Why Hasn’t the Harbaugh Era Worked?
Looking back over Harbaugh’s tenure thus far, I’m legitimately surprised that it hasn’t worked out. The guy won big literally every other place he’s ever coached. I’m curious what you guys would point to as the reason why he hasn’t been successful so far at Michigan because I honestly don’t get why the hire hasn’t panned out.
October 31st, 2020 at 5:09 PM ^
Its possible the college game has simply passed him by. The game seems so much different even going back to when he was at Stanford.
October 31st, 2020 at 6:31 PM ^
Yep. To be brief, to me it's a threefold problem:
- Harbaugh is not comfortable with 2020 offensive / game theory philosophies - as the game has continued more and more towards explosive down the field passing we continue to run split-zones over the A&B gap on 2nd and long for example
- Instead of driving out the program arrogance that sinks this program, Harbaugh fed right into it the moment he was hired
- OSU is far superior than Michigan in all facets of their program
There you go. Certainly, there are more nuanced things you could discuss, but big picture wise I think that's it. To me, the OSU problem is far away the most minor of those three but others might disagree. You cannot coach college football in 2020 and be unwilling to use tempo and throw the ball vertically because you're afraid of the worst possible outcomes. Fuck, all MSU did today was Max-protect + throw up arm punts (and no, I am not insulting them for that, I would have done the same thing) and they just kicked our ass with it.
October 31st, 2020 at 7:15 PM ^
I'd like to add in that the entire fanbase plus media put the cart before the horse with this type of shit
October 31st, 2020 at 7:39 PM ^
Yep, hype and headlines are more important than actual accomplishments- those require too much hard work and humility
October 31st, 2020 at 10:15 PM ^
Nah bruh, we need need more dipshit cultural trips to really learn how to kick ass.
November 1st, 2020 at 12:23 AM ^
This needs to be said. JUB looks like quite the simp
November 1st, 2020 at 12:29 AM ^
The rise, fall, slight rise, then fall.
November 1st, 2020 at 1:03 AM ^
I haven't watched the game yet but from highlights, the MSU throws looked more like open WRs down field with Gray running far behind more than armpunts. Not like they were 50 50 jump balls.
November 1st, 2020 at 12:18 AM ^
The game didn't pass him by, the lack of fundamentals and discipline passed him by. How many MSU drives were sustained because of Michigan penalties? How many Michigan drives stalled because of penalties? Was sucky punting also reflective of the game passing him by? Poor recruiting and development of cornerbacks exemplifies the game passing up the head coach?
October 31st, 2020 at 5:09 PM ^
Because harbaugh sucks. Next question
October 31st, 2020 at 5:11 PM ^
I know it's hard to point to one particular thing, but that loss against OSU in Year 2- I think something happened internally, and he has never been the same since.
October 31st, 2020 at 5:22 PM ^
Disagree. UM was favored in the "Revenge Tour" game and got dismantled. We wore Revenge tee shirts in their stadium, Chase was cracking nuts whooping it up in pre-game, etc.... just pissing them off more. And then the their total dismantling of us. All that BS isn't on the HC ? Enough excuses for this clown. I'm tired of fans coming up with excuses for him. He just isn't getting the job done. And there is NO EXCUSE for losing today (22 point favorite) against a team I earlier in the weak called the worst in the B1G.
October 31st, 2020 at 5:23 PM ^
Uh- I would encourage you to read some of my other posts- I want him gone today.
But it is evidently clear that he was a fucking lunatic his first two years and he looks absolutely neutered now.
October 31st, 2020 at 5:34 PM ^
Sorry ! I'm just so pissed off after this loss........ OSU has always had more talent so those losses are kind of understandable. But MSU this year ? Did I say how pissed off I am ?
October 31st, 2020 at 6:28 PM ^
It’s been clear to all who will look at it objectively that the program is broken and has been broken. We make excuses for players who leave early to go udrafted, they made a bad choice. Did they??? It’s the shit culture that appears to permeate this team. Legit 2nd rounds picks like Wade stay at OSU for another shot while our players are leaving early at their detriment. The locker room has been lost for at least two years, the impact is coming home to roost.
October 31st, 2020 at 7:09 PM ^
This. Think of all the talented players who have transferred. The malpractice with DB and DT recruiting. The opt outs from Nico et al.
October 31st, 2020 at 6:09 PM ^
This. Losing to your Junior rival that is at it's LOWEST point? Not being ready to play? After blowing all that my best defensive backfield and we got a QB SMOKE? Short of winning the B1G and not getting blown out in the playoff, go Coach the Texans and take Don Brown with you.
October 31st, 2020 at 6:24 PM ^
Was because his father moved to AA and influenced him for many reasons.
October 31st, 2020 at 5:57 PM ^
I agree with what your saying but he was talking about harbaugh not the players. I said the same thing harbaugh changed his personality in 2016 after that loss to osu. The way he deals with the refs and his sideline antics changed completely and I don’t know why. Granted that wouldn’t change the outcome of any games but even harbaugh seems out of it on the sidelines and postgame after a loss
November 1st, 2020 at 2:36 PM ^
I never understood the Revenge Tour shirts... that UM team walked into the Shoe acting like the game was already won... talk about bulletin board material. OSU played by far their most complete game of 2018 against UM... can't imagine that sort of motivation coming from anything else.
The game yesterday... it looked like the team read all the praise articles written after the Minny game, and forgot to prepare for what was, again, a very motivated underdog. Harbaugh should be kicking some ass all week in practice.. he has to get your team focused. In my estimation, this could be a make or break week not only for the season, but also his tenure as HC.
November 1st, 2020 at 7:23 PM ^
We lost that game racking up nearly 40 points on OSU too. If you had told me we were going to score 39 and not have told me OSU's score, I would have thought it was a win.
October 31st, 2020 at 5:24 PM ^
It ultimately comes down to recruiting. In year six Michigan shouldn’t have a walk-on starting at center, no matter what that walk-on does in practice. Michigan shouldn’t be in that position, regardless. And another walk-on playing at LB. This is year six under Harbaugh.
October 31st, 2020 at 5:45 PM ^
Recruiting? Did MSU out-recruit us? Hell, no, they were just better prepared and cared more about the game. They looked at our corners on film and saw something they could exploit. We apparently looked at their film, laughed, and said, no problem.
October 31st, 2020 at 5:48 PM ^
Maybe? Time will tell. However, this UM staff isn’t good enough to take 3-star recruits and turn them into championship caliber players. Good but not great but good enough for 3rd.
October 31st, 2020 at 5:54 PM ^
not without the healthy dose of PED's that teams like Sparty gets in their training regimen. . .
October 31st, 2020 at 6:32 PM ^
Stop being an apologist. We are not the victims of MSU PED’s, bad officiating or OSU paying players. These BS excuses always leave the fact out that we were poorly coached team, who doesn’t develop its players. That is the real problem.
October 31st, 2020 at 6:42 PM ^
That's exactly right. No more excuses. OSU is getting better coaches and players and they are out working us. Harbaugh isn't himself. He acts like he's in a concussion state looking confused all the time. His post game interviews are incoherent. Michigan is now a basketball school.
October 31st, 2020 at 6:55 PM ^
That's exactly right. No more excuses. OSU is getting better coaches and players and they are out working us. Harbaugh isn't himself. He acts like he's in a concussion state looking confused all the time. His post game interviews are incoherent. Michigan is now a basketball school.
October 31st, 2020 at 8:12 PM ^
His locker room pep talks are coach word salad and not likely effective.
October 31st, 2020 at 6:14 PM ^
Good lord, MSU isn't even on the same recruiting planet as UM
October 31st, 2020 at 6:30 PM ^
Michigan’s classes are ranked high based on the number of players. OSU gets five Dax Hill types a year, UM gets one. Not enough game changers to take over these close games. We can keep saying that’s not the case but it is. The record speaks for itself.
October 31st, 2020 at 6:49 PM ^
I thought we were comparing MSU vs UM recruiting. I'm not arguing about about OSU recruiting being far superior. But Jesus H Christ, when compared to MSU, we should have the game changers.
October 31st, 2020 at 6:20 PM ^
MSU's 2-star guard got hurt and left the game. This is the guy who was ranked 3000 or thereabouts. Did we take advantage of that? Of course not. This game was lost by the coaches. The schemes on both sides of the ball were atrocious. As the head coach, Harbaugh has to step in and make those in-game adjustments. But he doesn't. I have my own theory as to why, but I'll keep that to myself.
October 31st, 2020 at 10:20 PM ^
Harbaugh hates to loss. He is way to competitive. We know that loss ate at him all year. It is possible he was letting it control him and realizes there are things more important (even though he wants to) than beating OSU.
or my edible just kicked in. I dunno.
October 31st, 2020 at 5:11 PM ^
The game changed and he has not. He needs to listen to Saban when he said good offenses win in todays football.
October 31st, 2020 at 7:22 PM ^
But he tried, right? He hired Saban's OC, and that guy would only come on condition of having full control of the offense. He went out and hired the best DC on the market at the time--a guy who shut down Clemson with BC talent.
I don't know. Sometimes it is just fate.
November 1st, 2020 at 12:21 AM ^
And sometimes it's the head coach and the environment he creates and maintains.
November 1st, 2020 at 1:23 AM ^
Bingo. We have a winner.
October 31st, 2020 at 5:12 PM ^
The 2016 OSU game broke Harbaugh and broke this program. Little did we know at that time though...
October 31st, 2020 at 5:12 PM ^
Because as far as well as Harbaugh has done, and he has done well, OSU, our prime comparator has done even better, minimizing the opportunity to take the leap forward we all want.
October 31st, 2020 at 5:19 PM ^
His attitude and fire certainly seemed to change after that game and then there were follow-on effects after our weak 2017. It feels like he's playing politics and is fearful of being himself. I kind of think at this point we should just have a take no prisoners approach because we are losing either way. To be in Brown's system you need DTs and corners....we just aren't there on those positions. But let's be real, this is about the QB. Look at LSU this year without a stud QB. I was hoping Milton could be the answer but it doesn't look like it, so we will continue to be average or worse until we have a game changer at that position. We have not had a QB that landed on an NFL roster for meaningful snaps in the entire Harbaugh era.
What's worrisome now is what a coaching transition does to recruiting or even what happens to recruiting just if we lose 5 games this year without a coaching change. We aren't relevant and we haven't been relevant in about 20 years.
October 31st, 2020 at 5:56 PM ^
Has he done well? He’s 50% MSU, 50% ND, about to be tied with Frames when he gets beat by PSU this year and OSU will set a(nother) record in this “rivalry”.
October 31st, 2020 at 7:58 PM ^
My God, Milton has started two games. The guy needs to grow.
October 31st, 2020 at 6:10 PM ^
Totally disagree. That 2016 game had no effect on the 2018 "Revenge Tour" game when we were favored (and acted the part). What did affect that game was a piss poor defensive scheme which is on the coaching staff and our defensive genius Don Brown. I'm still seeing crossing patterns in my nightmares about that game
October 31st, 2020 at 6:19 PM ^
The program broke after the App State debacle.
October 31st, 2020 at 7:10 PM ^
Actually, you have to go back a little further. Lloyd broke the program back in 2001. He created a monster by allowing a Division I-AA coach to bring his unheralded 6-4 squad into the Big House and make good on a guarantee he made 310 days earlier. Michigan still hasn’t recovered and probably never will.
October 31st, 2020 at 7:20 PM ^
I was at that game. Thanks for bringing back the horrible memory!
October 31st, 2020 at 7:51 PM ^
I was there as well. It will haunt me to my dying day.
October 31st, 2020 at 7:39 PM ^
They're not our prime comparator. Clemson is. Bama is. Not Michigan. They used to be, but that was many coaches ago
October 31st, 2020 at 5:12 PM ^
Because we are cursed as a program and can’t have nice things.