Jim Harbaugh: NFL's read-option rules flawed, biased

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><a href="http://www.nfl.com/">http://www.nfl.com</a><br /><div style="background-color: white; color: #222221; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px !important; padding: 0px;"><a href="http://www.nfl.com/player/jimharbaugh/2515790/profile" id="yui_3_10_3_1_1378573223851_3378" style="color: #364c88; text-decoration: none;">Jim Harbaugh</a> didn't like <a href="http://www.nfl.com/teams/greenbaypackers/profile?team=GB" id="yui_3_10_3_1_1378573223851_3379" style="color: #364c88; text-decoration: none;">Green Bay Packers</a> linebacker <a href="http://www.nfl.com/player/claymatthews/80431/profile" id="yui_3_10_3_1_1378573223851_3380" style="color: #364c88; text-decoration: none;">Clay Matthews</a>' "<a href="http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000238292/article/niners-jim-harbaugh-condemns-packers-tough-talk" id="yui_3_10_3_1_1378573223851_3381" style="color: #364c88; text-decoration: none;">tough talk</a>" about hitting read-option quarterbacks, so he <a href="http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000238827/article/niners-jim-harbaugh-nfl-exec-discuss-qb-hit-rules" id="yui_3_10_3_1_1378573223851_3382" style="color: #364c88; text-decoration: none;">contacted the NFL</a> earlier this week.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222221; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px !important; padding: 0px;">The <a href="http://www.nfl.com/teams/sanfrancisco49ers/profile?team=SF" id="yui_3_10_3_1_1378573223851_3383" style="color: #364c88; text-decoration: none;">San Francisco 49ers</a> coach said Friday he didn't care for the answers he got.</div><table align="right" style="background-color: white; border-collapse: collapse; border-spacing: 0px; color: #222221; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; width: 260pxpx;"><tbody><tr><td style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div style="border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); float: right; font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; margin: 5px; padding: 10px; width: 202px;"><a href="http://fantasy.nfl.com/?icampaign=news_include_fantasy_join" id="yui_3_10_3_1_1378573223851_3384" style="color: #364c88; text-decoration: none;"><img align="right" border="0" src="http://static.nfl.com/static/content/public/photo/2013/07/09/0ap1000000217012.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" /></a></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="background-color: white; color: #222221; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px !important; padding: 0px;">"I think it's flawed and a bit biased," Harbaugh said of the league's response to his concerns about quarterback hits.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222221; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px !important; padding: 0px;">Harbaugh then went on an approximately 5-minute monologue and discussion with reporters about the rule, which included him <a href="https://twitter.com/TomPelissero/status/376095167050031104" id="yui_3_10_3_1_1378573223851_3385" style="color: #364c88; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">miming options</a> for how QBs might have to show they don't have the ball.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222221; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px !important; padding: 0px;">"I'm not advocating that they don't hit the quarterback if he has the ball, but if he's in the pocket I believe there should be a strike zone." Harbaugh said. "Same strike zone that is given to the quarterback when he's in the pocket and throwing the ball. I feel like you give a license now to players to hit quarterbacks at the knee or in the head."</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222221; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px !important; padding: 0px;">Harbaugh explained that he was concerned that defenders would hit quarterbacks in the knee or head with an excuse that they couldn't tell if the QB had the ball and could be considered a running back.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222221; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px !important; padding: 0px;"></div><div class="nfl-video-tag nfl-video-small nfl-video-right" id="vid2" style="background-color: white; clear: right; color: #222221; float: right; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 25px 10px; padding: 0px; position: relative;"><div class="yui3-widget yui3-nfl-video" id="yui_3_10_3_1_1378573223851_1662" style="background-color: black; height: 216px; margin: 0px 0px 25px; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 384px;"><div class="yui3-nfl-video-content yui3-widget-content-expanded" id="yui_3_10_3_1_1378573223851_1664" style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 216px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: relative; width: 384px; z-index: 1;"></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222221; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px !important; padding: 0px;"></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222221; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px !important; padding: 0px;">"By definition, a fake is a deception," Harbaugh said, continuing to voice his concern. "It is a deception, deceptive maneuver....Now are they opened up to being hit in the head and the knees, treated like a running back?...It seems like they would have more of an appetite to look at that, and they've said they don't have an appetite to look at it any further."</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222221; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px !important; padding: 0px;">The strong ending suggests Harbaugh isn't going to let the issue fade away.</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222221; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px !important; padding: 0px;">He did tell reporters his game plan wouldn't change or affect how he uses quarterback <a href="http://www.nfl.com/player/colinkaepernick/2495186/profile" id="yui_3_10_3_1_1378573223851_3386" style="color: #364c88; text-decoration: none;">Colin Kaepernick</a>. At the very least Harbaugh has ensured refs will be keeping a close eye on all the hits Kaepernick takes <a href="http://www.nfl.com/gamecenter/2013090811/2013/REG1/packers@49ers" id="yui_3_10_3_1_1378573223851_3387" style="color: #364c88; text-decoration: none;">Sunday</a> against the <a href="http://www.nfl.com/teams/greenbaypackers/profile?team=GB" id="yui_3_10_3_1_1378573223851_3388" style="color: #364c88; text-decoration: none;">Packers</a>.</div><div id="yui_3_10_3_1_1378573223851_3997" style="background-color: white; color: #222221; font-family: arial, verdana, helvetica; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px !important; padding: 0px;"><br /></div></div><script type="text/javascript"><!-- google_ad_client = "ca-pub-4973891917352186"; /* hotnewsof_main_Blog1_ */ google_ad_slot = "6959597717"; google_ad_width = 300; google_ad_height = 250; //--></script><script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"></script>

NFL Jim Harbaugh: NFL's read-option rules flawed, biased

http://www.nfl.com Jim Harbaugh  didn't like  Green Bay Packers  linebacker  Clay Matthews ' " tough talk " about hitting ...

Read more »