49ers Notebook: Jim Harbaugh, Pete Carroll at odds over physical play by Seattle secondary
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| 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh and Seahawks coach Pete Carroll have differing opinions on the physical play of the Seattle secondary. (US Presswire) |
San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh wasn't pleased with the way officials in Thursday's game against Seattle allowed what he perceived to be physical coverage on his receivers downfield.
Were they locked up?
"There's another word I would use," Harbaugh said Friday. "But we'll take that up with the officials in New York and get their view of it."
Harbaugh's comments caught the attention of Seattle coach Pete Carroll, who, on ESPN Radio in Seattle on Monday, compared them to those made by New York Giants OC Kevin Gilbride -- comments that drew a fiery response from Harbaugh.
"I don't think a guy should be able to speak out and go ahead and cause an investigation," Carroll said. "That's too easy. I don't think that's going to happen.
"Wasn't it just a couple weeks ago when [Harbaugh was] talking about not doing things like that, with the Giants or Kevin Gilbride or something like that?" Carroll said. "I thought there was something about that, where we don't go out and express our concerns at all."
Carroll defended the play of his secondary, which includes CB Richard Sherman, who played for Harbaugh at Stanford. Sherman remained in the Bay Area after the game to watch the Cardinal play Cal in the Big Game with 49ers practice squad S Michael Thomas.
"I think that this was a very normal game ... in terms of how we played," Carroll said. "I'm surprised that [Harbaugh] felt like the receivers were so overwhelmed."
Harbaugh was later asked about Carroll's take.
“Well, I'm not going to comment on, or get paraphrased, or let somebody quote somebody else, and then have a reaction to it," he said. "I think you pretty much know that we're from the 'sticks and stones' school of approach. So, calling us names isn't going to hurt us.”
Harbaugh said he had not received clarification from the league offices when it comes to contact downfield and, when he does, he would not be sharing what he learned.
"We don't discuss those responses either," Harbaugh said. "That's part of the instructions [from the league]."
Neither Harbaugh, nor Carroll, seemed particularly venomous in his comments -- it is just another strange chapter is their long history.
RB Gore good to play against Arizona: RB Frank Gore, who left Thursday's win against Seattle with bruised ribs, is expected to be fine for the team's Monday night game against Arizona next week.
He participated in light practice Monday and said it felt good to move around.
The team, which had the weekend off, will not practice Tuesday or Wednesday after playing two games in the span of five days.
"It's basically like a mini bye week," Gore said. "We appreciate it a whole lot. We get our bodies back."
Gore said he would go to the team facility during the off days for treatment and to watch film.
Follow 49ers reporter Kyle Bonagura on Twitter @CBS49ers and @KyleBonagura.
