journal reports that 49ers' president of communications Lisa Lang resigned Monday. Tim Kawakami writes in the San Jose Mercury News that "there are apparently more exec-departures to come."
The Business Times obtained a communication Ms. Lang sent to friends and colleagues. She reportedly wrote, "With the majority of the approvals for the new stadium completed this is a good time for me to take some time off to travel and decide on my next challenge."
Those do not sound like the words of a person who had planned to switch jobs. They are certainly not the words of a person who has else something lined up.
And in regards to the stadium measure, this is quite pointedly not a good time for an executive transition.
Should 49ers Faithful be bracing for more front office changes, and the grand both-coach-and-general-manager house cleaning sweep?
Sports
Consider this move in the context of last week's Eddie Debartolo comments to the San Jose Mercury News. Eddie D. said that if the 49ers didn't make the playoffs this season, Jed York is "going to have to regroup and make some real, real tough decisions, which he will do."
In other words, if I were KNBR host Ralph Barbieri, I would use up all my Paraag Marathe jokes while I still had the guy to kick around.
With the 49ers still technically in the playoff race, one would think Singletary will survive as 49ers head coach at least until 4 o'clock-ish on January 2, 2011. But after that, the 49ers may be clearing out a large contingency of their top-level executive jobs, perhaps with the endgame of attracting a genuine and legitimate NFL general manager.
Joe Kukura is a freelance writer who figures at least Ms. Lang didn't get fired via Twitter.
