SANTA CLARA –
If you thought today’s practice would start with a Harbaugh-Kaepernick quarterback lesson, you were wrong. Harbaugh left Kaepernick alone with quarterbacks coach Geep Chryst for a change.
Instead, Coach Harbaugh spent the beginning of practice standing next to punter Andy Lee. As I walked over, I saw Harbaugh pantomiming a punting motion, and for a second I thought he was trying to teach Andy Lee, one of the best punters in the NFL, how to do his craft.
But he wasn’t teaching. He was warming up. Let me explain.
Linebackers coach Jim Leavitt was leading a punt-blocking drill with a few special teamers – Delanie Walker and Kendall hunter most notably. Neither Leavitt nor Harbaugh wanted Andy Lee to practice getting his punts blocked, so Harbaugh did the punting for him.
Long snapper Brian Jennings snapped ball after ball to Harbaugh, and the head coach booted each one pretty hard, only to have Walker or Hunter blast them back into his face.
Harbaugh likes to participate in the drills he’s coaching. He can’t resist throwing passes to receivers when he’s coaching Kaepernick, and apparently he can’t resist punting a football when he’s given the opportunity.
I’m going back out to the field now. Maybe Harbaugh will be demonstrating blocking techniques to the offensive linemen.
I’ll keep you posted.
Follow me on twitter @grantcohn.
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