Why Alex Smith is "Harbaugh's Guy" (and Kaepernick gets the clipboard again in 2012)

As a followup to my post of a few days ago entitled "I'll Take Two Of Whatever Kaepernick Is On" (which was popular with readers, but contained some language that was not appreciated by management), I'd like to elaborate on why I think Harbaugh is so loyal to Alex Smith, and why Kaepernick won't get a shot at the starting job unless Smith goes down.

Way back when the 49ers were perennial Super Bowl contenders, the internet was a dubious hair product sold on late night infomercials, and the words "Vanilla Ice" could be said in public without inducing hysterical laughter (although not in my house), Jim Harbaugh used to be a starting quarterback in the NFL.

Like Smith, Harbaugh was highly touted coming out of college, and was drafted with the 26th overall pick in the 1987 Draft by the Chicago Bears. And like Smith, Harbaugh struggled early in his career, posting his highest QB rating with Chicago (81.9) in 1990, his only year with the Bears in which he threw significantly more touchdowns than interceptions (10-6).

Harbaugh was benched repeatedly during his stay in Chicago, and famously (like Smith) was involved in a televised sideline altercation with his coach. (Interestingly, Mike Ditka, the coach with whom Harbaugh had the altercation in 1992, was one of Harbaugh's strongest endorsers last year when the 49ers signed him to fill their head coaching vacancy.) Harbaugh's years in Chicago were trying, as, in addition to his turbulent relationship with Ditka, he also endured constant criticism from the fans and the media (sound familiar?)

Harbaugh joined the Indianapolis Colts in 1994 as a backup, and quickly became the starter. With the Colts, in a new offense and under the guidance of head coach Ted Marchibroda, Harbaugh completely revitalized his career. He led Indianapolis, prevously a laughingstock, to the playoffs in 1995, and came within a dropped pass of facing the Evil Empire, uh, I mean Dallas Cowboys, in Super Bowl XXX. In that year Harbaugh was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time, and was runner up for the NFL MVP award. Harbaugh's TD-interception ratio that season, like Smith's in 2011, was 17-5.

The reason Harbaugh is so supportive of Smith is because, in addition to Smith's indisputable toughness and his willingness to buy in completely to what Harbaugh is selling, Harbaugh doesn't see a first round bust, or a quarterback who has been beaten down by injuries, repeated coaching changes and criticism when he looks at Smith. When Harbaugh looks at Smith, what he sees is... Jim Harbaugh.

A comment by fellow early riser mrg80, below, made me think to add this paragraph to the post. It seems like a lot of fans, myself included, feel like Smith much of the time doesn't have the intense, win-at-all-costs attitude we'd like to see. It may be that the nonchalant, low-key demeanor that makes Smith so likable in his interactions with the media make it seem as if he does not have that competitiveness and pure will to win for which Harbaugh has been so renowned, both as a coach and as a player. If anything, this is what Harbaugh's role must be this season: to make sure that he instills as much of that as he can in Smith. We all saw Harbaugh talking intensely to Smith on the sideline before the Giants game in January, while staring him down and pounding on his shoulder pads - trying to hype him up. I believe more of that is exactly what Smith needs to become the player we all hope he can be.

While the comparisons between Smith and Harbaugh are numerous, the statistical similarities are striking. Below is a statistical comparison, showing the many parallels between the two quarterbacks through the first seven years of their NFL careers. Harbaugh's stats are extended through year eight to show his improvement in his second year in Marchibroda's offense, and his first year in Chicago is not included as he was only active for six games that season and was never the starter. At the bottom, I have included Smith's college stats because of something Urban Meyer, Smith's coach at Utah, said about him a few hours after the 49ers drafted him in 2005: "he is a guy that, until he understands it, he is nonfunctional."

If that's the case, what can we expect out of Smith this year, after a full season in Harbaugh's offense and the probable additions of some new wide receivers? Is Harbaugh wrong to put his faith in Smith? Take the poll to weigh in on what you think the 49ers should do at the quarterback position in 2012.

Harbaugh

* Harbaugh's first year with the Colts

** Selected to Pro Bowl; runner-up for NFL MVP

Smith

* The "Harbaugh Effect"

Smith (as a starter at Utah)