If the Broncos move on from Vic Fangio, a new candidate has emerged
Jan 4, 2022, 3:08 PM
Despite the fact that he’s 19-29 during his nearly three years as the Broncos head coach, it’s not a foregone conclusion that Denver will move on from Vic Fangio after Sunday’s season finale against Kansas City. If they do, however, a new candidate has emerged as a possible replacement.
Sources from both from the NFL side, and at Michigan, tell The Athletic that Jim Harbaugh might be tempted to leave the Wolverines to return to the NFL: https://t.co/BvGNjBZmdv
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) January 4, 2022
Of all the candidates out there, Harbaugh arguably has the best resume. He’s been successful at every stop.
In three years at the University of San Diego, Harbaugh was 29-6. At Stanford, he was 29-21, including a 12-1 record in his fourth and final season. And at Michigan, he turned around a Wolverines program, has won 10-plus games four times, has posted a 61-24 record and earned a berth in the College Football Playoff this season.
But it’s not just in the college game that Harbaugh has found success. He was also good during his one NFL stint.
In four years with the 49ers, Harbaugh was 44-19-1. He took over a team that went 6-10 and went 13-3 in his first season. During his first three seasons in San Francisco, Harbaugh won 13, 11 and 12 games, respectively, won two NFC West titles, went to three NFC Championship Games and led the Niners to Super Bowl XLVII.
All told, Harbaugh is 163-70-1 as a head coach. He’s only had three losing seasons, one of which was a 2-4 mark in last year’s COVID-shortened season at Michigan.
But it’s not just winning and losing. Harbaugh has also shown that he can be a bit of a QB whisperer, especially at the NFL level.
When he took over with the 49ers, Alex Smith was earning the “bust” label. He was 19-31 during his first five seasons in the Bay Area, throwing 51 touchdowns and 53 interceptions.
In his season-plus with Harbaugh as his head coach, Smith posted a 19-5-1 record, throwing 30 TDs and just 10 picks. That’s an eye-opening turnaround.
If the Broncos have to stick with Drew Lock in 2022, either as a transition if they take a QB in the draft or because they don’t have a better option fall into their lap via trade, there’s reason to believe that Harbaugh could jumpstart his career. He did it with Smith.
And if they do draft a quarterback, there’s also evidence to suggest that Harbaugh will be good at developing him. He did it in San Francisco.
Midway through the 2012 season, Smith got hurt. That meant the Niners had to turn things over to Colin Kaepernick, a second-year QB with zero starts.
In that first season, Kaepernick went 5-2, throwing 10 touchdowns and only three interceptions. He led the 49ers to the Super Bowl.
The next year, Kaepernick was 12-4 and a legit MVP candidate. He was a dual-threat quarterback, throwing 21 scores and rushing for four more.
All told, the young quarterback was 25-14 with Harbaugh as his head coach. He threw 50 touchdowns and just 21 interceptions, while also rushing for 10 scores.
After Harbaugh left, Kaepernick fell apart. He went 3-16 across two seasons, threw 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions, and only rushed for three scores. He went from one of the most-dynamic players in the league to one that was easy to defend.
It all adds up to a very intriguing candidate for the Broncos. He checks all of the boxes.
Harbaugh wins everywhere he goes. Check.
Harbaugh has shown the ability to turn around a program. Check.
Harbaugh has demonstrated that he can turn around a QB’s career. Check.
Harbaugh has helped a young quarterback blossom. Check.
Sounds like the cure for all that ails the Broncos.
