National Football League

Harbaugh, 49ers will both learn on the go

Published Jan. 7, 2011 12:00 a.m. ET

Alex Marvez

The San Francisco 49ers have hired their fourth different head coach with no previous NFL experience in that position.

Jim Harbaugh is joining a quarterback-starved franchise that hasn’t finished with a winning record or playoff appearance since the 2002 campaign.

Sounds like a match made in heaven, huh?

The 49ers are a curious landing spot for the hottest head-coaching candidate in both the NCAA and NFL. Harbaugh had the chance to stay at Stanford University with stud quarterback Andrew Luck and make a strong run at the 2011 BCS championship. Harbaugh could have pursued a return to alma mater Michigan, where he would have been treated like a returning hero after the program's three middling seasons under the deposed Rich Rodriguez.

Harbaugh was personally courted by Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, who was so smitten he let current head coach Tony Sparano twist in the ocean breeze. The Denver Broncos — now fronted by famed Cardinal alumnus John Elway — also sniffed around before backing out because of a lack of financial resources.

But as FOXSports.com NFL insider Jay Glazer reported Friday afternoon, Harbaugh agreed to a five-year contract with the 49ers. The deal is worth $25 million, according to various media reports.

Jed York is probably doing a victory jig in Haight-Ashbury. The 29-year-old 49ers owner/president was eager to place his own stamp on this family owned franchise gone to seed. So is Trent Baalke, who was promoted to the general manager’s position in the aftermath of Mike Singletary’s firing as head coach.

Harbaugh will obviously enjoy strong support from upper management shaping the 49ers in his vision. His hiring will excite a demoralized fan base. Harbaugh was brilliant in rebuilding nearby Stanford and grooming what would have been the draft’s top quarterback prospect had Luck skipped his senior season.

Harbaugh won’t have to uproot his family to pursue his dream of coaching in the NFL. San Francisco’s personnel cupboard isn’t empty, either. The 49ers have quality at three skill positions (running back, wide receiver and tight end), young talent along the offensive line, solid special teams and cornerstone defensive players like Patrick Willis and Justin Smith.

That being said, this arrangement is a major gamble for both parties.

Harbaugh must buck the ongoing trend of college head coaches who subsequently flop on the professional level. On a positive note, he is familiar with the NFL. A quarterback for six different teams in a 14-year career, Harbaugh later spent two seasons in Oakland as an offensive assistant before returning to the college ranks. He can lean on brother and Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh for advice in navigating the NFL waters.

But no matter the ties, relating to impressionable college kids at Stanford is different than winning over a locker room of 20- and 30-something professionals. Many of them will view Harbaugh with a skeptical eye until he proves himself.

Nick Saban couldn’t make the transition in Miami, and he was an even more ballyhooed NFL prospect than Harbaugh. Neither could Bobby Petrino (Atlanta), Steve Spurrier (Washington) nor a name the 49ers should be quite familiar with — Dennis Erickson. He lasted all of two seasons before being fired after a 2-14 campaign in 2004.

Erickson and successors Singletary and Mike Nolan also share this in common besides being neophyte NFL head coaches: None inherited a franchise quarterback to build around. The 49ers wasted six years under Singletary and Nolan waiting for Alex Smith to assume that role as the No. 1 overall pick in 2005. It never happened.

Smith knows he’s so far gone from the 49ers this offseason that he laughed when asked by a reporter about his chances for a 2011 return. Troy Smith was erratic in his six starts this season. Third-stringer David Carr remains one of the biggest draft busts in NFL history.

Even if Luck changed his mind and turned pro, the 49ers would have little shot at getting him because Carolina holds the No. 1 pick. With a limited crop of solid veterans likely available in free agency or via trade, Harbaugh must hope another highly touted college quarterback falls to him with the No. 7 overall pick or Baalke finds a way to move up in the draft before quarterback-starved Arizona usurps San Francisco at No. 5.

This leads to another risk that Harbaugh has taken. Harbaugh doesn’t even know when he can meet with his new quarterback or any other 49ers players to begin implementing his system. A leaguewide work stoppage is expected to begin in March unless a new labor pact is reached between the NFL and its players association.

Whoever took the 49ers job would have to deal with these challenges. I just didn’t figure it would be Harbaugh considering his options elsewhere and the obstacles he must now overcome in making the 49ers relevant again.