San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh held a press conference at Niners headquarters Monday afternoon, talking a bit about the mentality of the team as a whole as well as how he feels they are progressing as a unit overall.
One big point he made was the fact that it’s an ‘us’ mindset with this group of players. One keen media person made note of this, stating that Harbaugh went as far as to not even use the pronoun "I" at all when speaking about the team. But even if it wasn’t a cognizant move by Harbaugh, it’s one he embraces all the same.
Coach also had a lot of praise for Alex Smith’s play, noting his cool demeanor and decision making, along with his toughness (again). And even though the outside observer would say the Niners played conservatively on both sides of the ball, Harbaugh simply put it like this:
"We weren’t playing it safe. We play to win at all times."
They weren’t trying to hide anything from the Cowboys claimed Harbaugh, "we’re a rush three, drop eight team" and even though defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is known for his "exotic" schemes they played their game and got the job done.
Harbaugh was also asked about what he learned about his team after week one, noting that he liked how the team responded and competed to events throughout the game, even bringing up the great sideline energy of the team all afternoon long. The term he used about Niners teammates was "playing vicariously;" staying mentally engaged and active even when they weren’t on the field.
Another big point he made was about the perception of the team in the media, noting that he saw no 49er highlights after he went home and started "flipping through channels" watching game recaps and such, even with two kick returns from Ted Ginn Jr. Harbaugh would state that "We [the team] have to do something about that," not remain off the radar but grab attention league-wide that this team is for real. I hope he’s right.
To watch the full press conference, click here. For more on the 49ers head over to Niners Nation.