Jim Harbaugh - Three impressions

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Three impressions on the 49ers hiring of Jim Harbaugh:

IMPRESSION 1: In the slew of interviews Harbaugh and general manager Trent Baalke conducted, the most revealing was on KNBR with Tom Tolbert and Ralph Barbieri. When Tolbert has new football coaches on, he asks them what they do if they were faced with this situation: You're on defense, there's a minute left, the score is tied, you have no time-outs, and the opposition is deep in your red zone. When Tolbert outlined this situation to Harbaugh, he immediately said, "let them score." In fact, Harbaugh even has a defensive call for that circumstance, which he called "highway." The thought is to allow the opposition to score so you can get the ball back.

Tolbert said when he puts this scenario to coaches, they either have never thought of it, or they say allowing a team to score under any circumstance is against their philosophy. Harbaugh has not only thought of this situation, he has a defense designed for it, and he's not foolishly wedded to a stop-the-offense-at-all-times theology.

IMPRESSION 2: Harbaugh has precious little control, with Baalke having final say on trades, the final roster and the draft. But many believe Harbaugh will wrest control of those areas rather quickly, but I don't think so. People shouldn't underestimate Baalke. While he may not be as savvy with the media as Harbaugh, he's equally ambitious and he's a grinder. He's not going to give up his authority easily.

IMPRESSION 3: The York regime has often been caught in a reactive mode, instead of having the vision to anticipate situations. Firing coaches during the season and a general manager six weeks before the draft are the latest examples. But the hirings of Baalke and Harbaugh were not reactive at all.

The search for a general manager for example was cursory; Baalke's promotion was in process for weeks. The desire to hire Harbaugh might also been in the works for a while. Baalke went to Stanford practices and games; he saw how Harbaugh handle his players, his coaches and particularly his quarterback up close. He got a rare view into how Harbaugh operated.

Similarly, Harbaugh did his homework on the 49ers. His brother John, Baltimore's head coach, got him into contact with Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti. Harbaugh knew what questions to anticipate and what an owner is looking for in a coach. Both sides, the 49ers and Harbaugh, did their research and were prepared for each other. The question is, will that result in a healthy marriage?

It all depends on the Baalke-Harbaugh relationship. Both men are strong-willed, hard-working and ambitious. They could clash or they could work well together. No one will know how it will work until they start discussing personnel both on the field and in the coaching staff, and that process has already begun.

Posted By: Kevin Lynch (Email) | January 09 2011 at 11:53 AM

Listed Under: Coaches