Singletary still upset by unfavorable calls

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Mike Singletary is a little miffed by the number of calls he deemed “questionable” during San Francisco’s loss at Seattle on Sunday.

Enough so that the 49ers coach planned to write a letter to the league office stating his case, something he does regularly but this time it will be longer than usual.

“Every week we send a letter to the league about different calls that are made or not made in a game,” Singletary said Monday. “Just to say this week, there will be several paragraphs that will be going to the league.”

Now, Singletary insists he doesn’t want to sound like a sore loser here — he acknowledges the Niners (5-7) didn’t make nearly enough plays to win — but he is going to stick up for his team on the heels of another narrow, heartbreaking road loss in which the 49ers again found ways to beat themselves.

This time, it was 20-17 to the Seahawks. That came after a six-point loss at Green Bay on Nov. 22, an 18-14 defeat at Indianapolis on Nov. 1 and a 24-21 setback at Houston before that.

The 49ers must regroup for next Monday night’s home game against Arizona.

“Frustrated is a great word,” Singletary said in summing up how he’s feeling. “You go out and you play a game like yesterday and you end up on the losing side, the only thing you tell your players is that we just have to stay together.

“We have to continue moving forward. The ground work from this, somehow, someway, will be a positive for us going forward, but right now it doesn’t feel that way.”

San Francisco outgained Seattle 356-292 but hurt its cause with eight penalties for 57 lost yards. Still, Singletary thought the officiating could have been more even.

“The one thing about coach Singletary is he’s going to express the way he feels,” tight end Vernon Davis said. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. If that’s what he feels he wants to do, then so be it. Let him do it. He’s got our backs.”

In terms of specific plays Singletary will point out in the note, Singletary said, “There were many.”

One such example came in the waning seconds of the game. 49ers cornerback Keith Smith was covering the right sideline on Deon Butler’s 32-yard reception from Matt Hasselbeck with 12 seconds left.

That led to Olindo Mare’s game-winning 30-yard field goal as time expired.

“Let me say this before I go too far down this road, obviously there were bad calls made and I think in every game there are bad calls made,” Singletary said. “Yesterday, for me, there were just a few more than I had witnessed maybe since I’ve been in the league.

“I just want to make sure that our players, coaching staff, our fans, everybody involved with the 49ers, everybody that cares about the 49ers, understands that this is not about the referees.”