Mike Singletary Costs Gamblers Money; Fired By San Francisco 49ers

Dec 27, 2010 | Tags: 49ers, chargers, chiefs, mike singletary, rams, seahawks

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Mike Singletary

It is often said that the NFL is a league that is driven bu gamblers, and that may never have been more evident than on Sunday. Mike Singletary was expected to be a coach of the year candidate after the 49ers won the NFC West this season, but instead, he was fired on Sunday.

San Francisco was the betting favorite to win the NFC West heading into the season. Gamblers could not see any way that the other three teams, with far inferior talent, could have a better record than the 49ers over the course of a season. With one game left, those gamblers who bet on San Francisco are now tearing up their betting slips.

The 49ers lost again Sunday to St. Louis, and the lack of effort and execution shown by 49ers players cost coach Mike Singletary his job. Millions of dollars were probably lost when the Rams defeated San Francisco, and if there is anything consistent in the NFL, it is that underachieving teams usually lead to unemployed coaches.

The 49ers did not even have to be good to win the West this year, all they had to do was play .500 football. Every time it looked as though they were turning the corner, they lost another big game. Now, they are heading into their final game of the year with no head coach, and nothing to play for. It is the worst case scenario for one of the NFL's most storied franchises.

Gamblers who lost money with the 49ers this year will have an opportunity this upcoming week to salvage some dignity if they can pick the winner of the Rams and Seattle Seahawks game. The winner of this game will win the West and host a playoff game. If it is Seattle, it means 7-9 team will win a division.

The Rams have a chance to at least make themselves a respectable 8-8 division champion. St. Louis has played many competitive games, while Seattle has been blown out on numerous occasions. The Seahawks will be at home for the match up, but may be without quarterback Tim Hasselbeck, who was injured in the embarrassing loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday.