One day after his 49ers defeated the Falcons and advanced to Super Bowl XLVII to play the Ravens, who are coached by his brother, John Harbaugh, San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh was less than effusive about many things yesterday.
The one thing Harbaugh sounded resolute about, however, is that he’s sticking with kicker David Akers, who struggled through most of the season and missed a 38-yard field goal attempt in the NFC Championship Game, which was played indoors.
“The decision has already been made: David Akers is our kicker,’’ Harbaugh said yesterday, sounding definitive.
Harbaugh said the same thing on Jan. 10, two days before the 49ers played the Packers in the NFC Divisional round, after he had brought in former Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff to compete with Akers during the playoff bye week.
Harbaugh, who decided to stick with Akers (who missed 13 of his 42 field-goal attempts in the regular season) over Cundiff in the postseason, said he closely observed Akers in pregame warm-ups Sunday as he always does before games, and was impressed.
“He had an outstanding pregame,’’ Harbaugh said. “He missed one 60-yarder, but was hitting the ball really well.’’
Akers struck the ball well on his miss, but it hit the right upright.
“It’s a game of inches, one way or the other,’’ Akers said after the game. “I struck the ball well and it clangs on the top of the post.’’
Asked after the game if he plans to kick for the 49ers in the Super Bowl, Akers said, “I’m here until they tell me otherwise.’’
If the 49ers wanted to get another kicker, they cannot bring Cundiff back because league rules state players cut in the postseason cannot sign with another team until after the Super Bowl.
The 49ers waived Cundiff, who during last year’s AFC Championship Game with the Ravens missed a 32-yarder against New England to send the game to overtime, two days before the championship game. That makes him ineligible to be signed by them now.
Harbaugh was so intent on not divulging information yesterday, he would not even hint at what the team’s preparation schedule will be before the 49ers leave for New Orleans.
“We have a philosophy and a schedule … and we’ll keep that to ourselves, keep it close to the vest,’’ Harbaugh said, as if he were giving up some sort of top-secret information to the enemy.
One thing Harbaugh did say to lighten the mood was about his quarterback.
“The way Colin Kaepernick runs, the gracefulness of his stride and the ground he covers, it reminds me of me when I run,” he said, “and then I wake up.’’