Daily Madden: Harbaugh Is Still A Top NFL Coach
SEATTLE (CBS SF) - Following a 17-7 loss to the Seahawks, the 49ers are shut out of the playoffs with two games to play.
"That's a long drop from three years of championship games to not even making the playoffs," John Madden told the KCBS Radio morning crew. "I still don't think it's Harbaugh. Coming into the season I thought Jim Harbaugh was one of the top coaches in pro football, and coming out of the season I still think he's one of the top coaches in pro football."
So what happened?
"I think it has to be a management problem. They should have stopped that. It's not something that just creeped in at the end of the season. This started all the way at the beginning of the season... It has to be at the top, because if it were anywhere between the top - and I'm talking about the top as being the owners - if it's anywhere between there and Jim Harbaugh, Jim Harbaugh would trump that. I mean the owner would step in and say that, 'you know, just knock that off, and sign (Harbaugh) to a contract.'"
But what about star players like Vernon Davis, who has been a non-factor in the 49ers offense this season?
"If he's getting open, you have to think the quarterback is going to throw it to him," John said. "To me, it's one of two things. Either physically, he's not doing the stuff that he has to do to get open, or they're not providing him the system and/or plays and/or patterns to get open."
Madden said weaknesses in the offensive line can't fully explain quarterback Colin Kaepernick's poor season.
"The good quarterbacks still get rid of the ball," Madden said. "Peyton Manning, you know how he adjusts, Tom Brady how he adjusts and Aaron Rodgers how he adjusts -- they just get rid of the ball a little sooner. All those great quarterbacks that are consistently good week after week after week have had bad offensive line play." (7:00)
Daily Madden
(Listen to the John Madden segment live weekday mornings at 8:15 and Monday and Friday mornings at 9:15 on KCBS All News 740 AM/106.9 FM.)
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