Any complaints about Jim Harbaugh's coaching style were easy to overlook while the team was winning, and the 49ers were winning a lot. Since arriving in San Francisco in 2011, Harbaugh has gone 13-3, 11-4-1 and 12-4, making three consecutive conference championship games and advancing to the Super Bowl after the 2012 season.
But his act, which was reportedly wearing thin before this season, remains an issue for some of his players, even in the wake of a huge win Sunday over the Eagles. That's the latest, according to Hall of Famer and NFL Network analyst Deion Sanders, who didn't mince words during Sunday night's telecast.
"They want him out," Sanders said, via NFL.com. "They're not on the same page. I really want to know if they're really playing for the head coach. I got a question with that. Are you really down with your head coach, San Francisco 49ers? Because the way it looks and what I'm hearing, you're really not down for your head coach. And that's a problem. They really got some problems that we hear rumblings. We all know people inside locker rooms."
NFL.com's Ian Rapoport offered more specifics Sunday morning: "Some of the complaints include the fact that he kind of treats them like children. In fact, on planes, I'm told, they're not allowed to play music, they're not allowed to play cards. Small things, but these are the things that really can rankle players, even though the veterans do get to sit in first class."
Back in March, the Sacramento Bee reported that -- wait for it -- Harbaugh's "act has worn thin" with several members of the locker room, though a day later veteran wideout Anquan Boldin disputed the notion.
"I don't think there's any rift between players and coaches, particularly Coach Harbaugh," Boldin said at the time. "He has good rapport with all the guys I know of. There's no gripes in the locker room when it comes to Coach Harbaugh. He wants to win and everybody in the locker room wants to do the same. We're usually on same page and if not, we have it where we can talk to him and he can talk to us."
Maybe Boldin's right, but FOXSports.com's Jay Glazer reported earlier this month that, "I'd be surprised if Jim Harbaugh is back in San Francisco next year."
Just be careful what you ask for; before Harbaugh arrived, the 49ers had finished below .500 in seven of the previous eight seasons.
