San Francisco 49ers: 5 Ways Jim Harbaugh Will Help Alex Smith

Jim Harbaugh was a top flight NFL quarterback for 14 years.  He threw for 26,288 career passing yards and 129 touchdowns.  He completed 58.8 percent of his passes and was a Pro Bowl selection in 1995

Since his retirement, Harbaugh has built a very good reputation as a quarterback guru, first as an assistant coach with Western Kentucky, then the Oakland Raiders, from 2002-2003. 

Harbaugh's reputation grew as a head coach in college with the University of San Diego and, most recently, Stanford.  At San Diego, Harbaugh was credited for developing Josh Johnson from a lightly regarded prospect into an NFL quarterback.  Johnson is now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Harbaugh also mentored Andrew Luck at Stanford.  Luck is the consensus number one quarterback in college football.  He has often credited Harbaugh for teaching him the finer points of the position, including how to read defenses and leadership in the huddle.

As the new head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, Harbaugh may face his biggest challenge ever.  He is charged with turning Alex Smith into a decent NFL quarterback.  Smith, the number one overall draft pick in 2005 has endured six less than stellar seasons in San Francisco.

In defense of Smith, he has endured multiple offensive coordinators and two head coaches in Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary that knew nothing about playing the quarterback position.  Nevertheless, Smith has had more than his share of chances and was all but run out of town following the 2010 season.

The lockout was a big factor in Smith's return to San Francisco.  The 49ers only had David Carr on the roster and needed someone who could step in quickly, with an understanding of the personnel.  In addition, once the lockout ended, Carr was released.

Harbaugh watched countless hours of film on Smith and also met with him for extended periods, prior to the lockout.  He came away convinced he can help Smith become a good NFL quarterback.  Harbaugh believes in Smith and also his own ability to mentor him successfully. 

To his credit, Smith showed a lot of leadership and an excellent team focus as he organized two optional camps for his teammates during the lockout. 

Truth be told, nobody has ever questioned whether Smith was a good guy and a team oriented person. The only question has always been whether he can play.

Harbaugh will give Smith all of his knowledge and expertise.  His success will largely define this season.  Let's take a look at five specific areas where Harbaugh will help Smith.

5) Improved Offensive Line

Offensive football starts with the offensive line.  In 2010, the 49ers' offensive line was downright awful and so was their offense.

Season ending injuries to starting center Eric Heitmann and left tackle Joe Staley started things off in the wrong direction.  On top of the injuries was poor play from right guard Chilo Rachal and rookie right tackle Anthony Davis. 

David Baas, who filled in admirably at center for Heitmann, signed a free agent deal and will join the New York Giants. 

The 49ers made a good move by signing veteran Jonathan Goodwin, who will be in his tenth NFL season.  He started all 16 games in 2010 for the Saints.  He can play guard or center and could replace Baas or Rachal. 

If Goodwin plays guard, his more natural position, veteran utility lineman Adam Snyder or career reserve Tony Wragge will move into the starting center spot.

On the left side, a healthy Joe Staley would do wonders for the tackle position.  Left guard Mike Iupati looks like an emerging star.

A trademark of Jim Harbaugh's teams at Stanford was a tough and bruising offensive line.  Harbaugh built strong lines that could both run and pass block.  It may take a couple years for this to occur, but the 49ers are on the right track.

The stronger the 2011 line is for the 49ers, the better it will be for Smith.  He will have better pass protection, as he was often running for his life on pass plays last year.  In addition, there should be fewer penalties and better run blocking.

These factors mean fewer third and long obvious passing situations.  This will benefit Smith and the entire 49er offense.

4) Better Use Of Match Ups and In-Game Adjustments

The 2010 version of the San Francisco 49ers were notoriously bad at creating and utilizing favorable match ups.  They were equally bad at making good adjustments during the course of a game.  In fact, they were routinely out coached in many of their contests over the past few years.

That will stop in 2011.  I don't know if the 49ers will win more games this year, but they won't be out maneuvered from a coaching standpoint.

Harbaugh and his staff will be able to make immediate adjustments in play calling, strategy and matchups that will benefit the 49ers.  This will be a major benefit to Alex Smith, as defenses will be less able to act on the tendencies of the 49er offense.

There were countless times in the past few seasons where an opposing defense knew exactly what the 49er offense was going to try, before the ball was even snapped.  Instead of being in a totally reactive mode, the offense under Jim Harbaugh will dictate the action and make the opponent react to them.

Harbaugh also knows how to create and isolate favorable matchups.  Look for more proficient passing plays to backs out of the backfield and also to Vernon Davis.  The recent addition of Braylon Edwards will also help, as he gives Smith a true big play threat. 

In addition, Harbaugh and his staff will make important and productive halftime adjustments for the offense.  This is something that was largely missing under the Nolan and Singletary regimes. 

3) Improvement at the Wide Receiver Position

The San Francisco 49ers have received subpar performances from their wide receivers over the past several years.  Some of this lack of production is due to inferior offensive line and quarterback play, but a lot of it must be heaped directly on the shoulders of the receivers themselves.

The addition of Braylon Edwards, who signed a one year, $3.5 million deal, is a very positive step to upgrade a relatively weak receiving corps.  Edwards caught 53 passes for 904 yards and 7 touchdowns while with the Jets in 2010.

Edwards immediately becomes a force for the beleaguered 49er passing game.  His 17.1 yards per catch last year—a career high—is something that the 49ers desperately need.  He provides the 49ers with an explosive big play threat at the wide receiver position.

The enigmatic Michael Crabtree was a first round draft pick in 2009.  He is entering his third season with the 49ers, but will miss his third consecutive preseason training camp, this time with a foot problem.

Crabtree has a world of talent and was expected to be a standout receiver for the 49ers for a decade or more.  Frankly, he has underachieved and there are many reasons for that.

Many of his woes can be blamed on the offensive line and poor quarterback play, as I mentioned earlier.  However, Crabtree has had issues relating to work ethic and an alarming diva attitude.  A "me first" attitude and lack of dedication to the team will not be tolerated by Jim Harbaugh.  

His well-publicized run-in with team captain Vernon Davis in last year's training camp was a red flag. Crabtree has never played in a preseason game and the lack of chemistry that he developed with Alex Smith early last year was a direct cause of many of Smith's interceptions and incompletions.

A starter last year, Josh Morgan is best suited as a third receiver.  If Crabtree can come back strong and Edwards produces, Morgan will be well utilized as a slot receiver. 

One major issue I noticed last season was very poor route running by the receivers.  Frequently we saw receivers not make strong cuts, instead rounding them off, enabling a defensive back to get a better angle on the play. 

In addition, if a receiver was not the primary option on a play, there were several times I saw players not running their routes hard.  I guarantee this will change under Harbaugh.  He is a stickler for proper details and fundamentals in the passing game. 

Films do not lie and if Harbaugh sees his receivers not running good routes or loafing, he will let them know in no uncertain terms.  If it continues, the player in question will not play.

This focus on fundamental improvement by the receivers will undoubtedly help Alex Smith.  He should have more open targets and the receivers will be where he expects them to be.

2) Harbaugh Will Implement a Much More Diverse Offense

Jim Harbaugh will be implementing a much more diversified offensive attack in San Francisco.  The west coast offense will again be a staple of the 49ers.  This will give Alex Smith multiple options and should benefit him greatly.

Gone is the "bell cow" offense where the 49ers simply ran the ball up the gut until Frank Gore broke down.  Not only was this offensive approach ineffective, it was extremely hard to watch.  In truth, the time the offense worked the best was in the no huddle, two minute drill, where Alex Smith called the plays on the fly.

In the west coach offense under Harbaugh, the 49ers will institute the type of offensive system that creates mismatches and gives the receivers more freedom to run to open areas.  A player like the versatile Delanie Walker will immediately benefit from this approach. 

The offensive players already seem excited about the prospects of working under Harbaugh and this new system.  When offensive players think they have a chance to get the ball, they invariably run harder and work to get open.  It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, they work harder so they do get open and will get the ball.

It will be up to Smith to make the right reads and get the ball on target to the people that are open. Unlike in years past, there will be receivers open, more often than not, giving Smith his best chance for success in his career.

Diversification will best utilize the talents of 49er stars Frank Gore, Vernon Davis and all of the 49er skill position players.  No longer will defenses be able to key on one or two players, as Harbaugh's system will employ all the weapons he has at his disposal.

The 49er offensive players will have a lot more fun in 2011 and it will be much more fun for the fans to watch.

1) Jim Harbaugh Believes in Alex Smith and Can Tutor Him

Alex Smith finally has a head coach that understands offense that he can talk to and work with.  Jim Harbaugh is on record as saying he believes in Smith and that he is confident he can help him become a winning quarterback.

I am looking forward to seeing Harbaugh work with Smith.  He will teach him how to run the west coast system to his advantage, use proper audibles and find his open receivers.  I also expect to see Smith use his mobility more to get out of the pocket and make plays.

It's extremely important for a quarterback like Smith to have someone he can trust that believes in him.  You could say that Mike Nolan and Mike Singletary believed in Smith, and you would be right to a degree.

However, when things got tough, neither Nolan or Singletary knew enough about the quarterback position to help Smith work through the problems. Smith had arguably his best season in 2006 when he was tutored by offensive coordinator Norv Turner, an excellent offensive teacher and tactician.

Unfortunately, Turner lasted only one season in San Francisco before becoming the head coach of the San Diego Chargers.  The 49ers have not done Smith any favors, as he has had six different offensive coordinators running different systems in his six NFL seasons.

Smith has had trouble in the past getting comfortable with new systems. It will be incumbent on Harbaugh to get him up to speed before the start of the season.  If anyone can do it, I'd say Harbaugh is the right man for the job.

The Time Is Now for Alex Smith to Step Up

It's definitely time for Alex Smith to deliver upon the promise that made him the first overall draft pick in 2005.  His failures are well chronicled and 2011 will be his best and final chance to show that he can be a decent NFL quarterback. 

Jim Harbaugh will work closely with Smith and try to teach him everything he can about playing winning football.  Harbaugh has the expertise to convey to Smith and even with a shortened training camp, Smith will have to prove he can lead the 49ers to victories.

Waiting in the wings is rookie Colin Kaepernick, who looks to be the 49er quarterback of the future.  However, he is likely a year or two away from being ready to successfully lead a team at the NFL level.  2011 should be a year of learning for Kaepernick, as well it should be.

The outlook for the 2011 season relies on how quickly Smith and the 49ers can learn and successfully employ the new offense that Harbaugh is implementing.

There will be many naysayers when it comes to Smith and rightfully so.  However, if we look at this season as a clean slate, we will all get a realistic view of the Harbaugh - Smith dynamic.

As long as he has Harbaugh in his corner, Smith has a chance to be successful.  Harbaugh will do everything in his power to prepare his quarterback but he can't step in and play the game for him.  The  bottom line is it's up to Smith to perform and do well.  It will be very interesting to see if he can do it.