NYTimes: Harbaugh and how the Niners were Built (Great stuff)

That was an awesome read. Thank you.

What's most interesting is that this is a national publication aimed at a general sports/football audience. By writing about "how the Niners were built" they are assuming/confirming that the Niners have arrived. Amazing how much difference a 4-1 record makes. The Niners are sneered at and ignored for years and the minute they pass a 75% winning percentage, bam, the spotlight is on. As many have said for years, the "east coast media" is not biased against the west coast; they're biased against losing. They are also exquisitly attuned to any change in fortunes.

Harbaugh is like the Joker. He doesn't have any friends and is unpredictable because he likes to be.

Originally posted by Joecool:
Harbaugh is like the Joker. He doesn't have any friends and is unpredictable because he likes to be.

yeah and he'll get his own team injured in the process..... j/k.

Originally posted by steiber:
What I find interesting is the article didn't mention how the core of this team was built by Mike Nolan. As much as I disliked him as a coach, he did a very good job drafting players. Not only the ones mentioned but also Stayley, Morgan, Goldston, Snyder, McDonald and brought in the best free agent pick up in a long time with Justin Smith. I just thought it was important to add this to the forum.

I've said this before on this board: Mike Nolan was an AWESOME GM. HOWEVER, he was a below average to horrible HC.

Originally posted by taney71:

Originally posted by steiber:
What I find interesting is the article didn't mention how the core of this team was built by Mike Nolan. As much as I disliked him as a coach, he did a very good job drafting players. Not only the ones mentioned but also Stayley, Morgan, Goldston, Snyder, McDonald and brought in the best free agent pick up in a long time with Justin Smith. I just thought it was important to add this to the forum.

I've said this before on this board: Mike Nolan was an AWESOME GM. HOWEVER, he was a below average to horrible HC.

I can dig this...

He did indeed seem to be a pretty dang good evaluator of talent...especially if Alex continues to succeed even. It'll just be a testament to what everyone (including those close) said about him coming out of Utah... he needs good coaching, Harbaugh is just that.

Originally posted by ninersrule4:
Good read thanks

Lol, Mike Nolan was a good evaluator of talent!

wow nice read

Originally posted by MaliCali:

Originally posted by taney71:

Originally posted by steiber:
What I find interesting is the article didn't mention how the core of this team was built by Mike Nolan. As much as I disliked him as a coach, he did a very good job drafting players. Not only the ones mentioned but also Stayley, Morgan, Goldston, Snyder, McDonald and brought in the best free agent pick up in a long time with Justin Smith. I just thought it was important to add this to the forum.

I've said this before on this board: Mike Nolan was an AWESOME GM. HOWEVER, he was a below average to horrible HC.

I can dig this...

He did indeed seem to be a pretty dang good evaluator of talent...especially if Alex continues to succeed even. It'll just be a testament to what everyone (including those close) said about him coming out of Utah... he needs good coaching, Harbaugh is just that.

As a hardcore Ute fan I have always said he never looked right. At times the light would kick on and he'd play phenominal, but that was semi-rare to see. This year I can see the guy we drafted out of Utah. Smart, taking what defenses give him, accurate(for the most part), efficient 7-1 td/int, but most of all he's making plays with his legs as well. Remember how it used to drive us all nuts him always rolling to the right? Now it's something that can turn into a big play. It's happened at least twice, both of which should have been t.d.s the one the D.W. last game and the P.I. on Gore against Seattle. Edit: The Hunter play as well

Alex thrived off what we are running right now when he played for Utah. Short to intermediate routes, an occasional shot down field and him using his mobility. At times he's making it look easy out there, just as he did with Utah. I only expect Alex to get better and better, not only him but the players around him as well. He finally has a grasp on this offense and can think more about coverages, and schemes, rather than where a players going to be.

I don't think anyone can deny that the '09 and '10 Niners had plenty of talent, especially on defense. Nolan and McCloughan drafted well for the most part and built the team up from that horrendous '04 team, which was one of the least talented teams I have ever seen. We just had horrible coaching.

Want to read a couple more interesting articles about Harbaugh? The link below is from Dec 2006 when he got hired at Stanford. I didn't know he got a DUI in 2005 while coaching in San Diego. He proved the doubters wrong at Stanford though.

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/collegesports/2006/12/18/stanford-hires-jim-harbaugh-are-you-kidding-me/


In 1997, when he was still a QB at Indy, I forgot that he broke his hand when he punched Jim Kelly in the head.

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-746436.html

Originally posted by taney71:

Originally posted by steiber:
What I find interesting is the article didn't mention how the core of this team was built by Mike Nolan. As much as I disliked him as a coach, he did a very good job drafting players. Not only the ones mentioned but also Stayley, Morgan, Goldston, Snyder, McDonald and brought in the best free agent pick up in a long time with Justin Smith. I just thought it was important to add this to the forum.

I've said this before on this board: Mike Nolan was an AWESOME GM. HOWEVER, he was a below average to horrible HC.

Have to include McCloughan in the credit too. There were some misses too. Nolan couldn't develop players on the offense. Handle the Smith injury very poorly. Couldn't get V. Davis adjust his attitude. Sing got Davis to be a mature team leader was the only thing he did well. Harbaugh, Roman, and Fangio got this team to play much better with essentially the same players from last year. Good coach is hard to find. Good coaching that can last you 10 years is rare. I think Harbaugh can be that 10 year guy.

Originally posted by GoalLineStand:
Want to read a couple more interesting articles about Harbaugh? The link below is from Dec 2006 when he got hired at Stanford. I didn't know he got a DUI in 2005 while coaching in San Diego. He proved the doubters wrong at Stanford though.

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/collegesports/2006/12/18/stanford-hires-jim-harbaugh-are-you-kidding-me/


In 1997, when he was still a QB at Indy, I forgot that he broke his hand when he punched Jim Kelly in the head.

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-746436.html

Holy crap! I had totally forgotten about that. One of the craziest thing I've heard at the time. I couldn't understand why he would go so far as to punch Kelly -- who was a great qb but a douche on tv. Knowing a little of Harbaugh now that makes total sense