In what should have been a jubilant head coach answering questions about a gutty win by his tough team over an undefeated opponent yesterday, instead turned into a presser full of talk about a broken locker room and players supposedly bailing out on their head coach. Funny thing is, didn’t we all see this before? Wasn’t there talk of rats in the cupboard during the death-throes of the Singletary era? Talk of a broken locker room? Talk of players giving up on the antics of their wild-eyed head coach? No communication between the coach and the front office? Leaked reports of trouble inside the walls? Leaks, rats, fingers in dykes. There’s suddenly an eerily similar tone around the team.
Strange how all these reports are happening AFTER the front office kicked the tires on trading their head coach to Cleveland before backing away from it in a cloud of misinformation. Funny how this stuff is percolating around the headquarters AFTER the coach and front office decided to table the contract extension conversation until after the season.
So, the big question here is, who is engineering these rumors? Is the front office trying to undermine their head coach to hedge their bet for a contract extension? That sure seems like the strategy. Throw a little blood in the water like ‘locker room turmoil’ and the bloodsucking leeches come out of the mud to attach their name to a story of players tuning out their head coach. Deion Sanders, who is a good friend of one Michael Crabtree, has been running with this story for a few days now. As have a lot of national press guys. Of course, Deion’s response was “it isn’t Crabs” but his talk mirrored the words from Ian Rappaport of SI, Harbaugh’s an overbearing task master who treats players like children.
Local hack Tim Kawakami has been all over Harbaugh for the last few years, but his bone to pick is for the RayMac situation, and many others, but not a peep about this so-called dissatisfaction and tuning out. He, and all of the local media, have <strong>nothing</strong> to share regarding the locker room and the supposed tensions. Very curious to me. Trent Dilfer went on to use the word ‘toxic’ to describe the locker room, but after the Monday night game he was backpedalling faster than the French in WWII. He said (paraphrasing here), I know players in the organization , I know the owner, and the coaches as well, but I have no inside knowledge of what is really happening. I haven’t talked to anyone in the organization. I just think they are in disarray based on what I see on their sidelines. Lousy communication, dumb penalties, yadda yadda yadda. Right, Trent. Way to weenie out.
Harbaugh for his part called the talk ‘a load of crap’ and went on to get off a great line, saying “I haven’t seen Trent or Deion around here much.” Sanders went on to tweet this: “I never knew the Truth hurts that much. Sorry San Francisco 49ers fans but it is what it is. Ask yourself why would I lie!” <strong>To me, this is the biggest red flag in all of this.</strong> It sure feels like Deion has the mouth of someone in the 49ers front office whispering in his ear. Someone with direct knowledge of the situation willing to float the premise that the front office is undermining their head coach as the season unfolds. Deion’s never one to shy away from controversy, and as a member of the NFL through its TV station, it baffles me that he’s allowed to be such a shit disturber. But he wouldn’t be this adamant regarding the 49ers without someone feeding him this information.
The players, for their part, appear to be united in supporting Harbaugh. Newcomer Antoine Bethea, Alex Boone, I mean, who really knows what goes on on their flights? No cards? No music? The team has people monitoring players’ behavior on flights? Beyond the lunacy of treating grown men like that, it smacks of utter bullshit. Would these national reporters know this? No. The locals have never mentioned it, and they are the ones who travel with the team. Something like that would be patently obvious.
So, the national media, and glory whores like Deion (who WORKS for the NFL), and wannabe journalists like Trent Dilfer, glom onto innuendo from the front office, and report it as fact.
This is starting to look like Young Sir Jed is grinding the wheels under his head coach. He did it to Singletary with veiled leaks and unsubstantiated rumblings from unnamed people, and he’s cranking the propaganda machine again to discredit Harbaugh.
Forty Niners Forever 
Belichick was raised a pro scout by one of the best, his dad. He’s coached since forever. He’s the best in the business. Ask anybody.
There’s no doubt in my mind Harbaugh wants more front office control. I don’t think he care about the money.
BTW, do you think it bothered NJ when I suggested Harbaugh as our GM? LMAO. The guy was so flustered he busted out 8 posts trying to calm his inner storm. I love it.
Spit you’re clueless about the value of a good GM.
Just wanted to give you some perspective on how tough it is to be a HC and GM in this game.
Once again, waffle away Son.
You’re answer was to pay Harbaugh like he’s done something more than he has.
Give him whatever he wants right?
If I’m Jed I’m saying win the hardware and write your own check.
I think the handwriting is on the wall for Harbaugh.
He ain’t playing College ball anymore and I’m having my doubts that he can get beyond a power running game.
We’ll see how he fares vs Pete this year.
Much has been written about his record since he was busted for Video-Gate.
Not quite the same without a little inside ‘Scouting’ to get them by I guess?
Lol. He gets the Patriots into the playoffs pretty much every year with this GM / HC model. Looks like he’s doing just fine to me. And he picked up Tom Brady’s replacement, who looked sharp in mop-up time. Harbaugh proved he could recruit at Stanford. Harbaugh will do just fine as a GM / HC. He’s definitely got the chops for it.
C’mon NJ49er, everyone’s stealing everyone else’s signals whether they tape them or not. It wasn’t always forbidden. Do you really think the only way Belichick was a successful coach is by stealing the opposition’s signals?
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/feature/index?page=greatestcoaches
Nothing against Bill as a HC NoFear49er.
He’s in top company and deservedly so.
Excellent Defensive Mind too.
I think he’s handicapped himself by taking on the GM duties primarily.
You could be right NJ49er. I’m against it as a rule but at least in Belichick’s case he knows the scouting part of the business, too.
I think Harbaugh has enough to handle as head coach. I wouldn’t want to see him as GM, too. Or even with more power on draft / FA decisions. His input as head coach should be given plenty of weight and I’d bet it is. J. Martin is proof of that. Baalke knows how the evaluating system works and how the money works, too. He’s doing a great job. Why mess that up with a guy who just this last game stopped doing spastic gymnastics on the sidelines when the zebras make a call.
Spastic Gymnastics – Perfect!
Spit the difference between Belichick getting into the Playoffs and Harbaugh is that Belichick has won SBs.
He hasn’t gotten back since taking over the GM role.
If you’d simply stop the finger pointing at Baalke, you might realize the bigger picture.
Drafting players is one piece of the GM role.
Finding FAs, managing the Scouting, balancing a Cap etc, also factor in.
A HC is expected to develop the talent and execute the plays.
College recruiting is amateur hour stuff compared to the NFL.
Harbaugh had Dick Sherman at Stanford.
How is it we didn’t Draft him?
Baalke right?
As Sando eluded to in that piece I snipped through, Belichick can’t maintain the roster that got them there in recent years.
Welker was allowed to bounce.
He wouldn’t pay Mankins.
The OLine is suffering as is the Offense in general right now.
Brady is 37. His time is coming to an end.
Mallet was a whiff.
Now they’re hoping Garapolo can develop.
Belichicks talents have always been on the Defensive side of the game.
Wilfork is aging and not the guy he once was.
GM duties are extremely tough.
I tip my hat to the guys that can do it consistently.
NFLN is running a piece called Finding Giants.
Inside look at the process involved with the Scouting and personnel searches the NYG go through to build an NFL roster.
Looks very interesting.
Spit put your Scouting goggles on for this kid from Baylor.
Transferred from Penn State.
DE Shawn Oakman – 6-9″ 280
Could be considered as a TE from what I’ve read. Seems he’s played some basketball.
At 6′-9″ that would make some sense.
Someone to keep an eye on for the Draft next Spring.
Here’s the reason he ended up at Baylor via Penn State –
http://tinyurl.com/nzv7h8z
And some additional reading –
http://tinyurl.com/knbgb36
Jed York undermines his own HC, early in the season in which his team has another legit opportunity to win the SB, just so he can appease the fan base when he lets Harbaugh leave at the end of the season…..Yeah that sounds right.
Some unknown number of players in the locker room dislike Harbaugh and sound off in Sanders direction.
Harbaugh is something of an asshole from what I can see so I have no doubt there is discontent at some level in a locker room full of ego’s. Losing the team? Nah. Not without losing a lot more games and going out of playoff contention. If that happens then the dogs of war will be loosed and Harbaugh will be bye, bye.
Harbaugh is a very good coach with shitty personal skills. Baalke is a very good GM also with shitty personal skills. Jed is something of a media coward when things are not going swimmingly.
Give Harbaugh more say in player choice? I think he gets plenty of say as it is. More power for an egomaniac? Not a chance.
Harbaugh has a history of wearing out his welcome because he is an asshole and that is what is unfolding now, nothing to do with Jed forcing him out or Baalke demanding he goes. Harbaugh wins enough for the players and organization to put up with his personality. When the winning stops so will the merry-go-round.
MHO.
Well, it IS Jed forcing him out. Or just muddying the waters enough to appease the suits around him. Letting the contract slide til the offseason is really an ultimatum.It’s win or you’re out for Harbaugh. It also drives uncertainty in the locker room when the players don’t know if the coach is going to stick around. Regardless of who’s driving the uncertainty. I do not see these guys reaching any kind of contract consensus after this year if Harbaugh doesn’t win it all. There’s been too much bullshit thrown around by the execs in the building.
The thing is 12th, this isn’t coming from the players. it is coming from HQ. Sanders admitted as much, saying he got the word from a ‘suit.’
As did Rappaport. Both of them are NFL employees (through their TV station), mind you.
Funny how these guys can stir up shit and fuck around with teams under the guise of journalism. Fuck Dilfer as well. He backpedaled madly after being called out after the MNF game. Chickenshit.
And, apropos of nothing, Skeebers put ‘buwwit’ on his list of banned words!!
Yikes.
BLEEP!
New Alex Smith thread is up