POLL: Is Jim Harbaugh losing control of the team?

he may not be losing control but he does look lost. starting to get that dennis erickson, finger up his butt expression. his little visa commercials and gobble gobble blather do not sound so cute anymore do they?

Originally posted by ninersrule4:

Originally posted by SportsFan:

https://twitter.com/LaMichaelJames/status/381985990430052352

Don't really like this guy. He complained last year as well.


Or is this a bigger issue then we are thinking?

it's not a big deal he should be playing. Harbaugh would rather active 2 fullbacks one of whom sucks ass. Too many wtf things going on with this team.

Seriously, what's the deal when we go empty backfield with Boldin and Hunter spread to one side and MCDONALD, CELEK, and MILLER out wide to the other! I have no problem with Vance or Hunter spread out even though a wide receiver would be better. Celek on the other hand is lucky to still be on an NFL and Miller NEEDS TO BE USED EXCLUSIVELY AS A RUN BLOCKER.

And don't give me any excuse that it creates mismatches because ever corner, safety, and even linebacker in the league can lock down slow ass white guys that can't catch (coming from a slow ass white guy that can't catch).

Originally posted by ninersrule4:

Originally posted by SportsFan:

https://twitter.com/LaMichaelJames/status/381985990430052352

Don't really like this guy. He complained last year as well.


Or is this a bigger issue then we are thinking?

it's not a big deal he should be playing. Harbaugh would rather active 2 fullbacks one of whom sucks ass. Too many wtf things going on with this team.

This... Also why do we have fullbacks running routes.... Grrr

Originally posted by Pillbusta:
Jim is not losing the team. Jim has lost focus. We need to commit to running the football and playing Bo Schembechler football. It is what got Jim here and he needs to be reminded of this

I agree, in theory, however, the league has figured out how to stop his running game. What Harbaugh/Roman MUST do is figure out ways to make the passing game work. Yes, the lack of depth at WR hurts but other teams have injuries and still come up with ways to win. The problem seems to be that he still insists on doing the same thing rather than change.

It is unfathomable that at a time that the WR group is struggling, that Jonathan Baldwin who has caught 41 passes against all levels of competition the past two years from junk QBs, remains inactive. In the meantime, the injured Indy secondary looked like the Seahawks secondary against the crew that went out there yesterday.

Harbaugh is still playing the cards he was dealt two years ago. Time to see if he has anything else.

Originally posted by 9ers:
Seriously, what's the deal when we go empty backfield with Boldin and Hunter spread to one side and MCDONALD, CELEK, and MILLER out wide to the other! I have no problem with Vance or Hunter spread out even though a wide receiver would be better. Celek on the other hand is lucky to still be on an NFL and Miller NEEDS TO BE USED EXCLUSIVELY AS A RUN BLOCKER.

And don't give me any excuse that it creates mismatches because ever corner, safety, and even linebacker in the league can lock down slow ass white guys that can't catch (coming from a slow ass white guy that can't catch).

yes the extra fullback was a fix all for our offense was it not? even if they do activate james, i have no confidence that roman will now what to do with him. putting him back on kickoffs would be a nice start, hunter was a disaster out there yesterday

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by Pillbusta:
Jim is not losing the team. Jim has lost focus. We need to commit to running the football and playing Bo Schembechler football. It is what got Jim here and he needs to be reminded of this

I agree, in theory, however, the league has figured out how to stop his running game. What Harbaugh/Roman MUST do is figure out ways to make the passing game work. Yes, the lack of depth at WR hurts but other teams have injuries and still come up with ways to win. The problem seems to be that he still insists on doing the same thing rather than change.

It is unfathomable that at a time that the WR group is struggling, that Jonathan Baldwin who has caught 41 passes against all levels of competition the past two years from junk QBs, remains inactive. In the meantime, the injured Indy secondary looked like the Seahawks secondary against the crew that went out there yesterday.

Harbaugh is still playing the cards he was dealt two years ago. Time to see if he has anything else.

I think the QB plays a role into this also. Colin needs to realize he is a little thin at WR and run with the ball sooner. This alone will force the defense to play differently. Were we keeping the backs in to block that game? It seemed like only the receivers were the ones running routes or available as options. I know Kap threw a few to Gore but the offense looks like a mess.

It looked so messy that I think we probably prepared for the Rams a little last week. Divisional game are always more important and we DO NOT want to lose to another divisional team after only having 2 days to prepare.

Originally posted by dj43:
I agree, in theory, however, the league has figured out how to stop his running game. What Harbaugh/Roman MUST do is figure out ways to make the passing game work. Yes, the lack of depth at WR hurts but other teams have injuries and still come up with ways to win. The problem seems to be that he still insists on doing the same thing rather than change.

It is unfathomable that at a time that the WR group is struggling, that Jonathan Baldwin who has caught 41 passes against all levels of competition the past two years from junk QBs, remains inactive. In the meantime, the injured Indy secondary looked like the Seahawks secondary against the crew that went out there yesterday.

Harbaugh is still playing the cards he was dealt two years ago. Time to see if he has anything else.

the colts did not stop the running game,, we stopped the running game by going away from it. it was working so of course roman and JH got cute, tried to pass, of course that did not work, for whatever reason, and we were third and predictable all day long. your last statement is weak. no one should give Jh any sort of pass because of cards dealt to him two years ago. did you really mean to say that? this is his team, it has been for going on three years now. if he did not like the cards we had, then he should have gotten rid of them last year in his second full year as head coach

Originally posted by cciowa:

Originally posted by dj43:
I agree, in theory, however, the league has figured out how to stop his running game. What Harbaugh/Roman MUST do is figure out ways to make the passing game work. Yes, the lack of depth at WR hurts but other teams have injuries and still come up with ways to win. The problem seems to be that he still insists on doing the same thing rather than change.

It is unfathomable that at a time that the WR group is struggling, that Jonathan Baldwin who has caught 41 passes against all levels of competition the past two years from junk QBs, remains inactive. In the meantime, the injured Indy secondary looked like the Seahawks secondary against the crew that went out there yesterday.

Harbaugh is still playing the cards he was dealt two years ago. Time to see if he has anything else.

the colts did not stop the running game,, we stopped the running game by going away from it. it was working so of course roman and JH got cute, tried to pass, of course that did not work, for whatever reason, and we were third and predictable all day long. your last statement is weak. no one should give Jh any sort of pass because of cards dealt to him two years ago. did you really mean to say that? this is his team, it has been for going on three years now. if he did not like the cards we had, then he should have gotten rid of them last year in his second full year as head coach

I think we need to revert to what made Jim successful in the first place. Use Kap like he did Alex and instead of this random no huddle and read option crap we need Kap to manage the game while sticking to a game plan. Being all over the place and asking him to do this stuff that isn't working is only going to get into his head. Changing plays at the line and not getting the snap off in time coupled with trying to run this random no huddle offense early in the game has him out of his element. He looks beyond his comfort level at this point and it has a trickle down effect on the entire team and starts with the coaches. No idea why they abandoned something that was working so well. I get that Kap has talents that Smith didn't have and Jim wants to use those talents to make his offense more dynamic but forcing him to try and be Peyton Manning out of nowhere his second season is stupid. He should be getting him comfortable before even thinking about that kind of stuff ESPECIALLY with the fact that we are decimated at wide receiver.

Originally posted by cciowa:

Originally posted by dj43:
I agree, in theory, however, the league has figured out how to stop his running game. What Harbaugh/Roman MUST do is figure out ways to make the passing game work. Yes, the lack of depth at WR hurts but other teams have injuries and still come up with ways to win. The problem seems to be that he still insists on doing the same thing rather than change.

It is unfathomable that at a time that the WR group is struggling, that Jonathan Baldwin who has caught 41 passes against all levels of competition the past two years from junk QBs, remains inactive. In the meantime, the injured Indy secondary looked like the Seahawks secondary against the crew that went out there yesterday.

Harbaugh is still playing the cards he was dealt two years ago. Time to see if he has anything else.

the colts did not stop the running game,, we stopped the running game by going away from it. it was working so of course roman and JH got cute, tried to pass, of course that did not work, for whatever reason, and we were third and predictable all day long. your last statement is weak. no one should give Jh any sort of pass because of cards dealt to him two years ago. did you really mean to say that? this is his team, it has been for going on three years now. if he did not like the cards we had, then he should have gotten rid of them last year in his second full year as head coach

My last statement was not an excuse but rather saying he is living off the talented team he inherited. The image of him being some messiah coach is very tarnished. He is not that. He IS better than Nolan/Singletary but he is not at the level of a Mike McCarthy or Andy Reid. Those guys have figured out how to win when their main guys were hurt or when teams stopped their main play.

This is crunch time for Harbaugh. As short and arrogant as he has been at some times with the media, he will get very little slack from them now if more stuff like Gore's comments become public, or if they do not play very well against the Rams. Let's not take that game for granted. Jeff Fisher is a very good coach and has had the 49ers number in the past two games. Harbaugh MUST not allow that to happen again.

This team still has enough healthy talent to go back and win that game but it will not be easy. The Rams can bring heat to the QB so Roman must show us that he can beat pressure with short throws to backs and TEs into spaces vacated by blitzers. In the past three years, that is one thing Roman has not shown. Can he do it now? We will see.

He's not losing control. People just make up narratives to explain why things are going well, and make up narratives to explain why things aren't going well.

Originally posted by BayArea:
I think we need to revert to what made Jim successful in the first place. Use Kap like he did Alex and instead of this random no huddle and read option crap we need Kap to manage the game while sticking to a game plan. Being all over the place and asking him to do this stuff that isn't working is only going to get into his head. Changing plays at the line and not getting the snap off in time coupled with trying to run this random no huddle offense early in the game has him out of his element. He looks beyond his comfort level at this point and it has a trickle down effect on the entire team and starts with the coaches. No idea why they abandoned something that was working so well. I get that Kap has talents that Smith didn't have and Jim wants to use those talents to make his offense more dynamic but forcing him to try and be Peyton Manning out of nowhere his second season is stupid. He should be getting him comfortable before even thinking about that kind of stuff ESPECIALLY with the fact that we are decimated at wide receiver.

I am beginning to think that Harbaugh has become SO focused on the couple of things that Kaepernick can do that Smith couldn't, that he has set aside all the things that Smith COULD do that WON MANY GAMES for the 49ers just to prove his choice in picking CK as his QB. The very things that Alex Smith was often criticized for, short passes into areas vacated by defenders, are the very things that would have forced Seattle to pull their defensive scheme and open up the run game. Same thing yesterday.

Bill Walsh built a dynasty on the very kind of passes Alex Smith was most criticized for. JH has claimed a Walsh heritage but the very thing that defined the Walsh offense is the thing Harbaugh/Roman seem opposed to using.

In the face of these injuries, Harbaugh needs to diversify the offense, not roll it up into a tighter ball. There is still plenty of receiving talent on this team if he will but put it in positions to be successful. Walsh won a SB throwing it to guys that many people here have never even heard of. The Crabtree/Manningham injuries hurt but they should not be insurmountable for a coach that truly understands how to make the most of the talent on the team.

Originally posted by dj43:
My last statement was not an excuse but rather saying he is living off the talented team he inherited. The image of him being some messiah coach is very tarnished. He is not that. He IS better than Nolan/Singletary but he is not at the level of a Mike McCarthy or Andy Reid. Those guys have figured out how to win when their main guys were hurt or when teams stopped their main play.

This is crunch time for Harbaugh. As short and arrogant as he has been at some times with the media, he will get very little slack from them now if more stuff like Gore's comments become public, or if they do not play very well against the Rams. Let's not take that game for granted. Jeff Fisher is a very good coach and has had the 49ers number in the past two games. Harbaugh MUST not allow that to happen again.

This team still has enough healthy talent to go back and win that game but it will not be easy. The Rams can bring heat to the QB so Roman must show us that he can beat pressure with short throws to backs and TEs into spaces vacated by blitzers. In the past three years, that is one thing Roman has not shown. Can he do it now? We will see.

you are more than right,, we have always said, Jh can get away with being cute funny and rude to the media when he is winning but now,, its a whole other ball game and we will see how thin or thick his skin is. we know the history last year. we got outcoached twice by the rams. a fake punt twice. dj said nothing wrong here. as poorly as our team is playing and being coached right now and with players hurt and missing,, i think we are in no position to take anyone for granted, I thought that before sunday and that thought has increased tenfold for me now

Originally posted by theduke85:
He's not losing control. People just make up narratives to explain why things are going well, and make up narratives to explain why things aren't going well.

you have to see that he looks utterly lost out there, he looks like it, he acts like it, he coaches like it,, and the players are responding in kind with their "play"

Originally posted by dj43:
I am beginning to think that Harbaugh has become SO focused on the couple of things that Kaepernick can do that Smith couldn't, that he has set aside all the things that Smith COULD do that WON MANY GAMES for the 49ers just to prove his choice in picking CK as his QB. The very things that Alex Smith was often criticized for, short passes into areas vacated by defenders, are the very things that would have forced Seattle to pull their defensive scheme and open up the run game. Same thing yesterday.

Bill Walsh built a dynasty on the very kind of passes Alex Smith was most criticized for. JH has claimed a Walsh heritage but the very thing that defined the Walsh offense is the thing Harbaugh/Roman seem opposed to using.

In the face of these injuries, Harbaugh needs to diversify the offense, not roll it up into a tighter ball. There is still plenty of receiving talent on this team if he will but put it in positions to be successful. Walsh won a SB throwing it to guys that many people here have never even heard of. The Crabtree/Manningham injuries hurt but they should not be insurmountable for a coach that truly understands how to make the most of the talent on the team.

in my opinion he spent to much time talking about clay mathews the week after green bay then working on seattle, but thats just me

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by BayArea:
I think we need to revert to what made Jim successful in the first place. Use Kap like he did Alex and instead of this random no huddle and read option crap we need Kap to manage the game while sticking to a game plan. Being all over the place and asking him to do this stuff that isn't working is only going to get into his head. Changing plays at the line and not getting the snap off in time coupled with trying to run this random no huddle offense early in the game has him out of his element. He looks beyond his comfort level at this point and it has a trickle down effect on the entire team and starts with the coaches. No idea why they abandoned something that was working so well. I get that Kap has talents that Smith didn't have and Jim wants to use those talents to make his offense more dynamic but forcing him to try and be Peyton Manning out of nowhere his second season is stupid. He should be getting him comfortable before even thinking about that kind of stuff ESPECIALLY with the fact that we are decimated at wide receiver.

I am beginning to think that Harbaugh has become SO focused on the couple of things that Kaepernick can do that Smith couldn't, that he has set aside all the things that Smith COULD do that WON MANY GAMES for the 49ers just to prove his choice in picking CK as his QB. The very things that Alex Smith was often criticized for, short passes into areas vacated by defenders, are the very things that would have forced Seattle to pull their defensive scheme and open up the run game. Same thing yesterday.

Bill Walsh built a dynasty on the very kind of passes Alex Smith was most criticized for. JH has claimed a Walsh heritage but the very thing that defined the Walsh offense is the thing Harbaugh/Roman seem opposed to using.

In the face of these injuries, Harbaugh needs to diversify the offense, not roll it up into a tighter ball. There is still plenty of receiving talent on this team if he will but put it in positions to be successful. Walsh won a SB throwing it to guys that many people here have never even heard of. The Crabtree/Manningham injuries hurt but they should not be insurmountable for a coach that truly understands how to make the most of the talent on the team.

Very true. He does seem to be making an effort to validate the QB move. I don't disagree with the QB switch itself but going about it so drastically and putting so much on Colin's plate at once is reckless. I think we could all agree that Kap can make any throw Alex can make and hey he can even run it if need be or throw it deep. So why all of a sudden with the one dimensional approach and an empty backfield at the first sign of distress?

The last couple seasons the 9ers won games giving teams a slow painful death. Now the opposite is happening to us. s**t the Ravens just won the superbowl playing a mirror image of that game plan and their star wide receiver who should have been mvp over flacco is now on our team!

I have no interest in an Alex vs Kap comparison. I just assumed that we would stick to the war of attrition style game plan with the added perk of Kaps big arm and scrambling ability to make that offense even more dangerous.