49ers gear up for Harbaugh’s second season

Associated Press

santa clara, calif.

Jim Harbaugh won NFL Coach of the Year honors as a rookie coach with no offseason to prepare his team for his thick playbook and unique, rah-rah style.

Now, the San Francisco 49ers’ schedule is far more daunting and the pressure is on to repeat as NFC West champions and make another run at a Super Bowl that was right within reach last January.

San Francisco lost 20-17 in overtime of the NFC title game to the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants, and that defeat still stings for this bunch. Last season’s special run came after the Niners ended a franchise-worst stretch of eight years without a playoff berth or winning record — so, the expectations are to keep a good thing going for the long haul.

“You want to be where you left off,” tight end Delanie Walker said.

And Harbaugh is expecting another focused, physical training camp as players at several key positions fight to earn spots. All 11 defensive starters return from one of the NFL’s top units of 2011, while Frank Gore has a cast of backups hoping to get a share of the carries behind the three-time Pro Bowl running back — Brandon Jacobs, Kendall Hunter, Anthony Dixon.

“I like our offense. We’re universal,” tight end Vernon Davis said. “That’s the unique thing about it.”

Wideout Randy Moss and cornerback Perish Cox each will look to show he still has it after a year away from the NFL.

Just how Harbaugh likes it.

“Well, I look forward to seeing them all,” Harbaugh said during last month’s mandatory minicamp. “That’s the great part about coming out here. You get to watch it all unfold. And we’ve been watching that over the last nine weeks. But, that’s our team. It’s intense and very competitive across the board at every position in some form or fashion.”

The 49ers know — despite the high expectations in Harbaugh’s second season — it will be tough to top last season’s record considering the schedule: at Green Bay for the season opener Sept. 9, then home against Detroit, at the Jets in Week 4 and a home rematch of the NFC title game two weeks later against the reigning champion Giants.

The 49ers realize to reach the Super Bowl they will probably have to go through that same New York team again or perhaps the Packers, determined to bounce back from last year’s stunning early playoff exit.

The Niners also will travel to New Orleans in Week 12 and to New England in Week 15.

Davis, for one, is eager to see how everything comes together on both sides of the ball.

“It’s cool,” Davis said. “Coach Harbaugh is one of the most energetic coaches I’ve seen in my life.”