Orange Bowl Observations

Here are some notes from Stanford's big win over Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl, with particular attention to Jim Harbaugh. The 49ers want to hire him as their next head coach.

Jim Harbaugh - Out coached on the first drive. On third down, all out blitz and Tech had receivers covered, but then Stanford really took control. Plays are complex, lots of verbiage in the huddle. Great halftime adjustments. 15 blitzes netted three sacks by the third quarter. They don't make the mistakes that Virginia Tech makes. They play relatively mistake free and then they punish you when you make mistakes. On a third quarter touchdown pass, a flag was thrown and Harbaugh knew right away what happened. It was defensive holding and he knew it. When a offensive lineman committed a personal foul late in the game, Harbaugh pulled him out and then yelled at him on the sidelines. He really knows how to use a tight end, which would be great for Vernon Davis.

Offensively, the multiple shifts confused the Hokies and led to some big runs. Wherever Harbaugh goes, he'll likely take defensive coordinator Vic Fangio with him. The Stanford defense is multiple and underrated.

Harbaugh is cocky. Stanford didn't need to throw the ball deep late in the fourth quarter, but they did in order to score the final points of the game. At one point, he shifted the offensive line three times before finally running the ball, which drew a death stare from the Virginia Tech defensive coordinator. He's a little bit of a wildcard; if things get tough, you could see him melting down. He looks hyper, and he munched on gum during his post game news conference. Read More 'Orange Bowl Observations' »

Posted By: Kevin Lynch (Email) | Jan 03 at 09:51 PM

Baalke/Harbaugh closer than you think

Many have wondered if Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh would be willing to work with 49ers general manager (to be)Trent Baalke if the Niners offered him their head coaching job.

It turns out they're not exactly strangers -- even though it turns out they don't have the same agent after all (who comes up with this stuff?)

Baalke and Harbaugh have visited a bit during their time in the Bay Area. If Baalke gets the job as expected this week, they'll be visiting again in the form of a job interview if the 49ers have their way.

But will Team Harbaugh/Baalke happen? Read More 'Baalke/Harbaugh closer than you think' »

Posted By: David White (Email, Twitter) | Jan 03 at 07:33 PM

49ers season review - Players reactions

Here are some quotes from the players and my reactions. Feel free to disagree or re-interpret what was said.

QUARTERBACK ALEX SMITH ON BEING BOOED: "I've gone through enough of that, it's laughable a little bit to play like that, throw an incompletion and get booed. That stuff is not fazing me at this point."

(Smith, despite his Herculean efforts to fit in and become a better quarterback, never won, never established himself. I still believe under a stable offensive system, he could succeed. Smith's departure is more a commentary on the 49ers as an organization than Smith as a quarterback.)

RUNNING BACK BRIAN WESTBROOK

"I don't, at this point in my career, want to be a starter, but I want to be able to help a team and help a team win. Whether that's 15 plays a game, whether that's 10 plays a game, I want to be able to help a team win and make plays when I have the opportunity."

(Westbrook met with Trent Baalke on Monday and Baalke probably sold him on coming back to the team. Baalke is a firm believer in having more than one running back. Whether Westbrook returns could be an indicator of Baalke's persuasive ability and whether an intelligent former Pro Bowl veteran believes in the 49ers' chances to win. Baalke might want Westbrook back all the more after watching him get he slammed on his head by Arizona's Adrian Wilson and then come back in to play, proving Westbrook's concussion issues appear resolved.)

ON INTERIM COACH JIM TOMSULA'S COACHING: "It was a little bit different than what Coach Sing brought, but you never know if those things help for a 16-game season."

(This is a sage comment by Westbrook. Yes, having an upbeat, competent coach who prepares for eventualities is essential, and that's what Jim Tomsula provided. But Westbrook seems to indicate that you need more than that over a full season.)

"We played well yesterday: offense, defense and special teams. It helped a little bit that the Cardinals aren't very good as a team. But we played well together."

(Again, Westbrook put this win into perspective. Not like Vernon Davis, who seems to capture the sentiment of the entire organization when he said the 49ers were better than every team they played.) Read More '49ers season review - Players reactions' »

Posted By: Kevin Lynch (Email) | Jan 03 at 02:09 PM