NFL San Francisco 49ers

Jim Harbaugh Leaving NFL For Michigan Is the Only Smart Move

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By @blackirishpr

San Francisco 49ers, Michigan

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Talk about going out with a bang. On the same day that the San Francisco 49ers end their four-game losing streak and knock the Arizona Cardinals out of the a top seed in the playoffs, the team finally decides to come to an agreement with head coach Jim Harbaugh to mutually sever ties with each other.

It couldn’t have come at a better time either.

Harbaugh’s 49ers (8-8)  missed the playoffs for the first time in his four-year tenure, his star quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, suffered from serious regression and his defense was nowhere near up to par. So it only seems right that reports have him scampering back to his Michigan alma mater in a press conference that the university has scheduled for Tuesday.

To call a return to the college game smart would be an understatement after having allegedly worn out his welcome with San Francisco’s players and brass as far back as the end of last season.

To be clear, Harbaugh’s high-strung antics had way more to do with the separation than failing in the Super Bowl and falling short in two NFC Championship games. And if the organization is being truthful, his 44-19-1 record shows that he was an undeniably great coach. However, it did not help that he would often out-genius himself by doing things like refusing to hand the ball to Frank Gore when it was obvious that certain teams could not stop him at the line. That’s a move he failed to shake until yesterday’s game when he force-fed Gore 25 carries for 144 rushing yards.

It was a reminder of just how bizarre some of this season’s coaching schemes had been. Couple that with defensive suspensions, injuries and Kaepernick’s poor quarterbacking decisions and the year was bound to be a disaster — especially if players really began to tune him out. This is exactly what makes his choice to go back to Michigan better than taking a look at the New York Jets, Chicago Bears or Oakland Raiders.

College kids need Harbaugh in order to reach their goals of getting to the NFL. Meaning that no matter how annoying he gets, they will have to put up with it for a chance to get to their promised land. Just ask his former Stanford players-turned Seattle Seahawks, Richard Sherman and “Angry” Doug Baldwin.

The two can’t stand his guts, but his coaching helped them get to the league. And his track record of success with Andrew Luck, Alex Smith and his hand in making Kaepernick a household name will make it easier to walk into homes and recruit top talent.

In essence it all makes him a perfect fit, because the power that he will wield over student athletes is nothing that he could hold on the NFL level.

Richard Nurse is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @blackirishpr or add him to your network on Google.

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