Sunday's crucial win against Detroit will, sadly, get overshadowed over the next couple of weeks due to the highly sensitive reaction of Lions coach Jim Schwartz. After Jim Harbaugh celebrated the surprise win on Sunday, a full-diaper Schwartz lost it and tried to pummel the happy Niners' coach. According to SFGate's Kevin Lynch, here's how it went down: "Jim Harbaugh was elated after the 49ers’ 25-19 win. Harbaugh was leaping up and down, baring his belly, chest-bumping, as he bounded across the field, wild-eyed. When he came up to Lions’ head coach Jim Schwartz’s hand, Harbaugh shook/slapped his hand aggressively without really stopping or looking Schwartz in the eye. And he slapped him on the back."
And then things got tense on the field. Here's what happened:
During a press conference after the game, Harbaugh said, "I was really revved up...[t]hat was on me a little, too hard a handshake there." He went on to say, "I am not going to apologize for that. If that offends you or anybody else, so be it."
What wasn't heard on the video, at least according to Schwartz, was a dirty word uttered by Harbaugh following the back slap.
"I went to congratulate coach Harbaugh and got shoved out of the way," Schwartz whined during a postgame news conference. "I didn’t expect an obscenity at that point. Obviously, when you win a game like that, you are excited, but there is a protocol that goes with this league."
Which is to say, Harbaugh's back slap is the "Fuck Yeah" of 2011.
For whatever reason, SFGate (not Kevin Lynch, but whichever editor is in charge of the homepage) points the blame at Harbaugh with this headline: "Harbaugh sparks fight." However, might not be fair. Since the only football knowledge we've gleaned comes from Friday Night Lights—what would coach Taylor do?—we asked SFist 49ers reporter Daisy Barringer for her thoughts on the skirmish. She explained to us, "Schwartz is known to be one of the crazier and more emotional coaches in the NFL right now. Which is fine. But 1) do not chase my coach down the field looking for a fight and 2) don't talk about a "protocol" in the NFL when you celebrate wins like this.