via ww2.hdnux.com

Have you ever noticed the contrast? After the Super Bowl loss in February, 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh campaigned for bringing two-time Pro Bowl safety Dashon Goldson back, saying he was"somebody that I think you reward."

But at the NFL scouting combine, GM Trent Baalke said, "and you certainly can't pay everybody if you're overpaying others." That was the precursor to letting Goldson depart to the Tampa Bay Bucs in free agency.

How about Randy Moss? In January, Jim Harbaugh went on record as saying, "For official publication I, for one, definitely want Randy to come back..." But only a few weeks after the Super Bowl, Baalke was less than re-assuring, saying "is he going to return this year? I don't know that yet." By early March, it was clear that Moss' time in SF was over as the 49ers steered clear of re-signing him.

And then there was Harbaugh's comments in late February, where he indicated he wanted to keep Alex Smith and free agent Delanie Walker, but we all know how that worked out.

Basically, Trent Baalke's unspoken personnel decisions speak louder than Jim Harbaugh's words, but why is this? Is Harbaugh playing the good cop to bring out the best in his players while Baalke plays the bad cop that puts guys on the chopping block? Pretty much, but that's an expected contrast in roles between general managers and head coaches.

A GM's job is to sign the best talent that keeps the team within its budget, while the head coach's job is to develop the talent he's given. It's a collaborative relationship that can lend itself to disagreement, but it's all for the best. On the occasion that Trent and Jim do agree, we see genius moves like the drafting and development of Colin Kaepernick.