Possible Jim Harbaugh exit should have Seahawks motivated
By Thomas Oide
A coin flip?
A coin flip?
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According to the San Jose Mercury News’ Tim Kawakami, there is a 50-50 chance that current 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh leaves after the season.
Kawakami reports that 80 percent of the NFL sources he talks to have indicated that there is a good chance that this year could be Harbaugh’s last with the storied San Francisco franchise.
Everybody knows that there are two options for Harbaugh:
1. Harbaugh wins the Super Bowl after two consecutive years of coming up short, and Jed York makes Harbaugh the highest paid coach in NFL history.
2. The 49ers come up short in the postseason again (presumably a loss to the Seahawks would be somewhere in there) and York refuses to pay Harbaugh the contract he wants.
On top of this, 49ers players are becoming increasingly unhappy with how the organization is being run, according to Bleacher Report. And unhappy players means unhappy fans when things inevitably go badly on the field.
Let’s face facts, Harbaugh was the reason for the 49ers remarkable turnaround after leaving the head coaching position at Stanford, his alma mater. He turned Alex Smith from a No. 1 overall pick bust into a serviceable game manager. He turned the defense into one of the most feared in the NFL. He put Frank Gore into a power running system, a fit that could only be made in heaven.
So what does this mean for the Seahawks?
The stakes just rose exponentially for the Seahawks this season.
The fact is, the 49ers and the Seahawks should enter the the 2014 season as the two of the best, if not the the two best teams, in the NFL, even with Denver’s additions on defense in Aqib Talib and Demarcus Ware.
The loss of Harbaugh would be a crippling blow to the San Francisco 49ers. And assuming Harbaugh leaves the 49ers organization, it would be safe to assume that his coordinators–Greg Roman and Vic Fangio– would leave with him, leaving the Niners coach-less and coordinator-less. So what better if their biggest rivals, the Seattle Seahawks, could tip Harbaugh over the edge to leaving the Bay Area?
Twice the Seahawks handed the 49ers demoralizing losses last season: a 29-3 butt-kicking at home in Week 2 and the memorable 23-17 win in the NFC Championship. I shouldn’t have to tell you what happened in that one.
If the Seahawks can hand the Niners two demoralizing losses in the regular season, possibly making them miss the playoffs with the rise of the Arizona Cardinals, Harbaugh would be gone.
If the Seahawks can crush the 49ers’ Super Bowl hopes in another NFC Championship matchup, Harbaugh would likely be gone.
With no Harbaugh in the way, there would be a clear path to the shining title of “DYNASTY” for this group of Seahawks.
The Niners are exactly where the Seahawks want them: no NaVorro Bowman, an unhappy Alex Boone, an unhappy 49ers squad in general, and an unhappy coach.
This season could be the most important season in recent history for the Seattle Seahawks.
Now is the time to go in for the kill.