10 Keys to Success: Harbaugh vs. Walsh

10 Reasons that the 49ers will revisit Walshian success under Harbaugh: (posted by: The Wild Optimist)
1. Innovation:
Like Walsh, Harbaugh is highly innovative (esp. on offense, but also defensively)
2. Hire Great Coaches:
Walsh surrounded himself with great coaches (see Walsh coaching tree). Harbaugh has also hired great coaches
3. Player Development:
Great coaches are able to teach and develop players, hence turning great athletes into great players. The Walsh 49ers won by developing players such as their entire O-line (McKittrick), their QB (Montana was 3rd rd, Young was a prior bust . . but both were developed by great coaching). Walsh coaches (Seifert, Ray Rhodes, etc) also developed great DB’s with later picks such as: Eric Davis, Don Griffin, Tim McKyer, Merton Hanks, etc. Coach Roman, Donatell, Leavitt, etc have also shown that they can train and develop players into guys that fit their system.
4. Draft:
Since they can train and develop players it allows them to draft more talented athletes with more upside and mold them into good football players. Therefore they can get better draft value by selecting guys with "higher ceilings", and thus get the max value out of their draft picks, rather than drafting players who are "pro-ready", but already maxed-out.
5. Offensive Scheme:
Stanford showed that Harbaugh’s offensive scheme will be like Walsh’s – deceptive, balanced, and will allow the innovative 49ers to outwit other teams (vs. predictable 'smash-mouth', run vs. 8 man box, 'run-run-pass').
6. Defensive Pressure:
Fangio will pressure the QB and stop the pass (think Steelers, Packers type 3-4 defense).
7. Free Agents:
FA’s will actually WANT to come to the 49ers again, so players will clamor to join the 49ers just as they did in the 80’s. Success breeds success . . .
8. Great QB Play:
NFL is QB driven, and Harbaugh is one of best QB developers in NFL. Like Walsh, he will ensure that we have great QB play!
9. Stop the Opposing QB:
Walsh emphasized pass rush and DB’s. Walsh’s teams always had great DB’s and a great rotating pass rush (Fred Dean, Haley, Board, f*gan, Carter, etc). Likewise, Harbaugh will ensure that we stop the QB (eg. drafting Aldon Smith) (pass rush and CB were his only options with their #7 top pick)
10. Attitude and Work Ethic:
Harbaugh & staff are driven, hard-working, no excuses, do-whatever-it-takes-to-win types. This attitude will permeate entire team.

Championship!!!!!!!

PS. As you can see, I’m trying hard to be an optimistic 'glass is half full' kind of guy . . . and I’m also getting a little bored with no dang football!

I agree with almost everything you said. Harbaugh is hopefully going to help us out quite a bit. I am excited to see what he can do with Frank Gore, and I hope we sign Vonta Leach or LeRon McClain in FA at the Fullback position. Our run game would be beast with either of those guys, and then what he can do with our OLine and his schemes. His running attack at Stanford was really good. I'm confident he can make our QBs play better, but I'm also excited to see what he does with Gore.

I like Harbaugh a lot but I think comparisons with Walsh are a bit premature. That might be setting the bar a little high for a guy who has yet to coach an NFL game. Fortunately for Harbaugh he is not following Walsh but Nolan and Singletary instead. I expect him to soar over the bar they set.

Originally posted by BHulman:
I like Harbaugh a lot but I think comparisons with Walsh are a bit premature. That might be setting the bar a little high for a guy who has yet to coach an NFL game. Fortunately for Harbaugh he is not following Walsh but Nolan and Singletary instead. I expect him to soar over the bar they set.

This. Well said.

Originally posted by chico49erfan:

Originally posted by BHulman:
I like Harbaugh a lot but I think comparisons with Walsh are a bit premature. That might be setting the bar a little high for a guy who has yet to coach an NFL game. Fortunately for Harbaugh he is not following Walsh but Nolan and Singletary instead. I expect him to soar over the bar they set.

This. Well said.

Obviously this is a major long-shot projection, comparing a guy who hasn't coached a single game in the NFL to the greatest coach who ever lived! But the board is dead, so I thought I'd try to point out the similarities between the two coaches. Harbaugh is a Walsh disciple, so hopefully he will come close to filling Walsh's shoes.

I, also, was struck by the Walsh similarities early on, but overall, when Coach Walsh came here, he was already a finely honed head coach, and should have taken over for Paul Brown, but got hung out to dry. When he came to Stanford, Coach Walsh just gave a preview of what he had to offer...the GOAT pro coach.

Obviously JH is not in that stratosphere, but he is an accomplished coach, took a listless, lousy team that was adrift and fashioned a great one, plus two QBs. The best trait (and there are many) in JH is his ability to coach each and every position...exactly like Walsh. Also, both were A+ in developing (and recognizing) great potential QBs...and if ever a team needed both those attributes, it is this one.

9er coaching has gotten a bum rap with ericson, noln, bigmike...but the rap is no where as bad as all three were, and they actually got worse as the succession line progressed
(er, make that regressed). Together, there wasn't a D- coach amongst them, but each had his worst "bests". For out and out total lack of football knowledge, bigmike will never be equaled. Noln looked good in magazines, but that was it. Ericson was just the only guy who would come to this wasteland of football, following some major ownership screwups.

The importance of having a well grounded great football coach is reconized by all. It takes desperation, like our last 9 yrs here, to realize just how important this seasons draft was. And it was A+++ because of....JH. I really believe he will have alex looking like a qB this yr instead of a guy who showed up at the football field, thinking he was going to a party.

Originally posted by SnakePlissken:

Is this a real picture? Where did you find it?

To the OP, I like your enthusiasm. I guess I have just been burned by the last few coaches we have had; I hope JH is as good as advertised.

I think we have paid for our transgressions as 49er fans. 10+ years of mediocrity is enough, right? Can we PLEASE start back to winning with a very respectable team again????

I'm excited about JH, but cautiously...

Go 49ers!

Originally posted by DynastyPart2:

Originally posted by SnakePlissken:

Is this a real picture? Where did you find it?

LOL I was wondering the same thing

Harbaugh and Walsh are/were football addicts. They are/were both very bright men who studied all aspects of football, not just a particular area. But, while I really liked the hiring of Walsh, I did not expect the great years that were to come. Likewise, I don't expect Harbaugh to be as great, but really good would be such a leap of improvement that would be OK...great would be fantastic!

Originally posted by chico49erfan:

Originally posted by BHulman:
I like Harbaugh a lot but I think comparisons with Walsh are a bit premature. That might be setting the bar a little high for a guy who has yet to coach an NFL game. Fortunately for Harbaugh he is not following Walsh but Nolan and Singletary instead. I expect him to soar over the bar they set.

This. Well said.

I concur. Well said.

Originally posted by SnakePlissken:

i wanna pet your p***y and stroke my cock with its santa hat. chili womp womp

Originally posted by FreddyG:

Originally posted by DynastyPart2:

Originally posted by SnakePlissken:

Is this a real picture? Where did you find it?

LOL I was wondering the same thing

I swear to GOD I thought the same thing when I saw it!