I don't know why this bugs me, but just what was so implausible about Harbaugh's comments on Manning? Follow me now . . . sorry this runs a bit long
Who contacted who?
- Jim Trotter of SI reported during that week that "The owner of one 2011 playoff team told SI that while his club was not pursuing Manning, it would seriously consider signing him (pending a positive medical report) if he phoned and said he wanted to play for them."
- Matt Barrows wrote a Manning aftermath article on 3/20 in which he reported specifically that Manning "approached" the 49ers.
http://blog.sfgate.com/49ers/2012/03/16/report-49ers-enter-pursuit-of-peyton-manning/
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/03/20/v-print/4350977/sdfd-fdgf-gfdgf-hghgfggfghjkfhgfjkhgfjkghdfjkgf.html
When looking at the 2011 playoff teams needing a QB it seems pretty obvious that the owner Trotter referenced was Jed York. The delicate dance was due to Condon's involvement. So, Manning called us, and we were going seriously consider signing him if everything checked out. So then what?
What do we actually know?
- On the Tuesday that was the first day of free agency (when everyone was looking the other way) Harbaugh and Roman flew to Duke and clandestinely observed Manning work-out.
- The 49ers dispatched their doctors back east to examine Manning.
This part sounds purely like an evaluation to me.
What was different about the 49ers involvement?
- News of the 49ers involvement didn't surface until three days after they checked him out physically.
- Of the final three "contenders", Santa Clara was the only place Manning didn't visit.
- Manning reached out to the 49ers and not vice versa.
The 49ers didn't pursue Manning like b***hes in heat like the Broncos, Titans, Dolphins, Jets, Chiefs, Seahawks and Cardinals, etc. I think a lot of this had to do again with the Smith/Manning/Condon angle. It was in the 49ers interest to keep this quiet as to avoid any possibility of alienating the locker room and Alex (even though when Peyton Manning calls you listen), but the fact remains that Alex has been through many battles with these guys and most of them are intensely loyal. Condon also had an interest in keeping it low profile to avoid the perception among NFL players that he'd actively leverage two clients against the same team.
How does all this tie together?
First, the question of who initiated contact is fundamental. The 49ers received a call and had to take a look . . . they had to. What we don't know is what happened between the time we worked him out and the time Manning made his decision. If the 49ers were going to "seriously consider signing him" you'd have to assume (although it's never been reported) that there were general discussions on the parameters of how everything would work on the football side. The dance very well could have ended or cooled at this point for whatever reason.
What I think happened
We got the call we evaulauted.
We discussed the X's & O's parameters of the possible signing over the next day or two and neither side could get comfortable feeling, whether it was the style of offense, the play calling or even the prospect of Alex Smith still being on the roster. The "pursuit" effectively ended there.
Manning knew before the weekend that he wasn't coming to the 49ers which allowed Condon to finally leak our involvement on Friday in an effort to play Denver and Tennessee against each other over the weekend.
Knowing Manning wasn't coming here, Condon tried to make Baalke squirm over St. Patricks day weekend by sending Alex to Miami for a visit. Trent didn't curr. Bluff failed. Alex re-signs for virtually the same contract we offered him in February.
Bottom Line
The front office evaluated and examined only after being prompted by interest from Manning and the level of actual "pursuit" was very questionable. In the end it's still a bit of a semantics argument and Harbaugh's comments last week were still directed for the benefit of Alex and the team. But when you break it down it's clear that Harbaugh's strident denial of "pursuit" was more justified than anyone slamming him for lying is willing to concede.