Jim Harbaugh - Pro Football Rumors

NFC Links: Harbaugh, Donnell, Prater, Eagles

October 4th, 2014 at 4:39pm CST by Rob DiRe

The 49ers have a very volatile situation on their hands, as tensions between management and head coach Jim Harbaugh are only outmatched by those between the coach and his players. Much has been made about this ongoing situation, but the team was still playing at a high level last week. Their defense suffocated the Eagles’ offense, and the team still looks like a Super Bowl contender despite currently sitting at third in the NFC West.

Seth Wickersham of ESPN profiled Harbaugh, writing that he thrives in chaos and that it doesn’t matter what the atmosphere is in the locker room. His competitiveness could be enough and overcome the tensions and the 49ers could be looking at another deep playoff run.

Here are some more links from around the NFC:

The Harbaugh situation is also the focus of Matt Maiocco’s mailbag for CSNBayArea.com. He also addressed the injury situation of Marcus Lattimore, noting that he is eligible to return to the 49ers after week six, but will likely only see playing time if there is an injury to either Carlos Hyde or Frank Gore.
Giants‘ tight end Larry Donnell has been one of the great breakout stars of the first quarter of the NFL season, but he will not go unnoticed any more, writes Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.
The Lions signed former Eagles’ kicker Alex Henery to replace Nate Freese, but Kyle Meinke of MLive.com points out that Matt Prater‘s recent release could change things. Meinke believes if Henery shows any reason to be worried about him, the Lions could be aggressive in their pursuit of Prater next week.
Even though it is only the beginning of October, Jimmy Kempski of Philly.com has already pointed out five college prospects who the Eagles could target in the 2015 NFL Draft in Chicago.

Extra Points: Harbaugh, Falcons, London

October 2nd, 2014 at 10:02pm CST by Zachary Links

We were due for a close Thursday night game, right? So much for that. Here’s tonight’s look around the NFL as Packers fans relish tonight’s blowout..

Deion Sanders remains steadfast in his assertion that 49ers players want Jim Harbaugh out, writes Cam Inman of the Mercury News. “I have sources that wear football uniforms, coats, suits and ties,” Sanders said. “This is real. You’re talking about Trent Baalke. We know there is a rift between he and Harbaugh. We all know..that has trickled down into the locker room. Not only are my sources correct, I checked (with) three insiders from different networks and it’s 100 percent. You can shoot the messenger but the message is real.” For his part, Harbaugh shrugged off Sanders’ comments earlier this week.
After the Falcons were forced to use a tight end at right tackle last week when three of their offensive linemen went down with injuries, head coach Mike Smith suggested this week that the league’s competition committee could look at increasing the size of active gameday rosters in future seasons. D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution has the details.
In a lengthy and interesting piece for The MMQB.com, Jenny Vrentas examines the possibility of the NFL eventually establishing a franchise in London, addressing potential roadblocks and discussing how it could work.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Freeman’s Latest: Pats, Suh, Raiders, Goodell

October 1st, 2014 at 10:43am CST by Luke Adams

While Tom Brady has been taking his share of criticism for the Patriots‘ shaky start to the 2014 season, one NFC scout tells Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report that he believes head coach and de facto GM Bill Belichick should shoulder a good portion of the blame.

“The larger problem isn’t Brady. The problem is what’s around Brady,” the scout said. “Belichick has done a horrible job of putting talent around him. [Rob Gronkowski], to me, isn’t half the player he was. Their best player right now is Julian Edelman.”

As the scout points out, the Broncos have taken the opposite approach with Peyton Manning, surrounding him with an “armada” of weapons, while Brady once again works with an underwhelming group of receivers in New England. Freeman touches on several other topics of note within his latest column, so let’s dive in and round up the highlights….

After speaking to sources with the Giants and Jets, Freeman suggests both teams have only “marginal” interest in Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. A report on Sunday indicated that the standout defender would be interested in playing in New York when his contract is up in Detroit, but Freeman’s sources think Suh‘s agent Jimmy Sexton may simply be trying to scare the Lions.
While Freeman can say “with certainty” that the Raiders have interest in Jon Gruden and Jim Harbaugh as head coaching candidates, Gruden isn’t interested (at least for now) and Oakland likely wouldn’t be able to afford the sort of salary Harbaugh would command.
According to Freeman, the outlook for Roger Goodell remains “solid,” with owners around the league still supporting the embattled commissioner. However, much of that support hinges on what Robert Mueller‘s investigation uncovers about the Ray Rice situation.

NFC West Notes: Harbaugh, Sanders, Miller

September 29th, 2014 at 7:03pm CST by Zachary Links

Why should Joe Namath have all the fun? Last night, Deion Sanders took an opportunity to spark a controversy with his former team. Without giving specific details, NFL Network analyst said he is hearing the 49ers players no longer want to play for coach Jim Harbaugh, as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes. “They want him out,” Sanders said Sunday night after a recap of the 49ers’ 26-21 victory over the Eagles. “They’re not on the same page.” Maiocco notes that Sanders is particularly close to wide receiver Michael Crabtree, who is in the final year of his original six-year contract. More on Deion and other items from the NFC West..

Sanders took to Twitter earlier today to deny that Crabtree was his source. “To many that this may concern @KingCrab15 is not my source. My sources [sic] wears uniforms,suits and ties. #Truth“
Meanwhile, Harbaugh didn’t mince words in his response, as Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com tweets. “Personally I think that’s a bunch of crap,” said the coach.
Seahawks tight end Zach Miller underwent an ankle procedure last week, multiple sources told Ross Jones of FOXSports.com. Miller is expected to be sidelined with the injury an extended period of time but he can’t be placed on the IR-DTR since that spot was already taken by cornerback Jeremy Lane. Miller should be out five to six weeks, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (on Twitter) hears. Meanwhile, Chris Mortensen of ESPN (on Twitter) hears he’ll miss just two games after the bye.
Rather than cutting linebacker Heath Farwell after he tore both groin muscles in the preseason, the Seahawks opted to keep him on injured reserve so that he could collect a decent salary and contribute as an unofficial coach, writes Gregg Bell of The News Tribune. “Yeah, that’s something I’ve never heard of a team doing,” Farwell said. “It’s pretty cool that they care about me that much, that they want me to be around here. It means a lot to me, it really does. I’ve been in this league for 10 years. I’ve talked to many guys, been around this league for a long time. And I’ve never heard of a team doing this for a player.”

Extra Points: Cutler, Harbaugh, Raiders

September 28th, 2014 at 4:33pm CST by Zachary Links

U.S. District Judge David Doty has been the arbiter of NFL labor matters for more than two decades but on Friday he recused himself from ruling on a dispute between NFL owners and the NFLPA over an alleged secret salary cap, writes Steve Karnowski of The Associated Press. The NFL Players Association alleges the league enforced a secret $123MM salary cap per club in 2010 when there was supposed to be no cap. In that year, the Cowboys and Redskins spent as though there was no cap but found themselves penalized anyway. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, the league probably wishes that Doty was still overseeing the trial. Here’s more from around the NFL..

Some have questioned the Bears‘ decision to give Jay Cutler a contract that averages $18.1MM per year, but two NFL scouts told Pete Dougherty of the Press-Gazette that Chicago made the right call. “If you don’t want to pay (Cutler), that’s fine,” one scout said. “Don’t pay him. But who are you going to play? You going to play (backup Jimmy) Clausen? You going to play Tim Tebow? What are you going to do? That’s the reality.”
Speculation looms about the University of Michigan going after 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, but sources tell Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (on Twitter) that they actually prefer Ravens coach John Harbaugh at this point.
The authority that runs the O.co Coliseum is nearing a decision to hire former Republican lawmaker Guy Houston to be its next executive director, hoping to inject new leadership into the negotiations to keep the Raiders and A’s in town and build new ballparks, several people with close knowledge of the talks tell Matt O’Brien of the Bay Area News Group.

Dolphins’ Internal Strife Continues

September 28th, 2014 at 8:38am CST by Rory Parks

Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin was at the source of some mild team controversy earlier this week, when he was asked about the job security of starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill but gave an ambivalent response. Philbin later expressed regret that his noncommittal approach to the question created a distraction for the club, which has fallen to 1-2 after a promising opening week win against the Patriots.

According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, however, a deeper and more troubling internal struggle may be brewing in Miami. La Canfora writes that Dolphins players have expressed concerns with Philbin and his coordinators, and the relationship between Philbin and team executive Dawn Aponte has become frayed. Aponte hired former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum as a team consultant, but since Tannenbaum’s primary job is as an agent representing coaches–like Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, who will likely be on the list of top head coaching candidates after the season–it is fair to wonder how much longer Philbin will be roaming the Dolphins’ sidelines.

La Canfora adds that owner Stephen Ross has not, as he promised after the Richie Incognito/Jonathan Martin debacle, taken a more active role in the guidance of his team, but he is said to be covertly trying to lay the foundation to trade for current 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh. Between those rumors and Philbin’s apparent wish to play backup signal-caller Matt Moore–which has displeased the front office, who have committed to Tannehill–the Dolphins may soon be in for a second front office overhaul in as many years.

NFC West Notes: Harbaugh, Cards, Seahawks

September 17th, 2014 at 3:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Within his latest 10-Point Stance column for Bleacher Report, Mike Freeman includes an item on 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, writing that there’s “definitely a chill” between Harbaugh and a significant number of players on San Francisco’s roster. Freeman didn’t go so far as it say Harbaugh has lost the team or even that there’s a rift, but suggests that many players are somewhat worn out by Harbaugh’s approach.

“We listen to him, we respect him as a man, we all want to win. But he drives us crazy,” one player told Freeman. “Right now, we’re all on autopilot.”

Considering extension talks between Harbaugh and the Niners were postponed until after the season, the situation will be one worth watching, amidst increasing speculation that this will be the coach’s last year in San Francisco. Here’s more from out of the NFC West:

With Carson Palmer‘s health steadily improving, the Cardinals aren’t currently exploring any outside options at quarterback, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
Defensive ends Everette Brown, Israel Idonije, and Chidera Uzo-Diribe worked out for the Cardinals this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). While John Abraham is working his way back to the field, the team is likely exploring ways to bolster its pass rush.
The Seahawks also auditioned a handful of players, according to Wilson, who tweets that tight ends Orson Charles and Weslye Saunders, as well as linebackers Todd Davis, Troy Davis, and Martez Wilson all worked out for the club.
Former Bears cornerback Demontre Hurst tried out for the 49ers this week, tweets Wilson.

NFC Notes: Redskins, Lions, 49ers, Boykin

September 9th, 2014 at 3:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Following Jordan Reed‘s injury on Sunday, the Redskins auditioned a few tight ends today, including Michael Higgins, Kevin Brock, and Tony Scheffler, tweets Zac Boyer of the Washington Times. Scheffler is the most interesting name in the group — the last we heard from him, he was announcing his retirement after sustaining three concussions in the last four years. Apparently he hasn’t decided to move entirely away from the NFL quite yet though.

The Lions were already on the lookout for secondary help, having worked out Champ Bailey and other veteran defensive backs last week. Now, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes, the team will have to deal with a season-ending ACL injury for cornerback Bill Bentley, meaning some sort of roster addition appears likely.
Having recently rejoined the 49ers, special-teams ace Kassim Osgood tells Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link) that he hopes to play in the NFL at least another three years — that would give him 15 total seasons in the league, at age 37.
49ers CEO Jed York reiterated today that he and head coach Jim Harbaugh will sit down and discuss Harbaugh’s contract, which runs through next year, at the end of the 2014 season, tweets Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.
In a look at Brandon Boykin, who is playing the nickel role in Philadelphia, Tim McManus of PhillyMag.com examines the cornerback’s contract situation. Boykin is eligible for a new deal at year’s end, and McManus points out that it will be interesting to see if the 24-year-old is content with re-signing in the same role with the Eagles or wants the opportunity to be a starting outside corner elsewhere.
Michael Rand of the Star Tribune thinks it makes sense for the Rams to work out a trade with the Vikings for Christian Ponder.

Sunday Roundup: Harbaugh, Gordon, Manuel

September 7th, 2014 at 12:28pm CST by Rory Parks

After Michigan’s embarrassing loss to Notre Dame on Saturday evening, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wondered if Michigan fans would begin to dream of 49ers‘ head coach Jim Harbaugh‘s return to Ann Arbor to coach his alma mater. We detailed Harbaugh’s contract situation last month, and as Florio writes, “with no new contract in place and no plan to try to work one out until after the season, Michigan could opt to chase Harbaugh.”

In a series of tweets, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that some 49ers sources believe that Harbaugh is already losing his locker room as the club’s veterans are wondering if their coach is really “all in.” Rapoport adds that some veterans were annoyed that Harbaugh took the team to Baltimore for a few days to hold joint practices with his brother, John, head coach of the Ravens. Between those rumblings and the fact that an extension was not reached in the offseason, Rapoport wonders if this will be Jim Harbaugh’s final season in San Francisco.

Now for some more notes from around the league as the season gets underway in full force:

Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports tweets that the 49ers will re-sign special teams standout Kassim Osgood tomorrow. Joel Corry notes (via Twitter) that the team did the same thing with Osgood last season (release him at the end of camp only to re-sign him after Week 1) and will get termination pay relief again.
Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer writes that, under the terms of the new drug policy being discussed by the league and the player’s union, Josh Gordon could be reinstated and back on the field for the Browns as early as next week, though he might still be suspended two games in November for his pending DWI charge.
ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter reports that there are some within the Bills organization who are skeptical of EJ Manuel‘s ability to succeed, and the team is not afraid to make a switch to Kyle Orton.

Kawakami On Jim Harbaugh

August 25th, 2014 at 6:27pm CST by Matt Feminis

Despite the fact Jim Harbaugh’s contract runs through 2015, there’s a strong chance this season will be the head coach’s last coaching the 49ers, according to the San Jose Mercury-News’ Tim Kawakami. Citing NFL sources, Kawakami engages in some educated speculation:

In terms of Harbaugh staying in San Francisco beyond 2014, Kawakami says, “most knowledgeable folks believe it’s a coin flip” and “Harbaugh and [owner] Jed York might agree with those odds, too — privately — and both are OK with it.”
General sentiment around the league is Harbaugh and management have set up this season “precisely to decide the future of the relationship.” Either the 49ers will have a successful season, and York will be more than willing to oblige with the “largest coaching contract in football history, something close to $10MM a year) or the 49ers will have a disappointing season, and “things will get muddled.”
Kawakami states GM Trent Baalke “is decidedly part of the York team” vis-à-vis team brass’s not-so-private power struggle.
It is unlikely either side will be content with a “lame duck” situation in 2015. Accordingly, a trade is a realistic scenario.
Speculating about potential landing spots in 2015, Kawakami identifies three prerequisites to accommodate Harbaugh: money, personality fit and a “trusted executive to help him organize and re-configure the roster to his liking.”
Kawakami says there is one man linked to Harbaugh: Eagles VP of Personnel Tom Gamble, formerly Baalke’s director of player personnel . Harbaugh “knows and likes” Gamble, who has connections to the Raiders and Dolphins, two teams “most likely to be on the Harbaugh Short-List if he should come available next off-season.”
The Raiders (Al Davis) gave Harbaugh his first coaching job, and tried to lure him to Oakland before he took the 49ers job. Secondly, Gamble was an Al Davis confidante. Thirdly, the Raiders could very well have another poor season under Dennis Allen, who has posted an 8-24 record over two seasons. If the team seeks a “huge name to give the franchise momentum for a new stadium,” Harbaugh loves the Bay Area.
The Dolphins reportedly offered Harbaugh more money than the 49ers did when Harbaugh was hired in 2011. In fact, Kawakami says, 49ers executives believed Harbaugh was on the verge of going to Miami. Then last January, Gamble was a legitimate candidate for the Dolphins GM job before he decided to remain in Philadelphia, “so it’s not a stretch to think they could be envisioned as a power tandem in 2015.”