Not news, but Harbaugh was really fired.

[WizardHawk]

From an outsiders view it looks like York and Balke are tight and Harbaugh lost the power struggle with the GM. They can't just fire a coach with Harbaughs success so they attempted to discredit him with leaked stories all year long.

They had a yes man lined up in Tomusula but needed Harbaugh to go away quietly. UofM was the job that allowed him to part ways and give the appearance of a mutual separation.

The leaked stories really did a job to screw with the team chemistry this season and I think Harbaugh has an axe to grind for York and Balke messing with team.

Ian Rapoport said he was told Harbaugh went to York shortly after being hired and told him he wanted a different GM and York actually told Baalke that and Trent never got over it. There was bad blood between them his entire time there. So you had a new HC that wanted a different GM and an owner clearly dumb enough to actually tell his current GM that.

It was all badly botched from start to finish.

 

[HammerDown]

Harbaugh just can't STFU. he's going to leave Michigan in shambles.

 

[R.J. MacReady]

So you had a new HC that wanted a different GM and an owner clearly dumb enough to actually tell his current GM that.

Thanks. I enjoyed that.

 

[purguy12]

Also 49ers was about to hire Gase and after going back on their word they told Gase they have to take Tomsula as the DC instead of Fangio. Im a big 49ers fan but the office sucks right now. Yes Baalke does a good job in the draft but this whole mess made me lose respect for York and Baalke and my confidence level is down.

Lets hope it turns out ok because if Not baalke and York will be run out of town.

 

[TBBishop]

The worst part about this IMO is that the writing was on the wall and it showed with how the team went about business on the field. Coach was a dead man walking. This team should have been a contender again but the front office really couldn't have that. If he takes them on another deep playoff run they look like even bigger fools when they can him and maybe even BIGGER fools than that when they are forced to retain a coach that they don't want. At the end of the day though I'm pretty happy about the outcome.

 

[dredinis21]

yeah, "taking shots" is a bit harsh. It's just for me, when I walk away from a place and start at another, I don't have much of anything to say. Granted, I don't have reporters hounding me but I'd be like "I'm not thinking about it anymore, I'm here now". But they probably wouldn't stfu about it until he said something so it makes sense he responded to it.

If the place you left did nothing but shit on your reputation and image through the last part of your employment there, then consistently took low blows on your way out the door, I highly doubt you would take the high road when push came to shove and swallow your anger. Harbaugh handled it about as classy as you possibly could and after the smoke cleared a bit, he gave an honest interview with a Bay Area reporter who he had honestly butted heads with throughout his duration here in SF. And his interview filled out the holes in the story and gave answers to questions that Niner fans had following the subsequent coaching implosion that started with rumors of SF taking Cleveland's calls regarding trading Harbaugh to CLE for draft picks.

Harbaugh may have been an asshole but he was a very effective asshole and the players seemed to love to play for him. Like John Madden said pertaining to this situation at the start of the year:

"You can find a suit REAL easily. It's hard to find a good coach. There aren't many of them out there."

 

[BeaReylo]

Man this is just like when Snyder fired Marty. Well almost... at least Jim got more than one season.

 

[Sharkonabicycle]

49ers biggest blunder was not necessarily firing Harbaugh but who they replaced him with. I mean good God. I'd be pissed if I was a 9ers fan.

Don't get me wrong, Harbaugh firing IMO was definitely a D- to F grade. He put up incredible #s and the 8-8 record was a result of injuries and Harbaugh knowing he was getting fired, basically mailing it in/collecting a paycheck the last half the season. All said, the hiring was not even gradeworthy. It's like an "Incomplete."

 

[WizardHawk]

49ers biggest blunder was not necessarily firing Harbaugh but who they replaced him with. I mean good God. I'd be pissed if I was a 9ers fan.

Don't get me wrong, Harbaugh firing IMO was definitely a D- to F grade. He put up incredible #s and the 8-8 record was a result of injuries and Harbaugh knowing he was getting fired, basically mailing it in/collecting a paycheck the last half the season. All said, the hiring was not even gradeworthy. It's like an "Incomplete."

And the reports that Gase was given a handshake offer, but then was told to take Tomsula as his DC or no dice so he left that offer and it was after that point that they gave the offer to Tomsula just adds more of that frustration for the 9'er faithful. Or at least it should.