Q&A: What 49ers coaches are missing at Sr. Bowl

Jan. 26, 2011MAIOCCO ARCHIVE49ERS PAGE49ERS VIDEOMatt MaioccoCSNBayArea.comMOBILE, Ala. -- Hundreds of NFL coaches, executives and scouts attended the first two days of practices for the Senior Bowl. After Wednesday, a lot of those folks will have seen enough.The on-field work decreases after Wednesday's practice, so most NFL onlookers feel as if they need only three days to properly evaluate more than 100 of the top seniors in the country who have gathered to prepare for Saturday's game.Let's go to the Twitter mailbag to answer some questions . . .

Q: So Harbaugh didn't go to the Senior Bowl? Any idea why? @RedGoldBleeder
My response: Jim Harbaugh, the new 49ers coach, and his staff remained in Santa Clara this week while the organization's entire scouting department traveled to Mobile to get a first-hand look at the players.Coach Hue Jackson and his Raiders coaches are in Mobile. A lot of NFL head coaches are here. But Harbaugh is not the only first-time NFL head coach who is not here. Cleveland's Pat Shurmur is not here, either.WATCH: 1 on 1 with Raiders head coach Hue Jackson
Still, it's the first time the 49ers' coaching staff has not attended the Senior Bowl in recent memory."Well, there's nothing to that," 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said. "If the coaches would've been on staff and ready to go, they'd certainly be down here. The reason they're not down here is because most of them just came in as of Monday and coach (Harbaugh) just felt it was a better opportunity to get them all together, get them working on the schedule for the offseason."Obviously, Harbaugh's opinion will carry a lot of weight when it comes to the 49ers' decisions at quarterback. There are six quarterbacks at the Senior Bowl, but Harbaugh will have plenty of time to evaluate those individuals elsewhere.MAIOCCO: Top prospects weigh in at Senior Bowl
Harbaugh can study all the film he wants. The 49ers' coaching staff will attend the NFL scouting combine next month in Indianapolis. Harbaugh also has the option of attending personal workouts and pro days.Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg told CSN Bay Area on Tuesday that all the information talent evaluators need can be obtained at personal workouts.Q: Why do people think one week in Mobile is more important than 3-4 years of college? @RoneFace
My response: I'm not sure anybody feels this week is more important than the bulk of a player's college career, but it is vital for several reasons.Especially in today's college game with the emphasis on the spread offense, these players are now getting NFL coaching. (Marvin Lewis' Bengals staff is coaching the North, while Chan Gailey's Bills staff coaches the South.) So for many of these players, it is their first exposure to an NFL-style of play.It is also a type of one-stop shopping. Scouts and executives are looking at NFL prospects at every position. Therefore, the consistent level of competition is the greatest these players have faced. The drills pit one NFL-caliber player against another, and that's something that does not happen on a regular basis in college practices or many games.RELATED: NFL Headlines
Another big reason the Senior Bowl practices are important is because this is the first opportunity for the NFL coaches to get out and look at players. Because NFL coaches are busy with their seasons and do not watch much college football, they are just now beginning the process of scouting the draft-eligible players. This event in Mobile is the first opportunity for them to see these prospects.Q: Do you have the link to the updated 49ers coaching hirechange article? @iamgenus
My response: Here you go . . .49ers coaching staff at a glanceHead coach: Jim Harbaugh (Stanford). 2010: Mike SingletaryJim Tomsula. (Singletary, fired on Dec. 26, was hired as Vikings assistant to the head coachlinebackers coach.)REWIND: 49ers get their man -- Harbaugh hired
Offensive Coordinator: Greg Roman (Stanford). 2010: Jimmy RayeMike Johnson. (Raye was fired Sept. 27; Johnson hired as offensive coordinator at UCLA.)Quarterbacks: Geep Chryst (Panthers). 2010: JohnsonJason Michael (hired as Chargers tights ends coach).Running backs: Tom Rathman. 2010: Rathman.Wide receivers: John Morton (USC). 2010: Jerry Sullivan, assistant Wendall Davis.Tight ends: Currently vacant. 2010: Pete Hoener.Offensive line: Tim Drevno (Stanford) and Mike Solari. 2010: Mike Solari, assistant Ray Brown. (Brown was hired as Panthers assistant line coach.)RELATED: 49ers plan for Drevno to work with Solari
Defense coordinator: Vic Fangio (Stanford). 2010: Greg Manusky (hired as Chargers defensive coordinator).Defensive line: Jim Tomsula. 2010: Tomsula.RELATED: Maiocco -- 49ers D-line was team's strength
Linebackers: Jim Leavitt (South Florida, 2009). 2010: Jason Tarver (outside LBs), Vantz Singletary (inside LBs). (Singletary was fired Dec. 26; Tarver is top candidate for Stanford defensive coordinator position, sources tell CSN Bay Area.)Defensive backs: Ed Donatell (Broncos). 2010: Vance JosephJohnnie Lynn. (Joseph was hired as Texans defensive backs coach; Lynn resigned late in the season for personal reasons.)Special teams coordinator: Brad Seely (Browns). Seely is also assistant head coach. 2010: Kurt Schottenheimerassistant Dave Fipp. (Fipp was hired as Dolphins assistant special-teams coach.)Head strength and conditioning: Mark Uyeyama (49ers assistant strength and conditioning coach) with assistant Kevin Tolbert (Stanford). 2010:Duane Carlisle (not retained) with assistant Uyeyama.