Jets RB Barlow calls 49ers' Nolan "dictator"

Nav22

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http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2558531

Kevan Barlow is now a New York Jet, but he isn't leaving his 49ers career behind quietly.

Barlow ripped his former coach Mike Nolan and the direction of the 49ers in a telephone interview with the Contra Costa Times.

"Nolan just doesn't know what he's doing. He's a first-time head coach with too much power," Barlow told the newspaper. "He has too much power as a first-time head coach. He walks around with a chip on his shoulder, like he's a dictator, like he's Hitler. People are scared of him. If it ain't Nolan's way, it's the highway."

Barlow also plays for a first-time coach with his new team, led by Eric Mangini.

Barlow tried to backtrack from the comments in a subsequent call to the Contra Costa Times.

"I was kind of harsh on him, saying he's a dictator. That's bad. Saddam Hussein is a dictator," Barlow told the Times. "I was speaking on emotion. ... My world's been [turned upside down] in the past [48] hours."

In the initial call to the newspaper, Barlow expressed anger at how the trade to New York went down, claiming that Nolan informed him of the trade 30 minutes before the 49ers headed to Oakland on Sunday for a preseason game.

"[Nolan] doesn't know about the 49ers way, and that's too bad because even his dad [Dick] was coach of the 49ers. Bill Walsh set the standard there, and he ain't living up to it."

Barlow told the Times that Nolan has too much power in his first NFL head coaching job.

"Coach Nolan could be a good head coach, but he's not going to be because he has too much power.

"He calls all the shots. He needs somebody above his head. He doesn't know what he's doing. I respect [team owner John York] and everything he's done for me. He's made me successful. I'm still in my prime. You don't trade a guy like me."

Barlow told the newspaper he was speaking out because he still has friends on the 49ers.

"[Nolan] still is my problem because I've got friends on the team. Half my [former] teammates feel this way but can't say that. They feel the same way," Barlow told the Times. "You can't be yourself in there. Dudes are uptight and walking on eggshells. How are you supposed to go out and make plays the way you've always done?"

The Contra Costa Times reported that Barlow was read back all his initial quotes to check for accuracy with his agent on the line.

When contacted by the newspaper, Nolan expressed disappointment at Barlow's comments.

"It's unfortunate he feels that way," Nolan told the Times. "Personally, I feel Kevan is a good kid. When I came here I heard negative things about him and trouble in the locker room. When I was here, I thought he did the right things, like calling me if he was late or calling if he said the wrong thing to the media. As long as he was here, he was a model citizen."
 

Doomsday101

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Talk about sour grapes. It's the coaches way or the highway? I expect that out of my HC I don't want the inmates running the show and there can only be 1 boss on the sidelines.
 

Dough Boy

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Nav22 said:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2558531


"It's unfortunate he feels that way," Nolan told the Times. "Personally, I feel Kevan is a good kid. When I came here I heard negative things about him and trouble in the locker room. When I was here, I thought he did the right things, like calling me if he was late or calling if he said the wrong thing to the media. As long as he was here, he was a model citizen."
Talk about a classy way to slam somone. Transalate, he's late to practice and he's says stupid things to the media. I like this Nolan guy.:lmao:
 

Chief

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Something tells me Kevan Barlow will have a problem with authority wherever he goes.

Hitler, huh?

We'll see if the 49ers take the field in a goose-step march this season.

goose-step.jpg
 

Hoov

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Dough Boy said:
Talk about a classy way to slam somone. Transalate, he's late to practice and he's says stupid things to the media. I like this Nolan guy.:lmao:

yeah, i noticed. thats was pretty bright actually. a very subtle way to plant the seed and discredit everything Barlow said about him, without giving barlow any fighting words.
 

2much2soon

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This is hilarious. Bill Walsh set the standard that Nolan's father followed even though Nolan's father coached the whiners before Walsh?
Thats a pretty intelligent line of reasoning.
 

Chief

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Hoov said:
yeah, i noticed. thats was pretty bright actually. a very subtle way to plant the seed and discredit everything Barlow said about him, without giving barlow any fighting words.


Exactly.

Well done piece of surgical commentary on Nolan's part. Very clever.
 

NIBGoldenchild

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Too bad Barlow is right though, because Nolan has always been a sub-par coach. How he even got a HC is beyond me.
 

Dough Boy

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NIBGoldenchild said:
Too bad Barlow is right though, because Nolan has always been a sub-par coach. How he even got a HC is beyond me.
Is this the same Nolan that directed one of the best defenses in the history of the game.
 

EMMITTnROY

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i hate the 49ers, but I think Nolan is a good coach.. the fact that he had that talentless team actually competing last year is amazing, and the fact that they actually won a few is incredible..

and I gotta say, I laughed out loud when I read that Barlow said that he is in his prime and that you don't trade a player like him..
 

Everlastingxxx

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After reading that, my first thought is, damn the 49ers are gonna be good again. This Coach is laying down the line.
 

zrinkill

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NIBGoldenchild said:
Too bad Barlow is right though, because Nolan has always been a sub-par coach. How he even got a HC is beyond me.

:rolleyes: Commander fans
 

NIBGoldenchild

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Dough Boy said:
Is this the same Nolan that directed one of the best defenses in the history of the game.

Absolutely not. If you are mentioning his stint as Ravens DC, then you are forgeting that he presided over a unit that became "one of the best defenses in the history of the game" while Marvin Lewis was there and Nolan was a WR coach. When he took over, their ranking fell. Furthermore, that was the only time any defensive unit of his was ever finished in the top 10.
 

Dough Boy

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NIBGoldenchild said:
Absolutely not. If you are mentioning his stint as Ravens DC, then you are forgeting that he presided over a unit that became "one of the best defenses in the history of the game" while Marvin Lewis was there and Nolan was a WR coach. When he took over, their ranking fell. Furthermore, that was the only time any defensive unit of his was ever finished in the top 10.
For what its worth:

Head Coach
Mike Nolan
Pro Career: Named the 15th head coach in 49ers history on Jan. 19, 2005, Mike Nolan enters his second season as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers. Nolan is in his 29th year in the league and 25th year in coaching.

Nolan joins San Francisco after an impressive stint as defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, a position he has held with three other teams: New York Jets (2000), Washington Commanders (1997-99), and New York Giants (1993-96).

In Baltimore, Nolan's defense was among the NFL's best, finishing third overall. Baltimore ranked first in the AFC with 17 fumble recoveries and led the NFL in sacks (47) and tied for first in the AFC and second in the NFL with 41 takeaways.
Nolan joined the Ravens after a one-year stay as the New York Jets defensive coordinator in 2000. Under Nolan's tutelage, the Jets defense rebounded to 10th overall (tied with Philadelphia) in the league—an improvement of 11 spots from the previous year.

From 1997-99 Nolan was the defensive coordinator of the Washington Commanders. In 1997, the Commanders allowed the eighth-fewest points in NFL and finished third overall in pass defense.
He also spent four seasons as defensive coordinator under then-head coach Dan Reeves for the New York Giants (1993-96). In his first season, the Giants' defense allowed the fewest points in the NFL (205). Nolan also worked on Reeves' staff from 1987-1992 with the Denver Broncos as linebackers coach and as special teams coach/defensive assistant.
 

Yakuza Rich

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NIBGoldenchild said:
Too bad Barlow is right though, because Nolan has always been a sub-par coach. How he even got a HC is beyond me.

He got a HC job after the job he did with the Ravens defense. He turned their defense from Marvin Lewis' standard 4-3 scheme to a 3-4 scheme and the results were still excellent, while he developed guys like Ed Reed, Will Demps, Terrell Suggs, Anthony Weaver, Kelly Gregg, Ed Hartwell, and Adalius Thomas.

Barlow has never done anything in SF and when he got the chance to be the starter, he blew it. He's part of an era of massive failure in SF. If Barlow is complaining about Nolan's ways, chances are that's a good thing for SF fans because they may have a head coach with a clue.


YAKUZA
 

NIBGoldenchild

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I'll admit I was wrong about him not fielding a unit that finished among the Top 10, that was something I obviously didn't look but felt I didn't need to after seeing his coaching first hand. In every place he's coached, I've seen numerous fans complain about his units.

When Nolan came to Washington, Giants fans were happy to see him go. By the time he'd gone to the Jets, we were happy to see him go as well.

Finishing third in pass defense is misleading when every team you face know your unit can't stop the run, which they were pitiful at doing. Why pass the ball and risk an INT when you can run it down the defense's throats?

Although that nfl.com profile of him is hardly objective since it lacks the instances when his units finished in the bottom half of the league, his accolades still didn't show that he deserved a HC job. He must've really nailed his interview.
 

NIBGoldenchild

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Yakuza Rich said:
He got a HC job after the job he did with the Ravens defense. He turned their defense from Marvin Lewis' standard 4-3 scheme to a 3-4 scheme and the results were still excellent, while he developed guys like Ed Reed, Will Demps, Terrell Suggs, Anthony Weaver, Kelly Gregg, Ed Hartwell, and Adalius Thomas.

I'd give GM Ozzie Newsome more credit than Nolan, he's been drafting great players for that coaching staff well before Nolan went from being wide recievers coach to defensive coordinator.
 

peplaw06

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NIBGoldenchild said:
I'll admit I was wrong about him not fielding a unit that finished among the Top 10, that was something I obviously didn't look but felt I didn't need to after seeing his coaching first hand. In every place he's coached, I've seen numerous fans complain about his units.

Fans complaining???:eek: That settles it then... Nolan definitely doesn't deserve to be a HC:rolleyes:

SF was regretting letting Mora Jr go to Atlanta from their staff. They wanted a young defensive minded guy, and Nolan fits the bill.
 
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