Overreaction to Jim Schwartz, Jim Harbaugh Proof the NFL Has Gone Soft

The big story on sports shows, in sports editorials and on sports talk radio shows across America will undoubtedly be Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz's histrionics in response to San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh's histrionics following the Niners' 25-19 win over the Lions at Ford Field.

I should know, as this is at least the third time I've referenced it or written about it in an article at Bleacher Report, and I know I'm far from alone in that regard.

Thing is, I'm not sure what's worse, Harbaugh acting like such a jerk after a Week 6 win, Schwartz freaking out about it, or the fact that everyone's making such a big deal of the whole thing.

Let's be clear, this is far from the first time Harbaugh has rubbed an opposing coach the wrong way after a victory, going back to the "What's your deal?" exchange in 2009 between Harbaugh and Pete Carroll when the former was head man at Stanford and Carroll was head coach at USC.

Harbaugh isn't especially gracious in victory, I'm pretty sure he knows that, and I'm just as sure he doesn't care.

Regardless of what Harbaugh said or how you interpret what he did (handshake/backslap/shove/whatever), it doesn't excuse Schwartz flying off the handle like he did. Two wrongs, as they say, do not make a right. While I can understand his frustration about dropping a close game and/or having that fact rubbed in his face (in his opinion) he should be professional enough to rise above it and file it away in the old "grudge file" for later attending to.

Even more disturbing to me than two grown men acting like eight-year-olds, however, is the fact this "story" has gained the traction it has or that so many talking heads have reacted with such umbrage and outrage to the whole thing. Guys, it's football, not knitting. Tempers flare in the heat of the moment, and sometimes that leads to actions that are regrettable in hindsight.

Thing is, this isn't Albert Haynesworth stomping a guy's face, or Ron Artest going into the stands to confront a fan. No one got hurt, no punches were thrown, so can we dial back the vitriol a notch?

I'm sure statements and apologies will be forthcoming by both parties (even more so than already have been issued) and that each coach will likely get a lovely letter from the commissioner's office that will lighten their respective wallets a bit.

It's my hope that with that we can move past this whole unfortunate mess, because the more I think about all the hullabaloo surrounding it the more I worry that this is another example of the NFL going soft, and the last thing I want is the chiseled block of granite that is the National Football League turning into a marshmallow.