Jim Harbaugh: Will He Go With Andrew Luck To Carolina Panthers?
With the end of the Orange Bowl last night, the speculation began in earnest over whether or not Jim Harbaugh would return as head coach of the Stanford Cardinal. Harbaugh, who has resurrected a long-dormant program into a national powerhouse, is a hot commodity in the football coaching world and may land in any number of places: He's a wanted man.
Meanwhile, Harbaugh's quarterback is also pondering a departure from the school. Andrew Luck would almost certainly be the top pick in the 2011 NFL Draft if he so chose, and all indications are that he is headed out of town.
With the coaching position for the Carolina Panthers, who have the first pick in the April draft, currently vacant, the possibility remains that Harbaugh and Luck could walk hand-in-hand into the NFL. Of course, there are also a dozen other possibilities. Read on for all Harbaugh's possible destinations, along with a percentage chance of each being the one.
San Francisco 49ers
1 of 10
Percent Chance: 25 percent
This destination makes sense from every angle: Harbaugh is a builder, a fierce man who needs control over personnel and development. He can get all that in San Francisco, where no coherent strategy has been in place for a decade or more.
The 49ers themselves have prestige, a certain status among NFL squads that Harbaugh would love to use as a source of team pride. Finally, they are right up the road from Harbaugh's current digs at Stanford, so there would be minimal culture shock and the fanbase (many of whom may already be Stanford fans on the college side) would embrace him.
Stanford Cardinal
2 of 10
Percent chance: 20 percent
Sure, Harbaugh will get offers to go elsewhere. In fact, he will get a lot of them, and they may ultimately be too good to pass up. In the end, though, home is where the heart is, and Harbaugh may decide to stay at Stanford and try to build a national title winner even without Luck under center.
He has had nothing but good experiences at the university so far, so why fix what is far from broken?
Carolina Panthers
3 of 10
UPDATE: Owner Jerry Richardson says no one from the Panthers has talked to Harbaugh, and the general buzz is that Carolina might not be interested. I'd still keep an eye on this one, but the public appearance is that Carolina just stepped a bit away from Harbaugh.
Percent chance: 15 percent
Not much is good with the Panthers right now, as they fired head coach John Fox after a 2-14 season. If they are able to land both Luck and Harbaugh, though, they will be right back on track by the start of 2011.
Luck is in the bag for the Panthers, as long as they are willing to shell out the cash to select him first overall. Harbaugh will be a much tougher get because the only real selling point the Panthers can offer is the prospect of continuing to coach Luck as a professional. Harbaugh might go for it, but things like this hardly ever happen and never end well.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Denver Broncos
4 of 10
Percent chance: 15 percent
Harbaugh might be more enticed to take on the Denver job. This is a team with a strong history, a sturdy fan base, a promising and interesting young quarterback and a number of versatile players who can adjust to Harbaugh's whims with relative ease. They also play in the AFC, so Harbaugh could have a chance to coach against his brother John more often in Denver.
The Broncos, like the 49ers, offer a certain cache to the holder of their head job, and Harbaugh could be the man for it.
Michigan Wolverines
5 of 10
Percent chance: 5 percent
The degree of speculation surrounding this one is a bit strange: Yes, Michigan is Harbaugh's alma mater, but that is about all the two have in common these days. Wolverines coach Rich Rodriguez is still in place and might just cling on for one more year, especially if Michigan's back-channel communications with Harbaugh suggest he would not bolt for Michigan, anyway.
Though it may seem a minor consideration, Harbaugh may also be turned off by the style of play and the players who have recently been recruited at Michigan. With Denard Robinson under center for at least one more year, Harbaugh would be forced to run a fairly wide-open offense, one with which Rodriguez was very comfortable but with which Harbaugh, a pro-style offensive mind, is unfamiliar.
Miami Dolphins
6 of 10
Percent chance: 5 percent
For this to even become an option, the Dolphins would need to part ways with current head coach Tony Sparano, and while that seems likely, it isn't yet imminent. Even if it happens, it's a bit hard to imagine Harbaugh fleeing California for a team whose best player in 2011 might well be a receiver with an attitude problem.
The Dolphins are burdened by veterans, lacking in physicality on the offensive line and without the elite defense that once made them great. Harbaugh would have to be mildly nuts to choose them...which of course he is, so anything is possible.
Cleveland Browns
7 of 10
Percent chance: 5 percent
The Browns are a work in progress, and not very far along in their rebuilding, but Harbaugh could help. Mike Holmgren would certainly love to bring in a guy like Harbaugh, who runs an offense Holmgren would appreciate and who has played quarterback at the highest level.
On Harbaugh's side of the ledger, joining the Browns would mean playing brother John twice a year, which may drive the two competitive Harbaugh men to early graves but would be awfully fun for both. This seems a decent option, but Harbaugh has better ones.
Cincinnati Bengals
8 of 10
UPDATE: Maybe we can make this zero percent, as reports now have Marvin Lewis returning to the Bengals for 2011.
Percent chance: 4 percent
We are tumbling toward the entirely remote now, but the Bengals will probably part ways with Marvin Lewis and could make a play for Harbaugh. Their selling point would have to be the same as the Browns' argument: Come play your brother twice per season, build a winner, be the savior of the franchise.
It sounds OK, even feasible, in Cleveland, but unless Harbaugh really wants to challenge himself, he will not embrace the veteran, injury-laden Bengals as a life-long project.
Tennessee Titans
9 of 10
Percent chance: 3 percent
If Jeff Fisher does end up leaving the Titans, it can only be in light of the team's choice to stick with Vince Young at quarterback. Therefore, Harbaugh would need to prepare himself to adjust his game plan and open up the field for Young and running back Chris Johnson to make more plays.
Somehow, these two sides do not seem to match well, and anyway, Fisher may have inertia on his side after 16 years at the helm of the franchise.
Oakland Raiders
10 of 10
Percent chance: 3 percent
After Al Davis decided not to fire Tom Cable in light of a rather dubious situation involving a fight with an assistant, it's hard to figure why he would do it now. Then again, Davis is out of his mind.
Cable led the Raiders to their best record (8-8) since they were 11-5 in 2002. He did a great job with this team and could build upon that success next season. Davis probably will not let him, but finding another coach may be a challenge: Surely, no one will want to work for a man who would cut ties after a season like this one.
Harbaugh might be intense, but he is not a masochist. Forget about this one.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
