Remember when the 49ers were the NFL’s model franchise? They were run well, coached well, and just exuded confidence at all levels. Yeah, that isn’t so much the case now, so the team is considering doing what anyone would think is the logical move to get back on track — hiring a member of the Bush administration.

(”We gotta trade Frank Gore. I don’t like that movie he did about global warming.”)

Adam Schefter of the NFL NETWORK says that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is being considered for a high-level position with the organization after she’s done with her current job in January. I’m sure the residents of San Francisco are just thrilled with the prospects of this happening.

Condi is reportedly a huge sports fan and Stanford alum, so she has ties to the region. But, of course, no experience running a football team. Schechter claims (via FANHOUSE) that:

a lot of people feel she could be very instrumental in procuring a new stadium for the … 49ers.” 

Why? Because she talked to Kim Jong-Il’s personal assistant once?

Celebrity dancer Warren Sapp was then able to get in this zinger after the report:

“The multi-tasking didn’t work in Washington so maybe the single-tasking will work in San Francisco.”

In other Niners news, former coach Mike Nolan appeared on the NFL NETWORK’s pregame show this morning, and he basically admitted that Alex Smith was his biggest mistake. When asked if he regrets taking Smith with the first pick in the 2005 draft, he says (via Matt Barrows’ SACRAMENTO BEE column):

“It’s hard to say if the information were different what we would have done, maybe choosing Aaron Rodgers or that kind of topic. Things that were brought to my attention. At the same time, we made a decision based on the best information we had at that time.”

Nolan then acts somewhat incredulous that Smith didn’t develop more under his offensive coaches:

“He’s had some outstanding coaches. I know that he’s had different coordinators. On one hand you can look at that as being a negative. On the other hand, when you’ve had coordinators like Mike McCarthy and Norv Turner and most recently Mike Martz, you’ve had outstanding coaches. So that can only bode well for you and make you a better player.”