Posted at 1:13 a.m., Monday, December 24, 2007
NFL: ESPN reports 49er Nolan 'assured' to return
By Daniel Brown and Dennis Georgatos
San Jose Mercury News
ESPN senior analyst Chris Mortensen, discussing coaches on the hot seat during the network's "Sunday NFL Countdown" show, said that Nolan "has been assured by ownership that he's coming back, but he either has to mend a broken fence with former first draft pick Alex Smith or find a solution at quarterback to survive beyond 2008. ... It seems certain Nolan will be hiring a fourth offensive coordinator in four years."
Told of those details after the game, Nolan said: "I wasn't in on that one. ... We'll have those meetings later."
Frank Gore said he believes Nolan will return, and the running back added that in his opinion, Nolan deserves more time.
"Coach Nolan is a great coach," Gore said. "He's a football guy. I tell people, I tell my fans, 'Don't give up on him. We're going to get it done.' There was just a black cloud over our organization this season that wouldn't let us get on the right track. But we've got the guys, and we're going to get rid of that black cloud and we'll get it done."
