I never really enjoyed Bakula's portrayal of Archer. To me, he just didn't suit the role, and he came off as a cardboard cutout that barked too much. -More of a tyrant rather than a Captain. Trip and Phlox were really the high points of the show.
They way I see it he was a never captain material, he got the CO post through a PR exercise (being the son of the guy who designed the engine). I do feel though, by the time the xindi thread was eliminated he was starting to show some captains chops.