One of my friends posted on my Facebook Wall (Timeline?) the “story” about the Browns allegedly trying to trade draft picks for Coach Harbaugh, and they wanted to get my thoughts on if this meant that this coming season was the “make or break” season for Harbaugh and the 49ers.

My thoughts:  I don’t think so. It is really amazing how our memories work.  We have been competitive and, arguably, the best team in the League for the past few seasons that we, seemingly, forget that this regime took, essentially, a 6-10 roster and went 13-3, almost making the Super Bowl, in their first year.  In their second year, we came 5yds from winning the Super Bowl. And, in the third year, we came one play — or, as Kaepernick says “one foot”, in regards to the depth of his pass — from winning the Super Bowl.  Unless, for personal reasons, Harbaugh and the Front Office have a falling out, I don’t see how year 4 is a make-or-break year; he’s accomplished in 3 years what no 49ers coach has in, what?, 20yrs??

I disagree with the (Philly-based) writer because we haven’t “won big” — maybe by Philly standards we have, but we haven’t “won big”.  Sure, we’ve won a lot of games, (more than any other team in the past 3 yrs, I believe) but we have lost the three biggest games of the past three seasons.  We’ve gotten about as close as possible, but we haven’t won yet.  We don’t consider it a “win” when we come up short on the last plays of championship games. Especially, to a division rival — who we could have beaten — who then goes on to win it all.

That said, if we win the Super Bowl this year — and I must say, the 49ers winning Super Bowl 49 does have a good ring to it… — I think that these “problems” go away.

I do think that a lot of these “stories” are due to it being the end of February; not a lot of activity going down for us that can be reported and written/discussed at length.  The combine can only occupy x-amount of media time, and there’s not a lot of buzz regarding free agent moves; no drama with Boldin as we are apparently working on the deal to bring him back (and it looks like it’s a matter of “when” not “if”)….so, for 49er news, it’s pretty slow right now.

I don’t necessarily trust the alleged trade because nothing about it makes a lot of sense to me:

For one, it’s from a “source”*, so that makes me suspicious — especially a “source” breaking a report in late February when the media is hurting for NFL stories to write about;

Two, we are just opening up a brand new stadium, an hour drive from the city — which (from what I gathered from average San Franciscans on a trip there last summer) a lot of fans are not too thrilled about, do you really think that the Front Office (even if they hated Harbaugh) would gamble with a new coach, and risk having a losing season….or seasons?  I sure don’t.  If we start producing 6-10 seasons soon, then that stadium will be a waste;

And, three, why on Earth would we trade Harbaugh for draft picks??? We already have draft picks; a lot of them. AND especially no top-round picks at that! It makes no sense. Now, had this alleged trade been for players & picks (i.e. Gordon & picks) then maybe I take it more seriously, because WR is a need we are addressing.  If Cleveland did propose the trade, then I see why they are a franchise that no one takes seriously; at least propose a trade that someone would/could take seriously.

**Anytime I see stories with unnamed “sources”, to me, that means that they made it up; there is no source, it’s just the writer needing something to write about, and so makes up a “source” in order to generate the gossip necessary to write the story.

Why that interpretation? Because that’s what I did in my HS newspaper, hahahahaha. Some (mostly me) can say that I’m a journalism pioneer, in that regard. I was making up “sources” for every story that I was assigned. It was easier to write, and more interesting to read, when you had a “source” who gave you everything that you needed in order to write a compelling story. Ergo, I got banned from writing for the newspaper….. and stuck to winning gold medals for my Editorial Cartoons instead. *smug head nod*

But from what I read, the alleged trade is a lose-lose for everyone involved.  We now have to get another head coach, likely triggering a regime change right when we had found a winning formula (lose); Harbaugh gets sent to crappy Cleveland, Ohio (lose); and Cleveland still loses because God clearly hates them — plus, I put a curse on their sports teams (lose).

I think that this is just the product of a slow news season. If this came along in the summer, it’d get buried by other news within a day (at most). But, since it’s only getting into March, it’ll linger for awhile. I’m not concerned…..unless we get so close and then lose, again.  Go Niners.

-Ryan.