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Here's MY PERSONAL opinion as to why I doubt Jim can turn it around.

jimUMfan

Michigan Man
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Jan 18, 2008
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I do believe at one time Jim was one of the best coaches in the business but It looks like the worst thing in the world for his coaching career was to come back to Michigan.

The personal side.

I think being in Ann Arbor and being the can't miss kid lulled him to sleep.

This is home, He got way too comfortable with the prodigal son persona and believed his press clippings. He has a bunch of kids and he thought at Michigan he could be more of a part-time jackhammer and spend more time with the family. He moved his folks back here and on the personal side, he really is living his best life.

He likes having fun and playing on his celebrity. The talk shows, podcasts, showing up at Super Bowls and World Series.

He's become part of the establishment and it's warm and cozy in there.

The football side.

He believed people love Michigan as much as he does. He thought recruits would flock to UM because it was Michigan and he was the coach. Unfortunately, the kids these days only know mediocre Michigan and it was a huge misjudgment on his part.

Still, He started like a house of fire and aside from the MSU debacle, the first year was pretty successful. He did all the things we expected. He developed a QB, the team improved as the year went on and by the bowl game against FL we looked ready to get back to big boy football. Year two progressed well then we were robbed in the OSU game. At first, many people, including me, thought the change happened there, The truth is, I think it was a year later when we had the ball against OSU with a chance to write history by driving down the field for the game-winning score at the Big House. It was not to be. O'Korn threw the ball right to the OSU guy and we have not been competitive since.

MY OPINION is, I think it was at that point that Jim started to become more of a CEO and less of a head coach. I don't know why he went that direction but the effects of that decision have been devastating.

Since that OSU loss, we have seen players opting out of games, (Even a captain sitting out of a bowl game to prepare for an all-star game) players jumping into the transfer portal, players pouting, coaches leaving for our most hated rival, parents and alumni griping publicly, and a program in disarray.

The culture has gone south and losing doesn't seem to bother the folks in Schembechler Hall like it bothered the building's namesake. There has been no accountability for the staff or the players. If a kid fumbles, he's more likely to get the next handoff than ride the pine. Penalties? It's okay, we tried hard. These guys don't know how to win and it looks from the outside like they really don't care. I put this more on the coaches than the players but they both share in this embarrassment.

The title of captain means very little, it's more like a participation award than a leadership award.

ALL OF THIS falls on Jim Harbaugh and here is why I don't think he can get back to the year one coach we hired.

Jackhammer...To be or not to be, that is the question.

Once you take your foot off the gas it's really hard to get back up to speed. Being a great football coach takes an edge. There is a drive that makes you single-minded. You must be consumed. That's what greatness in anything takes. The days of playing 3 sports and expecting to be an All-American are over. Your sport is a 365-day thing.

Jim has lost his edge. At his age and with the life he's gotten used to the last few years I just don't think he can put his foot on the gas and get the edge back. Once you lose the intensity it almost never comes back. It's like dating a girl for a long time and then realizing that the passion isn't there anymore. You may continue on in the relationship or you may not but either way, the passion will never be what it was.

I like Jim Harbaugh and he has done a lot of great things for Michigan but his passion for being the head ball coach has waned. Clearly, he's more accepting of losing than anyone could have ever imagined.

I watched Dan Mullen just about rip the head off his DC on Saturday DURING the game. I'm not saying that's a good thing from an optics standpoint but that's the kind of edge that sets the tone for excellence. That kind of edge and accountability is long gone in AA. I just don't believe it's coming back under Jim Harbaugh. I wish I did.

Go Blue!
 
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