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3 reasons why the Las Vegas Raiders should hire Jim Harbaugh

By Khaled Abdallah

Dec 31, 2021; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh reacts from the sideline during the second half in the Orange Bowl college football CFP national semifinal game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2021; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh reacts from the sideline during the second half in the Orange Bowl college football CFP national semifinal game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rhona Wise-USA TODAY Sports /
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Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh at the end of the Wolverines’ 34-11 loss to Georgia in the Orange Bowl on Friday, Dec. 31, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Florida.Capital One Orange Bowl
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh at the end of the Wolverines’ 34-11 loss to Georgia in the Orange Bowl on Friday, Dec. 31, 2021, in Miami Gardens, Florida.Capital One Orange Bowl /

3 reasons why the Las Vegas Raiders should hire Jim Harbaugh

Jim Harbaugh is not afraid to make tough personnel decisions for the benefit of the team

Following a difficult 2010 season under Mike Singletary and Alex Smith struggling at quarterback, the 49ers selected University of Nevada-Reno quarterback Colin Kaepernick in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft. Jim Harbaugh took over as head coach that same offseason and helped revitalize Alex Smith’s career and turned him into a winning quarterback.

After falling short against the New York Giants in 2011, the 49ers went into the 2012 season as one of the favorites in the NFC. They started the season 6-2 with Smith as the quarterback but when he suffered a concussion against the Rams in week 10, the Colin Kaepernick era began.

Kapernick came on in relief of Smith and the game against St Louis ended in a tie but it was the last time Smith would start that season.

Kaepernick started the following week against the Chicago Bears on Monday night and had a fantastic performance against a very good Bears defense. Harbaugh chose to go with the “ hot hand” at quarterback and his faith was rewarded with a 5-2 record with Kaepernick as the starter in the regular season. The success would continue in the playoffs as the 49ers beat the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons on their way to a Super Bowl matchup with the Ravens.

It would have been very easy for Harbaugh to go back to Smith after he was cleared from his injury in week 10 but he saw that the team performed better under Kaepernick and he made what was then a risky choice. You would continue to have great success with Kaepernick as his QB and we could expect the same level of confident decision-making in Las Vegas.

The Raiders don’t have a young quarterback waiting in the wings to take over for Derek Carr, but if Harbaugh believes there is a better option then he will not be afraid to take it.

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