Jim Harbaugh gets under another coach's skin

By Sam Farmer

Oct. 16, 2011 12 AM PT

Separation Sunday is in the books.

The Green Bay Packers separated themselves from the top of the NFL, emerging from the weekend at 6-0 and the league’s only undefeated team.

The Indianapolis Colts separated themselves in the other direction, dropping to a league-worst 0-6. St. Louis is 0-5 and Miami, which plays at the New York Jets on Monday, is 0-4.

And then there’s the separation that had millions of viewers rewinding their DVRs — the quarrelsome quarantine of coaches Jim Schwartz of Detroit and Jim Harbaugh of San Francisco.

Yes, the game of the day led to the postgame of the season, as an irate Schwartz — who had just watched his Lions lose for the first time — lost his cool and went after a leaping-and-hollering Harbaugh, whose postgame celebration made Jim Valvano look reserved. It was reminiscent of a tense midfield meeting with then-USC coach Pete Carroll when Harbaugh was at Stanford.

This time, the excitable Harbaugh, in his first season as an NFL head coach, bounded over to Schwartz after the 49ers’ 25-19 victory at Ford Field, and in one abrupt motion vigorously shook the hand of the Lions’ coach while pushing past him to continue celebrating.

It was “kind of a slap-grab handshake,” Harbaugh said later.

“I was really revved up,” he said. “That wasn’t me. Just shook his hand too hard. That’s on me.”

Schwartz looked stunned for a moment, then turned and chased down Harbaugh, using his forearm to shove the 49ers coach in the shoulder. Angry shouts were exchanged. Players stepped between the coaches, the cluster grew — some players even putting their helmets back on as if preparing to rumble — until cooler heads prevailed and the teams made their way to their locker rooms.

“I went to congratulate Coach Harbaugh and got shoved out of the way,” Schwartz said. “Didn’t expect an obscenity at that point, so it was a surprise to me at the end of the game.”

Schwartz didn’t specify who swore at him, but it seemed clear he was accusing Harbaugh.

“You win a game like that and you’re excited,” Schwartz said. “But there’s a protocol that goes with this league.”

As for their play this season, the 49ers are definitely going against type. They’re 3-0 on the road for the first time since 1992 and already have a 2½-game lead in the NFC West.

What’s more, Alex Smith is making the big plays when he needs to. On fourth down with less than two minutes to play, Smith threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Delanie Walker to give San Francisco the go-ahead score.

The 49ers left it up to their defense to slam the door, something that unit does very well.

Said Harbaugh of the victory, which came despite 15 penalties by San Francisco: “It fires me up a lot. If that offends you or anybody else, then so be it.”

Hazardous work

The Harbaugh-Schwartz skirmish wasn’t the only strange coaching occurrence of the day. New Orleans Coach Sean Payton, standing on the sideline at Tampa Bay, couldn’t jump out of the way fast enough to avoid Saints tight end Jimmy Graham, who fell on the coach as he was knocked backward out of bounds.

Payton suffered a torn knee ligament and fractured tibia, or shinbone, in his left leg. He was helped off the field and wound up calling the rest of the game from the bench, with his leg elevated. The Saints wound up losing, as the Buccaneers pulled even with them in the NFC South.

Pryor experience

Oakland Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell suffered a broken collarbone Sunday and is probably done for the season. Kyle Boller replaced him and finished the game, which means former Ohio State star Terrelle Pryor will almost certainly move into the No. 2 spot behind him.

After Sunday’s game, Pryor told reporters he’s trying to get up to speed as fast as possible but stepping into that role will be a challenge.

Pryor was suspended for the first five games of the season and was on the sideline for the first time Sunday to watch the victory over Cleveland. The Raiders play host to Kansas City on Sunday.

According to the San Jose Mercury News, Pryor told reporters after the game that he has practiced only two days and would be able to step into a backup role “with a minimum amount of plays.”

Pryor said the “classroom and being on the field is two completely different things. So some of this stuff is a little longer, the plays and stuff like that. I’m just trying to get a grip on calling the plays fully.”

Although he emphasized his confidence “is never a problem,” Pryor couldn’t say whether he will take any reps in practice right away.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I’m just waking up tomorrow to watch some film and start a new week.”

Another possibility: The Raiders could re-sign former Buffalo starting quarterback Trent Edwards, who was with the team in training camp.

Trick for six

Raiders punter Shane Lechler, who holds on kicks, caught the Browns off guard on a fake field goal, dumping a pass to Kevin Boss for a 35-yard touchdown.

According to NBC, Lechler is the first punter to throw a touchdown pass since Washington’s Hunter Smith in 2009.

Oakland’s other special-teams touchdown came when Jacoby Ford returned a kickoff 101 yards.

Streak breakers

Even though they can’t put many hometown fans in the stands, the Cincinnati Bengals have to be feeling good as they head into their week off. They have a promising rookie quarterback in Andy Dalton, and, as of Week 6, the No. 1-ranked defense.

Sunday, they extended their winning streak to three games — their first such run in two years — and ended a seven-game losing streak against Indianapolis, which has never lost to the Bengals with Peyton Manning at quarterback.

A week ago, Cincinnati won at Jacksonville for the first time in eight tries. And a week before that, the Bengals beat Buffalo, ending a 10-game losing streak to the Bills (who had been unbeaten).

Middle finger-backer

Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk threw someone down, then threw something up. After sacking the Rams’ Sam Bradford in the second quarter Sunday, Hawk raised his middle finger and directed it toward the Green Bay sideline. There was no mistaking the gesture, which was caught by TV cameras.

Hawk apologized afterward, calling it a “running joke” among the Packers.

“It was a joke, and I kind of got caught up in the emotion of the game,” he said. “I definitely apologize if any kids or anyone else saw it. I have a daughter myself, so I wouldn’t want her doing that. I got excited and I got caught up in the game. It was just, I guess, a bad joke. I definitely won’t do it again.”

That promise might not save him from being fined by the NFL.

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