Quote Originally Posted by ActualSpamBot View Post
And if I were arguing that he never fucks up and has NEVER cost us a game by doing so, pointing out that decision would be a major coup. But that is not what I'm arguing. I'm arguing that in the NFL, talent is relatively evenly dispersed (as the game's parity would suggest, and the salary cap mandates) and therefor, a team that consistently outperforms the competition (which we do) is doing so because it is being well coached. Coaching staffs are the constant in the NFL. They are there for much longer than the bulk of the roster. Therefor, citing a coach's record is one of the only ways to demonstrate his value relative to his peers. Harb's record is among the best, which is why I consider him among the best. And while he obviously is not perfect, it is foolish to claim that he's literally horrible at literally everything he is supposed to do on game day which was exactly what the poster I responded to claimed.
I am not saying Harbaugh is a horrible gameday coach by pointing out this decision, but that is mainly because many many (most) other coaches are just as stupid, so everything is relative.

But there are "mistakes" and then there are bad decisions that point to an overall lack of ability to weigh risks and rewards. In other words, some single mistakes are bad enough to allow us to conclude some things about the decision-maker. Constantly choosing the 40 side of 60/40 decisions is one thing. Choosing, even a single time, the 2 side in a 98/2 scenario tells us something else. The latter is much more damning, imo.

All that said, I think Harbaugh's non-gameday "coaching"/motivating is clearly admirable. His gameday "coaching" needs a lot to be desired, but again, that is the case for most coaches, including some with rings and great winning percentages.

And to repeat, he isn't in the same zip code as a hot seat, atm.