Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary said it "does seem a bit strange" coaching in the NFC North against the Chicago Bears, now that he has become the Minnesota Vikings' linebackers coach and assistant head coach to another former Bears defensive standout, Leslie Frazier.
"Les and I ... we talked about it a bit, but I am just excited to be back in the division, as strange as it does seem," Singletary said Friday from Minnesota. "Every now and then, timing works out in such a way that you can't understand, but it is amazing how it works sometimes."
Singletary was fired as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers late last season, but he feels he is a better coach after the experience.
"Definitely, the glass is half full. I talk to people from time to time. I honestly and truthfully am thankful for the opportunity to be the head coach for that 2 1/2 years. The things that I learned ... when the opportunity presents itself again -- the Lord's will -- just puts me that much closer to where I want to be."
And what if that coaching opportunity were to present itself someday with the Bears?
"You know what: You never know what the Lord's going to do," Singletary said. "As amazing as it seems ... I mean, in my mind, as close as we got in San Francisco to really building something ... it's just one of those things where you never know what's going to happen. Certainly this year is an amazing year to me. But you just never know where you are going to end up. Keep all options open."
For now, Singletary is concentrating on working with the Vikings' linebacking corps.
"At this time, it feels very good to be able to get my hands on a position," he said. "I am not quite sure how excited the guys are about it. It's a lot easier when you go into one (coaching) spot, so I am excited about that."
On Sunday, Singletary and Frazier plan to watch the Super Bowl between Green Bay and Pittsburgh. Twenty-five years ago, the two played in Super Bowl XX for the Bears. Frazier suffered a career-ending knee injury late in that resounding 46-10 victory over New England.
"Les and I were talking about that a little while ago. Just being able to watch the game together a little bit, it should be interesting," Singletary said.
