Sep 28, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh on the sideline against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first quarter at Levi
3. Jim Harbaugh
Jim Harbaugh is one dark horse candidate that could emerge late in the year or immediately after the season should the Raiders not find their guy before the years’ end. Harbaugh, current head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, could very well be on the way out in SF after failing to secure a contract extension before the season, and reports that he was nearly traded to the Cleveland Browns amid friction with the 49ers front office. There have been reports out of the 49ers locker room – repeated by NFL Network’s Deion Sanders and ESPN’s Trent Dilfer – that his style is “wearing thin” on veteran players in the 49er locker room. Granted, Harbaugh would have a number of opportunities – both college and pro – open to him should his run with the 49ers indeed come to an end after this year, but he would be one of the best coaches out there, and the Raiders are in need of a firey, demanding head coach with an offensive pedigree.
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Harbaugh, the former NFL quarterback once nicknamed “Captain Comeback,” has had one of the most meteoric rises to coaching stardom in recent memory. A year after hanging up his cleats, Harbaugh spent 2002 and 2003 with the Raiders as Bill Callahan’s Quarterbacks coach working with Rich Gannon. From there, he went on to be the head coach at the University of San Diego, an FCS school, who he led to a 29-6 record in his three seasons there. From San Diego, he was hired to be the head coach of Stanford University. When he took over Stanford’s football program in 2007, the Cardinal had not had a winning record since 2001, in Tyrone Willingham’s last year there. They had lost to FCS school UC Davis in 2005, and the program was widely considered unable to complete in FBS play because of their high academic standards.
Within four years, Jim Harbaugh had turned the Cardinal into a powerhouse program: his last year at Stanford, they finished 12-1, won the Orange Bowl, and were ranked #4 in the final BCS rankings and AP Poll. Stanford has sent a number of players into the NFL since Harbaugh’s arrival, including Richard Sherman and Andrew Luck, and still generally runs the offense he put in place: a run-heavy Pro Style offense marked by use of extra tight ends in an era where most college offenses are going to wide open spread looks.
In 2011, Harbaugh brought his physical brand of football to the pros, taking over the San Francisco 49ers, who had parted ways with Mike Singletary late in the 2010 season. Harbaugh’s impact was immediate. The 49ers, a year removed from a 6-10 record, won 13 games in Harbaugh’s first year as head coach. Nine 49er players made the Pro Bowl, six were named All-Pro. Quarterback Alex Smith, widely regarded as a massive draft bust throughout his first five years in the league, had the best season of his career, throwing 17 TD’s to only 5 interceptions (he had averaged nearly one interception per game played in his first five seasons). The defense finished 4th in yards allowed and 2nd in scoring. The team made its first playoff appearance and got its first playoff win since 2002.
In 2012, The 49ers went 11-4-1 on their way to a Super Bowl appearance, finishing 3rd in total defense, 2nd in scoring defense and 11th in both total offense and scoring offense despite changing quarterbacks midway through the year. The 49ers lost the Super Bowl to the Ravens – coached by Harbaugh’s brother – but the game was memorable for an impressive comeback rally by the 49ers after a power outage early in the third quarter. Last years’ 49er team finished 12-4 and lost the NFC Championship in a close contest with eventual Super Bowl Champion Seattle, again finishing in the top 3 in both scoring and overall defense, and 11th in scoring offense.
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It has been a tumultuous 2014 so far for Jim Harbaugh’s 49ers. The team is 2-2, and there are reports of turmoil within the organization, much of it having to do with Harbaugh’s abrasive personality and fiery style. Colin Kaepernick is completing nearly 67% of his passes, but the offense is ranked 19th in yards and 20th in scoring while the defense is ranked 24th in scoring through four. Two of the team’s best young defensive players – Aldon Smith and Navorro Bowman – are out, and defensive end Ray McDonald is facing domestic violence allegations. The 49ers have suffered a rash of incidents in the offseason with players getting into legal trouble. This may very well be Harbaugh’s last year with the team, and if it is, the Raiders have an opportunity to keep him in the Bay Area. Harbaugh brings a winning pedigree and a winning mentality to a team in desperate need of it, and his ability as a quarterback mentor could be exactly what young Derek Carr needs.
Harbaugh’s act may wear thin with veterans on the team, but it may very well inspire the young players that GM Reggie McKenzie has added and plans to add in the future, and even just a few years of Harbaugh could turn the Raiders into a consistent winner again, as it has for Stanford. Mark Davis could do much worse, and it’s unlikely he could do any better.