Jim Harbaugh Vs. Jim Schwartz: No NFL Fines For Post-Game Spat

In his Monday press conference, Harbaugh refused to offer an outright apology, but did admit regret in taking the focus off his team’s win. From San Francisco Chronicle’s Kevin Lynch:

SB Nation’s David Fucillo also attended the press conference; he reports that Harbaugh said he met with Schwartz in the tunnel after the game and will likely speak privately with the Lions coach sometime in the future, presumably to put this matter to rest once and for all.

However, a closer look around shows that there’s been something bubbling beneath the surface between these two coaches for some time now.

According to the Santa Clara Press-Democrat, Schwartz was having dinner with Harbaugh during the lockout when the Lions head man inferred that there’s no way the new Niners coach would be able to accomplish anything in the 2011 season.

It’s too bad the coaches weren’t mic’d up so we could verify Schwartz’s claim that Harbaugh swore, but as you can see in the GIF below, Harbaugh clearly didn’t take time to exchange post-game pleasantries with Schwartz. Harbaugh admitted during his post-game presser that his “handshake was too hard,” but he barely took the time to look Schwartz in the eye before giving him a forceful pat on the back:

Schwartz had to be annoyed at losing such a close game -- including the preseason, this was Detroit’s first loss since Dec. 5, 2010 -- so it’s not surprising he took umbrage at being brushed off. His reaction may have been over the top, and it’ll almost certainly result in a fine from the NFL, but it likely earned him even more respect among Detroit’s players.

Jim Harbaugh is already making waves in the NFL, both with his wins and his demeanor. And it’s pretty great to watch unfold. Tell me you weren’t entertained watching Harbaugh dance around like a fool after his San Francisco 49ers beat the Detroit Lions on Sunday. And tell me it wasn’t entertaining to see his little “skirmish” with Detroit head coach Jim Schwartz.

So what happened? Handshake was too hard, Harbaugh said.

But Schwartz took exception to what he saw as Harbaugh’s excessive celebration, and went after the first-year San Francisco coach after a brusque postgame handshake. Schwartz and Harbaugh had to be separated, but it appeared that Schwartz was the aggressor throughout.

For more on the 49ers, head to SB Nation’s Niners Nation; for more on the Lions, head to Big Cat Country. For Week 6 NFL scores and news, Week 6 NFL video highlights, and Week 6 fantasy football stats and updates visit our comprehensive StoryStreams.

And then we had a Jim-off. Videos after the jump

And here’s the skirmish, which is pretty much a staple of the Harbaugh postgame at this point. It’s like his signature move, and it is oh so amazing.