Rapoport says U-M reached out to Harbaugh, left convinced he wants to stay in NFL
December 7th, 2014 at 11:36 AM ^
What is the correlation between Saban and Harbaugh? People keep trotting this out to make people feel better, but the reality is the situations have almost nothing in common. Aside from the fact that they were both employed by the NFL as a head coach, I can't see much else. Saban was a middling NFL coach at best, he could see the writing on the wall that it was never going to work. JH on the other hand has been very successful, he made it to the SB and has a couple of playoff teams. I want him to come as much as everyone else, but let's be real, this isn't a Saban-like situation here. We are trying to poach a very successful NFL coach during a season in which he could still make the playoffs.
December 7th, 2014 at 11:38 AM ^
Correlation doesn't mean that there are no differences or exceptions.
Otherwise, correlations don't exist, because no two situations are EXACTLY alike.
The correlation is that few head coaches (and even fewer since the Bobby Petrino Falcons exit was so messay) would discuss or even pull the trigger on going back to college while still under contract and coaching an NFL team, even if they knew they were going to get canned at the end of the year. If you're under contract with an NFL team, you deny going back to college, even if you are going back to college.
That's the correlation.
December 7th, 2014 at 5:28 PM ^
Remember, Alabama offered RichRod the job on December 8. That means a lot of those early Saban denials were probably pretty accurate, particularly the "it didn't advance very far" one.
December 7th, 2014 at 11:15 AM ^
We'll know it's true if they hire someone fairly soon. If it's fodder, we'll continue to play the waiting game.
December 7th, 2014 at 11:17 AM ^
Are acting like it's Harbaugh or bust. Do I want him to come here over everyone else? Hell yeah I do. We all do. But at the end of the day, there are A LOT of good coaches who are interested that we could get. And many would do a terrific job here. So let's all relax. Odds are Jim won't come here. If he does, great. But if not, armageddon is not on it's way.
December 7th, 2014 at 11:23 AM ^
December 7th, 2014 at 11:26 AM ^
On a lot.
It doesn't have to be Jim Harbaugh or bust, and I hope the fan base doesn't fracture (again, more, whatever) if Jim Harbaugh chooses to remain in the NFL.
I'd been saying for awhile now that IMO, we won't see a repeat of 2010, when Michigan fired its head coach and brought in a lesser head coach. I just don't/didn't see a way Michigan fires Brady Hoke and replaces him with a worse head coach.
Then the Addazio stuff came out yesterday.
Odds are, the next Michigan coach will be better than the last one. If it's not Jim Harbaugh or John Harbaugh, so be it. But it appears it won't be for lack of trying, unlike what 2010 seems to have been.
December 7th, 2014 at 12:02 PM ^
December 7th, 2014 at 11:28 AM ^
The point is that we want a coach that can get to place we to need to be (I.e. Winning big ten championships, getting into the playoffs, beating our rivals more often than not, etc). Watching msu and osu over the past couple years should show us that to get there we are going to need someone truly exceptional.
In my opinion, getting a plan C guy is not going to cut it, and we are going to be in this same position in 4-5 years again.
December 7th, 2014 at 11:33 AM ^
Michigan had hired Jimbo Fisher or Mark Helfrich (two men coaching in this year's playoff who got their first head coaching jobs in 2010 and 13 respectively, would you have concluded that Michigan got someone "truly exceptional?" Would they have been "Plan A" guys?
Brady Hoke is a Plan C guy. He's not the type you want matching up with Meyer and Dantonio year in and year out.
I think we're on the same page in that we all view Jim Harbaugh as the obvious first choice with his brother John perhaps 1A. I just think we disagree on the degree of drop off between them and the next level of candidates.
December 7th, 2014 at 11:21 AM ^
I despise "sources" being the bulk of these claims because (a) it embodies the type of lazy journalism that allows people to have twitter accounts full of nothing, and (b) tend to be nothing more than conjecture from guys who want to give something, anything to the guy who is on their phone asking for a scoop. And my biggest issue is that it is a win, win for these guys reporting the "news" they are pulling out of their asses. If they are right, then they reconfirm their insider-ness and seem super-connected. If they turn out to be wrong, they can claim the coach changed at the 11th hour or was deliberately lying to his friends and family to keep it under wraps. Either way, their is no negative effect on them, and then someone on a blog links to them 6 months from now to show that "people were saying" X to justify some false recollection of the past.
December 7th, 2014 at 11:27 AM ^
Especially when every "source" seems to be saying something different. Maybe there's just a lack of solid information, which is why so many different things are being reported. if that's the case, I would really prefer that nothing gets reported. It's that or journalists just throwing out anything they hear and covering themselves with a source so they at least have something to say. Either way, I'd prefer they say nothing at all, but that doesn't feed the 24/7 news cycle.
December 7th, 2014 at 11:38 AM ^
December 7th, 2014 at 11:57 AM ^
December 7th, 2014 at 11:23 AM ^
IF this report is true, then we have to start mentally preparing ourselves on the very real possibility that Greg Schiano might be the next Michigan coach. It makes me want to vomit even thinking about it, but I feel like he is Hackett's plan B. There is just too much angst towards Miles, which infuriates me because he should be the second choice. I also believe that Stoops would be very interested if offered the job, but would Hackett pull the trigger? Only time will tell. We know Hackett is looking for a pro-style guy who stresses academics, and I think, unfortunately, that Schiano meets those requirements.
Im not trying to be a debbie downer, because I want Harbaugh just as bad as all of you, but I am tired of getting my hopes up for Michigan football. I am not ready to give up on the dream of Harbaugh coming here, but I think it'd be wise to at least acknowledge the idea that we will be stuck with a plan D coach.
If not Harbaugh, then please go after Stoops, Miles or at least someone not named Schiano or Addazzio.
December 7th, 2014 at 11:27 AM ^
If it is Schiano or Addazzio we will all need to accept the fact we will never beat OSU
December 7th, 2014 at 11:29 AM ^
December 7th, 2014 at 11:38 AM ^
If its Schiano, I can guarantee attendance will drop below 100k next season and does not speak well as to our prospects of having a functioning AD. You don't fire Hoke just to hire angry Hoke.
December 7th, 2014 at 11:53 AM ^
December 7th, 2014 at 11:29 AM ^
Why do you doubt Hackett would pull the trigger on Stoops? The guy is proven at the highest level, and I don't believe he has anything in his past that conflicts with Hackett's criteria. Even with all the Schiano talk, I don't believe anyone could put him above Stoops.
December 7th, 2014 at 11:34 AM ^
i never said I doubted it, I just said time will tell whether or not Hackett pulls the trigger. I just feel that Schiano might be ahead of Stoops at this point. Trust me, I love Stoops. He is in that plan A category. I just hope Hackett feels the same way.
December 7th, 2014 at 12:12 PM ^
I would like to think that, if we were already talking about secondary choices, that Hackett would have Stoops above Schiano on any list that he or the search firm might have. I have said before that I would take Stoops' run at Oklahoma in a minute if Harbaugh were in fact not coming and there were confidence he could create something similar here. I get that Schiano had the train wreck of Rutgers performing above where it would have been otherwise at the time, but it just isn't a name I would even have in the top ten.
December 7th, 2014 at 11:32 AM ^
December 7th, 2014 at 11:41 AM ^
I like Mora Jr, but for some reason I never felt like he's a realistic cadidate. Just my opinion. I would be more than happy with him, but again, I feel like it should be Harbaugh, Stoops or Miles. If Harbaugh does say no, then I truly believe that Stoops or Miles will be the next coach, IF OFFERED THE JOB! Everyone has their own opinions on who they think or hope should get the job, but I think the one thing we can all agree on is that if Schiano or Addazio is the next coach, that this program will be in even more trouble and it will divide the university once again...let's hope this doesnt happen.
December 7th, 2014 at 5:42 PM ^
Mora turning down Texas gives me pause. There are only a couple of reasons to turn down serious money at a school like Texas... either he's very comfortable in LA, and he has lived out west for 45 of the 53 years he's been on this earth, or he wasn't ready to commit to being a college coach for the rest of his career.
December 7th, 2014 at 11:26 AM ^
At this point I'm just numb to it all anyway. The last 24 hours of sports, with OSU making a national statement with a 3rd string QB, likely sneaking into the playoff, and Michigan basketball losing to a school no one knew existed will do that to a man. Get ready for Greg Schiano and a ceiling of 8-4 to 9-3, with yearly losses to Dantonio and Meyer to resume.
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December 7th, 2014 at 12:20 PM ^
December 7th, 2014 at 11:27 AM ^
GREGGMETER STILL AT 85% THOUGH
December 7th, 2014 at 11:32 AM ^
It would have to be through back channels.
The longer it goes...the better.
December 7th, 2014 at 11:35 AM ^
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December 7th, 2014 at 11:32 AM ^
the choice of word @RapSheet: The University of Michigan has reached out to #49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, sources say. U-M left convinced he wanted to be an @NFL coach
December 7th, 2014 at 11:40 AM ^
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December 7th, 2014 at 11:44 AM ^
December 7th, 2014 at 11:45 AM ^
December 7th, 2014 at 11:45 AM ^
This smells like a load of BS. UM would have asked Harbaugh outright. The quote makes it sound like Hackett presented the offer while playing charades. I mean "left convinced he wanted to be an NFL coach" is just weird and not even close to "Said no to Michigan's offer."
December 7th, 2014 at 11:46 AM ^
December 7th, 2014 at 11:46 AM ^
December 7th, 2014 at 2:15 PM ^
Even after somebody not named Sean Payton is hired?
December 7th, 2014 at 2:33 PM ^
December 9th, 2014 at 7:09 PM ^
Sean Payton's job is on the hot seat in New Orleans, and Peter King said recently that it might be it for him in New Orleans. This is happening around the time of his interest in the Michigan job. I think it's likely he's coaching Michigan next year, at around 70%.
http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2014/12/peter_king_sean_payton_sai…
December 7th, 2014 at 11:46 AM ^
Checked this guy out and this was my favorite moment (around the :12 mark). Always consider the source.
December 7th, 2014 at 11:52 AM ^
December 7th, 2014 at 11:54 AM ^
December 7th, 2014 at 11:54 AM ^
College (especially UM) and NFL reporters have their own agendas and are biased as much as we are.
Bottom line no one knows but Harbaugh and I think we all know he is genuinely focused on his current team. I feel like any news to the contrary is from people around him and not Harbaugh himself. Just have to wait it out and see. Personally I say 50/50 he comes.
I'm tired of caring so much so for my own sanity I'm going to try and just let it play out. Wish me luck!
December 7th, 2014 at 11:59 AM ^
December 7th, 2014 at 12:18 PM ^
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December 7th, 2014 at 12:07 PM ^
December 7th, 2014 at 12:12 PM ^
..scarier than all of the other non-specific info give by other NFL reporters so far.
It is not his tweet, but his interview with Rich Eisen that is scary.
In the interview Rappaport gives much more specific info than any other NFL reporter has so far.
Definitive? No. But it really is different in kind from all of the other generic and non-specific claims by other NFL reporters so far.
See for yourself at the link (sorry I cannot embed), and watch until the end the interview becasue Eisen circles back to the Michigan issue and that is where the most relevant info is located....
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-gameday/0ap3000000439540/Jim-Harb…
I can only hope that the JH camp fed Rappaport a smoke screen. Either way, Rappaport's info is different because he claims a level of specific info way above what other NFL reporters have offered.
December 7th, 2014 at 2:15 PM ^
.... But seriously though...
December 7th, 2014 at 12:13 PM ^