The day of 'judgment'. Mike 'Nowin' Nolan is gone. He finally got the call. He finally got his pink slip. He might even be joined by a very underperforming offensive line coach named, George Warhop (a good guy, decent guy, outgoing guy - but a questionable coach).

The 49ers were a winning team with Jeff Garcia and 'Mooch' Mariucci. Time might have passed 'Mooch' by. The same might be said for Mike Holmgren, but perhaps not for Mike Shanahan, another of the Walsh-tree winners who is still hanging on. For the time being, they'll move up to HC Mike Singletary, the HOF Bears linebacker, who has been in the no-man's land of 'assistant head coach' for some years now, as he concentrated exclusively on the middle linebacker position - Willis, Spikes and just a few others.

The Detroit Lions faced a similar 'malaise'. Fans were literally giving up on the team. They were watching other games, or going out on Sunday - or 'God forbid', spend more time devoting Sunday TO God and consideration of Scriptures, for example (not something the NFL exactly encourages). Finally they staged a small protest rally. And their hated enemy, the lovable Matt Millen, got his phone call. The 49ers fans might . . have been on the verge. But they didn't actually have to go down to 4949, next to Great America. In fact, the Yorks, the owners, were probably in Ohio, anyway.

So the deed is done. The weight has been lifted. The birds are singing. The flowers are suddenly in bloom. The air is just fresher. All that stuff. Nolan was in over his head, and compensated by descending into the stereotypical martinet bad boss, indeed incompetent boss, that we ALL know and despise. The guy never seems to get fired. So when one does, workers everywhere rejoice.

The team had lacked discipline. Nolan had been careless and clueless in challenging calls and controlling the clock during games. He made no changes to compensate for opponents making game-time adjustments. Etc. The practices were 'run-throughs', for fear of injury, instead of practices designed to instill patterns and moves as second nature, where everyone is also on the same page.

Singletary is unproven - the 'Palin' of no-experience (though Obama is the truer comparison, just in that). Many fans still think he can't last as HC. But let's see what he can do. The discipline is something he can help with. The players can respect him, where Nolan had lost them. There's 'newness' and freshness at 4949. And that can help, as well. Somebody 'up there', in management . . cares about football, say the players. For some, it's not just about winning the lottery with a big contract. For some, it's about the game. And when this kind of thing is done, it says to them, ownership knows you play football for a living, and wants you to win.

All to the good. Even this fan was about to go 'Detroit' and just give up on the team. This happened at the right time. The team has been literally stalled by bad coaching, and by coaching changes, for five years. The once great franchise has been held underwater, strapped down, unable to free itself. Here and there good players have come in. But now they have a chance to join the re-energized Rams, who just finished off two of the dreaded NFC East 'powerhouses' (least they were) after a similar mid-season coaching change.

They may not have a Tittle, a Brodie, Montana or Young. Mike Singletary is NOT Bill Walsh, and neither is Martz. The D line has been forced to a 3-4 without a dominant nose tackle, and now can return to the 49ers familiar 4-3. They're 'most experienced in the league' secondary is getting beat far too often. But better things lie ahead, only because it was HC Mike Nolan that had his boot on the neck of this team. It was Nolan who fastened the straps. He's gone now.