49ers Coach Jim Harbaugh Questions Physical Play By Seattle Cornerbacks

Coach Jim Harbaugh has an issue with the Seattle Seahawks' pass defense. And he is going to the league office in hopes of receiving some clarity well in advance of the 49ers' next meeting with their NFC West rival. Several times Thursday night, Seahawks cornerbacks Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner appeared to get away with possible defensive holding penalties while locked up against receivers Michael Crabtree, Randy Moss and Kyle Williams. "I wouldn't use the words, 'locked up,'" Harbaugh said Friday, the day after the 49ers' 13-6 victory over the Seahawks. "We'll take that up with the officials (NFL office) and get their view of it." Quarterback Alex Smith said Sherman and Browner probably should've been called for illegal contact "several times" in Thursday's game. "If this is a point of emphasis of no contact after 5 yards, no question," Smith said. "They've done it all year. When they played Green Bay, they were doing it to all those guys, (Greg) Jennings, all those guys. You turn on the Patriots (film) and same things," Smith added. "That's what they do. It's who they are. They're good at it. It's what they play, big corners, physical guys. I don't know how we didn't get a call. It seems like it gets called once a game and then it doesn't get called again." Harbaugh said he hopes to get a well-defined answer from the NFL after submitting his official inquiry. "I think it's just important thing to address," Harbaugh said. "What is this all being defined as? Is it physical play within the rules? That's the biggest question. Is it within the rules what's happening. We have to ask that question. We have to know what the interpretation is." Source: Comcast Sports Attached Thumbnails