When Jim Harbaugh, the San Francisco 49ers' coach, speaks to reporters at Super Bowl media day on Tuesday, expect a few awkward moments. Each time he steps to the podium for a news conference, he gives off the impression he just watched his team lose by 60 points while he was undergoing a root canal.

A coach who doesn't enjoy talking to the press isn't exactly a rare phenomenon—New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and New York Rangers coach John Tortorella have become legends for their short, often curt answers at media...