Jim Harbaugh denies pursuing Peyton Manning ‘it’s phony, erroneous’

It’s confirmed: Jim Harbaugh could sell a ketchup popsicle to a woman in white gloves. Or at least he’d try to if it was in the best interest of his football team. The 49ers coach spoke to the media on Wednesday and attempted to spin the reports that said the team pursued Peyton Manning in March. “There’s a perception out there, and it’s an erroneous perception, that we were flirting with Peyton Manning,” Harbaugh told the media, unprompted. “I keep hearing that over and over. It’s silly and it’s untrue. It’s phony. Even the perception that we were pursuing him — we were evaluating him. “I’ve said all along that Alex Smith has been our quarterback. There’s no scenario, other than Alex choosing to sign with another team, that we would consider him not as our quarterback.” Let me get this straight: Jim Harbaugh admits 49ers were looking at Peyton Manning, but the extent of their interest in him comes down to the way you define the words “evaluating” and “pursuing.” The