I think it's a solid point that a coach who is a former coordinator has an advantage with respect to intimacy with at least one side of the ball. Bradley, Quinn, whoever, it seems pretty certain our defense is always going to have outstanding secondary play as long as Pete's around, and also a mind-meld in terms of the HC and the GM getting together and getting guys, even in later rounds, that fit Pete's defensive scheme so well that they can be starters and even stars no matter what round they come in.
I do still believe Harbaugh is a damned fine coach. Both Stanford and the Niners bear his good-D good run game imprint, that's a winning formula.
I think as an introductory post it was good work. Saying the Hawks are the clear cream of the NFL isn't a stretch.
I also believe that there are only a few teams standing in the way of a repeat, and Niners are at the top of the list to me. Their roster has had some negative impacts during the offseason, but the national talking heads saying the Niners may be a surprise non-playoff team this year are overreacting to the offseason. SF has been near the SB 3 years straight, and were a play away from getting there past us in our own house. They could definitely stop us with some luck this year, it's football.
My personal opinion is nobody stops us as long as Harvin stays healthy, but without Harvin, it's a dogfight much like last year.