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Singletary Names Smith Starting Quarterback

Mike Singletary began his Monday press conference by announcing that two starters in right tackle Tony Pashos and inside linebacker Takeo Spikes will undergo MRI’s today on the shoulder injuries they sustained against the Texans.

Singletary went over the rest of the 49ers injury report from the Houston game and then made an announcement on the team’s starting quarterback position for the 49ers next game at Indianapolis and for the foreseeable future.

“As far as this upcoming week in terms of quarterback, Alex Smith will be the quarterback,” Singletary said.

“As far as, ‘Will Shaun Hill be back?’ and all this other stuff… we’re not going to be a flavor of the month kind of team,” he added. “I wanted to make the decision based on who gives us the best chance to win.”

More Notes from Monday

-Singletary said Pashos suffered a left shoulder contusion, outside linebacker Marques Harris suffered a hamstring strain, defensive tackle Justin Smith suffered a left calf strain, nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin suffered a right knee sprain and Spikes suffered a right shoulder sprain.

-The 49ers head coach touched on the play of his offensive line again on Monday, but he sounded confident that the group would improve its play and reestablish Frank Gore and the 49ers running attack.

“We want to run the ball, but usually they have 8.5 guys in the box, sometimes nine. Sometimes that makes it a little more difficult. When you have an offensive line that has been banged up and is trying to get things right, it makes for not a good combination. But as we build confidence and continue to get better, it will work itself out.”

-If Pashos is unable to return in time for Sunday’s game against the Colts, Singletary said the team would “figure it out,” in naming a replacement.

-Singletary sat in on the team’s defensive meeting this morning to cover some communication issues that have been hampering the unit’s play. Singletary wants to see better results from that side of the ball, but was sure to remind them know how highly he thinks of them.

“We’re a good defense with the opportunity to be a great defense,” he said of his message to the defense. “But because of the communication factor, particularly in the last couple of games, you get guys starting to do their own thing. That’s when you really have to communicate very well, to make sure guys don’t start doing their own thing. We just have to get on one page, relax, settle down and let’s go from there.”

-Singletary said nothing stood out to him from watching the film in regards to the play of Michael Crabtree.

“Nothing jumped out to me, it was very evident yesterday,” Singletary said. “I just wanted to see it on film, just like when you see a good movie; you want to see it again.”

-Singletary spoke with Crabtree earlier this morning to let him know how he appreciated all the work Crabtree did while he was away from the team.

“All of the work he did, all of the studying he did while he wasn’t here – it showed,” Singletary said.

Singletary Approves of 49ers Character

On Monday, Mike Singletary spoke positively about all three phases of his 49ers ballclub and singled out a handful of players on each unit.

The 49ers head coach also commended the performance of his entire team in a game they were expected to win. Singletary referred to the game as a “character challenge,” citing how the team entered the game as the favorite and responded with a convincing 35-0 victory over the St. Louis Rams.

“I’m very proud of the guys and the way they played,” he said.

Singletary opened his Monday briefing by announcing that starting running back Frank Gore and second-year safety Reggie Smith had been ruled out of this Sunday’s home game against the Atlanta Falcons. Gore is out with an ankle injury and Smith is out with a groin injury.

In addition, Singletary said outside linebacker Marques Harris suffered a hamstring sprain and linebacker Jeff Ulbrich had a concussion. Two players who suffered minor injuries, free safety Dashon Goldson and outside linebacker Manny Lawson both returned to action later in the game.

When commenting on the play of his offense Singletary said he thought quarterback Shaun Hill did a good job of spreading the ball around and keeping it in the hands of only his receivers.

He also highlighted the performance of his rookie running back.

“I thought [Glen] Coffee ran hard,” Singletary said. “He just has to continue to get into the groove.”

On defense, Singletary was overwhelmed with the hustle displayed by his defense.

“Defensively looking at the film, guys were running to the ball,” he said. “When you talk about relentless – that’s what you see on film.”

One of the players who embodied that relentless style of play will be recognized on the NFL Network’s “Head Coaches Show.”

Two-time Pro Bowl linebacker Patrick Willis will be highlighted by former 49ers head coach Steve Marriucci on tonight’s show that will air on the NFL Network at 3:30PM PT.