Asked how much of the responsibility falls on his own shoulder, Singletary didn't duck the question.
"I would put it all on my shoulders,'' he said.
There's not much gray area there. Still, the vast bulk of the season is yet to be played out and if the 49ers -- the preseason pick by many to win the NFC West this year -- have any hope to pull out of their tailspin and be competitive for the title in what is admittedly a weak division, new offensive coordinator Mike Johnson will have to get the offense revved up.
Singletary was asked about the qualities of Johnson, who was the quarterbacks coach under Raye, and what makes him the right man for the turning the offense around.
"Well, when I look at Mike, I think Mike will do a good job of bringing the staff together,'' Singletary said. "I think Mike is a great communicator. I think Mike is a great teacher. I think he's a visionary. I think he understands what we're trying to accomplish and I think the players will embrace him.''
Much was made in training camp of Raye coming back to the 49ers for a second season. It was the first time that quarterback Alex Smith had the same offensive coordinator two years in succession, and that brought the signal caller a certain amount of comfort.
Presumably that comfort won't evaporate any time soon because of Smith's close work with Johnson, but this is clearly going to have an impact on how things work in San Francisco, right?
"I think we will work hand-in-hand, but it is his offense,'' Singletary said. "And when I say it is his offense, I know that Mike will do a great job of involving every coach on the offensive staff.
"I knew he would do a great job of making sure that everyone has input, and it's a collaborative effort. And I know he will work his tail off to make this the best offense that it can possibly be. So I'm excited about that.''
Less exciting is the prospect of yet another offensive philosophy, particularly one that has to be imported midway through the season.
"The thing that I want to do, the most important thing to me, is winning,'' Singletary said. "How we do it, I really don't care. Yes, we can talk philosophy, we can talk opening up, closing it up, whatever it is. But the bottom line is winning. I want to do what we need to do to win football games. That's the philosophy that I want to become very familiar with.
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