Pardon My Bias

So the Super Bowl is tomorrow and besides all the crazy snow in Dallas, there are two great teams ready to be the best in the NFL. We have the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have already won two rings this decade and the Green Bay Packers, who are proving that they can still win and survive without Brett Favre.

So I am going to keep this short and to the point. We all know that both of these teams boast two of the NFL’s best defenses and they both have very, very talented quarterbacks. Aaron Rodgers is one of my favorite quarterbacks and he is really becoming one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. Ben Roethlisberger on the other hand has two rings on his fingers…’nuff said! The man can make plays and is clutch, oh and yes he can take a hit. The Steelers have a scary linebacker in James Harrison and the defensive player of the year, Troy Polamalu, while the Packers have the runner up Clay Matthews and last years winner, Charles Woodson.

Aaron Rodgers Has His Eyes on the Prize. Photo courtesy of www.customauthenticjerseys.com.

So who do I think will win? I am going to go with the Green Bay Packers. The Steelers are a scary team and it wouldn’t surprise me if they do end up winning but I like the way the Packers play and feel like Rodgers will put up huge numbers. Go Cheeseheads!

Courtesy of the Boston Herald

Bill Belichick has one his third Coach of the Year Award. He is only one behind Don Shula for most all time and at the rate he is going he will probably tie and surpass Shula before his career is over. Most fans of the NFL are not fans of Belichick and for that reason I’m sure there are plenty of people who are unhappy with this years vote. I on the other hand completely agree with the 30 other writers from around the country who voted for him. Belichick took a young and inexperienced team that had just come off of a beat down in last years postseason and turned them into 14 game winners. They beat every AFC playoff team during the regular season besides the Chiefs (they didn’t play) and went 5-1 in the difficult AFC East.

Belichick also took over the defensive coordinator job, using a more hands on approach that is rare with a head coach. He groomed Devin McCourty into a Pro Bowl player and helped keep players like Brandon Spikes and Brandon Deadrick productive and constant contributors.

If it were any other year I would say that Raheem Morris should be the coach of the year because he took a very young and inexperienced Bucs team and made them relevant in the NFC. Unfortunately for Morris, Belichick reminded everyone why he is considered one of the greatest coaches of all time.

Lets remember that this is a regular season award. In fact the patriots losing to the Jets should show just how good of a job that Belichick did this year. He took a mediocre team that was not supposed to make the playoffs and went 14-2.

All Star games aren’t what they used to be, if they were ever anything at all. The games venture so far from what the regular season games are like that it is hard to watch sometimes. Sure Baseball has the all important home field advantage at stake, and the NBA is just am entertaining street ball game with names we know. The two that really miss in terms of fun and excitement are the two physical sports that we love in this country. The Pro Bowl is the worst of the all-star games and the NHL is not far behind.

Courtesy of www.thefastertimes.com

Leaving the discussion of the Pro Bowl behind, I am intrigued by the NHL’s idea of a fantasy draft for their All Star game. The draft has already happened and by all accounts has been a success so far. I have always wondered what it would look like if a player played GM and this gives me the chance. We get to watch the Sedin brothers play against each other, and Zdeno Chara rip slap shots at Tim Thomas, the man he normally protects. Even the last pick in the draft Phil Kessel was celebrated by getting 20,000 dollars to donate to a charity of his choice and a new car.

The NHL deserves a lot of credit for their new marketing strategy. They are really trying to appeal to the younger crowd by bringing in super heroes for each of the teams and now by doing a fantasy draft. Fantasy sports are the most popular trend in sports these days and they are using that to their advantage. The NFL could take a page out of the NHL’s book here and try and make the Pro Bowl more interesting. I’m not saying they should have a fantasy draft because football takes way more preparation than hockey does, but something needs to be done because I look at Pro Bowl selections as if they were All-American selections in College Football. There is no need to play the game it is just an honor to be named first team All-American.

So last week Skip Bayless argued his point that the Green Bay Packers made a huge mistake by letting go of Brett Favre in order to let Aaron Rodgers finally being his reign in Green Bay. He stated that the Packers let 2 years go to waste while they waited for Rodgers to come to his own; two years in which Favre could of help lead the Packers to the Super Bowl. Although this point may be true, I am here to argue the other side of this debate: Green Bay made the correct decision to replace Favre with Rodgers!

Although the Packers had a team that could make the Super Bowl, I am not sure if Brett Favre would have been the answer to get them there. His year on the New York Jets started off strong but began sinking near the end of the year. Last year he had an exceptional season with the Minnesota Vikings and got back to the NFC Championship Game, but once again threw a last second interception to throw away the game. I am not saying the Favre had no chance of leading the Packers to the Super Bowl, but even with his magic, I believe he had no more or no little chance than Rodgers.

Aaron Rodgers Knew He Was The Right Choice! Photo courtesy of www.espnmilwaukee.com.

In his first year as the Green Bay starter, Aaron Rodgers threw for 4,038 yard with 28 touchdowns and 13 interceptions and had a passer rating of 93.8. These numbers are very similar to the regular season that he just had besides his ability to take care of the ball better when it comes to fumbling. Even with those stats, the Packers followed up their NFC Championship Game showing with a 6-10 record and did not make the playoffs. They then bounced back in 2009 season and got back to the playoffs with a 11-5 records and with Rodgers throwing for 4434 yards, 30 touchdowns, 7 interceptions and a QB rating of 103.2. They then went on to get knocked out of the wild-card game against the Arizona Cardinals.

Those first two years without Favre were by no means easy, but Rodgers stood his ground and put up great numbers and this is while he wasn’t truly standing his ground due to all the sacks he was taking. He just put together another great regular season effort and now the Packers and he are headed to face the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl. No one can really say what would have happened if the Packers had kept Favre but Aaron Rodgers in the real deal and it would of been a shame to lose such a great talent. The Packers made the correct choice in letting their young, talented quarterback finally show what he was made of and now he has helped lead them to the Super Bowl game. Favre also could of done the same the past few years but the biggest difference, Rodgers can help this team get there for many more years to come!

Just two more games until the big one. The winners of Sunday’s games will advance to the Super Bowls on February 6th. Now here are my picks for the AFC and NFC Championship games:

Rodgers and Cutler. Who will emerge victorious? Picture courtesy of CBC Sports.

Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears

This is one of the oldest and most bitter rivalries in all of sports, and we get to experience in a playoff atmosphere. That means it will be even more intense, there will be more hard hits, and this rivalry will take the game up a notch. This is the 3rd time the Packers and Bears will face off this season and they already know what to expect from each other. The season series is split 1-1; with each team winning at their respective homes. The Bears know the Packers defense will be blitzing as often as they can and the Bears will need to protect Jay Cutler and give him some time to look down the field. The Bears also know that Aaron Rodgers is more than capable of putting the Packers on his back and carrying them to victory since he’s been doing it virtually the entire season (because of Ryan Grant’s season ending injury). The Packers know the Bears have one of the stingiest defenses in the league as they only allowed 17.9 points per game in the regular season.  The Bears have one of the best linebacking corps in the league and Brian Urlacher will control the middle of the field. The Packers also know that Matt Forte can get loose at any time and they need to keep him in check at all times. If Forte gets a good run or a screen play for a long gain, then it becomes easier on Jay Cutler. The Packers need to shut down Forte early and put the weight of the game on Jay Cutler and force him to turn the ball over. Their first two meetings were decided by a 10 points total and I expect another close outcome here. The Bears have been impressive this year and really shocked many around the league.  The Bears are at home and their defense has been really good at controlling the game all season long. I hate to pick against Aaron Rodgers but I have to pick the Bears at home to win 23-17.

New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers

I have to admit two things. I absolutely hate Rex Ryan and the New York Jets. I’ve never been a fan of trash talkers and these guys take it to the next level. I prefer to play the game and let my game speak for itself. But now onto my second admission; the Jets have backed up all their trash talk. They took down the two best quarterbacks in the league (not to mention on the road) in back to back weeks. While the loud mouthed Jets defense has taken notice around the league there is another defense that has been even better than the Jets this season. There is a defense that is 1st in points allowed, 1st in rushing yards allowed,  and 2nd in yards allowed per game. This defense has been more impressive than the Jets all year long and they have been rather quiet about what they do.  This defense belongs to none other than the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers have been lights out on defense and also have one of the most efficient offenses in the NFL. Ben Rothlisberger has quietly had a very good season (despite missing 4 games) and Rashard Mendenhall has established himself as one of the most solid running backs this season. And we can’t forget about the Steelers well-rounded receiving corps. Mike Wallace is now the go-to-guy after Santonio Holmes was traded to the Jets, and Hines ward is just as effective as ever, and Heath Miller is always a solid option for Rothlisberger as well. The Steelers have been here before and they are better than the Jets in every aspect of the game. I pick the Steelers to win 30-17.

Last week: 2-2

Playoffs: 4-4

There are four teams left in the NFL playoffs, with the AFC hosting a defensive match-up between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Jets and the NFC having the divisional match-up of the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers. These are four very solid teams left and every Super Bowl match-up has its appeal but for me personally, there is just one that I hope to see.

I am crossing my fingers and hoping to get a Jets vs. Packers Super Bowl. The simple and sweet reason is because the Jets have been in the news so much this year and are just a very crazy and fun team and the Packers were my NFC Super Bowl team prediction and Aaron Rodgers is just sensational. That was the quick reason behind my though but now let us dig a little deeper into my mind.

We will start with the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is a very well rounded team, with an exceptional defense, a good running game and a proven quarterback. They have won two Super Bowls in the past 5 years and are setup to win another. They have Troy Polamalu back, who I believe should be in the running for the defensive player of the year. Well if they are such a great team, why do I not want to see them in the Super Bowl? For some reason, I just find them to be boring. This is a personal opinion of course but I just do not get hyped up to see the Steelers play in the Super Bowl. I did not care to see them play the Seattle Seahawks in 2006 nor did I care to see them face off against the Arizona Cardinals in 2009, although the Cardinal game did end up being a good one. This is a very well build team that has shown that it can have very exciting games but for some reason, deep down inside of me, I just can’t get myself to believe that the Steelers will be an exciting watch.

As for the Chicago Bears, they have another great defense and Julius Peppers has been a beast for them but who, besides Bear fans, wants to see them in the playoffs? As a Charger fan, I already dislike Jay Cutler and on top of that, he is very mistake prone. Although the offense has finally started to get things going, it just isn’t at the level you would expect your Super Bowl team to be at.

Tomlinson Deserves A Ring. Photo courtesy of www.sbnation.com.

Now to my two hopeful teams. The New York Jets started the season off by staring in HBO’s Hard Knocks and have had headline after headline with the Darrelle Revis contract situation, the sexual harassment incidents to Rex Ryan and his crazy, comical behavior. They are a fun team to watch and although they do not boast the best quarterback, Mark Sanchez is definitely holding his own and learning as each game goes on. But the biggest factor to my decision is none other than LaDainian Tomlinson. He was a god here in San Diego and it was sad to see him go. Now that he has a chance to win a ring, I would like to see him accomplish that because he is fully deserving of a championship.

As for the Packers, that defense led my Clay Matthews is scary but that offense is just so much fun to watch. Run game or no run game, Rodgers can make that offense go and it is just amazing to see him orchestrate it all. I have mentioned earlier in August that I believe Aaron Rodgers and Philip Rivers are the next big thing when it comes to the quarterback position. They have many big play wide receivers and it is alway fun to see Matthews rush the quarterback.

This is why I am hoping for a Jets vs. Packers match-up. This is a game that I believe could live up to all the hype that it will receive and will give us many, many exciting story lines.

Now that 49ers got their #1 guy, Jim Harbaugh, what’s next for this once storied franchise? While they have some bright spots, they definitely need to shore up a few areas and make this team a true contender. They have a good running back, decent receivers, a young and promising offensive line, and an awesome middle linebacker to anchor their defense. So what are their weak spots? First and foremost is the quarterback position. Alex Smith and Troy Smith will just not cut it, the 49ers need to upgrade this position if they want to ever make it back to the playoffs. The other two weaknesses are the defensive line and corner back positions. The 49ers don’t generate enough of a pass rush on a consistent basis and this hurts them against the pass. And this lack of pass rush is even more evident when the corner backs are sub par. The 49rs have a high pick (7th overall), and they need to be ready to make a big move this off season. If I was the GM and money wasn’t a issue, the following is what I would do:

Will Jim Harbaugh lead the 49ers back to greatness? It depends on the roster moves that he and GM Trent Baalke make. Pciture courtesy of ninersnation.com

There are some pretty enticing players on the free agent market that could come in and instantly help the 49ers. The three I have in mind are Donovan McNabb (assuming he is released by the Redskins), Richard Seymour, and Nnamdi Asomugha. McNabb is for obvious reasons; the 49ers need a quarterback and Mcnabb will help fill that void while they groom a young one they acquire via the draft. Seymour is a defensive tackle stud that can anchor a whole front line and generate a consistent pass rush that helps out his secondary. And Asomugha is the best one on one corner in the NFL today. Opposing quarterbacks threw Asomugha’s way only 27 times all year long. Of these 27 attempts, only 10 were complete and none went for a touchdown. Asomugha is an absolute stud and could be the cornerback they wished Nate Clements could be. If the 49ers are serious about becoming a contender, these three veteran players can take them there.

The other opportunity for the 49ers to improve is through the draft. They will need to use their picks wisely and select a quarterback for their future. The last draft pick used on quarterback turned out to be a complete bust while they passed on one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL today (Aaron Rodgers). They have a good variety of quarterbacks to choose from: Ryan Mallet, Blaine Gabbert, Jake Locker, Cam Newton, and even Andy Dalton. While some of these seem appealing I feel that most are going to need a year or two to develop into starting quarterbacks. The 49ers could use their 7th pick on a Mallet, Gabbert, or Locker. Or they could wait until the 2nd or 3rd round to take Dalton who is a hardworking quarterback that has the intangibles to win. If they decide to not take a quarterback with their 7th pick, they can then look at a defensive end if they can’t get Seymour (like Nick Fairley or Marcell Dareus), or a cornerback (like Prince Amukamara) if they don’t get Asomugha. Or they can completely trade down and garner more draft picks while they deal their 2nd round pick for Kevin Kolb (since the Eagles seem committed to Michael Vick). The 49ers have many roads they can take from here on out, but which will lead them back to experience the success of the Bill Walsh-Joe Montana-Steve Young-Jerry Rice days that seem like ancient history now?

Here are my picks for the Divisional Playoffs this weekend:

Bill Belichick (left) and Rex Ryan (right) face off this weekend. Who has the edge? Picture courtesy of the latimes.com

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers

Baltimore had a pretty convincing win last week against the Cheifs, but I’m sure that didn’t surprise many around the league. They have to go on the road again this week and face the always tough Pittsburgh Steelers. On the offensive side of the ball both teams have a good quarterback, good running backs, and very good wide receivers. And on the defensive side, you can’t get much better than the Ravens and Steelers defense. They are two well coached teams and it should be a great game to watch. It’s really hard to pick one over the other since they are so evenly matched. But if I were have to pick one key point that might affect the outcome of the game it would be the physical health of Troy Polamalu and the mental health of Ed Reed. These are the two best safeties in the game and both have a huge impact on how successful their defense can be. Troy Polamalu has missed some practice this past week because of an Achilles injury that he has battled with for much of the season. Polamalu has done an amazing job throughout the season, so he should be fine to anchor that Steelers’ secondary. Ed Reed has had to deal with the disappearance of his younger last weekend. While Reed was able to put the distraction aside and play a good game last week against the Chiefs, who knows how much of a toll it has taken on him this week. If either of these big play safeties is bogged down, then looking for the opposition’s passing attack to take off. I’ll go with my gut and pick the Ravens to win 23-21.

Green Bay Packers at Atlanta Falcons

This should be a great game to watch as well. It’ll be interesting to see how Matt Ryan handles the Packers’ blitzing schemes and how the Falcons’ defense plans to contain Aaron Rodgers. These are two of the best young quarterbacks in the league and they both have some valuable receiving weapons. But Matt Ryan does have a couple of advantages: (1) Home field, and (2) a legitimate running back in Michael Turner. Matt Ryan is 20-2 as a starter at the Georgia Dome in his career and that could play a huge role in this game. Also, having Turner to take off some of the pressure will go a long way to help the Falcons keep the Packers defense off guard. Having said that, Rodgers is a top 5 quarterback in this league while Matt Ryan is not; the Packers defense is more than good enough to contain the Falcons. I pick the Packers to win 27-17.

New York Jets at New England Patriots

This game has probably been the most talked about game all week. It’s no secret that these two teams probably don’t like each other. That last line might actually be an understatement; these two teams despise each other. They are polar opposites both on the player front and the coaching front as well. Belichick sticks to business and instructs his players to not give the opposition any extra motivation, instead he welcomes whatever his opponents say and uses that as motivation for his own team. Rex Ryan on the other hand is a loudmouthed coach that says what he wants and lets his players do the same — Antonio Cromartie was a great example of this. Cromartie called out Tom Brady, but what did Brady do? He shrugged it off saying Cromartie is a great player along with Darelle Revis, and they make it tough on Brady and his receivers. Now onto the game, Sanchez led a pretty good drive to win the game last week. But let’s face it he was terrible in the early parts of the game, and if it wasn’t for that big kick return then I doubt Sanchez would have been able to make that drive. I have to go with the experience that Belichick and Brady exude. I pick the Patriots to win 31-17.

Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears

I have to give it up for the Seahawks, they played a damn good game last week and that TD run by Marshawn Lynch was simply amazing. It’s always great to see the whole team block for the running back, so when I saw Matt Hasselback down the field blocking I was impressed. With that said, I can’t see the Seahawks dream run continuing in cold Chicago this weekend. First of all, Seattle was 2-6 on the road this past season. And although one of those wins was against the Bears in Chicago (23-20 on October 17th) the Bears were a different team back then. The Bears have gone 7-2 since their bye week with their only 2 losses coming against the Patriots and in Green Bay. The Bears defense looks quite strong once again and Jay Cutler will look to impress in his first playoff game of his career. And I definitely expect Julius Peppers to have an impact, as I don’t think Russell Okung will hold him sackless this time around. Cutler, Forte, Knox, Olsen, Urlacher, Peppers, the cold Chicago weather, and the rowdy Chicago fans are gonna force me to pick the Bears over the Seahawks 38-24.

Last Week: 2-2

NFL playoffs are about to start and that means it’s time for some predictions regarding the upcoming weekend.

Rodgers and Vick may have a high scoring duel this weekend. Picture courtesy of lombardiave.com

New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks

And this is where the 7-9 NFC West Champion’s run end. The Seahawks don’t really deserve a playoff spot after finishing below .500, but I don’t make the rules. Seattle is overmatched in every facet of this game and I don’t expect much from them. The Saints are too talented, too experienced, and too well coached to lose focus and fall victim to the Seahawks. I expect the Saints to come out throwing a lot since Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory are both on the IR. This is where the Seahawks need to take advantage, the Saints have no running game and the Seahawks can just play against the pass. And since the Seahawks are at home, they may be able to rattle the Saints. I don’t expect any upsets here, I pick the Saints over the Seahawks 31-13.

New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts

This should be a tightly contested game between a great defense (Jets) and a great offense (Colts). Sure the Colts have been hampered all season long by injuries but they still have Peyton Manning and that’s all they need to beat the Jets at home this weekend. Rex Ryan has historically had trouble beating Peyton Manning and Manning has actually some of his best games ever against Rex Ryan’s defenses. So even though he doesn’t have many weapons, I still think Manning can get it done, for this week at least. And on top of this, I don’t believe in Mark Sanchez. He is over-rated and unless he proves to be more consistent my opinion of him will not change. I predict a close game throughout but Manning pulls away at the end, Colts beat the Jets 28-17.

Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs

I’ll give the Chiefs this much, I was quite surprised to see them come out of the AFC West as champions following the last few years of disappointment. That being said, their season ends tonight. Baltimore is too good on both sides of the ball and I don’t expect this game to be very close (unless the Ravens shoot themselves in the foot with turnovers). Flacco has performed well in past playoff games and now he’s got even better receiving options. Ray Rice is still a yard gaining  machine and the Chiefs defense will be on the field for a majority of the game. Ill admit, I thought the Chiefs may be able to win one playoff game this season; but then I saw how they got dominated at home by Oakland last week in a meaningful game and all my hopes for the Chiefs went out the window. I pick the Ravens to beat the Chiefs 27-10.

Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles

This past season was definitely the year of the quarterback and two main stars will duke it out in this game. Aaron Rodgers showed just how valuable he is to the Packers and just how damn good he can be. Michael Vick showed that he is just as good, no scratch that. Michael Vick showed that he is even better now than he was in Atlanta. Both teams put up points at will and I don’t expect anything less this game. I might have to give the edge to Packers just because I think Rodgers is better than Vick. And while Vick has been really good at time this season, he has also seemed a little confused if a certain defense is thrown at him. The Vikings laid out the blue print on how to contain Vick just a few weeks ago. The Packers defensive ends are the key to limiting how effective Vick can be. Let’s see what the Pack can do on the road this weekend, I pick the Packers to beat the Eagles 38-31.

Now that the season is over and the Mike Singletary era is over, it is time for the 49ers to begin their search for a new head coach. The first step to this process was for team president/owner Jed York to find a general manager to lead the search for the new head coach. After a 2 hour interview with Trent Baalke, York decided to hire from within house and Baalke is the new GM of the San Francisco 49ers (he was hired over Michael Lombardi, a a former Raiders executive). Both Baalke and Lombardi are qualified for the position, but one thing that weighed most on the decision was which GM would be able to bring in top head coach candidate Jim Harbaugh. Michael Lombardi has a pretty close relationship with Harbaugh when they shared time together in Oakland, and Baalke and Harbaugh both have the same agent. Both have a pretty good shot at bringing in Harbaugh, but now it’s all up to Baalke to do so. Like any smart GM would do, Baalke isn’t putting all of his eggs in one basket. Baalke is aware that Harbaugh is in high demand so they need to line up other possibilities as well. Let’s take a look at the head coaching candidates for the 49ers.

Will one of these three (Harbaugh, Billick, Gruden) be the next coach of the 49ers? Picture courtesy of csnbayarea.com

Jim Harbaugh

Top choice of the 49ers and other teams like the Michigan Wolverines, the Denver Broncos, and the Miami Dolphins. Harbaugh is the hot ticket right now, but there is no telling how he will do in the NFL. Many football analysts say “he has NFL written all over him” but that doesn’t necessarily guarantee anything. As a 49er fan I would love to try this experiment out because I think Harbaugh can adapt to the NFL. And for Harbaugh the 49ers have to be the most appealing job. He has a young offense that he can groom, he will probably have a rookie QB next season to groom, and he will be able to stay in the Bay Area (not having to uproot his family). This may come down to money, York is reportedly willing to offer $5-6 million, but the Dolphins are offering the neighborhood of $7-8 million per year. According to Yahoo Sports,the Dolphins are on the verge of getting Jim Harbaugh. Reports say that the 49ers have apparantly “lost Harbaugh” the past 2 days and are now shifting their attention to other candidates. I hope the 49ers are still able to pull this one off. Chance of coaching the 49ers next season: 25%

Perry Fewell and Hue Jackson:

Fewell has been a successful defensive coordinator over the years and made the Buffalo Bills a top defensive team in the NFL. After going 3-4 as an interim coach last season, Fewell was fired and moved to coach the New York Giants defense. There he has continued to impress many around the league with his defensive mind and his a top candidate for a head coaching job the next season. The Carolina Panthers have also named Fewell a top candidate and I wouldn’t be surprised if he is a head coach next season. Jackson was the offensive coordinator of the Oakland Raiders this past season and he did a pretty good job. The Raiders offense was 6th in scoring and 10th in yards this past season despite waffling back and forth between quarterbacks. Jackson has impressed many throughout the league and has already had an interview with the 49ers. The 49ers were “impressed” by Jackson but no offer was made. If the 49ers can’t bring in Harbaugh or Fewell, Jackson will probably be their third option. If Jackson doesn’t go to San Francisco, then expect him to stay put in Oakland as either the offensive coordinator or even the head coach. Many analysts have stated they feel these two candidates are the how the 49ers accommodated the Rooney Rule. the Rooney Rule states that an NFL team must at least interview a minority candidate if a head coaching vacancy occurs. The Chances that either of these will be the next 49ers head coach: 30%

Brian Billick

After th 49ers apparently lost Jim Harbaugh, they have started to focus more on Brian Billick. Billick is definitely a probable choice and a very good coach. Billick is an offensive minded head coach and I think he would be a better fit for the 49ers at this point. Billick could groom this young 49ers offense and as a Super Bowl winning head coach, he commands the attention of any locker room he steps into. He has recently emerged as one of the front runners and this has to make 49er fans excited. To grab a proven head coach is something the 49ers haven’t had in a very long time. Chances he coaches the 49ers next season: 35%

The Rest of the Field (Jon Gruden, Mike Holmgren, Bill Cowher)

All 4 of these candidates are experienced and have a Super Bowl ring. Outside of Harbaugh, they are the most sought after head coaching candidates on the market. But none of them will come coach just any team, they have needs to be met by their new team and maybe then a deal could be worked out. Before I go any further I must rule out Holmgren and Cowher from the head coaching search. Holmgren looks like he’s staying in Cleveland and the 49ers were not on Cowher’s list of teams he’d like to coach next season (Dolphins, Texans, and Giants). That leaves us with Gruden. Gruden would definitely bring some fire back to San Francisco, but I think Gruden would want a different type of GM (not Baalke). Gruden would probably want a new management in San Francisco, and that will not happen at this time. Gruden is a possibility but a long shot.  Chances that anyone other than the top 4 candidates (Harbaugh, Fewell, Jackson, Billick) will be coaching the 49ers next season: 10%