As Albert Breer pointed out **in his column Thursday**, there are five rookie head coaches off to 2-1 starts -- the Niners' Jim Harbaugh, the Titans' Mike Munchak, the Browns' Pat Shurmur, the Raiders' Hue Jackson and the Cowboys' Jason Garrett. Which of the five are you most surprised by?
In terms of most surprising, it's unquestionably what Jim Harbaugh has done in San Francisco. Besides the good start and being on the verge of knocking off Dallas to be unbeaten, I'm most impressed with Harbaugh getting players to buy in. I've been covering pro sports for a long time and the one constant I've seen is players not initially giving coaches from college much of a chance. Players buy into concepts, but if they feel the coach is bringing too many collegiate principles or practice habits, they bail quickly. Harbaugh, calling on his experience as a former NFL player and assistant, has shown that he understands the nuances of the NFL, how to get players to work hard and have faith in him and his staff. Winning is the best persuasion and so far, he's off to a convincing beginning.
Although more cynical than I'd like to be about it, I'm not allowing myself to be overly impressed by much of what the 49ers and the Browns have done just yet -- and the Cowboys are doing nothing more than they already should be. I am, however, pleasantly surprised by what we've seen from the Raiders and the Titans. Both teams have marquee wins (Titans over Ravens and Raiders over Jets), and both have plenty of areas of potential growth in their problem areas. The Raiders? They've put up 30 points in each of their past two games. Very solid. And the Titans? The defense has been among the best in the league, keeping Tennessee relevant while Chris Johnson **finds his groove**. I expected the impact of the lockout to deliver both teams much more burdening consequences. So for now, I'll call it a tie: Hue Jackson and Mike Munchak.
I don't consider Jason Garrett a total rookie head coach, so I move on to the other four. I visited the Browns and Titans this summer and after seeing the impact of Matt Hasselbeck, the Titans' solid start doesn't surprise me, but Cleveland's start does, as does San Francisco's. I have to say the Browns' 2-1 start is the most surprising, considering Pat Shurmur was changing the defense from a 3-4 to a 4-3 and because he has never been a head coach at any level before.
I picked the Niners to win the NFC West and the Cowboys to get a wild-card, so no surprise with either of those. Cleveland is a nice little story three weeks in, but let's remember they lost at home to Cincy. Get back to me when they beat a legit team. The Raiders and that dandy running game are intriguing, but can they handle Brady & Co in **the Tuck Rule game rematch**? I say no. That leaves the Titans. In a down year for the AFC South, a split in the home-and-home with the Texans could mean a division crown for Munchak.
It's the 49ers. They could be 3-0, and they could be 0-3. Every game has been close and, yes, the schedule gods have been kind, but then again they've been kind to the Browns and Titans, too. But Alex Smith has been fine, and despite their flaws, the 49ers have a winning record. The best of these teams is the Titans, and I expect that to play out over the season.
