Harbaugh Insists Smith Was Always The Only One: Commentary

[Bemular]

I know. That was the point I was making. Why would Harbaugh offer this up? He seems to have reasons for most of what he does, and that may be the case here, but other than publicly standing up for Smith in a fairly transparent way - a way I would think Smith would see through - I don't really see the benefit.

I see; well I agree with your post. Smith, the team and most insightful fans know the score on this issue so why Harbaugh suddenly felt the need to dress it up in more palatable colors is beyond me.

 

[Bemular]

Kozimor asks Maiocco some hard-hitting questions on this issue.

 

[coffeeman]

Kozimor asks Maiocco some hard-hitting questions on this issue.

It is obvious that some producer at CSN has gotten a hold of Kozimor and told him to act tough and ask the ball breaker questions. Maiocco answered his question and he didn't listen to a word the guy said.

The fact of the matter is that Smith and Harbaugh could care less.

 

[MHSL82]

Didn't want to start a new thread or bump the other Alex thread...

Thought Davis answered this question pre-emptively...

-Q: I noticed Kaepernick got it to you on a couple nice routes today. Do you have good chemistry with him in the passing game–that he’s a guy who can get you the ball?

-DAVIS: I feel like Alex is the guy who can get me the ball. I believe in Alex. I’m very confident about Alex and his ability to make plays. I’m with him all the way 100%.

BTW, this is a Kawakami interview so I'm sure he was and Davis knew he was trying to stir shit up. Maiocco? Nah? Kawakami? You bet. Seriously, a practice no pads scrimmage and Davis is going to answer, yeah, Kaep's my man? Especially when Alex probably hit him with the same plays earlier in practice? Fishing. Davis is smart, he knows where he's getting his numbers from - who butters his toast (and Smith knows, too) a good rapport with the starting QB (not that Smith reads these interviews and would be insulted to hear positive praise of Kaep) - he has no interest in providing QB controversy and no patience to think of a PC middle-of-the-road answer that supports every QB. Davis was nice about Troy and Shaun, too.

Oh, and there's this interview that makes no mention of other QBs.

 

[Bemular]

It is obvious that some producer at CSN has gotten a hold of Kozimor and told him to act tough and ask the ball breaker questions. Maiocco answered his question and he didn't listen to a word the guy said.

The fact of the matter is that Smith and Harbaugh could care less.

I would be not at all surprised coffeeman. I was told this was going to be a hot-button issue - I think we see these types of "issues" crop-up every off-season.

 

[BINGO]

Report: Harbaugh's Peyton Manning denials dismissed - NFL.com

 

[Bemular]

Report: Harbaugh's Peyton Manning denials dismissed - NFL.com

I sincerely hope Harbaugh puts a lid on the hulk handshakes and the-elite-QB-pro-bowl-nonimations-greatest-hands-I've-ever-seen-we-weren't-really-interested-in-Peyton-Manning comments and just sticks to coaching. I would really hate to see him become a distraction to himself, or worse, to the team.

Just stick to coaching Jim

 

[MHSL82]

Maybe I drank the cool-aid, but I believe that Harbaugh knew what the fall-out would be and I don't think he cares too much about people joking about him behind his back when most people that would be joking don't believe that he actually meant what he said. I believe he was trying to take the heat off of Smith and also get it out of the way so that he didn't need to keep answering it indirectly. I say indirectly because directly it was a dead issue, but people will constantly refer to the flirtation with Manning to ask him about his confidence in Smith, but I know people would not directly ask "Did you want Manning there because you don't really believe in Alex Smith."

Yes, to those who keep calling this a total dead issue are silly because people will one way or another bring that up at some point in the future, especially if not rediculously addressed. If Harbaugh meant to say "no interest" he would have said that. He didn't say that and that's what people are saying he said. He wasn't and couldn't convince anyone that he wasn't interested. I think it was to relieve stupid pressure (some pressure is warranted) on Smith and to say that we were just looking, not touching. And hell yeah, I'd do her if I didn't lose my kids.

 

[threelittleturds]

This certainly took the heat off of Alex Smith for his comments about stats not being important if you don't win and naming Cam in his argument. If that was his goal, then it worked perfectly. Obviously Harbaugh doesn't give a fuck what anyone outside of the 49ers and his family think about him, so he doesn't care if "league circles" joke about him behind his back.

This isn't like Rex Ryan's stupid bravado of saying the Jets will win the Super Bowl and putting all the pressure on his players to deliver, along with the media turning it into a blame-game on players and coaches when they start losing games and distracting the focus of the team to what happened last week instead of what they need to do next week.

This is Harbaugh absorbing all of the criticism for a statement that gets people angry because they feel he is lying to them and treating them like idiots. So they are now focused on that instead of trying to ask the players how they feel about what could have been with Peyton Manning instead of Smith. Seems like a pretty smooth HC move, redirect outside criticism on yourself instead of your quarterback.

Which seemed to be his intention with the statement, to get people to stop asking about Manning and going after Smith for his comments... and to get players like Beason to stop saying the 49ers tried to replace Smith, but then settled for him when they didn't have a HOF option anymore.

 

[Bemular]

I find the speculation surrounding Harbaugh's motives for redressing this issue and his concern for the fallout over how he redressed it interesting to say the least. I do believe Harbaugh was attempting to pacify comments made by both Siciliano as well as Beason.

What I find interesting is that while the comments made by Smith and Beason were on the touchy-feely side neither were inaccurate, so there is no one to defend and nothing to clarify. Newton didn't win any game in which he threw for over 300yds and Smith, at best, would be wearing a different uniform if we had signed Peyton, and the entire planet knew this including Alex.

 

[MHSL82]

I find the speculation surrounding Harbaugh's motives for redressing this issue and his concern for the fallout over how he redressed it interesting to say the least. I do believe Harbaugh was attempting to pacify comments made by both Siciliano as well as Beason.

What I find interesting is that while the comments made by Smith and Beason were on the touchy-feely side neither were inaccurate, so there is no one to defend and nothing to clarify. Newton didn't win any game in which he threw for over 300yds and Smith, at best, would be wearing a different uniform if we had signed Peyton, and the entire planet knew this including Alex.

I think Alex would have signed with the Dolphins for a similar amount and won the competition there (Tannehil wouldn't have been drafted or would be for competition) - but I might be 100% alone on this. If he couldn't have gotten similar numbers, he *may* have stayed to "compete"/wait out Manning's neck. I don't think any of us can say he wouldn't have stayed here to compete or that Harbaugh didn't want both. Similarly, I can't say Alex would have beaten out Manning. But I know that the Niners are at least a bit honest saying that the money didn't add up. Alex would have been for true backup money and if he stayed, I think it would be him thinking that Manning isn't that healthy.

Having said that, I think Smith is tough enough to compete with Manning but smart enough to choose Moore and Garrard over Manning to compete against.

 

[Bemular]

I think Alex would have signed with the Dolphins for a similar amount and won the competition there (Tannehil wouldn't have been drafted or would be for competition) - but I might be 100% alone on this. If he couldn't have gotten similar numbers, he *may* have stayed to "compete"/wait out Manning's neck. I don't think any of us can say he wouldn't have stayed here to compete or that Harbaugh didn't want both. Similarly, I can't say Alex would have beaten out Manning. But I know that the Niners are at least a bit honest saying that the money didn't add up. Alex would have been for true backup money and if he stayed, I think it would be him thinking that Manning isn't that healthy.

Having said that, I think Smith is tough enough to compete with Manning but smart enough to choose Moore and Garrard over Manning to compete against.

Had we signed Peyton, there would have been no "competition" as $90 million dollar contracts don't "compete" for starting positions - they just start until that can't anymore - then they are healed or released.

Had we signed Manning, Smith might have signed for the same or less money to start somewhere else but the chances we would have signed both Manning and Smith is HIGHLY unlikely. IMO.

 

[MHSL82]

Had we signed Peyton, there would have been no "competition" as $90 million dollar contracts don't "compete" for starting positions - they just start until that can't anymore - then they are healed or released.

Had we signed Manning, Smith might have signed for the same or less money to start somewhere else but the chances we would have signed both Manning and Smith is HIGHLY unlikely. IMO.

To which maybe we didn't offer the 90 million and told him to compete. Not likely, but I wouldn't dismiss it off-hand. Some people don't like the way Harbaugh does things. I think there's truth to all these thoughts, it's not just that Harbaugh is bitter or delusional about Manning/Smith.

 

[Bemular]

To which maybe we didn't offer the 90 million and told him to compete. Not likely, but I wouldn't dismiss it off-hand. Some people don't like the way Harbaugh does things. I think there's truth to all these thoughts, it's not just that Harbaugh is bitter or delusional about Manning/Smith.

There's actually zero truth in all of these thoughts as we are merely speculating. So we are relying on our understanding, our experience and probabilities.

That said, you could be 100% right, which is why Manning signed with the Broncos. However, by contrast, had Manning received a contract worth signing with us, the probability of Smith staying with us would have been slim.

I don't think anyone believes Harbaugh is either bitter or delusional.

 

[MHSL82]

There's actually zero truth in all of these thoughts as we are merely speculating. So we are relying on our understanding, our experience and probabilities.

That said, you could be 100% right, which is why Manning signed with the Broncos. However, by contrast, had Manning received a contract worth signing with us, the probability of Smith staying with us would have been slim.

I don't think anyone believes Harbaugh is either bitter or delusional.

I did read somewhere where someone was saying that Harbaugh was like the guy who was dumped telling the girl that he didn't want her anyway = bitter. Replaced as a player by Manning and turned down by Manning when he was a coach. And believe it or not, some people think Harbaugh said "no interest" and believed that Harbaugh thought that = delusional.

And when I say "some truth to it", I perhaps was exagggerating (always add too many g's to that word) by saying "all these things", but I wasn't implying that you, me, or anyone else knows which part is true, untrue, or irrelevant. I just don't think any of the speculation is fully true, but feel that some of the speculation is true. It's like guessing what's in a box - if someone guesses nothing, someone guesses a tennis ball, etc. and it's ends up being a tennis ball, then despite the guesser not knowing for sure what was in it, his guess was true. So speculation could have truth to it, but in the end is not a reliable basis for anything.

In other words, I agree with you, but am bored in the off-season despite all the new offensive personnel.

 

[Bemular]

I did read somewhere where someone was saying that Harbaugh was like the guy who was dumped telling the girl that he didn't want her anyway = bitter. Replaced as a player by Manning and turned down by Manning when he was a coach. And believe it or not, some people think Harbaugh said "no interest" and believed that Harbaugh thought that = delusional.

And when I say "some truth to it", I perhaps was exagggerating (always add too many g's to that word) by saying "all these things", but I wasn't implying that you, me, or anyone else knows which part is true, untrue, or irrelevant. I just don't think any of the speculation is fully true, but feel that some of the speculation is true. It's like guessing what's in a box - if someone guesses nothing, someone guesses a tennis ball, etc. and it's ends up being a tennis ball, then despite the guesser not knowing for sure what was in it, his guess was true. So speculation could have truth to it, but in the end is not a reliable basis for anything.

In other words, I agree with you, but am bored in the off-season despite all the new offensive personnel.

Wow, I didn't read the little girl/break-up scenario - that's hilarious. As for the delusional part, I suppose one could make a tongue-in-cheek case that if Harbaugh honestly thought anyone was going to believe his spin then, eh, yeah, I suppose that might be seen as delusional.

 

[threelittleturds]

Character assassination in diabolical world - NFC West Blog - ESPN

"I felt a desire to set the record straight," Harbaugh said. "Now, the interesting thing is that you could speak the truth as you know it to be and believe it to be, and then somebody could call you a liar."

 

[threelittleturds]

Manning still not 100%

This would imply that he wasn't at 100% a few months ago. So, maybe Harbaugh is telling the truth that it never got past the evaluation stage. Maybe the 49ers really did just go there to see if he was the old Peyton, and then said hell to the no at paying him 20 million on the hopes and good intentions that he'd be able to play, stay healthy, and return to his former glory.

We as fans can say it would have been worth the risk, but we're not the ones putting 20 million on the line or our jobs as GM or HC.

 

[wartyOne]

Reporter: Let me see his identification.
Harbaugh: You don't need to see his identification.
Reporter: We don't need to see his identification.
Harbaugh: These aren't the droids you're looking for.
Reporter: These aren't the droids we're looking for.
Harbaugh: He can go about his business.
Reporter: You can go about your business.
Harbaugh: Move along.
Reporter: Move along...move along.