By Daisy Barringer

Everyone knows that, of course, the night before Thanksgiving is the biggest drinking night of the year. People hit the bars, hang out with old friends who just came into town, and makes sure they're just hungover enough to deal with family the next day. I usually partake in this annual ritual, but sadly, this year I was too freaked out about Jim Trotter's Twitter announcement that QB Colin Kapernick was starting over Alex Smith to do anything but sit on my couch, watch Love Actually, and weep.

According to Trotter, Harbaugh apologized to Alex Smith on Wednesday and said Kaepernick would start on Sunday against New Orleans. Trotter also said that the decision was NOT health-related.

Within minutes, Trotter’s tweet blasted out , and Niners' fans around the country were either jumping for joy, cursing the decision, or just plain confused.

I fell into the latter category. For one, it made no sense for the 49ers to show their hand that early, effectively allowing the Saints to know which quarterback to prepare for. Why would anyone leak that news? But mostly, why would Harbaugh even pick Kaepernick over Smith? Yes, Kaep had an inspired game against the Bears on Monday, but how on earth does that mean he suddenly gets the start over Alex Smith?

Harbaugh spent the last two years instilling confidence in Alex, something that was desperately needed after Alex was forced to play under a different offensive coordinator every year and some pretty crappy coaches (i.e., Singletary). Thanks to Harbaugh's belief in him, Alex won 20 of his last 26 games. Why even risk destroying all that has been built, effectively alienating Alex Smith, in order to start a back-up quarterback who had one good game?

Truly, I am flabbergasted. What's worse is now it is Friday and the media still isn't 100 percent positive which quarterback is starting. Smith has allegedly been cleared to play after suffering a concussion against the Rams. But everyone is saying it still looks like Kaepernick is going to start and that he’s the guy for whom the Saints are preparing.

Listen, there is no denying that Kaepernick looked great against the Bears. I believe he is our future quarterback. It’s lovely to know that our backup is capable of being our starter. I just can’t understand, even for a fleeting second, why Harbaugh would make this decision. It just doesn’t make sense for a thousand little reasons. Take, for example, some of the more obvious ones:

• The Superdome is notoriously one of the loudest domes on the NFL. Kaepernick is completely unprepared to handle that type of situation. Not only has he never had to help out his offensive line with that type of noise, how do we know if he’s capable of going up against a player like Jonathan Vilma, the Saints defensive play caller, and one of the best in the league?

• Even with Smith as the starter, Harbaugh hasn’t hesitated to use Kaepernick in many games this season. It’s no secret I’m not a fan of bringing Kaepernick in and taking Alex Smith out of his rhythm, but the point is: Harbaugh could still use Kapernick effectively without raising eyebrows, creating unnecessary drama, and punishing Alex Smith for doing nothing but being an awesome quarterback all year.

• The 49ers are winning. We're 7-2... and one. Why take this risk when what we’ve been doing has mostly been working? We are on the road to the playoffs; there’s no reason for a huge mix-up that very well might not work.

• Ultimately, we don't know yet who the starter will be. The Niners have denied all reports that have been put out by the media. My hope? That this is just Harbaugh’s way of screwing with the Saints and making them prepare for two quarterbacks, or perhaps even focusing too much on the wrong one. That Alex Smith starts on Sunday. Because I believe in him. And because he deserves it. Kaepernick will get his chance. I just don’t think it should be now.

• Regarding the rest of it? Well who even knows. This is basically all anyone’s been talking about for the last couple of days, but I suppose there are some other factors to weigh in.

The Good

• Due to his 5.5 sacks on Monday, Aldon Smith was named the NFC’s Defensive Player of the week. Expect him to thrive and keep that momentum going.

• The Saints are 17th in red-zone defense. Whichever quarterback is starting, this is a chance to run up the score.

• Guess who is dead last in rushing yards allowed? Oh yeah? The Saints. Maybe we should just forego the whole QB controversy and give the ball to Gore and Hunter all day. I will admit, the fact that the Saints are so terrible against the run does bode well for Kaepernick if and when he's in the game.

The Bad

• The Niners’ defense will have their hands full against the Saints’ offense who are have one of the best passing games in the league. Turnovers will be crucial.

• The Saints are going to be looking for retribution for their playoff loss last year against the Niners. There’s a lot at stake on both sides of the balls, so the Niners just need to keep their cool, play hard, and not get sucked into the drama.

The Rest of It

• I don’t even know. The Niners need to score first (they’re 6-1 when we do; 1-1-1 when we don’t), but more than that, they just need to go out and play good football. It’s as simple as that.

• Ultimately, I trust Harbaugh. I think the’s one of the best coaches in the NFL. I rarely question him. I believe he knows what he is doing. I just can’t quite see why he’d start Kaepernick in this situation. It feels like a big risk -- an unnecessary risk -- and I hope it’s just his way of totally screwing with everyone involved.

• I don’t have a great feeling about this game. The Niners have been inconsistent. I mean, we tie against the Rams who then go on to demolish the Jets a team we shut out at home? None of it makes sense. The fact that the Saints (5-5) have had similar problems means I really have no idea how this game will go. And that makes me uncomfortable.

I don’t know what else to say. Smith might start. Kaepernick might start. We might play well. We might suck. On Any Given Sunday and all of the rest of it. I just hope that Harbaugh’s plan shows his genius and not his emotion.

Watch San Francisco at New Orleans on Sunday at 1:25 p.m. on FOX.