Some may remember an article just last week where we predicted the 49ers would turn their season and their franchise around with a win in Mike Singletary’s coaching debut.

The score of that game: Seattle 34, San Francisco 13.

While we may have jumped the gun on that one, at least our heart, like Singletary’s, was in the right place. The Niners do appear doomed for this season, falling into last place in the miserable NFC West thanks to two losses to division foes and five straight defeats. San Francisco did not win a single game in October, and managed to give up more than 30 points in every game except one during that stretch (29 to the Giants, which is pretty close).

But all hope is not lost to rebuild on next year. There is still half of 2008 to be played, and while postseason hopes are slim to nil, San Francisco can do a lot to maintain its fighting spirit into 2009.

Let’s start with this past week against Seattle. 49ers tight end Vernon Davis was flagged on a silly unsportsman-like conduct call for slapping a defender’s face mask in the fourth quarter. In the past, former coach Mike Nolan would’ve probably just pushed it aside, moved onto the next play, and forgotten about it by postgame.

Not Singletary.

The man coaches with a passion that hasn’t been demonstrated on the sidelines for some time now in the Bay Area. Not only did he chew out Davis for being stupid, Singletary also sent the young man straight to the locker room. In the postgame press conference, the fiery head coach exclaimed how embarrassed he was of his team’s performance, and said he “would rather play with 10 guys and get flagged every play rather than play with 11 and have one guy not buy into the team and winning.”

You don’t hear that every day.

Then came reports of Singletary apparently pulling his pants down to his team in the locker room during halftime, allegedly to show how the players were getting their butts whooped by the Seahawks. Will people blow this incident out of the water and call him out of line? Of course. Are they right?

NO.

Singletary is an old-school player, and likewise, he will be an old-school coach in the NFL. There was nothing more in his trouser-dropping stunt than simply making a point: he will not stand by as the coach of a team that is not entirely dedicated to winning every week. Players that aren’t committed to bringing a championship to San Francisco won’t last under Singletary.

So if dropping his pants to a bunch of men to prove his point offended you or made you think less of his leadership: grow up. Singletary’s a traditional, hit-you-in-the-mouth type guy; he’s not going to change the way he does things in San Francisco just to cater to the media or the fans. And don’t think this is the end of his unorthodox motivation techniques: that came after the 49ers only lost one game. They have eight left to play this season.

The good news for Singletary and the 49ers is that they enter their bye week and a new month. QB J.T. O’Sullivan has been benched after playing downright pathetic in his last five, replaced by undefeated starter Shaun Hill (2-0 last season), who was strangely given a contract extension only to sit the bench for eight games this year.

Hill and the Niners will have two full weeks to prepare under Singletary’s guidance. The team returns to action on primetime national television in Arizona on Monday Night Football. This won’t be for first place in the division, but it is one more stepping stone on the right path for the 49ers organization.

Let’s make it two bold predictions in two weeks:

Singletary will have this team ready to go at least by the start of next season, and a trip to the playoffs for the first time in seven years may not surprise anyone.

“Thar’ be gold in them there hills.” And you can bet Singletary will find it.