Why Harbaugh faced greater NFL challenge with 49ers in 2011 originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
ORLANDO, Fla. — Thirteen years ago, Jim Harbaugh entered the NFL head-coaching ranks at an extreme disadvantage.
This time, Harbaugh is not facing nearly the same challenges as a first-year head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.
On Monday at the NFL Annual Meeting, Harbaugh repeatedly talked about his anticipation of April 2, when the Chargers are scheduled to open their offseason program.
This is a major difference from what Harbaugh experienced with the 49ers in 2011.
San Francisco was in drastic need of a new vision after coach Mike Singletary was fired with one game remaining in the 2010 regular season.
Harbaugh, coming off a wildly successful stint at Stanford, took over but did not have the benefit of a regular offseason due to the NFL’s lockout of its players during a labor dispute.
Essentially, it was up to the players to coach themselves.
“What I remember most is the players,” Harbaugh said when NBC Sports Bay Area asked him Monday about his first season with the 49ers.
“Alex Smith getting all the players together at San Jose State. And Justin Smith and the players really took it upon themselves even though there was a lockout.”
At the NFL Annual Meeting that spring, Harbaugh joined his brother, Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, and then-Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz for a legendary dinner.
During the course of their meal, Schwartz expressed his opinion to Jim Harbaugh that he had very little chance for a successful first season with the 49ers if the lockout lasted into the summer.
The 132-day lockout ended with the agreement of a new collective bargaining agreement in late July. Training camp was the first time Harbaugh had a chance to work with his new players.
There was one day during the NFL Draft in April when the lockout was suspended.
Smith visited the team offices in Santa Clara, met with Harbaugh and collected the playbook and coaching…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-harbaugh-faced-greater-nfl-165258602.html
Author : NBC Sports BayArea
Publish date : 2024-03-25 20:13:55
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