"When you do something that doesn't work, you would have liked to have done something different — at least tried it. But you can't." Those were the words of Jim Harbaugh as he addressed the San Francisco media after the team returned to its headquarters following a heartbreaking Super Bowl loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Harbaugh has come under scrutiny for the final series of play calls that would ultimately decide the game. With a first and goal from the Ravens’ 7 yard line, Harbaugh opted to have his team throw on its final 3 plays after a short gain on a first down running play.
Normally, that sequence of plays wouldn’t look out of place, but because the 49ers failed to score - and because they opted not to try at least one more running play, Harbaugh is open to criticism. To his credit, Harbaugh is willing to acknowledge that perhaps he should have done things differently. Of course, as he later pointed out, it’s very easy to question decisions after they have already failed.
The reality of the situation is that the 49ers found themselves in an extremely difficult situation against a team that excels in keeping its opponent out of the endzone in short yardage situations. San Francisco never came particularly close to completing any of its final three pass attempts, with the fourth-down fade route landing a couple yards out of the endzone. Harbaugh and many other 49ers called desperately for a holding or pass interference flag on the final play, but none came. And as Ravens coach John Harbaugh noted, the game could have easily gone the other way, with the 49ers as world champions. Second-guessing is always going to be a part of any close game, especially the Super Bowl.
Normally, that sequence of plays wouldn’t look out of place, but because the 49ers failed to score - and because they opted not to try at least one more running play, Harbaugh is open to criticism. To his credit, Harbaugh is willing to acknowledge that perhaps he should have done things differently. Of course, as he later pointed out, it’s very easy to question decisions after they have already failed.
The reality of the situation is that the 49ers found themselves in an extremely difficult situation against a team that excels in keeping its opponent out of the endzone in short yardage situations. San Francisco never came particularly close to completing any of its final three pass attempts, with the fourth-down fade route landing a couple yards out of the endzone. Harbaugh and many other 49ers called desperately for a holding or pass interference flag on the final play, but none came. And as Ravens coach John Harbaugh noted, the game could have easily gone the other way, with the 49ers as world champions. Second-guessing is always going to be a part of any close game, especially the Super Bowl.