San Francisco 49ers: An Early Look Into Jim Harbaugh's Locker-Room Arrangement

Earlier this week, Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News posted a brief description of the San Francisco 49ers’ locker-room layout.

Never straying far from his team-building, psychologically-motivating tendencies, head coach Jim Harbaugh situated offensive players with their defensive counterparts, second-years with long-standing vets and special teamers with backup quarterbacks, among other arrangements.

Per Inman’s notes, let’s play the role of psychologist by delving into each area of the locker room and postulating Harbaugh’s motivations for the particular locker-room assignments.

Born and raised on the east side of town, I’ll begin with that portion of the room, highlighting the notable pairs from left to right.

East-Side Wall

DT Justin Smith—WR Mario Manningham

Why not pit one of the team’s captains, a player familiar with 49er regimes old and new, a 12-year NFL man still searching for entrance into the Super Bowl Promised Land, next to a newcomer already with a SB title to his name in only a quarter of the time of his locker-room partner?

Or perhaps the four inches and 100 pounds Smith has on Manningham, a sort of physical imposition, if you will, was the reasoning behind this pairing.

WR Randy Moss — LS Brian Jennings

Situating a couple 35-year-olds with a combined 26 years of NFL experience adjacent to each other seems a logical choice to me.

Then again, the dichotomy of a first- and seventh-round draftee with career stat lines like these seems a bit unfair to Jennings. I’m sensing an inferiority complex on the rise. 

South-Side Wall (divided into three sections per Inman’s description)

DL Ricky Jean Francois—LG Mike Iupati

At 6’5’’, 331 pounds, Harbaugh clearly thought Iupati was Jean Francois’ ideal partner for Peanut Butter Jelly Time.

The motivation behind this one couldn’t have been any more apparent.

C Jonathan Goodwin—NT Isaac Sopoaga

Not to continue with the height-weight-big belly theme, but these massive creatures that anchor their respective lines simply belong together.

Combine the five linemen to Soap’s right, and you have 44 feet and 2,183 pounds worth of NFL human aligned next to each other.

Pure spectacle—Harbaugh must get a kick out this Eighth Wonder of the World.

RB Rock Cartwright—DB/WR Colin Jones

Second-year man Colin Jones saw action in all three phases of the game in 2011 (well, at least on paper defensively). Expect Harbaugh to coax his buddy Vic Fangio into incorporating the ol’ Rock on an occasional defensive sub-package this year.

Could be a hell of a ninth guy in the box and perfect antidote to Timmy Tebow Terrific’s read-option blast up the middle.

West-Side Wall

S Dashon Goldson — RB Anthony Dixon

I think Harbaugh is just pissed at the no-show Goldson and inadequate production coming out of Dixon.

Might he be preparing for life without these guys and infusion of new personnel by preemptively placing two empty lockers next to each other?

I think LaMichael should just beat Goldson to the punch once he graduates and Dixon gets released. A rookie showing the Pro-Bowl, five-year vet what accountability looks like? Talk about Harbaugh Motivation 101.

North-Side Wall

CB Perrish Cox—WR Kyle Williams

Two guys potentially on the outside-looking-in on the game-day 45-man roster. One man acquitted from penal servitude. Another that some thought should have been convicted of a crime stemming from certain NFC Championship Game transgressions.

Did I just take this way too far? Absolutely.

Let’s qualify Harbaugh’s reasoning as placing one of the hardest-working, most resilient members of his team (KW) next to a player one year removed from NFL playing time and still facing disciplinary repercussions (from the league, not the courts).

This could evolve into a positively inspiring story come season’s end.

CB Chris Culliver—WR Ted Ginn

Merely another way of saying to Teddy boy how tenuous his roster spot may be.

Culliver harking back to his collegiate days by returning kicks this season? Highly doubtful, but a fun thing to ponder nonetheless.

But if he were to pull one of these off in the preseason… 

QB Scott Tolzien—QB Josh Johnson

Geez, Jim Bob. Don’t you think this pairing is a tad rude to Tolzien?

Poor guy doesn’t stand a chance.