Devil's Advocate: Why Falcons Shouldn't Hire Michigan's Jim Harbaugh
Despite most of the buzz centering around Bill Belichick for the Atlanta Falcons, they announced that they have also interviewed current Michigan Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh as they continue their search to replace Arthur Smith.
Despite being the brother of Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh, Jim's resume shouldn't be overlooked. Even though his sole stint in the NFL came with the San Francisco 49ers and ended with a "mutual parting of ways," it is hard to deny the fact that he is a winner.
From his first major head coaching job in the college ranks at Stanford and all the way to Michigan, his alma mater, Harbaugh, has always found some measure of success, even if it didn't include winning championships.
Our friend John Macon Gillespie made the case for Harbaugh to be hired by the Falcons on Wednesday, so we are here to play devil's advocate.
Jan 9, 2024; Houston, TX, USA; Michigan Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh during College Football National Championship press conference at JW Marriot Houston by the Galleria.
The biggest question that needs sorting for any coach that the Falcons hire will be at quarterback. Thanks to a patient rebuilding process executed by general manager Terry Fontenot, the Falcons have a good roster in place, including an offense with the tools to succeed. Still, they don't have their franchise signal-caller.
Harbaugh's success with Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick cannot be understated, as the two were the driving forces behind his success in San Francisco. Some can make the case that he was lucky to have walked into that situation already having a veteran in Smith before adding Kaepernick through the NFL Draft.
Can Harbaugh do it again, this time in Atlanta?
The next potential "con" with Harbaugh comes regarding schematics. What does a Harbaugh offense look like in Atlanta? Combining what we know of Atlanta's personnel and Michigan's offense, it seems easy to assume it'd be a run-first system.
However, that could change depending on who Harbaugh hires as offensive coordinator. In today's NFL, some of the best coaches in the league are play-callers, like Los Angeles Rams' Sean McVay, San Francisco 49ers' Kyle Shanahan, and so on.
By hiring Harbaugh, the Falcons would likely have to depend on him to find the right coordinator to be successful.
For a Falcons franchise so desperate to capitalize on a young roster, are they willing to hire Harbaugh and hope he can find a coordinator and quarterback when they could easily hire a coach who will call plays and then have to find his signal-caller?
Time will tell.
