In Richard Sherman and Brandon Browner, the Seattle Seahawks have two big cornerbacks who use their size and strength to gain advantages over receivers near the line of scrimmage.
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San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh believes Sherman and Browner were too physical not to be regularly flagged during the Niners' 13-6 win over the Seahawks on Thursday night.
Sherman and Browner locked up San Francisco receivers Kyle Williams, Michael Crabtree and Randy Moss, taking some liberties within the five yards of the line of scrimmage where contact is permissible.
"I wouldn't use the words, 'locked up,' " Harbaugh said Friday, via Comcast SportsNet Bay Area. "We'll take that up with the officials (NFL office) and get their view of it."
It's standard practice for teams to send select plays to the league office for review, but it's not often that a coach publicly discusses it. Of course, this is Jim Harbaugh we're talking about here. He's not like most coaches.
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"I think it's just an 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."
Niners quarterback Alex Smith said Sherman and Browner should have been called for illegal contact "several times."
We'd say this amounts to crying over spilled milk, but the 49ers won the game. We look forward to Sherman's thoughts on all this. He has been known to respond to those who challenge him.
Follow Dan Hanzus on Twitter @danhanzus.
