The perception of Pete Carroll and Jim Harbaugh is that they don't like each other much, as rival NFC West coaches, and that might be true.
But after the Seattle Seahawks coach went out of his way to praise Harbaugh, who appears to be on the way out with the San Francisco 49ers, you get the sense that they like having each other as competitive foils. Or at least Carroll likes having Harbaugh around to compete with. With Harbaugh possibly entering his final few games as 49ers coach, as new rumors about his future sprout up every day, Carroll defended his coaching rival to the hilt.
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Heck, he even called Harbaugh a "stud," according to CSN Bay Area.
“The fact that he’s going through all those conversations and stuff, he’s a stud,” Carroll said, referring to Harbaugh having to discuss his future. “He’s not going to waver. He’s going to keep battling and do what he does. He’s a great competitor. He always has been. That’s why they’re so dangerous coming in right now because of his leadership and his toughness about the way he runs his program.
“And the fact that all these conversations are going on, that’s just something I have nothing to do with. It has nothing to do with the kind of football coach he is and the style of play they generate and the way they bring it. I have tremendous respect for him.”
Carroll and Harbaugh battled when the former was at USC and the latter was at Stanford, and Carroll famously confronted Harbaugh after Stanford went for a needless 2-point conversion late in a win and asked, "What's your deal?"
The two continued that to the NFL, where each ended up the head coach in a heated 49ers-Seahawks rivalry. The 49ers and Seahawks play again this Sunday, and perhaps for the last time with Carroll and Harbaugh on opposite sidelines, because just about everyone expects the 49ers and Harbaugh to end their sometimes tumultuous relationship after this season.
While the public perception is that the coaches don't like each other any more than the Seahawks and 49ers don't like each other (and to be fair, the coaches haven't exactly discouraged that story line), you won't see a coach talk this highly about a rival coach, especially one he supposedly dislikes.
“I’ve never seen him not be a really good coach," Carroll said. "He’s a fantastic football coach. I’ve watched him do all the stuff he did at Stanford to turn that program around (and) what he did with the Niners. I know he’s a great football coach."
And if Harbaugh's personality will eventually be the reason he gets traded to another team or just released from his contract or whatever will happen this offseason, Carroll thinks that's wrong.
“Not everybody likes everybody or gets along with everybody," Carroll said, according to CSN Bay Area. "Sometimes they don’t see the magic that guys have. I think he’s a fantastic football coach. He’s proven that. There’s no question about that.”
Perception isn't always reality, and even if these two aren't the best of friends, there seems to be a lot of respect between them. Too bad that personal rivalry seems to be close to an end.
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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdowncorner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab
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