There have been few times in NFL history where a head coach has had as much success with a team as Jim Harbaugh has had with the San Francisco 49ers but still been considered persona non grata. The 2-2 Niners have reached the NFC Championship game in each of Harbaugh’s three seasons with the team, yet there is still speculation that the team wants him out. According to Deion Sanders, a quality win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday didn’t change any of that.
After the 49ers came from 21-10 down to beat the Eagles, Sanders said on the NFL Network that Harbaugh’s players want him gone.
“They want him out. They’re not on the same page,” Sanders said, per Gregg Rosenthal of Around the League. “I really want to know if they’re really playing for the head coach. I got a question with that. Are you really down with your head coach, San Francisco 49ers? Because the way it looks and what I’m hearing, you’re really not down for your head coach. And that’s a problem.
“They really got some problems that we hear rumblings. We all know people inside locker rooms.”
As Rosenthal noted, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport also reported on Sunday that the complaints of several veteran Niners players are growing “louder and louder” because Harbaugh treats his players like children. That’s consistent with what Rapoport said earlier this month about Harbaugh losing his locker room.
At this point, it is starting to look like Harbaugh could be fired if the Niners wind up missing the playoffs. There have been some rumblings about Michigan being interested in him, but some believe the Wolverines would actually be more likely to target Jim’s brother John.
As long as he keeps winning, Harbaugh will keep the critics at bay. But if the Niners start losing, the team might pounce on the opportunity to use it as an excuse to push him out.
