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Fooch's Note: Poll attached for predictions of who Harbaugh names starting QB
49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh has agreed to announce a starting QB for San Francisco going forward. On Wednesday afternoon, the Niners HC will officially make his decision, which will hopefully alleviate some of the tension in the locker room.
Harbaugh has said he considers both of them to be starting quarterbacks at this point. The decision could go either way, but whatever the outcome, there is sure to be some backlash.
If Alex Smith has to be re-named the starter for the Niners, there is still something not quite right about that. If Harbaugh says Alex Smith will continue to be the starter in San Francisco, one has to think that it would be bittersweet for Smith.
On one hand, he would remain the starter of an 8-2-1 Niners team that is beginning to think about the postseason. And on the other, this is the second time in less than a year that his needs have been put on the backburner – it’s the second time he’s been publically doubted.
Smith would have every right to feel a little sour after getting his job back. And even though No. 11 has been first-class during his run with the team, everyone has breaking points.
Then there’s the chance that Harbaugh names Colin Kaepernick the starting QB. This would be the much bolder of the decisions and would likely mean more headlines to come. A top-ranked team cannot just make a QB change 12 weeks into the season and expect no one to notice. This decision could sever the blossoming relationship between Smith and Harbaugh.
And while the 49ers may be more dynamic with Kaepernick in the lineup, does that dynamism outweigh the potential repercussions from sitting Smith midseason?
However it plays out, I trust Harbaugh to make a decision based on the betterment of the team. This is a coach that is thinking about a title this year. So whoever he goes with, he believes gives the 49ers the best chance to win now.