Return To Glory

Why the San Francisco head coaching position is perfect for Jim Harbaugh, and why Jim Harbaugh is perfect for the position.

Since the departure of Jeff Garcia, Terrell Owens, and Steve Mariucci, the 49ers offense has been one of the worst in the league, and all three left prior to the 2004 season. With a variety of coaches, offensive coordinators, and quarterbacks, the offense has just not been able to find any stability over the past seven years. Alex Smith has been the main trigger man for the most part. His inconsistencies at the position are enough to warrant his departure. The last two head coaches, Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary were great defensive minds. They had the defense playing at a high level for the majority of their tenure as head coach. However, they both made the same fatal error. Both had no clue to what it would take to win games. They both were to old fashion in their game management and extremely conservative on offense. They relied solely on the defense and Frank Gore to win games. This is not a recipe for success in today’s NFL. Good football teams in today’s game have balance, an above average quarterback, and an above average passing game, i.e. Patriots-Brady, Colts-Manning, and Steelers-Big Ben.

I believe, Jim Harbaugh is the perfect candidate to turn all of this around. Being a former NFL quarterback, he will pay special attention to the intricate details, when it comes to the maturation of the next 49ers quarterback. The 49ers will most likely be bringing in a new quarterback in 2011, via the draft. Harbaugh is the ideal guy to mentor him. He is an offensive minded coach that I believe will bring energy and continuity to the offense. He can get this thing going in the right direction, and bring balance to the entire team. An intangible that I also believe was lacking in the past three head coaches was youth and a positive energy. Harbaugh possesses both attributes and would have a positive influence on a team in dire need of change.