THE RISE AND FALL OF JIM HARBAUGH 2010-14

Crisler Center

By

Scary Barry Rodriguez

January 9,2014

On December 30, 2014, former San Francisco 49er Head coach Jim Harbaugh walked onto the court of the Michigan basketball game at halftime like a conquering hero. In the spotlight like a rockstar, Harbaugh basked in the adulation of the cheering crowd at Crisler Center. Gone like the wind , the memories of the bad vibes coming from 49er owner Jed York , John York and the GM Trent Baake.

Jed York

 

John York

GM Trent Baake

Jed York " the young genius " and CEO of the San Francisco 49ers , in so many words put the onus for the 49ers disappointing season and problems that some players had with the Justice system completely on Harbaugh at a end of the season press conference. Trent Baake dismissed the reports of any friction between him and Harbaugh. Good thing Trent isn't auditioning for a movie role because nobody believes his lines.

Alex Smith

After many years of failing the 49ers were rescued from the NFL garbage heap by Jim Harbaugh in 2010. He brought to the table his chest punching , rah rah , University of Michigan, " who got it better than us " enthusiasm . It was like a dying junkie getting a shot of pure H into his veins. Poor Alex Smith ,the much maligned quarterback who was given the bums rush by the 49er organization was given the keys to the offensive kingdom by " mighty man " Harbaugh.

Colin Kaepernick

Success came early and the faithful fans at the Stick yelled themselves horse at every home game. What could go wrong ? Pacing the sidelines , Harbaugh exhibited off the hook intensity. The players bought into his vibe for a time. Alex Smith was having the time of his football life until he was put down by a concussion. Harbaugh's real choice for quarterback , Colin Kaepernick, had been waiting in the wings.

Harbaugh dropped Alex Smith like a hot potato ! It reminded me of a song from the sixties , by Bob Kuban&the In-Men , part of the lyrics read " hes gonna build you up just to let you down ! ". The players must have been touched by Harbaugh's sincerity. Not ! Winning glossed over this character flaw and temporarily camouflaged his charm school dropout ways with the San Francisco Bay area press corp.

Harbaugh guided the 49ers to three straight NFC titles but the team just couldn't go the final mile by winning a Superbowl. To the corporate Yorks close only counts in the game of horseshoes ! Forgotten was the disaster they had brought about with the 49er brand by their mismanagement. Turning diamonds into dog shit ! Harbaugh just doesn't come across as a guy who will kiss the Pope's ring even if he owns the team. That didn't go down well.

It appeared to me that the NFL game officials weren't amused by his in your face demeanor with them. They put the boots to the 49ers in the 2014 season. The penalties flags came down like a hard rain to the team's detriment. It then became apparent that Harbaugh hadn't exercised any influence on his player's off field behavior. Their party ways eventually put them in the cross hairs of law enforcement. Then there was Mr. Kaepernick , the new era self styled hip hop quarterback , who dresses like a punk and blew off the media like a chump ! Team leader , are you joking !

Greg Roman

This guy , who was handpicked by Harbaugh , was totally exposed in the 2014 season , when another handpicked Harbaugh man , Offensive coordinator Greg Roman installed the " spread " offense. It was obvious that Kaepernick's slavish attention to fashion , his tattoos and magazine photo shoots had been more important than boning up on the playbook. It had taken three years for the opposing team's defenses to catch up to his run and gun style . He just couldn't get it done.

 

Frank Gore

It was plain for everyone to see that Kaepernick couldn't run the " spread " offense . His receivers were frustrated , the offensive line was unfairly chastised and Frank Gore , one of the NFL's toughest runners was sidelined. Yet Harbaugh and Roman just stuck with plan A . The defensive units suffered so many injured starters yet continued to perform. Eventually , having no support from the Offensive unit , the defense tired and what looked to be sure wins turned into losses.

Harbaugh's ego wouldn't just wouldn't let him entertain the notion that it was up to him to make changes early on when things started to slide. Yet , this wasn't really the reason why he parted ways with the 49ers. Team management expects even the head coaches to kowtow to them. Jed York , wants respect even if hes never earned it. Its his by birth according to his economic station in life to his way of thinking.

Pushing a winning coach out the door doesn't bode well for the future of the franchise. Any head coaching hire can't help but feel insecure , waiting for the trapdoor to open and ending up in the shark tank. Especially since Jed York stated that anything less than a Superbowl victory is failure for the team. But Jed York is not the lone ranger, his management style mirrors that of most of today's young upcoming executives in business.

Harbaugh , is a good fit at University of Michigan, his old Alma Matter . The college scene is more suited for his style. He will get over and succeed. His media detractors will have egg on their faces. Nice guys finish last in the real world so he won't have a problem. Gone are the days when Gucci wearing stuffed shirts could get in his face ! Who has it better than him now !

In the big picture the San Francisco 49er ownership didn't lose anything. They don't want to give up  control to any head coach. They got the new stadium that they wanted and a gullible small time City government to push around. It doesn't matter that the Levi stadium scene is too expensive for the " 49er faithful " fans. They left these folks in the dust. The new setup is just a big money machine with great write off potential.

 

While Harbaugh gets to renew his Midwest roots , Kaepernick is going back to quarterback school. Now that his big Daddy has left the scene his future is shaky. Next season he could end up stocking the shelves in a Walmart , flexing his muscles for female shoppers. The Harbaugh soap opera is over and a new one is just around the bend for the San Francisco 49ers. Me , I'm just a regular Joe ! I can't afford to be a fan anymore than I can afford to be a charm school dropout like Harbaugh and the Yorks. This works for the NFL not me !

barryrodriguez (c) 2014. all rights reserved.

layout by magic merlin paul malolot.