CC: Sam and Ira Saying "Balance" Could Keep UM From Landing Harbaugh
So Sam and Ira were discussing ad nauseam Schlissel's comments abount the "Evolution" and "balancing Academics and Athletics" and what that means for UM Football. Being as connected to UM as Sam is, is there reason to believe that the "balance" will keep UM from paying a football coach like Harbaugh "Saban-like" money to come here? Is Sam saying-without-actually-saying that Harbaugh won't happen?
Other things said by Sam and Ira (paraphrased):
- Bringing a big-money coach doesn't show that you are balancing academics and athletics.
- We can succeed with coaches that won't cost as much.
- AD choice may take a year or two.
- Nuss could be interim coach, or if Hoke wins-out he stays.
- We could go after a Pat Fitzgerald-type coach for less pay and he will balance academics with football.
- Maybe UM is no longer interested in being a top-notch football school that annually competes for the B1G.
I personally think that a school like UM can pay a coach a lot of money and still be regarded as a top-notch university. Why not show balance by being the best at both?
Thoughts?
November 3rd, 2014 at 11:15 PM ^
Your listening comprehension skills suck, because Sam said multiple times today in empathic terms that Jim Harbaugh is basically the ONLY choice to be the new coach, if you want the best candidate for Michigan.
November 3rd, 2014 at 2:24 PM ^
if the job is offered makes this coaching search pass/fail.
They must get Jim Harbaugh. Any other alternative will be a fail.
How can we see it any differently than that?
November 3rd, 2014 at 2:30 PM ^
As I remember it all, JIM HARBAUGH played QB at MICHIGAN. Played well at MICHIGAN. Enough said. He bleeds BLUE. This doesn't need to be sold. Shissel knows what's up people. He will get him.
HarBO will come back if offered and offered a good deal.
I KNOW HarBo would like to get in the Faces of Dantonio and Urban Liar! Can't wait. He'll say "WHAT'S YOUR DEAL" right in their face!
If MICHIGAN announces anyone but Harbaugh (or maybe LES MILES), there will be another strike in the DIAG!
Who's got it better than us? NO-BODY!!!!!
November 3rd, 2014 at 2:30 PM ^
Sorry can someone provide the actual evidence that Jack said this about Jim? I have heard this a dozen times but seen no proof. I'm sorry if it has been posted, but some of us might have missed the source.
Thanks.
November 3rd, 2014 at 2:41 PM ^
November 3rd, 2014 at 2:28 PM ^
If the new President screws this up, for any reason, it will be time for him to go back to the Ivy League. Every few years, new Regents come up for re-election,and if we vote out the incumbents and put in new Regents that care about the program, they can fire Schlissel, and bring in a new President that will at least want to live up to the slogan "Leaders and Best." in both acedemics AND athletics. This program is bigger than one man, or even one years team.
Go Blue !
November 3rd, 2014 at 5:41 PM ^
Their is too much at stake for Sam and Ira's take to be correct. If Brandon was forced out, then you know he gets it. It would not be a winning long term strategy to weaken the football program and I didn't get that message listening to Schlissel's comments. The word "Excellence" is what resonated with me.
Reasons why Sam and Ira are wrong from my view:
100+ years of history. A significant portion of the Michigan identity is wrapped up in the Football Program. In fact, Schlissel spent a lot of time discussing this during his press conference when he mentioned Alumni experiences. "Go Blue".
The vitriol directed at Dave Brandon for the running of the Athletic Program resulting in his resignation.
The Regents commented about the importance of the Football Program and had the AD on the agenda.
The Athletic Department is self funded.
Donors to the University such as Ross consider athletics so important to the school that they committed $200M to the department.
"Excellence" means getting a coach that is worthy of the opportunity to coach at Michigan. "Excellence" means getting Jim Harbaugh who is at the top of his profession.
And I think it was pretty clear that Schlissel gets it! He was very impressive and he is too smart.
November 3rd, 2014 at 7:49 PM ^
If history is any indicator though, those who lead the charge for an ouster often end up having little or no say in who the replacement is.
November 3rd, 2014 at 2:30 PM ^
will Jim in his first presser as Michigan Head Coach guarantee a win over the bucknuts in 2015?
Harbaugh, Meyer, Dantonio, and Kelly all in the midwest battling eachother is hugely entertaining and makes the relevance of the B1G go way up.
November 3rd, 2014 at 2:34 PM ^
November 3rd, 2014 at 2:34 PM ^
Um, excuse me President Schlissel, a Mr. Delaney is on the phone for you and he doesn't sound happy.
November 3rd, 2014 at 2:39 PM ^
November 3rd, 2014 at 2:34 PM ^
November 3rd, 2014 at 4:41 PM ^
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November 3rd, 2014 at 5:23 PM ^
You don't pay top dollar to an unproven coach like Hoke. You do pay top dollar for a proven coach like Harbaugh.
I don't understand why Brandon felt Hoke was worth a top 10 salary. It is really crazy to me, but maybe he did us a favor. The leap to the salary needed for Harbaugh does not seem that far anymore!
November 3rd, 2014 at 6:27 PM ^
I was thinking the same thing. If they were paying Hoke a more justifiable salary (~$2mil or so), the leap up to $6-$7mil might not even be on the table even if it meant getting Harbaugh. Now that they already have $4.3 slated in the books, the jump to $6-$7mil seems more reasonable now.
November 3rd, 2014 at 2:41 PM ^
I think the OP got it wrong with regard to the show this morning. I wasn't able to listen to all of it, but a couple of callers responded as the OP does and they repeatedly said that the caller had it wrong. This isn't a big deal. It's far from it. Sam and Ira were just making a guessed based on one sentence from a presser and limited their wisdom on the subject to just that...a hunch.
The notion that Schlissel is an Ivy league academic with no interest in sports isn't a new theory. It was first floated after his hire as folks felt that he would defer to Dave Brandon (sponsored by Chobani) based on his dislike of sport. Clearly the theory was either wrong or the man changed his stripes upon living in A2.
We're going to hire the best possible coach and he'll be paid fair market value. The new AD, however, will not be allowed to squeeze academic donors into the AD's pocket and the generic corporatization of the AD will not continue.
November 3rd, 2014 at 2:45 PM ^
for his stupid, incorrect, inaccurate, holier-than-thou statements about Michigan "shepherding" student athletes. He really said some very stupid things and he's not the kind of personality to apologize for that. Ever.
Fast forward 7 years later and many seem to already be placing advanced reservations at the table of "I'm Offended!" and "I'm totally going EMO Chernobyl-style you guyz!" if Harbaugh decides not to coach our favorite football team.
I personally cannot imagine Jim Harbaugh coming to coach at Michigan, since things are really uncertain in Ann Arbor right now with the AD, and he's got a known-quantity, good thing going, though perhaps not 100% ideal, in northern Cal. Perhaps he can be convinced. I don't know. I just have too many doubts.
The way things have been going negative-kharma-wise for Michigan football that last 10+ years, an outcome where Harbaugh says to Michigan "thanks but no thanks" is the only one that seems to be in perfect alignment with the aforementioned kharma/trajectory of things.
November 3rd, 2014 at 3:39 PM ^
For a team that has been to 3 straight NFC championship games, the situation in SF (if the many press reports are to be believed) is remarkably UNstable.
As far as things being unstable at UM goes--yes, of course they are, that's why we will be hiring a new coach. 1st job of new coach anywhere is to establish said stability.
I'm not saying he'll come, but stability seems to me to be unlikely to be the issue that keeps him from doing so. (In fact, there's a strong argument to be made that our roster provides far less of a rebuilding task than a place like Oakland, or one of the other NFL jobs that might come open, other than the Dolphins).
November 3rd, 2014 at 2:56 PM ^
November 3rd, 2014 at 2:59 PM ^
November 3rd, 2014 at 3:01 PM ^
November 3rd, 2014 at 3:27 PM ^
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November 3rd, 2014 at 3:36 PM ^
November 3rd, 2014 at 3:44 PM ^
November 3rd, 2014 at 9:07 PM ^
November 3rd, 2014 at 11:07 PM ^
November 3rd, 2014 at 3:00 PM ^
A lot of the stuff Sam has talked about, from Hoke being able to save his job to this, seems to suggest that people within Michigan literally have no clue how any of this works in the real world outside of Ann Arbor. You cannot have a 18 month process for a lame duck coach the world knows is fired. You will destroy two recruiting classes and your season ticket sales AND make your school look incredibly unattractive to any potential coaches.
Come to think, you'd basically be sabotaging the job to the point that only a deeply unqualified NFL position coach/small college HC who would walk to Ann Arbor to take the job would have any interest. Suddenly it's making sense why people are telling Sam the process will (they'd hope anyway) take that long.
November 3rd, 2014 at 3:03 PM ^
November 3rd, 2014 at 8:13 PM ^
Good points, but there is another possible scenario that would fit a drawn out timeline for hiring a new AD: some of the powers that be at the university wanting to ensure they have a prominent say in hiring the new football coach. Keep the interim AD to fire Hoke, then insist on a committee approach to seeking out and hiring the new HC. An interim AD is probably far more malleable than a permanent AD when it comes to that sort of thing. Bring in the new AD with a football HC already in place.
November 3rd, 2014 at 8:13 PM ^
Good points, but there is another possible scenario that would fit a drawn out timeline for hiring a new AD: some of the powers that be at the university wanting to ensure they have a prominent say in hiring the new football coach. Keep the interim AD to fire Hoke, then insist on a committee approach to seeking out and hiring the new HC. An interim AD is probably far more malleable than a permanent AD when it comes to that sort of thing. Bring in the new AD with a football HC already in place.
November 3rd, 2014 at 3:11 PM ^
November 3rd, 2014 at 3:16 PM ^
I wouldn't be at all surprised if Sam and Ira were spot on with their comments. While everyone was revelling in Schlissel's press conference and Brandon's demise, very few heard his words beyond I accepted "his resignation".
In the world of academia, code words like restore the balance, linkage to the community and I'll develop a better position on big time football mean sports are secondary at the university and must be de-emphasized.
Now I am not suggesting that Schlissel is naive enough to not understand the financial implications of sports to the university. Rather, he thinks it is a distant third to research and academics and maybe appropriately so.
We should watch carefully, how the AD selection process unfolds and to what extent Schissel imposes himself in the process and selection. More importantly, watch the Regents and their reactions as this unfolds.
If Schlissel has indeed become a Michigan Man in 110 days, he will understand the importance of football and make the appropriate investments to secure a winning football program. If he's simply mouthing the words, I sincerely hope the regents take the necessary steps to ensure his short tenure at Michigan.
November 3rd, 2014 at 4:55 PM ^
I would also say that it is almost a certainty that Schlissel has gotten an earful from deans and professors about how ridiculously high many of the salaries in the Athletic Department are compared to those who are in academics, and also, resentment about donations going to athletics that might otherwise go towards academics. Firing Brandon appeased a broad section of the constituents a university president has to keep happy (the only exception seems to be many coaches and student athletes). That was the easy part. Hiring a new AD will be the tricky part. The posters here seem to be in agreement that the top priority is opening up the bank and landing the absolute best football coach and staff that money can buy. That will appease most of us who post here, but might just piss off enough of the acadamicians to create problems for Schlissel.
November 3rd, 2014 at 7:26 PM ^
It is my understanding that Schlissel only hires the AD who in turn will hire the next coach. I suppose he could fire Hoke if it came down to it but really that should be the AD's purview so that doesn't seem likely.
There's too much smoke for the process not to have started to get an AD. I think we will see one in early December at the lastest. The question is a month enough time to both fire Hoke and hire Harbaugh. it would probably have to be near instantaneous.
I think at the end of the day Schlissel knows he would be playing with fire if he tried to diminish athletics. This situation seems fluid and will hopefully be resolved before New Year's.We can hope anyway or pray
/no religion
November 3rd, 2014 at 4:55 PM ^
I would also say that it is almost a certainty that Schlissel has gotten an earful from deans and professors about how ridiculously high many of the salaries in the Athletic Department are compared to those who are in academics, and also, resentment about donations going to athletics that might otherwise go towards academics. Firing Brandon appeased a broad section of the constituents a university president has to keep happy (the only exception seems to be many coaches and student athletes). That was the easy part. Hiring a new AD will be the tricky part. The posters here seem to be in agreement that the top priority is opening up the bank and landing the absolute best football coach and staff that money can buy. That will appease most of us who post here, but might just piss off enough of the acadamicians to create problems for Schlissel.
November 3rd, 2014 at 9:28 PM ^
projects should football revenues crater?
Maybe the academics can join the Russian farmer who was given one wish and used it to effect the death of his neighbor's cow?
Perhaps the academics want a larger piece of the football cash flow that gets spent outside of the football program. That would be rational. A demise of the excess football cash flow, on the other hand, wouldn't increase anyone's salary at Michigan.
November 3rd, 2014 at 9:59 PM ^
I've spent most of my adult life in academia, and I have to tell you, there are many in academia who aren't that far removed from the mentality of that Russian farmer you mention, especially if it involved a common grazing area for livestock. A poster with connections to UM faculty has said there's been grumbling about the way Dave Brandon went after donations to the athletic department, with the feeling that it was drawing donations away from academics. Also, when it comes to protecting or promoting their positions and departments (or factions within departments) college professors often act with all the rationality of a pouting teenager.
November 3rd, 2014 at 9:59 PM ^
I've spent most of my adult life in academia, and I have to tell you, there are many in academia who aren't that far removed from the mentality of that Russian farmer you mention, especially if it involved a common grazing area for livestock. A poster with connections to UM faculty has said there's been grumbling about the way Dave Brandon went after donations to the athletic department, with the feeling that it was drawing donations away from academics. Also, when it comes to protecting or promoting their positions and departments (or factions within departments) college professors often act with all the rationality of a pouting teenager.
November 3rd, 2014 at 9:59 PM ^
I've spent most of my adult life in academia, and I have to tell you, there are many in academia who aren't that far removed from the mentality of that Russian farmer you mention, especially if it involved a common grazing area for livestock. A poster with connections to UM faculty has said there's been grumbling about the way Dave Brandon went after donations to the athletic department, with the feeling that it was drawing donations away from academics. Also, when it comes to protecting or promoting their positions and departments (or factions within departments) college professors often act with all the rationality of a pouting teenager.
November 3rd, 2014 at 3:16 PM ^
November 3rd, 2014 at 3:23 PM ^
November 3rd, 2014 at 3:27 PM ^
November 3rd, 2014 at 4:43 PM ^
The man said he wanted "excellence" when asked what he wanted in a new AD, but I bet with less fanfare he wants excellence in a Dean of the Nursing School. Go get us some excellence new, or interim, AD. Not a long list of guys with excellence who will look to move from their current spot.
Come home #4 and tell all of the rest of the BIG that I hope you had fun these last 7 years because that shite is over right now.
November 3rd, 2014 at 3:17 PM ^
''De-emphasizing'' athletics would be ABSURDLY stupid. U of M's endowment is literally top ten in the NATION. The University willi never hurt for money. In fact just like people have been saying I'm sure when the football is better the more kids around the country look to go to U of M.
November 3rd, 2014 at 3:23 PM ^
November 3rd, 2014 at 3:26 PM ^
Why do people keep bringing up Nuss as a possible HC?
Pretty underwhelming results in his admitted small sample size.
November 3rd, 2014 at 3:33 PM ^
A bad 10 months here with a broken Gardner and terrible OL doesn't negate that.
I don't think Rajput be HC bit for those that do, the above is more or less their reasoning.
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November 3rd, 2014 at 4:48 PM ^