“It’s not over.”
I received that text late last night from an excellent source about the whole situation with the Vikings. I didn’t want to post on the board without a second confirmation but, in hindsight, it sure looked like a well-timed message.
The point of this post isn’t to take a victory lap but to outline what we knew, when we knew and why we were sticking to our guns when this very well could’ve gone the other way.
About a month ago, when this first started, I was told from the very beginning that this whole business of flirtation with the NFL, the contract negotiations with Warde Manuel and everything else in between was never about the money. In fact, Harbaugh and Manuel had terms agreed upon and things were never signed. I believe the holdup in signing was because Harbaugh’s interests in the NFL were genuine. However, many were convinced that these looks were just cursory and nothing serious. Assistant coaches were confident he was returning, Harbaugh was telling recruits, parents and current players that he was going anywhere. In fact, I had personally confirmed that at least three players had been confirmed, plus multiple, multiple recruits and families were told not to worry. The entire team was told not to sweat the situation.
So, why did I say “it’s done“ when I did? Well, I was told that by multiple strong sources. Everything had been agreed to, all that was needed was to sign the deal. In fact, two of those sources wanted me to go public that things were trending to being done. While I didn’t go public per se, I elected to post it on the boards instead.
While many times it looked like I was about to get burned, I was reassured that none of this NFL talk would make sense. “Jim is not a liar, he doesn’t lie to people.” That’s what I was told by a solid source when I asked him about what Harbaugh was saying to players and recruits about him staying.
“This just doesn’t make any sense for him and his family,” were other messages I was constantly getting from solid sources when more twists and turns came out about the Vikings and how “serious” things were trending.
Which brings me to the Vikings. While I don’t know what went down today, which we’ll likely never know, there was never an announce of panic from anyone in Schembechler. Perhaps some unrest and nervousness and people buy into reports, but nothing that EVER suggested something was imminent or he was leaving. It was business as usual. Harbaugh was discussing renovations to the players lounge as late as Sunday. He was at Schembechler. He was working. I don’t think we’ll ever find out what truly went on behind the scenes with the Vikings.
Either way, the program might have gone through the emotional ringer the last month, it’s a big win for the Wolverines having Harbaugh back.
As for the situation in general, a lot of this was contingent on Harbaugh getting an actual NFL offer. One that myself, and so many others, were skeptical that would ever come.
At the end of the day, Michigan’s offer was everything Harbaugh asked for, according to my sources. We’ll see what happens in the coming days as Harbaugh and Manuel will surely recommence talks to get a new deal done now that this saga is finally behind everyone.
That’s everything I know.
I received that text late last night from an excellent source about the whole situation with the Vikings. I didn’t want to post on the board without a second confirmation but, in hindsight, it sure looked like a well-timed message.
The point of this post isn’t to take a victory lap but to outline what we knew, when we knew and why we were sticking to our guns when this very well could’ve gone the other way.
About a month ago, when this first started, I was told from the very beginning that this whole business of flirtation with the NFL, the contract negotiations with Warde Manuel and everything else in between was never about the money. In fact, Harbaugh and Manuel had terms agreed upon and things were never signed. I believe the holdup in signing was because Harbaugh’s interests in the NFL were genuine. However, many were convinced that these looks were just cursory and nothing serious. Assistant coaches were confident he was returning, Harbaugh was telling recruits, parents and current players that he was going anywhere. In fact, I had personally confirmed that at least three players had been confirmed, plus multiple, multiple recruits and families were told not to worry. The entire team was told not to sweat the situation.
So, why did I say “it’s done“ when I did? Well, I was told that by multiple strong sources. Everything had been agreed to, all that was needed was to sign the deal. In fact, two of those sources wanted me to go public that things were trending to being done. While I didn’t go public per se, I elected to post it on the boards instead.
While many times it looked like I was about to get burned, I was reassured that none of this NFL talk would make sense. “Jim is not a liar, he doesn’t lie to people.” That’s what I was told by a solid source when I asked him about what Harbaugh was saying to players and recruits about him staying.
“This just doesn’t make any sense for him and his family,” were other messages I was constantly getting from solid sources when more twists and turns came out about the Vikings and how “serious” things were trending.
Which brings me to the Vikings. While I don’t know what went down today, which we’ll likely never know, there was never an announce of panic from anyone in Schembechler. Perhaps some unrest and nervousness and people buy into reports, but nothing that EVER suggested something was imminent or he was leaving. It was business as usual. Harbaugh was discussing renovations to the players lounge as late as Sunday. He was at Schembechler. He was working. I don’t think we’ll ever find out what truly went on behind the scenes with the Vikings.
Either way, the program might have gone through the emotional ringer the last month, it’s a big win for the Wolverines having Harbaugh back.
As for the situation in general, a lot of this was contingent on Harbaugh getting an actual NFL offer. One that myself, and so many others, were skeptical that would ever come.
At the end of the day, Michigan’s offer was everything Harbaugh asked for, according to my sources. We’ll see what happens in the coming days as Harbaugh and Manuel will surely recommence talks to get a new deal done now that this saga is finally behind everyone.
That’s everything I know.
