Harbaugh back under ‘ no limits’
Coach as fired up as ever on day after heart procedure
SANTA CLARA — Coach Jim Harbaugh appeared healthy and in positive spirits Friday, a day after the 49ers coach underwent a minor procedure for an irregular heartbeat.
“I’m glad to be back,” Harbaugh said after coaching Friday morning’s practice. “I’m fine- fine, and ready to go to work.”
Aside from altering his diet, cutting down on caffeine and throwing back some aspirin, Harbaugh said doctors placed “no limits” on him. He plans to stick to his “normal” routine, which will include working the sideline Monday night for the game between the host 49ers ( 6- 21) and Chicago Bears ( 7- 2).
Harbaugh dismissed the notion of taking a calmer approach or even trying meditation as a stress outlet. Simply put, Harbaugh isn’t about to tone down his passion for football.
“He’s just an intense person,” fullback Bruce Miller said. “He’s not slowing down. He was just as fired up and as intense this morning ( at practice).”
Harbaugh met with team doctors Wednesday night when his heart “just felt like it was beating faster than normal.”
That prompted Thursday’s outpatient procedure at Stanford Hospital, and Harbaugh returned to the 49ers facility to observe the final hour of Thursday’s practice.
“When he showed up, it gave everybody a spark,” defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois said.
“Being our coach, he couldn’t leave us all day, and he had to come back and show his face at practice,” cornerback Carlos Rogers added with a laugh.
This wasn’t Harbaugh’s first encounter with what an irregular heartbeat, or specifically an atrial flutter. Some 13 years ago, when he was quarterbacking the San Diego Chargers near the end of his career, Harbaugh sought similar treatment for a more severe heart irregularity, he said.
Harbaugh called Thursday morning’s cardioversion procedure “amazing” in how it quickly gets a heart rate normal.
Harbaugh scoffed at the idea he might be headed for career burnout: “I don’t foresee that.” Nor did he seek sympathy upon returning to work.
“He’s never shown a weakness, and he definitely downplayed it,” Miller said.
Several players, and Harbaugh himself, joked that he was susceptible to getting fined for missing Thursday’s team meetings.
Harbaugh, meanwhile, was back to his normal routine at Friday’s practice. Thatentailed shuffling papers with the practice schedule on it, as well as catching passes on short routes while looking like the picture of good health, once again.
For more on the 49ers, see Cam Inman’s Hot Read blog at blogs. mercurynews. com/ 49ers. Follow him on Twitter at twitter. com/ CamInman.