The division of talent throughout the NFL is pretty even. It doesn't have to take long to bring a bottom feeder up to the level of the elite. Sometimes it just takes one coach, one player. Sometimes it just takes some confidence.
The San Francisco 49ers haven't played too well the past few years. Most of it was due to questionable coaching hires. After seeing Mike Singletary first hand as the Minnesota Vikings linebackers coach I can't see why any team would hire him as their head coach. The 49ers were a mess in the mid-70s. They hire Bill Walsh and they are Super Bowl Champions in only a couple years. Vince Lombardi, Bud Grant, Don Shula, Paul Brown all turned terrible teams into contenders quickly. The right coach is typically the quickest fix. The 49ers also made some questionable personnel moves. They threw way too much money and expected too much out of cornerback Nate Clements. Through it all they did manage to add some nice talent in Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, Mike Iupati, Joe Staley, Justin Smith, Navarro Bowman and my favorite Patrick Willis. If a potential coach took a look at the roster he'd see a decent team. Despite their recent performance the 49ers were a team filled with potential.
Jim Harbaugh was the perfect coach for the 49ers. He turned Stanford into a contender so quick it made me sick. He's the perfect coach for any football team. He just knows what it takes. He knows football and he knows how to motivate. Perhaps his greatest coaching move all year was showing confidence in quarterback Alex Smith. The pressure piled on Smith as the #1 pick in the draft and a revolving door of offensive coordinators and systems was ridiculous. He never had a chance until Harbaugh gave him one. The 49ers completed the team with wise offseason additions like David Akers, cornerback Carlos Rogers, linebacker Aldon Smith and safety Donte Whitner. An excellent mix of coaches and players came together and they started to believe. It often only takes a couple of wins to establish something great. The 49ers did.
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