Jim Harbaugh Is An Idiot.

[DeMarco Murray 29]

:secret: He still is. This game doesn't change that.

And that would be the only justifiable reason that I could come with. He trusted his defense to hold and that Romo sits to pee would choke.

[Califan007 The Constipated]

If it were the Redskins and Shanahan turned down a first down at the 22 to put 3 on the board..... I would probably throw my tv out of the window.

I would rather lose the game while trying to win it, than lose the game while trying not to lose it.

[Hitman21ST]

And that would be the only justifiable reason that I could come with. He trusted his defense to hold and that Romo sits to pee would choke.

Up until that point, it was a smart gameplan. I still would have taken the first down, if only to kill more clock, but the 9ers D wasn't too bad yesterday for 50 minutes.

[E-Dog Night]

People can talk, "you never take points of the scoreboad" all they want

And that's the thing. If he takes the points off the scoreboard and then the Niners turn the ball over or miss the 2nd attempt at a field goal, everyone screams "YOU NEVER TAKE POINTS OFF THE BOARD"! When the opposing QB has a cracked rib, the #1 RB and the #1 WR are both injured as well, you gotta figure that your chances are good to hold the lead.

And it would be different if we're talking about just a few minutes left in the game, but with over 8 minutes to play, taking time off the board isn't the tactical necessity that it would be with 2 or 3 minutes left.

But it's one of those things where if you win the game, you look like you made a solid coaching decision that helped your team win. If not, you are called a idiot. Be glad you don't have to make these decisions and have them scrutinizedby millions of people.

[Backpack3r]

And that's the thing. If he takes the points off the scoreboard and then the Niners turn the ball over or miss the 2nd attempt at a field goal, everyone screams "YOU NEVER TAKE POINTS OFF THE BOARD"! When the opposing QB has a cracked rib, the #1 RB and the #1 WR are both injured as well, you gotta figure that your chances are good to hold the lead.

And it would be different if we're talking about just a few minutes left in the game, but with over 8 minutes to play, taking time off the board isn't the tactical necessity that it would be with 2 or 3 minutes left.

But it's one of those things where if you win the game, you look like you made a solid coaching decision that helped your team win. If not, you are called a idiot. Be glad you don't have to make these decisions and have them scrutinizedby millions of people.

No he wouldnt be called an idiot if he accepted the penalty, because 99% of coaches would have accepted that penalty.

---------- Post added September-19th-2011 at 10:59 AM ----------

what was the penalty btw?

[E-Dog Night]

No he wouldnt be called an idiot if he accepted the penalty, because 99% of coaches would have accepted that penalty.[

Oh I absolutely guarantee that, if he takes the penalty and the Niners turn it over or miss the FG, people are calling it an idiot move by a rookie coach.

[ConcordNCSkinsFan]

Harbaugh absolutely had no faith in Alex Smith which is exactly what he was saying when he decided to keep the FG. I can't blame him in some respects because Smith is a disaster waitng to happen.

[Duckus]

The belief that you "never take points of the board" was a sound strategy for decades in the NFL. But it is not the 1980s anymore. The game has evolved and changed dramatically the last decade. Yes, there was a time when a 10 point lead with 10 minutes left was comfortable. During those times, "never take points of the board" made sense. Not anymore. Smash mouth football is dead. No lead is safe. This is an aerial league, which values quick strike offenses. 14 point, 4th quarter comebacks are nothing now. Hell, teams in the NFL now score 14 points in 3 minutes.

Just look at this past week.

The league has evolved and the most successful coaches in the NFL have evolved with it and IMO "never take points of the board" is a dead strategy.

[ouvan59]

Here are the San Francisco drives after they got up 14-0

1. Start SF 30 - 3 plays, -8 yards

2. Start SF 30 - 3 plays, 6 yards

3. Start SF 20 - 3 plays, 4 yards

4. Start SF 20 - 3 plays , -4 yards

5. Start SF 20 - 3 plays, 2 yards (interception)

6. Start Dal 49 - 3 plays, 4 yards

7. Start Dal 29 - 1 play, 29 yds (TD)

8. Start Dal 46 - 3 plays, 9 yds (FG)

9. Start SF 20 - 4 plays, 6 yds

10. Start SF 20 - 4 plays, 11 yds

Are you really taking points off the board?

[paloosa]

I guess that Harbaugh made his decision based on his belief in his defense to hold them. But I guess that is why he is coaching the team and not any of those who have criticized him for not making the call you say he should have made. If he would have taken the points off the board and ran a few more plays then missed the field goal or worse yet fumbled the ball or Smith throwing an INT you would be saying that he should have never taken the points off the board. So he did what he did based on the belief in his team. You all are just criticizing him because Dallas came back to beat them.

[SirClintonPortis]

And that's the thing. If he takes the points off the scoreboard and then the Niners turn the ball over or miss the 2nd attempt at a field goal, everyone screams "YOU NEVER TAKE POINTS OFF THE BOARD"! When the opposing QB has a cracked rib, the #1 RB and the #1 WR are both injured as well, you gotta figure that your chances are good to hold the lead.

Miles Austin was their #1 before Dez Bryant was. Essentially, the Pukes have two #1 WRs on their roster. Anyone can see it. Anyone.

[Califan007 The Constipated]

Here are the San Francisco drives after they got up 14-0

1. Start SF 30 - 3 plays, -8 yards

2. Start SF 30 - 3 plays, 6 yards

3. Start SF 20 - 3 plays, 4 yards

4. Start SF 20 - 3 plays , -4 yards

5. Start SF 20 - 3 plays, 2 yards (interception)

6. Start Dal 49 - 3 plays, 4 yards

7. Start Dal 29 - 1 play, 29 yds (TD)

8. Start Dal 46 - 3 plays, 9 yds (FG)

9. Start SF 20 - 4 plays, 6 yds

10. Start SF 20 - 4 plays, 11 yds

Are you really taking points off the board?

Did any of those drives include missed field goals?...because that MIGHT be the only reason I can see for chickening out with 10 minutes still on the clock.

As has been pointed out numerous times already, running down the clock AND getting points would have been the absolute best scenario to help guarantee a win for the 49ers. Harbaugh was too much of a chicken **** to even try.

[Riggins77]

It was stupid, so they had only gotten 8 yards off of three plays in all their posessions after the 14-0 lead.....ok, so you take the ball on the Dallas 22 yd line, run the ****ing ball three times and if you're lucky, you break one off for a TD or you get a FG from the 22 yards or possibly closer say Dallas 14.......and you have taken off a couple of minutes off the clock maybe more and Dallas doesn't have 8 minutes to score twice, they have 4-5 minutes. Then it becomes a lot easier to defend them, especially if they have to pass.

[ouvan59]

It was stupid, so they had only gotten 8 yards off of three plays in all their posessions after the 14-0 lead.....ok, so you take the ball on the Dallas 22 yd line, run the ****ing ball three times and if you're lucky, you break one off for a TD or you get a FG from the 22 yards or possibly closer say Dallas 14.......and you have taken off a couple of minutes off the clock maybe more and Dallas doesn't have 8 minutes to score twice, they have 4-5 minutes. Then it becomes a lot easier to defend them, especially if they have to pass.

And if he misses the FG they only have 8 minutes to score once. If this had given them a relatively good chance to score a TD then yes by all means go for it. But in all likelihood all it was going to do was give them a FG attempt 15 yards closer with a minute and a half less on the clock. No way is that worth the risk IMO. The problem wasn't the scoring it was the two passes that Romo sits to pee threw up for grabs that the SF DBs didn't knock down.

Anybody remember last week when Tony Romo sits to pee was called an idiot for trying to score a touchdown and fumbling instead of just throwing it away so they could kick the FG and go up by 10 points with 12 minutes to go?

[Roger.Staubach]

If I were the coach I would have done the same thing (and not because i am a Cowboys fan). To me, it was important to make the game a two-possession game...

[Califan007 The Constipated]

And if he misses the FG they only have 8 minutes to score once. If this had given them a relatively good chance to score a TD then yes by all means go for it. But in all likelihood all it was going to do was give them a FG attempt 15 yards closer with a minute and a half less on the clock. No way is that worth the risk IMO. The problem wasn't the scoring it was the two passes that Romo sits to pee threw up for grabs that the SF DBs didn't knock down.

Anybody remember last week when Tony Romo sits to pee was called an idiot for trying to score a touchdown and fumbling instead of just throwing it away so they could kick the FG and go up by 10 points with 12 minutes to go?

Letting fear of failure dictate your actions guarantees failure.

[ACW]

Couldn't agree more.

Absolutely no reason not to accept the penalty there and keep driving b/c at worst you're still running off the clock!

Maybe if it was to go up 17 but not 10, not enough of a cushion.

Just a dumb, dumb coaching move.

BTW, how pathetic is Alex Smith? Seven seasons and he still sucks. I mean he's worse than Campbell, **** it, he's worse than Newton and Dalton!

Dalton looked decent yesterday, and Newton's beasting.

[DeMarco Murray 29]

At the end of the day and the simple fact is : The 49ers didn't lose because they didn't take the points off the board. They lost because Romo sits to pee beat them.

[The Bounty Hunter #21]

I'm loving the fact that the Harbaugh brothers had such a bad day yesterday HAHA. I guess boneheaded decisions run in that family.

[Califan007 The Constipated]

If I were the coach I would have done the same thing (and not because i am a Cowboys fan). To me, it was important to make the game a two-possession game...

So you HONESTLY wouldn't have trusted your team to kick another FG from 15 yards closer?...

You honestly wouldn't have trusted your offense to at least run 3 simple rushing plays?...

You honestly would have trusted your defense to keep the Romo sits to pee and the Cowboys from scoring a TD over the last 10 minutes of the game?

Here's the reality: when you have an offense that has been as incapable of putting together scoring drives as the 49ers offense appeared to be in the 2nd half, you take complete advantage of ANY opportunity that puts them in or at the red zone....because who knows when they'll be that close again.

[SirClintonPortis]

And if he misses the FG they only have 8 minutes to score once. If this had given them a relatively good chance to score a TD then yes by all means go for it. But in all likelihood all it was going to do was give them a FG attempt 15 yards closer with a minute and a half less on the clock. No way is that worth the risk IMO. The problem wasn't the scoring it was the two passes that Romo sits to pee threw up for grabs that the SF DBs didn't knock down.

Anybody remember last week when Tony Romo sits to pee was called an idiot for trying to score a touchdown and fumbling instead of just throwing it away so they could kick the FG and go up by 10 points with 12 minutes to go?

David Akers is a career 82.4% kicker, and that's includes long range attempts by him.

[DeMarco Murray 29]

So you HONESTLY wouldn't have trusted your team to kick another FG from 15 yards closer?...

You honestly wouldn't have trusted your offense to at least run 3 simple rushing plays?...

You honestly would have trusted your defense to keep the Romo sits to pee and the Cowboys from scoring a TD over the last 10 minutes of the game?

Did you see our games the past two weeks lol

We missed a 22 yard field goal on our first drive.

We gave Romo sits to pee the game in similar fashion last week against the Jets and he fumbled the ball.

[ACW]

[what was the penalty btw?

I think it was the one with Brooking jumping over his own lineman (a penalty which I STILL don't understand why it's illegal).

[DeMarco Murray 29]

I think it was the one with Brooking jumping over his own lineman (a penalty which I STILL don't understand why it's illegal).

That is correct. That was the penalty.

[Califan007 The Constipated]

Did you see our games the past two weeks lol

We missed a 22 yard field goal on our first drive.

We gave Romo sits to pee the game in similar fashion last week against the Jets and he fumbled the ball.

That's why you run three straight rushing plays where your running back is doing the running.

I guarantee every single player on the 49ers offense is pissed the **** off this morning and wishing they had been given the chance to put it in the end zone. I highly doubt they enjoy having their head coach announce to the viewing public that he has zero faith in them to even run 3 time-consuming rushing plays.

And for the record, why are we all acting like those fumbles and INTs and what not couldn't STILL happen on the subsequent 49ers drives? lol...Would you rather have Alex Smith turn the ball over with the team up by 14 points or up by 10 points?