Hot! Jim Harbaugh Makes Right Call With David Akers

The 49ers coach reported Thursday they're inserting along with incumbent David Akers, covering the recently acquired Billy Cundiff, with the NFC divisional playoff adventure against Green Bay about Saturday evening from Candlestick Park.

Understand, though, Harbaugh's announcement arrived right after days of declaration and evaluation and hours of evaluation and debate with his staff, as well as normal manager Trent Baalke. This alternative seemed to be greater palatable of two miserable options.

The final determination was quit to Harbaugh, the man with all the almost all at stake.

"Suffice this to state we feel confident in

David giving us the top possible opportunity to win," Harbaugh said immediately after practice.

No uncertainty there, although plenty of mistrust concerning the ability regarding Akers, the 38-year-old expert of 6 months time Pro Bowls whose metronomic regularity has gradually declined covering the lessons of this season. Seven with his last 18 kicks have either missed (five) and also also been clogged (two).

Cundiff ended up being summoned the other day that will remain competitive with, otherwise supplant, Akers and can even not.

The Decision II selecting Akers about Cundiff doesn't have virtually exactly the same magnitude and also investment significance while The Decision I, Harbaugh's midseason risk for you to substitute establishing quarterback Alex Smith with backup Colin Kaepernick.

If people recall, Smith did nothing at all to not win his job. To the actual contrary,

he has been working with a good season. Harbaugh just was shopping ahead, particularly into the playoffs, exactly where he or she visualized a far more multidimensional the offense using Kaepernick, whom tosses much deeper and extends a lot better than Smith.

Though Smith is more seasoned as well as could possibly be far more reliable, Kaepernick is definitely harder that will defend. He boasts forged some sort of effective hormones considering the broad receivers of which Smith experienced challenges achieving.

The demotion of Smith appeared to be frosty and ruthless, nonetheless there is your rational cause of it. The exclusively query can be whether it was premature. If Saturday's result proves this was, the harshest lights of most could swing movement in the direction of Harbaugh, the first kind quarterback exactly who knows the position greater than anyone within the building. He'll need to answer for his choice.

Kicking, however, is all about consistency along with rely on plus comfort. Akers, that will be having frustration overcoming 2 bottle hernia surgery treatment done with February, provides missing lots of your first, which usually erodes your second option two. In fact, your dog managed much to get rid of his job.

Yet Cundiff wasn't amazing enough to look at it. Through practitioners along with routines stretched out there around eight days, he or she didn't perform exactly what appeared to be required to allow Harbaugh and Co. for you to visualize some sort of a lot more dependable kicking sport Saturday along with certainly beyond.

"He's performed an excellent job," Harbaugh mentioned with Cundiff. "David has been doing a greater position plus (is) much more prepared to present us all the top possiblity to win."

Despite not really appearing hundred percent healthy, Akers dug in to retain his job.

"(He) responded such as a soccer person does," Harbaugh reported in peculiar and commonly obscure fashion.

Here's one more reason why this particular decision will be the appropriate one, no matter precisely how uneasy it feels: Any close opposition must head to the particular incumbent. It sends a communication into the locker area that at this time there has to be a reason at the rear of some sort of change.

A rationale that people could see and, otherwise understand, at least accept.

This will be a really case. You have got to feel Akers' teammates were pulling intended for him, if simply all around health know the way fine the guy can be, precisely how very good he appeared to be final year.

"We possess complete self-confidence in him," protection Donte Whitner mentioned regarding Akers. "Last year, he possessed a great year. He's undergone a partners accidental injuries this specific year. But I think that he'll arrive released and also do the most great work pertaining to us.

"He's definitely headstrong, hence he'll become all right. He resolved to go through a little bit along spell within the season, but he'll be many right.'

Harbaugh brought Cundiff in because of the 49ers were desperate pertaining to a reliable kicker. Cundiff, however, had been unemployed just simply because he / she wasn't reputable ample to suit his prior employers, the Washington Redskins.

Should that 49ers want a area goal to tie and also earn the video game Saturday, which would likely confidence Cundiff any greater than they will might have confidence in Akers?

So Akers the idea is. He gets, as Whitner said, "a possiblity to redeem himself" in January

"If he / she does it inside the playoffs," Whitner said, "I assume everybody will ignore the misses that will he acquired in the off the shelf season."

Even if your kicker fails, the actual coach appreciates just about any blowback probably will not practically because fierce because that which will will arrive must Kaepernick fail.

Not that Jim Harbaugh pays a hot second concerned regarding these kinds of insignificant things as blowback. A gambler gambles, in addition to he is aware of its not all wagers spend off.