Jim Harbaugh Subtly Criticizes 49ers Coaching Staff

Former San Francisco 49ers head coach and current Michigan head honcho Jim Harbaugh appeared to take a subtle shot at the Niners coaching staff during a recent press conference.

"We train our quarterbacks to throw to people that aren't covered, even if it's a running play," Harbaugh said, according to Grant Cohn of the Press Democrat. "I was watching an NFL game where they didn't cover a receiver, and the quarterback handed it off and got maligned by scribes and pundits and so-called experts for not throwing it to him."

According to Cohn, Harbaugh was referencing a play from San Francisco's matchup against the St. Louis Rams in Week 8. On the play in question, quarterback Colin Kaepernick handed the ball to Mike Davis instead of quickly throwing it to the uncovered Torrey Smith.

Kaepernick took full blame for the gaffe.

"No, I didn't see the corner close down [toward the middle of the field] on that," he said after the game, per Scott Ostler of SFGate.com. "That's something I should have been able to adjust out of."

Kaepernick has faced constant scrutiny this season and was benched in favor of Blaine Gabbert before the 49ers' Week 9 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. San Francisco won for just the second time since Week 1.

That Kaepernick acknowledged he should have thrown to Smith makes Harbaugh's comments curious. Harbaugh appears to be suggesting the 49ers coaching staff was to blame for failing to teach Kaepernick to make that audible.