Why Harbaugh is so good

This is my Sunday column on what makes Jim Harbaugh a good head coach. SEATTLE — Serious question — what makes Jim Harbaugh a good head coach? Clearly, he is a good coach. His record reflects that. More than three wins for every loss as a head coach in the NFL. But Harbaugh doesn’t call his own plays like Bill Walsh or Sean Payton, and Harbaugh isn’t a defensive specialist…

January 18, 2014
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49ers line coach Solari a man of common reality and uncommon results

Here is my Friday column on Mike Solari. SANTA CLARA – You need to know about the 49ers’ offensive line coach, Mike Solari. You may not even have heard of him or seen his face – the 49ers’ position coaches don’t get much pub under Jim Harbaugh, rarely talk to the media. But if you’ve studied the sideline during a game and seen a coach with a thick, full gray…

December 13, 2013
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Who should be on the 49ers’ Mt. Rushmore?

This is my Friday column on the 49ers’ Mt. Rushmore. Let’s play the Mt. Rushmore Game for the 49ers. Who are the four greatest figures in 49ers history? I’m talking players, coaches or owners. You pick. Who would you carve onto the 49ers’ own Mt. Rushmore? We can agree on three people right off the bat – Jerry Rice, Joe Montana and Bill Walsh. Those are gimmes. “Each of them…

June 28, 2013
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3-4 or 4-3 Under?

What’s the correct name for the 49ers’ base defense: 3-4 or 4-3 Under? If you’ve never heard of the 4-3 Under, click here to read a detailed explanation of it. The article says George Seifert used the 4-3 Under when he was the defensive coordinator for the 49ers. His defense looked like a 3-4 because the weakside defensive end rushed from a standing position, a two-point stance. Here’s a description…

April 6, 2013
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Roman: “I worked for George Seifert in Carolina and he had a tremendous impact on me.”

SANTA CLARA – Greg Roman spoke in the 49ers media tent Thursday afternoon. Here’s what he said about his coaching background and philosophy.   Rams LB James Laurinaitis was talking about some of your run concepts, formations, it’s unique. You just don’t see it with any other team. He specifically talked about the split back. What are some of your influences? Did you watch the Bill Walsh installation tapes? Did…

November 8, 2012
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Ira Miller on the 49ers – this season and 1981, a conversation

I did an interview with Ira miller, who, as you know, was the 49ers expert in the ’80s and ‘90s. He’s retired now, living in Illinois. What follows is the full transcript of our phone interview. A shorter version ran in the Press Democrat but did not get put on the web. If it gets posted later today, I also will put that on the blog so you can see…

January 7, 2012
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Seifert a fan of Harbaugh, Roman hirings

George Seifert, 70, who had a 98-30 record and won two Super Bowl titles in San Francisco, had Niners offensive coordinator Greg Roman on his staff and coached Jim Harbaugh during his career-ending, three-year tenure in Carolina from 1999-2001.

January 15, 2011
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