Harbaugh Effect & Week 6 Picks

People thought Jim Harbaugh was nuts for wanting to bring back Alex Smith. So far, the Harbaugh effect is working for the ’05 number 1 pick.

One of the better stories of the 2011 NFL season is happening out on the left coast, and a former Chicago Bear is the reason why. The San Francisco 49ers have been mired in misery for the better part of a decade. Ever since Aeneas Williams shot out of a cannon on a blitz and ended Steve Young’s career early in the ’99 season, the Niners have sunk deeper and deeper into the football abyss. Sure, there were the two playoff seasons of ’01 & ’02, but that team aged quickly and became the worst in football.

It has long been a belief of mine that the ’04 Niners were worse than the 0-16 ’08 Lions team that has been assumed was the worst ever. Take a look at that ’04 Niner squad and find me anyone not named Julian Peterson that was anything close to resembling a pro-bowl talent. Terry Donahue was west coast Jerry Angelo, and John York was the male version of Virginia McCaskey. They somehow turned one of the most storied franchises in sports history into a glorified expansion team.

And that’s where Alex Smith comes in. The 1st overall pick in ’05 was thrown into a massive rebuilding project and given a coach who made him and Aaron Rodgers jump rope in pre-draft workouts to test their willingness to be a puppet. That was Mike Nolan who made them jump rope like Manny Pacquiao if you didn’t know or tried to forget. Smith was never given a chance under the coach who cared as much for wearing suits on the sideline as he did winning football games. From the time he stepped onto the field as a rookie in Denver in ’05, Smith behind the 88 ball. He never stood a chance with Nolan. Nolan was on a power trip, and it was York’s dumb-ass who gave him full autonomy over personnel. Cool move, John.

Smith enjoyed a solid ’06 season (16 TD’s-16INT’s-2,890 yards) under Norv Turner, but Turner left for the Chargers job. Smith’s rolodex of offensive coordinators even included Chicago public enemy number 1, Mike Martz. Throw in shoulder injuries, 6 systems in 6 years & a vengeful fan base, and what do you get? A mentally shot quarterback who was more fragile than a rape victim.

It came to a head last year when football idiot Mike Singletary tried to (and semi succeeded) in embarrassing Smith in a nationally televised game vs the Eagles. Smith had hit rock bottom. I was 175% convinced that he had played his last game in a 49ers uniform.

But Smith didn’t quit. He finished the season strong, and the Niners played their best game of the season once the blithering idiot was fired (a 38-7 win over the Cardinals). That’s when Smith’s luck finally started to turn.

Jim Harbaugh was hired by Jed York (the 30 year old 49ers President & CEO…And a much smarter football man than his imbecile father) & general manager Trent Baalke (considered one of the bright young talent evaluators in football) to restore the 49ers legacy, and remove them from the decrepit decade of the 2000?s.

It was a big money hire ($25 million for 5 years), but Harbaugh has been worth every penny so far.

A year ago at this time, the Niners were 0-5 and didn’t have a clue or identity. Despite Singletary’s claim of “hitting people in the mouth,” and “I want winners” bullshit, the Niners were an undisciplined disaster. Now? They are playing smart, solid, efficient football, and Harbaugh is the reason why. Smith is finally looking like a 1st round pick ( completing 65.9 percent of his passes (83 of 126) for 965 yards and 7 touchdowns with only 1 INT). He looks poised, confident, in control of the offense, knows exactly where to go with the ball, & his accuracy has improved each week. I don’t recognize this guy one bit. #HarbaughEffect.

He has changed the culture and given a tortured fan base hope for the future. Hell, fans were bowing to him as he walked off the field after the Niners 48-3 raping of the Bucs last Sunday. Finally, the Niners have a coach who has a real plan, a real system, & coaches up the things he deems important to his players. There isn’t just lip service to every last detail. Carlos Rogers came to the Bay Area with a reputation of having stone hands. So what does Harbaugh do? He has the DB’s run routs and work on their ball skills two days a week. Preparation….

“You act like your coaches,” said 49ers tight end Delanie Walker, whose 26-yard TD reception got the 49ers rolling last Sunday. “We are going to keep our heads, keep our cool and make smart decisions. When other teams make bad decisions, we capitalize on that.” So basically, it’s the opposite of last year’s Singletary fiasco.

The Harbaugh effect is still in it’s early stages in ‘Frisco. This team has a long way to go to reach the epic level that the 80?s & 90?s brought this franchise, but it’s refreshing to see a young executive (York) hire the GM he wanted (Baalke) and have that GM hire the coach he wanted (Harbaugh). The former Bears QB was the most sought after coach on the planet last January, and you are starting to see why. For a Niners fans base that’s been down for a decade plus, it brings back memories to the glory days. And it’s Captain Comeback who’s giving them legitimate hope for the first time since T.O. caught the winning touchdown vs the Packers in ’98.

Week 6 NFL Picks

Home team in CAPS

LIONS -4.5 over Niners

Colts +7 over BENGALS

PACKERS -15 over Rams

STEELERS -13 over Jags

REDSKINS +2 over Eagles

The Cam Newton’s +4 over FALCONS

GIANTS -over Bills

RAVENS -8 over Texans

RAIDERS -7 over Browns

PATRIOTS -7 over Cowboys