From an Iowa poster. True or False...

[Reality Man]

Harbaugh inherited a VERY talented team. He is obviously better than Hoke but it should have been expected for him to win this many games. They have a ton of highly skilled players and he got a solid QB in JR that wasnt going to turn the ball over. Michigan is going to be good for many years (at least until the NFL comes calling again)

My comments:

Chesson is talented but was developed. Rudock was the key but looked to be developed. I think this poster is right that UM is talented but not necessarily at certain positions but for UM to win 10 games is beyond what was reasonably expected.

I do agree that the NFL will come calling...like a big time franchise like Dallas or N.Y. I'll take Harbaugh for 5 years .



RM

 

[57varieties]

Oh sure now that hes been coached well and had good receivers to throw to iowa fans love rudock. I live in iowa it makes me sick listening to them. Text a buddy yesterday thanking him for jake and he said hed still take cj. 2 minutes later cj threw the pick 6 so i asked if he was sure lol.

 

[JP2Blue]

Can we cut the crap with the NFL will come calling?

1.) He resurrected a team, took them to the Super Bowl and was let go the following year.
2.) College Football is better than the NFL.
3.) He is at a place that is near and dear to his heart.
4.) He is following in Bo's (a man he dearly admired) footsteps in many ways.
5.) He can keep his family rooted here for a long time.
6.) He can change and effect kids more directly.
7.) Money won't be an issue.
8.) He already has one of the best gigs in football - "Whose got it better than us"???
Nooooobody....

The list goes on and on and as Harbaugh himself said this year - It's insulting.

 

[anon_sg4bgyiuileo1]

Can we cut the crap with the NFL will come calling?

1.) He resurrected a team, took them to the Super Bowl and was let go the following year.
2.) College Football is better than the NFL.
3.) He is at a place that is near and dear to his heart.
4.) He is following in Bo's (a man he dearly admired) footsteps in many ways.
5.) He can keep his family rooted here for a long time.
6.) He can change and effect kids more directly.
7.) Money won't be an issue.
8.) He already has one of the best gigs in football - "Whose got it better than us"???
Nooooobody....

The list goes on and on and as Harbaugh himself said this year - It's insulting.

This.

Like I said, I believe Harbaugh is home. Everyone in this program is going in the same direction for the first time in a long time. I saw some of the pictures taken in Orlando, Carr (you know, the ex coach everyone said we ran out of Ann Arbor) was grinning from ear to ear in every one. Jack Harbaugh on the mic at the pep rally. Every pic of the players look intense and focused - and joyful.

While other programs issued stories of yet another player being sent home because of "breaking team rules", Michigan stories were all about practices.

Harbaugh loved Bo. Hell, he is Bo.
But improved.

Fvck, it's great to be a Michigan Wolverine.

 

[DetroitRockCity]

Oh sure now that hes been coached well and had good receivers to throw to iowa fans love rudock. I live in iowa it makes me sick listening to them. Text a buddy yesterday thanking him for jake and he said hed still take cj. 2 minutes later cj threw the pick 6 so i asked if he was sure lol.

Now that the bowl game is over, is CJ's father helping Ferentz with next years depth chart?

 

[GoBlueJagaloon]

They were only about half right. We had some good talent spread around the team but we had some holes as well. Great coaching really brought it all together and patched the holes. I don't think Ruddock would have improved the way he did under a different coaching staff either. Hoke may not have gotten to a bowl game with this team.

 

[Reality Man]

If Hoke was still coach of this last team...I think UM is about 6-7. They don't have Rudock. They probably an o.k. defense but they lose plenty.

Now...was Harbaugh expected to win 10 games this year? I thought the expectation because of Harbaugh and staff plus Rudock and (mistakenly) Isaac coming in should be about 9 wins...8 minimum. So the Iowa poster is right...Harbaugh is at least a 2.5+ advantage over Hoke but I do think any reasonable person when looking the entirety of the season says Harbaugh did better by 1-2 games in the win column.

Lost to MSU but won against Minny/IU. Basically a wash.



RM

 

[tarun262]

The reason coaches used to bolt to the NFL was because of larger paydays. That is no longer the case when Saban is the highest paid football coach in pros or college because boosters can help. There is no major reason for coaches to bolt to the NFL anymore now and that luster that used to be there in the past is no longer there. I don't see JH bolting for the NFL anytime soon - he's close to his dad and his kids and family love Ann Arbor. I think he's here to stay for another 4-5 years and after that may just call it quits.

 

[Reality Man]

I hope so. I would love 10 years of Harbaugh or him at least building somewhat of a coaching tree.


RM

 

[tarun262]

I do fully expect that Drevno is gone after next year for sure...he has aspirations to be a HC and quite frankly he did an amazing job. Would not surprise me to see Drevno gone and Fisch becoming OC for a year or 2 and then bolting as well.

 

[anon_sg4bgyiuileo1]

The reason coaches used to bolt to the NFL was because of larger paydays. That is no longer the case when Saban is the highest paid football coach in pros or college because boosters can help. There is no major reason for coaches to bolt to the NFL anymore now and that luster that used to be there in the past is no longer there. I don't see JH bolting for the NFL anytime soon - he's close to his dad and his kids and family love Ann Arbor. I think he's here to stay for another 4-5 years and after that may just call it quits.

Jim won't retire in 5 years. He loves what he does too much.

 

[tarun262]

Jim won't retire in 5 years. He loves what he does too much.

Only reason I say that is because his style of coaching is very physically taxing - running around on sidelines, being in practices, even lifting with players, etc - at some point that will stop and take a toll on him.

 

[detroitjohn]

Only reason I say that is because his style of coaching is very physically taxing - running around on sidelines, being in practices, even lifting with players, etc - at some point that will stop and take a toll on him.

He's 52, not 72 and seems to be very healthy, a family guy who doesn't do much of anything unhealthy (overeat, drink heavily, smoke, etc.). I don't see him wanting to or needing to slow down for 15 years or more. I think he's going to surprise a lot of people with how long he prowls the sidelines.

 

[ThatsMrSpartan2U]

Weighing in from a Spartan perspective I would say that Jim Harbaugh will want to win a Lombardi Trophy some day. Not until after he at least wins the B1G and plays for or wins the NC. I expect it to be sooner rather than later than you guys all think. You gotta figure the winner of the B1G is pretty much assured of a playoff spot year in and year out. UM will compete for a B1G title every year from here on out.....right there with OSU, MSU et al.

It's not the money. JH is too competitive to not want that Super Bowl ring. He's still pretty young. Once he wins big in AA his legacy will be set in the college ranks. He's been to the NFL and shown he can win there, something Spurrier and Saban for example couldn't do. Pete Carroll is a closer analogy to Harbaugh. Bill Walsh. John McKay too. Eventually the college game just won't be big enough for him. I would figure he might want to take the best college players to the Super Bowl and win that.....too.
JMHO.

 

[ArrowheadBlue]

At UM, JH has total control of the program. What NFL team do you think would give him the same control? Philly? That didn't work too well with Kelly. NFL owners have bigger egos than any coach I can think of and they love to flaunt their power, and piss on their fan base along the way (i.e. Frisco). Jim's been on both sides of the ledger, saw his power eroded in SF but not in AA.

 

[ThatsMrSpartan2U]

At UM, JH has total control of the program. What NFL team do you think would give him the same control? Philly? That didn't work too well with Kelly. NFL owners have bigger egos than any coach I can think of and they love to flaunt their power, and piss on their fan base along the way (i.e. Frisco). Jim's been on both sides of the ledger, saw his power eroded in SF but not in AA.

If you're saying Jim Harbaugh is only interested in being in complete control it makes sense that he will be content to remain an elite college coach. Bill Belichek has been an NFL head coach for 20-30 yrs and I don't know if he has "total" control but he has a bunch of rings. Coughin in NY was hired there at an age older than JH is now and has won 2 rings and he hasn't had "total" control either. He had middling success as a college coach. Again, Pete Carroll is the standard I think JH most closely resembles.
Meyer, Saban and certainly Dantonio never had much NFL experience (Saban having the only real gig there) and college is where they belong. They know it.
Not saying JH won't kick back and be content to watch his kids from UM (and his brother for that matter) play on Sundays, but if he really is the driven competitor he appears to be I don't think that the NFL won't, one day, be on his agenda once again. He's been there and proven he can do it. I'm sure there is an NFL owner somewhere out there who will be able to eventually "endure" winning with Jim Harbaugh as his coach. You have a few more years before this happens and I'm sure if it does UM will not be left as it was when Carr retired.

 

[anon_sg4bgyiuileo1]

I guess we'll see after a couple of years. I just don't buy he has Superbowl Ring Fever. If he did, he'd still be in the NFL - someone would have scooped him up before he cleaned out his office in SF.

I get Jim likes challenges, which is why I think he stays. Even if he (please God make it so) gets us an NC, he'll have to deal with the challenge of moulding a new class etc. The challenges will always be there for him.

 

[ThatsMrSpartan2U]

Didn't he have one more year on his SF contract and he would have had to sit on the sidelines this year? Did UM pay SF to be allowed to sign him? Or was he allowed to go back to college but not to another NFL job while still under SF control. JH was fired from SF right? He didn't quit. I will concede I'm not sure on this point, but I think he was prohibited from coaching in NFL this year. Not trying to start a fight. Just think that the only job outside the NFL that interested him became available at a fortuitous time.

 

[anon_sg4bgyiuileo1]

I may be wrong but I just can't see a scenario where you get fired and the company who fires you will not allow you to seek employment in that field. It doesn't make any sense.

"We don't like you and don't want you around anymore, but we don't want you to go anywhere else either."

 

[ThatsMrSpartan2U]

I may be wrong but I just can't see a scenario where you get fired and the company who fires you will not allow you to seek employment in that field. It doesn't make any sense.

"We don't like you and don't want you around anymore, but we don't want you to go anywhere else either."

It happens all the time. These contracts lock both sides in for the term of the contract. The employer can fire you any time but is obligated to pay you til the end of the deal. The coach can quit any time or retire, but he then gives up his right to the money and he can't just go get another, higher paying or more prestigious gig.
If you're fired it's the employer who can let you out of the contract to go get another job, while not having to pay you. I don't think SF was going to let him go to another NFL job this year.

I'm pretty sure, not positive, this was what happened in SF. Management was stupid and couldn't put up with JH anymore. They spitefully fired him and told him he can't interview for another NFL HC job. I don't know if there was a provision about a college job, of UMs job specifically, that allowed him to go there or if UM negotiated something with SF ownership. I don't think they did or had to. However, I'm pretty sure JH still had time left on his SF contract when he was let go.

 

[scfanblue]

Doesn't matter now anyways. Jed York is an incompetent leader who was given the position he has due to his families wealth. Whoever owns the team the team should fire York, the GM, and of course Tomlinson who was stupid enough to take the job in that type of environment. The NFL is ALL business period and the teams who have proven coaches that are given power over the front office, the spoiled players, and money truly win in the NFL. The Patriots are the finest example of this. Bellichick controls EVERYTHING and look at their dominance since 2000. Look at Dallas where Jerry Jones wants the glory.

 

[pistol55]

Weighing in from a Spartan perspective I would say that Jim Harbaugh will want to win a Lombardi Trophy some day. Not until after he at least wins the B1G and plays for or wins the NC. I expect it to be sooner rather than later than you guys all think. You gotta figure the winner of the B1G is pretty much assured of a playoff spot year in and year out. UM will compete for a B1G title every year from here on out.....right there with OSU, MSU et al.

It's not the money. JH is too competitive to not want that Super Bowl ring. He's still pretty young. Once he wins big in AA his legacy will be set in the college ranks. He's been to the NFL and shown he can win there, something Spurrier and Saban for example couldn't do. Pete Carroll is a closer analogy to Harbaugh. Bill Walsh. John McKay too. Eventually the college game just won't be big enough for him. I would figure he might want to take the best college players to the Super Bowl and win that.....too.
JMHO.

you seem to know an awfull lot about a man you have never met or talked to. wishfull thinking?

 

[jemblue]

Weighing in from a Spartan perspective I would say that Jim Harbaugh will want to win a Lombardi Trophy some day.

Blah blah blah.

Weighing in from a Wolverine perspective, I would say that Tom Izzo will want to lift the NBA championship trophy some day.

 

[LaserBuck84]

I think the Browns should throw bank at Harbaugh

 

[CHANCE 52]

With Harbaugh's coaching abilities combined with UM football tradition and resources, Harbaugh could produce five titles for the Wolverines during his tenure. Michigan is one of about ten universities that have the funding, facilities and tradition to retain a coach for fifteen or twenty years if the boosters and fan base doesn't run them off. Jim Harbaugh is a once in a lifetime coach. UM has been blessed with another, Bo.

 

[CHANCE 52]

I may be wrong but I just can't see a scenario where you get fired and the company who fires you will not allow you to seek employment in that field. It doesn't make any sense.

"We don't like you and don't want you around anymore, but we don't want you to go anywhere else either."

SF is a front office nightmare. Couldn't handle a coach with a strong personality. What a joke that will haunt them for years to come.

 

[detroitjohn]

you seem to know an awfull lot about a man you have never met or talked to. wishfull thinking?

Harbaugh has shown no interest or inclination of going somewhere else. I think our BIG opponents may have to settle into the uncomfortable truth that coaching in the biggest stadium, on the biggest stage, at a Harvard-like academic institution, where students, fans, and administration adore you, getting paid top dollar, being rah-rah Kumbya and everyone high fives and smiles at it, etc. really is arriving at the dream job for Harbaugh. JH isn't going anywhere, he's dreamed of this since he was 10 years old.

 

[Mikemon]

Harbaugh inherited a VERY talented team. He is obviously better than Hoke but it should have been expected for him to win this many games. They have a ton of highly skilled players and he got a solid QB in JR that wasnt going to turn the ball over. Michigan is going to be good for many years (at least until the NFL comes calling again)

My comments:

Chesson is talented but was developed. Rudock was the key but looked to be developed. I think this poster is right that UM is talented but not necessarily at certain positions but for UM to win 10 games is beyond what was reasonably expected.

I do agree that the NFL will come calling...like a big time franchise like Dallas or N.Y. I'll take Harbaugh for 5 years .



RM

NFL came calling last year!

 

[ChicagoBlueFan]

This.

Like I said, I believe Harbaugh is home. Everyone in this program is going in the same direction for the first time in a long time. I saw some of the pictures taken in Orlando, Carr (you know, the ex coach everyone said we ran out of Ann Arbor) was grinning from ear to ear in every one. Jack Harbaugh on the mic at the pep rally. Every pic of the players look intense and focused - and joyful.

While other programs issued stories of yet another player being sent home because of "breaking team rules", Michigan stories were all about practices.

Harbaugh loved Bo. Hell, he is Bo.
But improved.

Fvck, it's great to be a Michigan Wolverine.

I always found it amusing when fans of other programs would come here and tell us how Carr was " run off".

 

[STPGopherfan]

Can we cut the crap with the NFL will come calling?

1.) He resurrected a team, took them to the Super Bowl and was let go the following year.
2.) College Football is better than the NFL.
3.) He is at a place that is near and dear to his heart.
4.) He is following in Bo's (a man he dearly admired) footsteps in many ways.
5.) He can keep his family rooted here for a long time.
6.) He can change and effect kids more directly.
7.) Money won't be an issue.
8.) He already has one of the best gigs in football - "Whose got it better than us"???
Nooooobody....

The list goes on and on and as Harbaugh himself said this year - It's insulting.

The NFL did call. They just wanted to congratulate him on a nice season...