This post is for anybody who is wringing their hands over the news that Speight looks to have the upper hand on O'Korn.
Here is a quick reminder of what Jim Harbaugh's track record with quarterbacks as a coach.
Andrew Luck started as a redshirt frosh and threw for over 2,500 yards, had a completion percentage of 56.3% and a TD/INT ratio of 13/4. The next year he threw for 3,338 yards, had a 32/8 TD/INT ratio and a 70.7% completion percentage. Harbaugh subsequently left and Luck's continued on his trajectory, eventually winning every award known to man except the Heisman and then being the #1 overall pick the NFL Draft.
Harbaugh got to San Francisco and inherited a former overall #1 pick in Alex Smith who up until that point had a middling NFL career. He had never topped 2,900 yards passing, had a career completion percentage of 57% and a TD/INT ratio of 51/53. Enter Harbaugh and Smith's 1st year's numbers were 61.7% completion percentage, 3,144 yards and a 17/5 TD/INT . His career numbers since Harbaugh came into his life - 63.8% completion percentage, 91/30 TD/INT and he's thrown for over 3,200 yards in every year except the season he was injured.
When Smith got injured Harbaugh gave the job fulltime to Colin Kaepernick, who enjoyed a 60% completion percentage with a 50/21 TD/INT ratio under Coach Harbaugh (along with a Super Bowl and NFC Title game appearance) only to see him revert back to mediocrity, eventually losing his starting job.
Fast forward to 2015 when Harbaugh arrived on campus and decided he needed to find another QB. He identified Rudock as the guy he could win with, then went out and secured him as a transfer. Rudock's stats at Iowa were good (60.3 completion percentage, 7.0 yards per attempt, 34/18 TD/INT), but not stellar. He also had lost his starting job. Under Harbaugh's guidance he jumped up to a 64% completion percentage, 7.8 yards per attempt, threw for more yards than he had in a single season, threw 20 TDs and only 9 INTs, and went from a backup at Iowa to a 6th round draft pick of the Lions. And he might very well end up as the #2 guy on the depth chart there.
Bottom line is that if Jim Harbaugh thinks that the guy he has the best chance to win with is Wilton Speight, than its crazy to argue otherwise. His track record on this is too good. It's almost perfect.
Here is a quick reminder of what Jim Harbaugh's track record with quarterbacks as a coach.
Andrew Luck started as a redshirt frosh and threw for over 2,500 yards, had a completion percentage of 56.3% and a TD/INT ratio of 13/4. The next year he threw for 3,338 yards, had a 32/8 TD/INT ratio and a 70.7% completion percentage. Harbaugh subsequently left and Luck's continued on his trajectory, eventually winning every award known to man except the Heisman and then being the #1 overall pick the NFL Draft.
Harbaugh got to San Francisco and inherited a former overall #1 pick in Alex Smith who up until that point had a middling NFL career. He had never topped 2,900 yards passing, had a career completion percentage of 57% and a TD/INT ratio of 51/53. Enter Harbaugh and Smith's 1st year's numbers were 61.7% completion percentage, 3,144 yards and a 17/5 TD/INT . His career numbers since Harbaugh came into his life - 63.8% completion percentage, 91/30 TD/INT and he's thrown for over 3,200 yards in every year except the season he was injured.
When Smith got injured Harbaugh gave the job fulltime to Colin Kaepernick, who enjoyed a 60% completion percentage with a 50/21 TD/INT ratio under Coach Harbaugh (along with a Super Bowl and NFC Title game appearance) only to see him revert back to mediocrity, eventually losing his starting job.
Fast forward to 2015 when Harbaugh arrived on campus and decided he needed to find another QB. He identified Rudock as the guy he could win with, then went out and secured him as a transfer. Rudock's stats at Iowa were good (60.3 completion percentage, 7.0 yards per attempt, 34/18 TD/INT), but not stellar. He also had lost his starting job. Under Harbaugh's guidance he jumped up to a 64% completion percentage, 7.8 yards per attempt, threw for more yards than he had in a single season, threw 20 TDs and only 9 INTs, and went from a backup at Iowa to a 6th round draft pick of the Lions. And he might very well end up as the #2 guy on the depth chart there.
Bottom line is that if Jim Harbaugh thinks that the guy he has the best chance to win with is Wilton Speight, than its crazy to argue otherwise. His track record on this is too good. It's almost perfect.
