49ers saga stands in contrast to Seahawks’ harmony
Feb 25, 2014, 11:16 AM | Updated: 11:30 am
By Brady Henderson
The Seahawks and 49ers have plenty in common, from the division they reside in to the way their teams are defined by strong defenses, physical running backs and young, athletic quarterbacks.
Where the similarities end is in the harmony between their respective head coaches and front offices. While there has been no indication that Pete Carroll and John Schneider have been in anything but lockstep while molding the Seahawks into Super Bowl champions, recent reports have characterized the relationship between their 49ers counterparts, head coach Jim Harbaugh and general manager Trent Baalke, as turbulent and potentially untenable.
From Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com:
The men are barely speaking, I’m told, and almost all communication is through email. Harbaugh also has a strained relationship with team president Paraag Marathe, sources said, and he has clashed with many within the organization. It could prove untenable. If anything, the impression I got this week was that the situation there is actually much worse than how it has been portrayed in the media, and helps explain the delay in giving a new deal to the coach, who has two years left on a contract he has outperformed.
That’s the who and the what. Those theorizing about the when and the why have cited personnel disagreements dating back to the 2011 draft, Harbaugh’s first with the 49ers, and what one 49ers writer, Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee, described as the coach’s proclivity for chaos and inability to function without discord regardless of those around him.
Mike Sando of ESPN.com, a guest on
Monday’s edition of “Bob and Groz” on 710 ESPN Seattle, said the Seahawks winning the Super Bowl and going through the 49ers to do so inflamed matters, helping explain why such dysfunction could exist on a team that has had so much on-field success.
“It’s just amazing to me,” Sando said. “Over the last three years they’ve won 41 games, counting the playoffs. No one’s won more. They’re tied with New England. And you’re having issues? That’s why I really think the Seattle component is a big part of it.”
In the video above, Bob Stelton and Dave Grosby share their thoughts on the 49ers saga and how different it appears to the harmony in Seattle’s front office.
