"He's a man for all seasons," Harbaugh said. "Tremendous football player, basketball player, baseball player, a tremendous athlete with a lot of gifts of God. And a tremendous competitive fire, readiness and willingness to compete, to be able to make coolheaded decisions under fire.Upon taking charge of the team Lombardi made it clear changes were going to be made and the players had two choices, go with the flow or hit the road. Free agency didn't existback in those days so the players had little choice but accept and adapt to the new coach's methods. Lombardi gave 100% every hour of every day and accepted nothing lessfrom his players.

That's because they already addressed their most immediate needs. Besides hiring coach Marc Trestman to replace Lovie Smith, they signed Jermon Bushrod and Martellus Bennett. That gave them the toptier left tackle and playmaking tight end they craved, and it gave general manager Phil Emery some flexibility with the draft star