There are a lot of rumors about Jim Harbaugh these days. He was almost traded to the Cleveland Browns. He wants more money. He wants more power. He will leave the San Francisco 49ers after the upcoming season, one year before his contract expires.
I asked Harbaugh about these rumors. Let's start with the last one first. Can he envision a scenario in which he leaves the 49ers before his contract expires?
"No," Harbaugh said. "Zero opportunity or chance of that in my mind."
Harbaugh said he would not negotiate in the media. Instead, our conversation was something of an anti-negotiation. He talked about all the things people think he wants.
"I see all these reports about how I want to be the highest-paid coach in football," Harbaugh said. "They presume I covet some kind of extension. I have never said to anybody that I want to be the highest-paid coach in football. I have never said that to anybody -- my wife, my brother, my dad. I make plenty of money.
"The other one is that I want more power. I have never said that, nor do I want any more power than I have. I coach the team. I've told my owner I don't want any more power. I want to coach the team. And I've never told anybody else otherwise."
The 49ers have been wildly successful in Harbaugh's three years: conference championship game, Super Bowl, conference championship game. The last team to repeatedly come so close to winning a Super Bowl without actually winning one was the Buffalo Bills two decades ago. The 49ers have done it with a straightforward front office structure. General manager Trent Baalke gets final say in the draft room. Harbaugh's voice is heard, but Baalke ultimately makes the decisions.
"Same things I signed on for when I signed on here as the coach," Harbaugh said. "That's been the structure since Day 1."
That structure is at the root of speculation about Harbaugh's future. There is a perception that Harbaugh and Baalke don't get along, and that owner Jed York will have to choose between them. Time will tell. But remember this: Some people can tolerate a higher level of creative tension than others, and what some see as an untenable situation, others see as a productive working relationship.
"We're both demanding and we want to be accountable for ourselves, for each other," Harbaugh said. "If you haven't had a brother, you probably don't understand the relationship between the GM and the head coach. We're partners on the same team. I have great respect for him. He works extremely hard at it and is very good at it. We are all part of a team. I believe in the structure we have. I don't want to change anything that we do in that regard."
As for reports that Baalke and Harbaugh barely communicate, Harbaugh said "we talk daily, hourly." (He was actually in a meeting with Baalke and others before we talked.)
rest here
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nf...contract-trent-baalke-jed-york/#ixzz2uxmBzHyJ
Jim Harbaugh insists contract, power aren't issues in San Francisco - NFL - Michael Rosenberg - SI.com
I asked Harbaugh about these rumors. Let's start with the last one first. Can he envision a scenario in which he leaves the 49ers before his contract expires?
"No," Harbaugh said. "Zero opportunity or chance of that in my mind."
Harbaugh said he would not negotiate in the media. Instead, our conversation was something of an anti-negotiation. He talked about all the things people think he wants.
"I see all these reports about how I want to be the highest-paid coach in football," Harbaugh said. "They presume I covet some kind of extension. I have never said to anybody that I want to be the highest-paid coach in football. I have never said that to anybody -- my wife, my brother, my dad. I make plenty of money.
"The other one is that I want more power. I have never said that, nor do I want any more power than I have. I coach the team. I've told my owner I don't want any more power. I want to coach the team. And I've never told anybody else otherwise."
The 49ers have been wildly successful in Harbaugh's three years: conference championship game, Super Bowl, conference championship game. The last team to repeatedly come so close to winning a Super Bowl without actually winning one was the Buffalo Bills two decades ago. The 49ers have done it with a straightforward front office structure. General manager Trent Baalke gets final say in the draft room. Harbaugh's voice is heard, but Baalke ultimately makes the decisions.
"Same things I signed on for when I signed on here as the coach," Harbaugh said. "That's been the structure since Day 1."
That structure is at the root of speculation about Harbaugh's future. There is a perception that Harbaugh and Baalke don't get along, and that owner Jed York will have to choose between them. Time will tell. But remember this: Some people can tolerate a higher level of creative tension than others, and what some see as an untenable situation, others see as a productive working relationship.
"We're both demanding and we want to be accountable for ourselves, for each other," Harbaugh said. "If you haven't had a brother, you probably don't understand the relationship between the GM and the head coach. We're partners on the same team. I have great respect for him. He works extremely hard at it and is very good at it. We are all part of a team. I believe in the structure we have. I don't want to change anything that we do in that regard."
As for reports that Baalke and Harbaugh barely communicate, Harbaugh said "we talk daily, hourly." (He was actually in a meeting with Baalke and others before we talked.)
rest here
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nf...contract-trent-baalke-jed-york/#ixzz2uxmBzHyJ
Jim Harbaugh insists contract, power aren't issues in San Francisco - NFL - Michael Rosenberg - SI.com
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