The best word for the San Francisco 49ers' month? Buzzkill.

Remember when January started? The Bay Area was excited about Mike Singletary, about the future. There was a buzz in the air. A certainty that things were on the right track.

Now? The buzz has vanished during the long march to . . . Jimmy Raye?

The 49ers have apparently hired Raye, 62, as their new offensive coordinator. I say "apparently" because, despite the news breaking Wednesday, the team hasn't confirmed it. Hasn't announced it. Hasn't spun it as a wonderful, exciting thing.

And that has allowed the 49ers' perception problems to fester and grow.

Were you hoping for a fresh start? For the 49ers to morph into a tight, crisp, intuitive organization? Not so fast.

Instead the 49ers have seemed to devolve into the Raiders in recent weeks. Going underground, failing to communicate. Not caring that their reputation is suffering in the process. And hiring a coordinator who carries a hint of Tom Walsh, the bed-and-breakfast guy.

How exactly did Singletary settle on Raye, whose three-decade-plus NFL resume yawns mediocrity? Why is a coach who wasn't in demand with any other team the right choice for Singletary's most important hire? Why did a search that was supposed to be done "yesterday" take 30 days?

So far, the 49ers aren't providing any answers. And the void is being filled with a bunch of conclusions — none of them particularly positive.

Conclusions such as: Raye was the 49ers' fifth or 18th or 80th choice. That other candidates weren't interested in working for Singletary. That the job isn't attractive. That the 49ers are cheap. That Singletary is intransigent in his mindset. That he will suffocate the first hint of creativity.

None of those is a flattering conclusion.

In fairness, there are upsides to Raye's hiring. However, most of them come with a matching downside.

Upside: Raye won't be going anywhere. He's a journeyman with no chance of being a head coach and will provide much-needed continuity. Downside: Talented coaches always have options and Raye apparently didn't. And if he's a bust, the 49ers don't want that kind of continuity.

Upside: Raye has ties to Norv Turner. Maybe he will go back to a system that was successful for the 49ers three seasons ago. Downside: Turner was the one calling the plays when Raye worked for him with the Raiders. Anyone working for Turner was implementing his vision, not molding their own.

Upside: Raye will be providing experience and a veteran hand that Singletary lacks. Downside: During his long, long career, Raye hasn't made much impact in the league.

I don't know Raye, though he seemed like a nice man when I spoke with him a few years ago in the course of writing a profile of Tyrone Willingham. Raye, who played quarterback at Michigan State, was an inspiration to Willingham, who followed him into coaching.

Raye was an African-American pioneer — both as a college quarterback and a football coach. He has worked steadily while the ranks of minority coaches have grown around him. He has worked on a lot of bad teams, which has something to do with his underwhelming statistics.

The devil's advocate would say that Raye's fate has been a function of his generation: that early in his career he didn't get the breaks for good jobs and these days he's passed over by younger, flashier coaches.

The hopeful 49ers fan will look at Singletary's quick hiring of Tom Rathman as a positive sign. That maybe Rathman is the O.C. in training — and will move the team toward its creative offensive roots — while Raye simply provides a veteran hand.

But who knows at this point? The 49ers aren't saying anything. They're not doing anything to bolster confidence. And they don't seem to care how Raideresque they look in the process.

What a buzzkill.