Can Harbaugh pull a Gruden of 2003?

Originally posted by Negrodamus:
gruden walked in on a loaded team built by dungy. all he did was stand on the sidelines imitating chucky

Thank you for making this point. I was about to. Gruden was handed a very solid team built by Dungy. Harbaugh has taken a serial underperforming team and making them play at a much higher level. Harbaugh > Gruden.

Bwetter.

Gruden inherited an excellent team like Siefert did.

One of the key differences is JH and the coaching staff. Every game plan is a real plan. You can see it. After 2-3 drafts and FA periods we can have a dynasty again.

Originally posted by Negrodamus:
gruden walked in on a loaded team built by dungy. all he did was stand on the sidelines imitating chucky

This. The Bucs had been a playoff caliber team for half a decade before Gruden arrived. Remember how the Bucs getting knocked out of the playoffs two years in a row by the Eagles got Dungy fired? The Bucs team went to the NFC championship in '99 and nearly beat the eventual champs, the Rams. We, by contrast, have had one of the worst records in football for the past 8 years. What Harbaugh inherited is more akin to the laughing stock of a franchise that Dungy inherited, not the Superbowl caliber squad that Gruden inherited. What Harbaugh has done with this team is ...surreal.

Don't believe the homer hype about our "talent". This is a .500 squad in terms of talent. Baalke is not the second coming of Scott Pioli. Baake is average. Nothing wrong with that. Being average in an profession where there's only 32 people means your one of the 16 best in the world at what you do. That's great. But it still means Baalke has not magically out drafted the rest of the league. No way. This team, coached by anyone other than Harbaugh does not make the playoffs unless its a a Seattle last year. Harbaugh's coaching, the assembling of this staff, instilling such a will to win in the players, the X's and O's, oh god the game planning...it's all masterful.

Parcelles used to say "We're going to take way what you're good at and beat us with what you ain't good at." Or something to that effect. Well, Harbaugh refuses to play that game. He simply will not let you take away what the niners are good at, and he'll use whatever disguise he has to to beat you with what we're good at. Unbelieveable that he can pull it off in a league filled with obsessive compulsive film watchers. Unbelieveable. Forget coach of the year, so far this year, Harbaugh has put together one of the greatest coaching jobs in NFL history. Bar none. Period. Full Stop.

Originally posted by Dr_Bill_Walsh:
He won't/can't be facing his former team he coached and no harbaugh cannot be the youngest coach to win a SB...this thread = FAIL

Wasnt' referrring to being the youngest but "First Year HC"

"Theres something about big guys hot sweaty bodies slapping against each other that really gets me off"- Gruden on NFL Network.s Top 100 player of 2010

Originally posted by NinerNate:
It's possible. Similar teams with strong defense, efficient QB, strong running game.

I don't know if we will take it that far this year, but we have a shot. I agree that the teams are very similar. They both played the same style on offense (efficient run based WCO) and had very strong deffense's. I now perfer this comparison to the 00 Ravens. I also like the comparison between Alex Smith and Brad Johnson. I think it is a much more accurate comparison than the Dilfer one.

Here is a comparison between Brad Johnson in 02 and Alex's projected stats this year I borrowed these figures from Marvin49's 00 Ravens thread. Thanks Marvin.

Brad Johnson 02 -281 COMP, 451 ATT, 3,049 Yards, 62.3%, 22 TDs, 6 INTs, 92.9 Rating

Alex Smith projected 2011 - 264 Comp, 412 Att, 64.1%, 2,934 Yards, 20 TDs, 4 INTs, 97.3 Rating