San Francisco 49ers: Who Are the Top Candidates to Replace Jim Harbaugh?
When the 2014 season began, the playoffs were a foregone conclusion. There were dreams of a sixth Super Bowl championship in San Francisco. Anything less would be a disappointment.
Little did we know just how disappointing the season would become. For the first time under head coach Jim Harbaugh, the 49ers are not over the .500 mark and have missed the playoffs.
Jim Harbaugh brought the 49ers back from a nine-year winning drought and made them relevant once again. He got the team to the Super Bowl only two seasons ago and had them in the NFC title game in each of his prior three seasons.
Unfortunately, things turned dramatically worse this year. The reasons have been discussed at length so there's no need to rehash that. Suffice it to say that the rift between Harbaugh and owner Jed York and GM Trent Baalke seems irreparably broken, per Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News (h/t Detroit News).
If Harbaugh is indeed gone, let's look at some of the coaches who could replace him. The top candidates will likely have some sort of prior affiliation with the 49ers. In addition, do not expect the sexy names like Bill Cowher or Jon Gruden to be in the mix.
The man chosen as the 49ers' next head coach will have a decent roster to work with, but he must develop Colin Kaepernick and get the San Francisco offense back on track.
All NFL coaching stats courtesy of pro-football-reference.com.
No. 10: Josh McDaniels
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Josh McDaniels is someone that will be considered, but he is not an ideal fit for the 49ers.
He is currently the offensive coordinator with the New England Patriots and works directly with Tom Brady. This is one reason McDaniels is not an ideal candidate. Brady knows exactly what he is doing and is, in essence, a coach on the field.
If McDaniels was with the 49ers, he would need to show that he can develop Colin Kaepernick and get the utmost out of his immense potential.
McDaniels had a prior opportunity as a head coach and failed miserably. He led the Denver Broncos in the 2009 and 2010 season. The Broncos were 11-17 over those two seasons.
McDaniels also presided over the Tim Tebow fiasco. He pushed for Tebow in the 2010 draft and expected him to be a star. However, as we saw, that was a gross miscalculation on the part of McDaniels.
After McDaniels departed, general manager John Elway could not dump Tebow quickly enough. Elway, who knows a little bit about quarterback play, was able to ship Tebow out after the 2011 season. Despite being a first-round selection, Tebow is no longer in the league.
There was also a lot of duress in Denver under McDaniels. In addition to his affinity for Tebow, McDaniels would frequently let his emotions get out of control, and he was also involved in a spying scandal, which was extremely unprofessional.
Mike Klis of the Denver Post discussed McDaniels' tenure in Denver and the issues that led to his firing.
No. 9: David Shaw
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Had the 49ers coaching opportunity opened up last year, David Shaw would have probably had a better chance. Shaw had just led Stanford to their third straight outstanding season and their second consecutive Rose Bowl.
Shaw became the Stanford head coach in 2011, after Jim Harbaugh joined the 49ers. Shaw also played under Bill Walsh, while at Stanford.
Shaw led the Cardinal to a 35-7 record in his first three seasons. The Cardinal won the Pac-12 championship in both 2012 and 2013.
Unfortunately for Shaw, the Cardinal struggled at times this year. They fell to 7-5 and the major reason was a lack of consistency of the Stanford offense.
Quarterback Kevin Hogan did not excel as hoped and the Cardinal offense struggled as a result. With the 49ers needing to bolster their offense, Shaw's star has dimmed after the season he had at Stanford.
No. 8: Hue Jackson
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Hue Jackson has one year of head-coaching experience, which was in Oakland in 2011. He led the Raiders to a respectable 8-8 record but was fired by new general manager Reggie McKenzie. It was McKenzie's first major decision after the death of Al Davis, who previously handled all such moves.
Since Jackson's ouster, the Raiders have failed to win more than four games in any of the past three seasons.
Jackson has 14 years of experience coaching in the NFL. He is currently the offensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals currently rank in the middle of the pack as far as scoring and yards gained.
Jackson has worked with Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton this year. The degree of improvement from Dalton this year has not been great and part of that falls on Jackson.
The 49ers can and should do better than Jackson, as theirs is an outstanding opportunity to win right away.
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No. 7: Jim Mora Jr.
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Jim Mora Jr. is currently the head coach at UCLA. He is in his third season with the Bruins and has led them to a 28-11 record.
Mora Jr. also has an extensive coaching background in pro football, having coached for 25 years in the NFL. Mora was the head coach of the Falcons from 2004-06, leading the Falcons to a 26-22 record. He also was the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks in 2009, where he led them to a 5-11 record.
Mora Jr. coached with the 49ers for seven years, from 1997-2003.
The primary concern with Mora Jr. is that his experience is on the defensive side of the ball. He would need to hire an extremely strong offensive guru to help energize the 49ers offense and get more production out of Colin Kaepernick.
No. 6: Gary Kubiak
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Gary Kubiak was an NFL quarterback for nine seasons with the Denver Broncos. Following his retirement, he immediately got into coaching. He started his coaching career at the college level at Texas A&M.
In 1994, Kubiak joined the 49ers for one season as their quarterbacks coach. He worked with Steve Young, who had his best season. The 49ers went on to win the Super Bowl that season.
Kubiak has eight years as a head coach, all with the Houston Texans. He is currently the offensive coordinator with the Baltimore Ravens. His knowledge of the offensive game is another factor in his favor.
Kubiak has an overall coaching record of 61-64. Given the depth of his experience and offensive expertise, Kubiak would be a strong candidate for the 49ers.
No. 5: Dan Quinn
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Hiring Dan Quinn away from the Seattle Seahawks will provide a dual benefit for the 49ers. First off, he will not be coaching in Seattle, which is a major plus for the 49ers. Secondly, Quinn is a good coach and will know the NFC West.
Quinn coached four seasons with the 49ers, from 2001-04. His experience is on the defensive side of the football, so Quinn will need to bring in a top quality offensive mind to run the San Francisco offense.
The one drawback with bringing in a defensive guy like Quinn is that the 49ers would likely lose Vic Fangio, who has done a remarkable job under very trying circumstances, However, if Quinn is the man that Jed York and Trent Baalke want, they will do everything possible to help him get quality offensive coaches.
No. 4: Jim Tomsula
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Jim Tomsula is a fiery, intense coach and a strong leader. He has coached the 49ers defensive line for the past eight seasons, interrupted only when he took over as the interim head coach when Mike Singletary was fired in 2010. As a head coach, Tomsula won his one and only game.
Tomsula, by all accounts, appears to be well-liked and respected by the current 49ers players.
A defensive-oriented coach, Tomsula, like Dan Quinn, would also need to bring in a top offensive coordinator to lead the offense.
Jason La Canfora of cbssports.com discussed the merits of Tomsula replacing Jim Harbaugh.
No. 3: Mike Shanahan
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A few years ago, Mike Shanahan would have been a perfect candidate for the 49ers head-coaching job. However, when the 2015 season gets underway, Shanahan will be 63 years of age. One must wonder if he has the energy to get the job done in San Francisco.
Shanahan also has ties to San Francisco, as he was their offensive coordinator for three seasons, from 1992-94.
Shanahan is well-known for his offensive expertise and led Denver and John Elway to Super Bowl victories in the 1997 and 1998 seasons.
The other concern with Shanahan is that his most recent head-coaching job in Washington did not end well. In 2013, his last year with the Redskins, they fell to 3-13.
Overall, Shanahan owns a 170-138 record for his career. He has been a head coach in the NFL for 20 years and might be able to bring back the glory days to San Francisco.
No. 2: Adam Gase
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The hot name on the market this year is Adam Gase, the Denver Broncos offensive coordinator. Gase has been in Denver since 2009. His expertise is on the offensive side of the ball, which is an added bonus for the 49ers.
In 2008, Gase was with the 49ers as offensive assistant.
Although Gase has a lot of experience working with quarterbacks, his achievement in Denver is tempered by the fact that Peyton Manning runs the offense. Like Tom Brady, Manning is like a coach on the field, so it's hard to see the real impact of a coach like Gase.
Gase has no head-coaching experience, but he could be great. The concern is that the 49ers have no recent track record to really judge, because of Manning's presence.
No. 1: Vic Fangio
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Current San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio heads this list of candidates. With so many injuries to the 49ers defense, Fangio somehow kept the defense together and they played quite well under very difficult circumstances.
Fangio is highly respected in San Francisco and around the league. Although he is more analytical by nature, Fangio has proven that he can get the job done in the NFL. Fangio has 15 years in the NFL as a defensive coordinator. He joined the 49ers from Stanford, where he was coaching with Jim Harbaugh.
Fangio reminds one of George Seifert, the former 49ers defensive coordinator under Bill Walsh. He ultimately succeeded Walsh and led the 49ers to two Super Bowl championships.
Like Seifert, Fangio is more of a tactician than a rah-rah type of presence. He will need to hire a strong offensive coordinator that can get the offense rolling and help Colin Kaepernick improve. Nevertheless, Fangio has done a remarkable job with the San Francisco defense and deserves this opportunity.
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