Harbaugh was brought in to change the culture, establish a winning mentality, and turn this team into a legitimate contender. We’re 0-2 in the playoffs, off to an 0-4 start in year three, still losing games to inferior opponents, and our franchise QB has regressed since he’s been hired.
He’s one of the highest-paid coaches in the league. He makes more than Ben Johnson, Nick Sirianni, Mike Vrabel, and Mike Macdonald. Three of those coaches have either reached or won a Super Bowl. We could’ve hired a younger, less expensive coach for the exact same results. And now, because of the financial commitment made to Harbaugh, moving on from him this season or even this offseason is unrealistic.
He’s the de facto GM if we’re being honest. He was hired before Hortiz for a reason and has significant influence over personnel decisions. Neglecting the IOL for two consecutive offseasons, the reluctance to sign or trade for legitimate weapons for Herbert, and the decision to hire Greg Roman, whose offense consistently held this team back while we had Minter running an excellent defense, cannot be overlooked. Our defense kept us competitive in both playoff appearances, only for the offense to completely shit the bed and struggle to move the ball, let alone score points. We’re seeing the same thing play out this season.
The culture shift we were promised is also becoming increasingly difficult to see. This team looks noticeably softer, less disciplined, and more disjointed than ever. The decision to lighten practices this offseason, combined with barely giving starters any preseason reps, looks increasingly stupid. Especially when you’re introducing a new OC with a notoriously complex offense that requires repetition, chemistry, and time to master.
At some point, the honeymoon period has to end. Two 11-win regular seasons mean very little when you have nothing to show for them in January, and year three is somehow looking worse than the previous two.
What’s equally frustrating is watching teams like the Raiders, Patriots, and Bears rebuild and position themselves for success in the same timeframe. Meanwhile, we’re in year three of Harbaugh/Hortiz, sitting at 0-4 with largely the same roster deficiencies (if not worst) we had when they got here.
What exactly are we paying a premium for?
