Jim Harbaugh says Colin Kaepernick is “going to act the way he acts.”

This is the transcript of Jim Harbaugh’s Friday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department.

How do you guys approach this game? As far as the travel and everything, is it almost like a home game as far as staying in the team hotel the night before and going to the game on a bus?

“Yes, we are going to do that. Stay in the team hotel and then bus over in the morning. But, the approach has been good. Guys have had a great week. Really had a good day of practice today. Working mentality. We’re preparing ourselves for this big game.”

 

Has anybody had any notable wise words this week with four weeks left in the season?

“Yes. [49ers linebackers coach Jim] Coach Leavitt was very good today. [CB] Dontae Johnson, on his birthday, and yeah it was good this week.”

 

Dontae Johnson getting a lot of responsibility lately. Can you talk about him and what he’s added to the team and to the defense?

“Just one thing he talked about was the sign as you come onto the practice field, ‘you’re either getting better or you’re getting worse, you never stay the same.’ He talked about that in terms of football and life as a person getting better, etcetera. It’s very good. A powerful message.”

 

Can you see him in a starting role, obviously not this week, but just in the near future from what you’ve seen from him this rookie season?

“Yes. He’s been very good. He’s got a great approach attitude wise. His physical ability. Gives great effort. Very smart player. At times he has been in that starting role in the nickel defense. So, he’s acquitting himself very well.”

 

The window closes for LB NaVorro Bowman next week. Have you guys made a decision of what to do with him?

“No.”

 

Is he still doing the rehab the same as he has been doing on the field?

“That’s right.”

 

Has T Anthony Davis been ruled out for the game?

“I think so. I think today he will be ruled out.”

 

How unique a venue is the Coliseum and when you worked for the Raiders how much of a home-field advantage did you think it was then and how much of an obstacle is it for visiting teams now?

“I’ve always looked at it as a challenge playing in that stadium. A loud crowd. They’re behind their team and they do a nice job there. Unique, it’s got the baseball-football setup.”

 

The only one left.

“Is that right?”

 

I think so.

 

Did you ever go down and pay homage to the black hole fans when you were coaching?

“I might have. I definitely went down and looked at it.”

 

What’d you think?

“It’s impressive.”

 

Do you have any memories or anecdotes about playing the Raiders over your quarterback career?

“No.”

 

Nothing?

“Anecdote wise? No.”

 

Playing there in the Coliseum, any memories of that?

“Mhm. We didn’t win the game so it wasn’t a great memory, no.”

 

Obviously you’ve got a game to prepare for. But, will you be checking out what’s going on in this stadium tonight?

“I’d like to. But, I really haven’t seen my kids much this week. So, I’m going to go home there and see the little ones, watch it on TV.”

 

What kind of sense did you get from your players this week in terms of how they’re looking to bounce back after Seattle?

“Determined. Determined to do well. I saw that there was quite a bit of sport made of [QB] Colin Kaepernick. People were even tallying his responses. It’s sad really because you don’t know him. And, he’s a determined person. He’s a spiritual person. He’s a very hard worker and he wants to do well and works extremely hard at it. And, you get the honest person when you deal with him. If he’s not chatty, he’s not going to be chatty. He’s single minded when he’s playing the game of football and preparing for the game and I appreciate that. I appreciate that he is who he is. I’m around him every day. He is his own person too.”

 

You bring that up. A lot of us who don’t know him nearly as well as you do didn’t know what to make of that – what message was he was trying to get across or why he responded the way he did on Wednesday. Can you shed a little bit of light on that of how you read it?

“He’s very professional. He always stands up. He never dodges or deflects criticism. He takes accountability. He’s honest. He tells the truth. The questions you were asking, he was telling the truth. You’re not going to just be at somebody’s beck and call or bidding. He’s going to act the way he acts. He’s his own person. I appreciate the honesty. That’s who he is. His jaw is set. He’s a team player all the way. That’s what he’s doing. He’s working. He is working. He loves this time of year, loves this kind of football, these big games. And I appreciate that. It’s all a person can do. They do their best. If that’s not appreciated then you do your best anyway. That’s who he is. That’s what he does.”

 

Just one more on that, right before you came in here we were just watching a national TV show where they were talking about that’s not the way, a quote, unquote, “the face of the franchise should be, the image he should give off”. What would you say to that, to people who would think that a face of a franchise quarterback should be a little bit more accommodating?

“Face of the franchise quarterback should be a great leader by example, the way he works. A team player all the way. What’s in his heart is about the team. It’s not about himself. And then, you get the raw honesty. He is telling you. You ask him what his mindset is, it’s to work. That’s his approach.”

 

Are you saying that if he were to go up there and be really wordy and eloquent, he would be someone other than who he really is? He wouldn’t be true to himself?

“Wouldn’t anybody be? If you want someone to be wordy and that’s not who they are, that’d be phony to be that. That’d be passive aggressive. That’d be being somebody that he’s not. The jaw is set. He wants to win this football game. He’s going to work his way to get there.”

 

Did you talk to him at all about that or is that something that you wouldn’t concern yourself with?

“I talk to him all the time.”

 

But, I mean about that specifically. That interaction that you’re referring to with the media on Wednesday.

“He’s doing everything that I expect, and I appreciate it. He’s a team player all the way. He’s a great leader and he’s a tremendous worker. He’s got goals and he likes this time of the season and he wants to do well. I appreciate it.”

 

We’re going to be talking to TE Vernon Davis in the locker room in a few minutes, and 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman alluded to this earlier, that there had been other times in his career where he’s had dry spells and that they’ve gone away over time. Is that to be expected with any receiver, any tight end, that you’re going to go four or five games with smaller numbers of receptions?

“It can happen. The thing he’s done is he’s working through it. He is. He had another tremendous week of practice this week. He’s done a tremendous job blocking. We all think we’re still rolling here. We’ve got a quarter of the season left. The team is alive and that’s how they’re preparing.”

This article has 142 Comments

  1. Grant,

    Do you think there is anyone on the 49ers staff that could replace Harbaugh? I know you may think Fangio, but I think there’s a reason he has been no more than a coordinator at every level.

        1. Darrell Bevell and Adam Gase might be the best options, but neither guy has been a head coach. No guarantees.

              1. Well first of all I didn’t pay attention because I was picking OC’s and realized you guys were talking about HC’s.

                In regards to Shurmur he was the victim of a dysfunctional front office/ownership.

              2. December 5, 2014 at 9:50 pm
                Shurmur was not ready and got a lot of coaches fired.
                —————–
                If you say so, that’s not what I saw happen.

              3. I think Bevell gets more credit then he deserves for Wilson. I think Wilson was fairly NFL ready from the beginning.

              4. What about a guy like Matt Toub. Great leader but you have to pair him with a good OC and keep Fangio around.

              5. At least he has a ring and experience coaching big games.
                ————–
                And how has that helped our offense so far?

              6. In all fairness, we don’t know how much Harbaugh and Roman allow Mangini to contribute to the offensive game plan. And Manigini is not the best choice to replace Harbaugh.

          1. What about Trestman? My gut is telling me that he and the Bears will part ways after this season.

              1. Don’t forget that it would be Trestman’s second stint with San Francisco as a OC/QB coach. He was here in 95-96 and In ’95 the offense scored over 450 points and had nearly 4800 yards passing.

  2. People need to get off Colin’s back just because he doesn’t suck up to the media and their badgering questions. How they can treat a QB like Colin this way is beyond me. Nobody madmouths Manning like they do Colin. Maybe racism plays a factor…..

    1. It would help if he was more like the future politician playing quarterback up in Seattle. That guy must lead the league in words per answer.

    2. “How they can treat a QB like Colin this way is beyond me.”

      The nerve of these reporters asking him questions like, “how was practice” and “what struck you about the offense in the Seattle game”.

      Those are some tough, hardball questions.

      The reason they don’t badmouth Manning is that he actually speaks, even if it’s nothing but cliches.

      Kaepernick is trying to hard to be like Marshawn Lynch, but the problem is that Lynch doesn’t change his act. He doesn’t talk to anyone, anytime.

      With Kaepernick he’ll open up to the national media guys almost anytime, but does this little act with the local guys.

      It’s really too bad. Kaepernick seems like a great guy, who does a lot of good for others and he is missing an opportunity to make even a greater impact.

        1. If I was going to pretend to be you, it would sound like this:

          COLEN KAPURNICK. Him Good. Me Like Tattoo. Me like handsome face and big arm. Big Big Arm. Me hate Roman. Roman Bad. Make Kap bad.

          Seahawk terrible, Make Kap bad. Me no like Hawk from Sea.

          Me just pee in diaper! Jack Hammer change for Bay. Jack good at numbers.

          Me like Summer’s Eve. Good Product!

      1. I heard a very apt description of why Marshawn Lynch is the way he is this morning on John Clayton’s show. FYI Lynch grew up in Oakland. If you brought him some cookies, he’d ask you to taste them first. Dude doesn’t trust anyone.

    3. Yeah…why don’t they ask him the pertinent questions like why after three years in the system, he has such a problem with his reads, and why he chooses to run for the sake of running, rather than running to create an open receiver or all of the other inefficiencies he has in his game that should be starting to wane at this stage

  3. Look,
    I like Harbaugh. He’s sincere. He’s also human. They’ve had a lot to deal with this year. Roll with it. I still have faith they can pull it out.

    My only concern this week is how much Jonathan Martin plays. The dude is terrible. I would have preferred Incongnito….

    Don’t sleep on the Raiders. Start fast start hard. Pound the rock and attack with Kaepernick. Let the man use his legs some. We will be ok.

    1. Who ever you are, the question is who is available to play right tackle that’s better than Jonathan Martin?

  4. I have to laugh at the idea of Harbaugh coaching in New York. If he thinks Bay Area reporters are too pushy, NYC will be a total shock.

    1. In spite of Mrs Harbaugh’s love for the Bay Area, I think Mr. Harbaugh will end up coaching at the University of Michigan

  5. I hope that some of you will go to Levis Stadium tonight and see what a real running /passing QB looks like….Marcus Marriota….Go Ducks!

      1. @undercenter

        woooo…woooo….James just went from the PS to the 53….Miami is wise enough to USE him. Marriota is pure GOLD

        1. OREGON,
          Weren’t you ecstatic about LMJ being drafted by the 49ers and predicted big things for him?

          1. @AES

            Yes, that was me….That our “brain-trust” chose to use him as a punt/kick returner and gave him some 30 carries over two seasons doesn’t dim the the prediction that I had for him….remember his name…you’ll hear it again

        2. I like Marriota, He is a great college qb and a likeable guy.

          With that said their isn’t a single qb in this draft class worthy of a first rd. pick. Marritota isn’t NFL ready for any club save Philly and Winston is the next Jamarcus Russel.

          This actually might be the draft to reach for an RB however or take a flyer on Gurley with a 2nd pick even with his knee injury. I know its not popular but the truth is he has a much better chance of recovering the Latimore did and his upside is through the roof.

          1. Not sure Winston= JaMarcus Russell.
            Russell had early success then off-field issues creeped into his game and he regressed on the field. You can’t retain film study if you poison your brain with Drank. Or focus. Or be inclined to work hard.
            Winston seems different. The off-field stuff could keep him off the field, an expensive proposition for a team in need of a QB, but when he’s on the field, he’s really on. High Risk/Reward pick. As a GM I’d be very wary.

            1. That’s the problem, he has a ton of off field issues already it doesn’t appear that he has toned his act down.

              Furthermore he honestly hasn’t been that impressive this season. He has had multiple games where he was bad in the first half and good in the second. I think it could be argued that from a pure football standpoint Jamarcus was the better prospect coming out of college. In both cases they were/are not worthy of a first round pick… well that’s my opinion anyway.

      1. Naw, MD

        You just picked the wrong ‘horse ‘ to win…….I’m so old, I can still remember when your posts made sense.

    1. OREGON,
      Mariota didn’t set the world ablaze with his play last night. If fact there were some occasions where I thought he looked like CK with some inaccurate passes and poor pocket presence.

      Sure he is the odds on favorite to be the number one QB in the draft, but from what I saw last night he’s not as polished as many make him out to be.

      1. @AES

        I am stunned with your post….did you watch the game? 313 yards passing, 3 TDs running, 51 points of offense, no turnovers, excellent game management….I find it insulting that you found him to even slightly resemble CK

        1. OREGON,
          Not trying to insult anyone. The Mariota I saw in the 1st Q did not look like a world beater. Most of the football analyst have been in agreement that he needs work on his pocket presence.

          We’ll have to see what Marcus is in a few years down the road.

          This is where my frustration with Kap has been because he should be much farther along by now.

          1. @AES

            When the game began, all of the Ducks were tight; two of his throws were ‘drops’. This was the team that was the only blemish on a perfect season, and was lost on a referee call that took away the tying TD for a player bowing to the crowd almost a minute after the score. Last nights score SHOULD have been 20 points more except for that ‘tightness’ at the beginning of the first quarter. You do know that Marriota is only a junior, don’t you? I DO believe that he will win the Heisman, but I also think that he will enter the draft. Thanks for your post AES.

  6. I do’t recall Harbaugh ever coming to the defence of one of his players and unsolicited .
    I find it interresting that Kaepernick talks to the national press but neads the HC to speak for him to the local press. I just feel that a team leader needs to be approachable to the public.

    1. AJ Jenkins comes to mind. There was alot of early talk AJ would become a bust. Harbaugh defended him without being asked by a reporter.

          1. What kind of threat has AJ been for the Chiefs? They were finally playing him due to injuries to their receives, and then he was injured. He may become useful in the future, but what does that have to do with him ever becoming a threat.

            Maybe AJ and James will do better elsewhere but not so far.

            1. C’mon HT

              A different coach, a different system, a different QB,…that’s what a lot of us have been saying on HERE

              1. Are you talking about AJ Jenkins or James. James hasn’t had much of a chance with his second team yet. Maybe he’ll get it next season. AJ may make it next year too, but his second chance with the Chiefs hasn’t produced much so far, and the Chiefs need receivers badly.

                On August 19, 2013, Jenkins was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs for wide receiver Jon Baldwin.[10]

                During a Thursday night game on September 19, 2013 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Jenkins recorded his first career reception, thrown by former 49ers teammate Alex Smith. The reception was good for 6 yards. His first reception came 511 days after he was drafted.

                As of week ten of the 2014 season:
                Receptions 17
                Receiving Yards 223
                Receiving TDs 0

    2. Your feelings are important to the 49ers. Let them know how you feel. You may need an appointment to see Jed.

      1. The post I replied to isn’t there any more. I think it was Josh, and I didn’t see anything about it that would cause the man upstairs to obliterate it. Maybe Josh has found a way to either edit or delete his posts that don’t please him after he clicks Post Comment.

      2. @htwaits

        I will admit to confusion when AJJ was our 1st round draftee, in that I hadn’t ever heard of him previously. He does have speed, but not separation skills. Being ‘targeted’ only once doesn’t seem to be a fair opportunity before being traded. Anyway, he’s lasted in the league longer than the guy we got for him in trade….17 receptions for 223 yards isn’t a lot to brag about, but that averages about 12.9 yards per catch…How many of the 49ers receivers have a better average? Let’s see what the rest of this year, and next year brings. I think that we’ll see James excel once he gets some playing time.

    3. All this talk about Colin’s personality needing to be different is beyond stupid. Joe Montana was about as approachable as a menstruating rhinoceros; 4 rings.

      If you want to find fault with #7, just point to his performances in the last 2:00 of the 2 biggest games of his young career. He may never again reach an NFCCG or Super Bowl, and yet he could have already brought 2 more Lombardi’s home. That’s his real flaw.

      1. Exactly E. If he was producing no one would care what he said or wore. He could come to the pressers in drag.

  7. To quote the Bard: “Brevity is the soul of wit”.

    I find Kap’s terse, snappy responses to stupid questions quite apt and often humorous since his responses often highlight the inanity of the questions.

    In fact Mad magazine should probably do a series on Kap in their “Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions”.

    Reporter: “What was going through your mind when you threw the first pick?”
    Kap: “I had so much time in the pocket that I borrowed the coin from the ref and tossed it — if heads I throw to Sherman, tails to Crab. Heads won”.

  8. Gus Malzahn would be my choice if in fact Jed Baalke is the Antichrist and ushers in the Harbaughcalypse….

    1. Ron is a great sports writer and one of the best golf writers in America — it’s known.

      1. Did you read his corny one liners in the link I provided? This guy is comical in the worst way…..That’s my first impression………He should stick to golf.

    2. From someone who has dabbled in the entertainment field ….It doesn’t really matter if the audience doesn’t GET the jokes…….

    3. Crab15,
      Agostini is a ‘drop-one-liners’ type of writer. I live is the area and am aware of his writing style. He rarely delves deeper into a topic and seems more comfortable with the brief fly over (on his sports page).
      The guy is a staple for the MOBEE.

      1. Nope. He’s a great sports writer; weren’t you paying attention? Verified by someone who admires the drive bye style.

  9. The Raiders should hire Jack Del Rio as their HC and Rob Chudzinski as their OC.

  10. When #7 said the Raiders were a good team in the presser, I almost went caca in my Levi’s 569’s.

  11. I don’t think Jim Harbaugh should be replaced. I think fans must not remember the time before harbaugh if they are calling for his release. Roman could be demoted or released in my opinion but I think that releasing one of the most successful coaches in the NFLs history due one winning season they don’t make the playoffs is ludicrous. This whole thing is about Jedd Trent and Jim’s egos. Jim is becoming bigger than the organization and Jed the owner can’t stand it. The Yorks are rotten owners and have been the bane of this franchise.

  12. My picks for Niner coaches post Harbaugh:

    1) Dan Quinn

    2) Brian Kelly

    3) Mark Helfrich

    4) Kevin Sumlin

    5) David Cutcliffe

    6) Bill Lazor

  13. I’ll throw my 2 cents in here though I know it won’t be all that popular. I think the players were a huge part of the problem, though that’s not entirely a condemnation as injuries were a massive contributor to the problem.

    The offensive line wasn’t nearly as good this year as it has been in previous Harbaugh runs, in large part due to injuries. Iupati struggled early in pass protection, which I think it part was related to injury. J Martin wasn’t good at tackle or guard. The Kilgore injury made us worse. If the organization was going to pay Boone, they should have done it earlier. Ultimately, the o-line cost us the Rams game.

    We were missing the best ILB in football all year. It was great to see Borland play well in Nov and Wilhoite filled in admirably, but Bowman changed games.

    We had no pass rush the first half of the season. RayMac was mediocre and not having Aldon was a huge hit. It’s been fantastic to see Lynch develop late in the season, but not having a pass rush and Jimmy Ward cost us the Bears game.

    Vernon Davis has stunk. Even in his one good game, week 1 against the Cowboys, he only had 44 yards receiving, though the 2 TDs were nice. The only legit deep threat we had was VD and that player wasn’t a 49er this year. Yes Lloyd occasionally makes an acrobatic catch, but it’s because he must – he’s almost never actually open! Look at the ratio of receptions to targets! We can’t keep defenses honest.

    Gore is averaging less than 4 yards a carry this year. He still looks good running to me so I’ll chalk some of it up to oline issues. Though, he tried to give the Giant’s game away!

    Harbaugh isn’t perfect and his media antics can be annoying. But, ultimately when you’re discussing letting him go you have to consider the alternative. There aren’t better options out there as I see it. Also, do you risk losing Fangio? Again, he’s not perfect, but he’s still an elite defensive coordinator. So, my longwinded opinion is this. Figure out a way to get rid of GRo without losing the rest of the staff. And instead of lauding Baalke, let’s recognize that our receiving core (including TEs) remains at the bottom of the NFL. Pick a ‘hands’ receiver to keep (Boldin, because he runs the slant like a boss), and let the others go (Crabs, SJ, BL). Then let’s figure out if we can get some real threats at WR and TE.

    1. Some of your points show a lot more insight than a typical GM type fan. The “get rid of Roman” bit isn’t one of them, but the point it might be useful to think about is this one.

      ” Though, he tried to give the Giant’s game away!” in reverence to Gore. There is no one who plays running back in the NFL that never fumbles. Gore is outstanding when it comes to avoiding fumbles. The fact you frame your observation as “he TRIED to give … the game away” doesn’t show any respect to Gore or what he has done for the 49ers through out his career.

  14. Grant

    If one of your main criteria for HC is “needs to have developed a QB,” then, in all seriousness, can you confidently say that Harbaugh has satisfied that requirement?

    Josh Johnson? Nah.

    Andrew Luck? Nope, that was Luck and Luck’s father.

    Alex Smith? Not really, Smith just needed to be told not to lose games, and Andy Reid is doing exactly the same thing with him.

    CK? It could be argued Harbaugh has undermined CK’s development by stifling the strengths of his game and providing him with a passing offense designed and implemented by the NFL’s worst passing OC.

    1. E,
      that’s a great point. Walsh developed good QB’s. Walsh had guys like Cavanaugh and Kemp slinging the ball around at a high level. Steve Bono. The only guy Walsh didn’t want back then was Drunkenmiller. If you remember, Walsh wanted Jake the snake. I digress. My point was that I agree with you. Harbaugh has the reputation of being a QB groomer. That reputation was built on Luck’s greatness. In actuality, Harbaugh hit the lottery with Luck.

    2. E:

      I did research on this topic in 2012-13. I could never figure out why Luck didn’t end up with the 49ers. And in fact why did Luck forego the 2011 draft for his junior year at Stanford. Sherman has said that Luck was so talented and calling his own plays at Stanford and NFL ready. It was easier to forego that draft and an uncomfortable controversy with JH. In fact JH had AL report back to him what he though of CKaep.

      Why, because Luck knew he never going to be on a team that Harbaugh coached. As Sherman and Baldwin have both said, “we survived Jim Harbaugh.”

      http://www.ninersnation.com/2011/1/26/1956642/2011-nfl-draft-the-not-so-andrew-luck-factor

      1. You must tell us how Luck could have ever been drafted by the 49ers. Jim and I would love to know.

        Given Luck’s intellectual qualities, what makes you think he wasn’t wise enough on his own to get his degree and learn a bit more at Stanford, before getting into the NFL circus?

        Does moving from the seventh pick to number one sound like Baalke’s MO?

        1. htwaits: Point is it was possible according to this article and Niners would probably have 2 SB wins. And I think Harbaugh knew it would seal his legacy. Luck was/is great. And while I’m all for furthering your academic achievements, you know Luck will never see the inside of an architectural firm. He’ll have a career like Peyton’s and just as lengthy.

          1.Was there really any way that we could have actually traded up and acquired Luck?

          “According to SB Nation’s 2010 NFL Draft trade chart, the 49ers would of had to give up the 7th pick, a 2nd round pick, 3rd round pick, the rest of the 2011 draft, and even a 2012 draft pick. Now, I understand that trades rarely work out as depicted on the trade chart. However, this is a barometer of what the 49ers would of had to give up to acquire the 1st pick. In reality, you would be looking at a team needing two 1st round picks just to approach Carolina for the first pick. Couple that with the fact that Andrew Luck is a true franchise cornerstone type player, said team may of had to give up more. Is Andrew Luck, or any QB, really worth that bounty of picks? My answer would be no.”

  15. the set of the mind
    the set of the jaw

    Coach Harbaw sez:
    CK is a determined, spiritual, hardworking, honest person…

    all of which will mean absolutely zero tomorrow when:
    1. He suffers his first sack.
    2. He throws his first interception.
    3. He racks up his first delay of game penalty
    4. He muffs his first red zone opportunity and settles for 3 pts.
    5. He gets carted to the locker room after his first bone-shivering NFL hit.

    I’m just sayin’…it might turn into a real football fight, huh Jimbo…?

  16. I admire Vic Fangio as much as many on this blog do, but we seem to be way ahead of ourselves about retaining him if JH departs. He arrived with Harbaugh and could depart with him to the next job.
    Does he want to be HC? If so would he hang around as DC if not offered the top job?
    Is he a good choice as HC? Unknown.
    Bring in an offensive guy as HC? OK, but then is Vic hands-off for the new guy per Jed? How will that screwy chain of command shake out?
    Bring in a strong HC candidate? Any chance he’d want to create his own staff? Would you want a guy as HC who didn’t want his own staff?
    Once again the FF mentality of players or coaches being independent modular units that can be unplugged here and plugged in there and succeed is questionable at best. Beware the experts who sling around names like the answers on a multiple choice exam. Not only do they not know, they don’t know how much they don’t know, and that’s dangerous.
    An NFL Head Coach must have a different skill set; co-ordinating an Offense or Defense is a different and partial skill.

    1. Well said BT. I asked the same thing before, does Fangio even has an aspiration to be a HC? If not, he is certainly going where Jim goes. I mean, why would he work with another HC? Jim leaves him alone with the defense and will fight for pay-increase publickly.

      1. Ricardo,
        this was predetermined a while ago. Why do you think that Fangio was given a raise and an extension and Harbaugh wasn’t? The 49ers front office has the control.

        The real fanatic

        1. Bay, if the FO’s plan after firing Jim is to hope that Vic stays and forced the new HC to work with Vic then they are dumber than I thought they were. Also, Jim could easily get Vic a better pay and contract wherever he goes.

    2. BT:

      Good point about a new HC wanting his own staff, especially if he was previously a HC. But, if the new HC is an internal hire, then I think insisting that Fangio is the DC will not be a problem.

      Also, I wonder, if the new HC was previously an OC from outside the organization, would he necessarily have a strong opinion on who the DC should be (particularly if he has never been an NFL head coach).

    3. Sorry. I accidentally wrote a comment below that echos what you already pointed out.

      If Harbaugh is truely on his way out, I think Baalke’s HC candidate list is pretty short.

      1. Brodie: Honestly, who wants to work in that regime — you can’t trust anyone. I think Niners are going to have a hard time finding anyone willing to go into their poorly run operation.

        1. Mary:

          I think your favorites link has been corrupted. It is inadvertently taking you to this site. Reset the link to take you to “http://www.fieldgulls.com/”

          1. Good one Cubus: But you’re all so smart compared to a majority of fans.

            Look at this stat I just saw it on NFL.

            The Week 14 picks are coming up, but a few things real quick from 30,000 feet over the Rocky Mountains after a splendid midweek visit to Chicago for Thursday Night Football …

            Let’s start with a pretty crazy statistic: The Seattle Seahawks haven’t lost a game by double digits since Nov. 6, 2011. That little tidbit becomes even more remarkable when you consider 2014’s 19 other current playoff contenders have gotten whipped (as in: losing by at more than two TDs) at least once this year:

            Here’s the list.

            http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000439241/article/spoiler-alert-week-14

  17. Tuna,
    a new guy would be brought in with the stipulation that Fangio is untouchable and to be left alone. You keep the godfather of defense happy by over paying him. He’s worth every cent.

    The real fanatic

    1. I meant a new guy as in a new HC. IMO a head coach has to be offensive minded. If you give a DC a good pass rush his job is not as difficult as running a prolific offense.

      Case in point, Harbaugh and Roman for all their success running the ball have had red zone failures with two QB’s in a row even though their offense is rich with talent. It’s not a well oiled machine….

      The real fanatic

      1. As an example, Real Bay, the Dallas situation with Jerrah’s hand up everyone’s butt like a hand puppet. He keeps plugging in personalities and changing responsibilities and authority on the staff.
        “Yeah, you’re the Head Coach but here’s your Co-Ordinators, hand-picked by me, to run your/my offense the way I see fit, and if you fail; YOU failed. And oh, changed my mind, now let’s let this guy call plays and uh let’s get a new DC every February.”

    2. Again, I like VF and would prefer the continuity, but who would go for that?
      Cowher? No.
      Kiffen? Maybe.
      Who ya gonna call?

      1. If they don’t go for it, then they are immediately eliminated as a candidate. It’s that simple.

      2. You call Gus and get him on the bus. His system is a perfect match for Kaepernick and he’s won with a different quarterback every year. Very well respected offensive mind in the collegiate ranks….

  18. Grant a two-parter question if you have a chance or anyone.

    (1) I heard that after Harbaugh leaves the 49ers that comments will start coming out that Harbaugh was driving Kaepernick crazy and that once he’s gone Kaepernick may start to flourish and

    (2) do you think Bevell would come over to the 49ers when we are such rivals and, more importantly, b/c of York and Baalke? Thanks

  19. Take 2:

    1) Dan Quinn, 2) Brian Kelly, 3) Kevin Sumlin, 4) Mark Helfrich, 5) Bill Lazor, 6) David Cutcliffe

        1. You bet. Just trying to help you out. Unbeknownst to me Dan Quinn was with the Niners 2001-2004 right b/4 he came to the Hawks.

  20. How about Sonny Dykes as OC? Ya think CK would flourish under him? The niners would certainly be more entertaining than they are now. I’m sorry, but Frank Gore running up the middle on every first down against a stacked box just doesn’t do it for me.

  21. Barrows’ piece on SacBee about the plausibility of JH fitting in at Oakland is interesting. He makes a stronger case than I would’ve, but the Mark Davis connection is new to me and is thought provoking.
    Jed pulling the plug on Jim would be like Jim making the switch to Colin; it needs to work. Jed injected himself into public view with his public tweet; now everybody will be saying “Show me!” when the next era begins. Jed will now be in everyone’s sights as they measure Jim’s successor against Jim’s remarkably good record.
    Baalke may lobby for a coach from the Parcells Tree if he can find one, or he could rely on one of the many experts around here like Kawakami, Purdy, etc who know sooooo much more than any professional coaches or GMs.

    1. Right on again Brotha! The 49ers will need a Warrior start start next season — something like 14 and 2 to keep the “dump Harbaugh and Kaepernick and Roman” fed. And, don’t forget the required Superbowl win. That’s indispensable.

  22. Questions…

    – If Harbaugh goes, does that mean Fangio goes with him?

    – If Harbaugh left but Fangio stayed, would the 49ers only consider HCs with offensive backgrounds

    – Why hire a defensive oriented HC when Fangio is doing a stellar job with a bunch of subs?

    – If the 49ers hired a defensive oriented HC, would Fangio split?

    – If Harbaugh goes, does that mean the end of Kaepernick as a 49er starter?

    – Would “win the middle” power oriented Baalke hire a chuck-n-duck finesse HC?

    I don’t know the answers. I’d like to see Harbaugh stay another year. If he’s replaced, I don’t see Baalke hiring a defensive HC (unless Fang leaves) or a non-power oriented HC.

    I think Baalke’s HC candidate list much is narrower then people imagine.

  23. I don’t know several of the names mentioned, but one mentioned is Quinn, and he makes sense to me for at least two reasons. If JH goes there is a good chance Vic goes with him, and signing Quinn hurts Seattle. It’s been said that we need an offensive mind at head coach, but men like Lombardi, Parcells, Cowher, and Belichick dispel that.

    1. George: I posted an article @ 10:31 from 2013 and Pete Carroll knew Quinn would be getting his own head coaching job soon just like Gus Bradley before him. PC really runs that defense and you can be sure he has someone in the wings if that were to happen.

  24. My worry is a breakup of what many consider an all star team of assistant coaches.

    How many teams would love to have Vic Fangio, Jim Tomsula, Jim Leavitt, Ed Donatell, Brad Seely, Tom Rathman, Mike Solari, Geep Chryst?

    1. Well our O line sucks so soilari can go. Our special teams are far from special. I think fangio gets the head coaching job. Quinn is a product of what Bradley had created before him.. If they don’t hire fangio I can see bevel or gaze as the next coach. With tomsula for D coordinator.

      1. If Fangio is part of the Harbaughcalypse, Donatell will be your defensive coordinator….

        1. Razor:

          Do you think that’s true if the new HC comes from outside the organization? As BT said above, it’s highly likely that a new HC (and for me, especially if that guy was previously a HC) will want to bring in new staff (at least at the OC and DC positions).

        2. @Razor

          Harbaughcalypse! I think you should copyright that….I don’t necessarily believe that Fangio would go with JH….After building a ‘D’ like ours, he’s not about to walk away just to do it again…these aren’t sand castles on the beach. It’s up to York to make sure he stays as well as the other coaches that B2W made mention of two posts earlier.

          1. Love “Harbaughcalypse.” I’ve been working on “Turlock Terse-nado”, “SeAdderal” and “Levi-thargy Stadium.”

  25. The alleged rift between Harbaugh and Baalke has me perplexed because of the success of the team.
    Yes, the team has underachieved this season, but there are many teams who would love to be at 7-5 with a chance to make the playoffs even slim at best.

    Harbaugh has taken this team to 3 NFL championship games and one Superbowl. This is quite a feat for a team that was off the football landscape only 4 years ago. One would think that a coach that has had such an immediate impact on the team might garner some assurance from the FO.
    I for one would like to see Harbaugh stay but if the rift with Baalke really does exist, then its best for him to leave. Hopefully Baalke can find a head coach worthy of keeping the team on a winning level.
    But if the team fades back into mediocrity, Baalke and young Jed may never be forgiven by the Faithful.

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