Everybody loves a good assessment of a team, coach, etc., by an anonymous source. They're popular, because people believe they're getting an honest, unvarnished assessment, rather than the diplomacy expected when someone's name is tied to his or her words.
We're more careful than most with them, for one simple reason. Not putting one's name behind an assessment gives freedom to unload vitriol without any responsibility. It gives an opponent, for instance, the ability to negatively recruit or diminish a program without it ever circling back to them.
So it's important to consider the source. We did, in hearing from someone closely connected to a Michigan opponent, regarding the Wolverines' head coach. This is no Michigan hater — just someone who has carefully scrutinized Harbaugh's career, is directly involved in the game at a high level, and ponders like many Harbaugh's career at Michigan thus far.
So here are some off-the-cuff observations. Maybe nothing earth shattering, and some will sound familiar to regular assessment givers on The Fort. But they're interesting, coming from a direct competitor.
• First off, this source insists Harbaugh is an excellent coach. One has to look no farther than his NFL winning percentage to understand that. If you can win at the top level of the game, you can win at all levels.
• The biggest issue at Michigan so far? Player development comes into question. This individual wonders if struggles there can be laid at the feet of the staffs Harbaugh has put together, or if it's the head coach himself, or both. (Obviously, the head coach is ultimately responsible, either way).
• Evaluating talent at the college level has been an issue, this observer notes. Every coach experiences swings and misses, but in this evaluation, the Michigan head coach needs to improve his batting average.
• Harbaugh is extremely good at connecting with his players. He does lose a few good ones, though, like coaches everywhere. In this assessment, Harbaugh does an even better job of connecting with parents. They trust his message, and believe him when he says he'll take care of their sons.
• Kids at camps gravitate to him naturally. His passion for the game proves magnetic, when it comes to young players. When Harbaugh talks about the game of football from his heart, everybody listens.
• His level of self-confidence is extremely high. So high that, in this assessment, it gets him in trouble sometimes. (Again, that's not terribly unusual for high-profile coaches or high achievers in general).
• When it comes to the Xs and Os, Harbaugh remains firmly grounded in the belief that you have to run the football and control the clock, limiting the opposition's opportunities. (The counter there might be the hiring of Josh Gattis to run "speed in space," which certainly appeared to be a response to what Ohio State had been doing to Michigan. And maybe that's why some look for any signs of a tug of war between those two styles).
• This observer is surprised by the quarterback play Michigan has demonstrated thus far in Harbaugh's tenure. He (and obviously others) expected more.
• Harbaugh out-coached (a purportedly very good team) and never took his foot off the gas. When Michigan features that level of preparedness and aggression, it's very tough to hang with the Wolverines.
• Harbaugh loves the Notre Dame rivalry, and would like that matchup to be a fixture on Michigan's schedule. He also still wants to play a game overseas, desiring that sort of life experience for his players.
• One non-Harbaugh observation. Regarding the NIL: Watch out. This will become the absolute wild, wild west! Just wait until someone like United Airlines decides to back the University of Illinois or Northwestern and every kid gets a taste. You can see the potential for a team rising from the ashes to become a new power. Watch out for Texas schools.
We're more careful than most with them, for one simple reason. Not putting one's name behind an assessment gives freedom to unload vitriol without any responsibility. It gives an opponent, for instance, the ability to negatively recruit or diminish a program without it ever circling back to them.
So it's important to consider the source. We did, in hearing from someone closely connected to a Michigan opponent, regarding the Wolverines' head coach. This is no Michigan hater — just someone who has carefully scrutinized Harbaugh's career, is directly involved in the game at a high level, and ponders like many Harbaugh's career at Michigan thus far.
So here are some off-the-cuff observations. Maybe nothing earth shattering, and some will sound familiar to regular assessment givers on The Fort. But they're interesting, coming from a direct competitor.
• First off, this source insists Harbaugh is an excellent coach. One has to look no farther than his NFL winning percentage to understand that. If you can win at the top level of the game, you can win at all levels.
• The biggest issue at Michigan so far? Player development comes into question. This individual wonders if struggles there can be laid at the feet of the staffs Harbaugh has put together, or if it's the head coach himself, or both. (Obviously, the head coach is ultimately responsible, either way).
• Evaluating talent at the college level has been an issue, this observer notes. Every coach experiences swings and misses, but in this evaluation, the Michigan head coach needs to improve his batting average.
• Harbaugh is extremely good at connecting with his players. He does lose a few good ones, though, like coaches everywhere. In this assessment, Harbaugh does an even better job of connecting with parents. They trust his message, and believe him when he says he'll take care of their sons.
• Kids at camps gravitate to him naturally. His passion for the game proves magnetic, when it comes to young players. When Harbaugh talks about the game of football from his heart, everybody listens.
• His level of self-confidence is extremely high. So high that, in this assessment, it gets him in trouble sometimes. (Again, that's not terribly unusual for high-profile coaches or high achievers in general).
• When it comes to the Xs and Os, Harbaugh remains firmly grounded in the belief that you have to run the football and control the clock, limiting the opposition's opportunities. (The counter there might be the hiring of Josh Gattis to run "speed in space," which certainly appeared to be a response to what Ohio State had been doing to Michigan. And maybe that's why some look for any signs of a tug of war between those two styles).
• This observer is surprised by the quarterback play Michigan has demonstrated thus far in Harbaugh's tenure. He (and obviously others) expected more.
• Harbaugh out-coached (a purportedly very good team) and never took his foot off the gas. When Michigan features that level of preparedness and aggression, it's very tough to hang with the Wolverines.
• Harbaugh loves the Notre Dame rivalry, and would like that matchup to be a fixture on Michigan's schedule. He also still wants to play a game overseas, desiring that sort of life experience for his players.
• One non-Harbaugh observation. Regarding the NIL: Watch out. This will become the absolute wild, wild west! Just wait until someone like United Airlines decides to back the University of Illinois or Northwestern and every kid gets a taste. You can see the potential for a team rising from the ashes to become a new power. Watch out for Texas schools.
