Is "News" Of JH to Raiders Just Rank Speculation, Too?
SO WHATS WITH THE STORIES ABOUT THE RAIDERS. All this good vibe from UMland is being met with good vibe from RaiderNation. It's like Schroedinger's Box -- both stories can't be true at the same time, yet, they seem to be. This is one freakin' weird cat.
Our Public Enemy #1 -- er, well, Messenger of Public Enemy #1 -- is SJ Mercury News beat reporter Tim Kawakami. He's been mentioned repeately as the guy close to the 49ers linking Jim to the Raiiiiiderrrrs (in gravelly voice). He was the guy Mike & Mike mentioned this morning (I can't stand the one Mike but I'm ok with the other Mike). So I checked out his twitter, and saw this from just earlier today:
Tim Kawakami@timkawakami · 2 hrs2 hours ago
There is definite interest on the Raiders' side. There is curiosity (or more) on Harbaugh's side. From there, who knows what happens.
"Confident" is the wrong word. Just saying it makes sense... MT @WyomingRaider you seem pretty confident Coach Jim will be Raiders HC
OK, that's not a guy saying, it's a done deal and definitely going to happen. It's guesswork. It's an opinion.
I'm not saying ITS HARBAUGHING but I'm saying ITS NOT NOT HARBAUGHING.
Just trying to make sense out of this quagmire. DEC 29 CANT COME SOON ENUF.
Or is there something more concrete people are reporting about the Raiders?
December 17th, 2014 at 2:23 PM ^
The difference is that the good vibes on the UM end are coming from people who are associated with Jim Harbaugh, Jack Harbaugh, or the AD.
The Raider vibes are coming from people associated with...Mark Davis. Nobody in the Raider organization could even make contact with Jim or anybody close to him without jeopardizing being nailed for tampering.
You decide which vibes are more credible.
December 17th, 2014 at 2:45 PM ^
Neither because neither is actually making the decision?
December 17th, 2014 at 2:27 PM ^
December 17th, 2014 at 2:44 PM ^
Curious = Harbaugh's agent saying "Yes, please feel free to send us an offer, so that I can maximize the bidding for my client."
December 17th, 2014 at 2:52 PM ^
Just No. Raiders will always suck.
December 17th, 2014 at 2:50 PM ^
I am not sure right now may be good for a magic eight ball but when your job is to tell people information you have to go with the best information you have. If your best information is by adding 1+2=3 and you say that you are doing your job. If you state it as fact then that would be an issue. I think he did the first one, but the real math might look like 15(2+x)/X8^2=zx2+w and no one knows what x X z or w are. I hope he comes if that is what he wants. I don't want a coach that doesn't want the job, or that took the job because the money was better. That is not to say that he shouldn't be paid what he is worth.
December 17th, 2014 at 2:54 PM ^
They both can't be true, but the obvious question is...why do both reports exist from "insiders"?
Here's my thoughts. SF has one year left on his contract.. Barring off-the-field issues, you don't just fire a coach with the track record of Harbaugh when he has 1 year left on his contract. No, you try to get value out of it...trade him. And it's obvious the trade talk has centered around the Raiders. So the fact that "Harbaugh to the Raiders is getting real" has come out is that, perhaps, a trade has been proposed and accepted by both sides in principle (behind the scenes, obviously, given the NFL rules) by those in the NFL organizations with a vested interest in Harbaugh and his contract value. The key here is that what Harbaugh wants to do could mean nothing when it comes to trade talks. I'm not sure what Harbaugh is actually telling the 49ers management or the Raiders, but that is somewhat inconsequential in my mind. And even still, it's quite possible Harbaugh is saying he's interested while at the same time telling others something else. And its also possible Harbaugh is actually considering both options...in terms of likelihood, who knows what is the more likely option for him.
Now, add in the increasing intensity of "Harbaugh to Michigan" insider info. What do insiders in the M community have to possibly gain by getting the fans' hopes up? Nothing. Because if M does not get Harbaugh, there will be many angry people here, and many will be quite upset with the insiders. As far as I'm concerned, that's too much of a risk to get the story out there unless you really know something is going on with the "Harbaugh to Michigan" stuff behind the scenes. If Jim were really not going to take the job, we would surely know by now, and insider chatter would slowly start the "let-down" process for fans to prepare for that "no" answer. That isn't happening though, at least so far. The opposite is. And as for Jim himself, I keep going back to...Jim loves Michigan. He wouldn't be stringing us along unless he was at the very least heavily considering the option
My sticking point: I guess I just have a hard time seeing M insiders getting giddy over nothing, given how much it could really hurt the whole process to go from HE IS DEFINITELY COMING YOU GUYS to, ...nope...especially with what has happened in the last 2 coaching searches.
December 17th, 2014 at 2:54 PM ^
I can't believe the Niners would trade Harbaugh to their cross town rivals. These people have egos. If Harbaugh turns around the Raiders and the Niners fail to get back to their NFC Championship game level in Harbaugh's first 3 years, the Niners management would be reminded of that every day in the papers, radio, tv, etc.
December 17th, 2014 at 3:03 PM ^
Seems like your basis is proximity to one another.....in that case, when is our next heated rivalry matchup with western michigan?
December 17th, 2014 at 3:13 PM ^
More like Florida and Florida State. Or Texas and A&M.
December 17th, 2014 at 3:51 PM ^
That would be because the fans tend to shoot each other at the games. Reason why they added extra security at the last one.
December 17th, 2014 at 4:07 PM ^
from the early 90's to the early 00's. While these teams do not play each other often during the regular season, there is a definite desire to be the alpha dog in the area.
December 17th, 2014 at 3:07 PM ^
BUT, while having to listen to all the reminders when the Raiders have won multiple Superbowls in a row and the 49ers are relegated to multiple high 1st round draft picks, the 49er management will be confident that they like their new coach's personality better. So, they'll have that going for them.
December 17th, 2014 at 3:22 PM ^
December 17th, 2014 at 3:08 PM ^
If Harbaugh wasn't coming to Michigan, he would have turned it down by now and we would be hearing at least SOME chatter about other coaching choices.
I just don't think Jim would put Michigan in the position of being left in the dark until he can "weigh his options" while michigan's options start getting dryer and dryer.
December 17th, 2014 at 3:12 PM ^
whatever he really wants, it all seems to come down to whether or not Jim Harbaugh wants to go through all the recruiting work that is required of a college coach. That seems to be the biggest difference here.
In the NFL, there is drafting, trading and free agents, but recruiting makes the college job almost 24/7 and a lot schmoozing with kids and parents. So really what would Jim H rather do? If he just wants to coach and get paid...stay in the NFL. If he wants/likes recruiting and resurrecting his alma mater, then come back to Michigan.
The suspense is killing me. My biggest fear is we don't seem to have a plan B. If Harbaugh stays in the NFL what the hell will we do then?
There were rumors yesterday of The raiders possibly moving to San Antonio and the Rams going to LA. That might help us in the decision process for Jim H.
December 17th, 2014 at 4:18 PM ^
He was "curious" and it "makes sense" for a Michigan Man to dominate a new corner of space. Therefore. Harbaugh to Mars
December 17th, 2014 at 5:12 PM ^
I have a hard time believing that SF would trade JH across the bay and risk ruining their fan relations by having him win big just a few miles away. That would be a PR nightmare...It would make much more sense to trade him across the country where he would be all but forgotten by most fans within a few years.
But I think its all a moot point anyway...the fact that their appears to be no Plan B is really telling. I don't get the impression that Hackett is a dunce...his track record indicates that he knows how to recruit and negotiate at a very high level. If JH wasn't damn near in the bag there would be some serious Plan B names being floated around from inside the program...not happening - Plan A must be pretty solid.
December 17th, 2014 at 7:44 PM ^
It's not speculation, it's absolutely true. Harbaugh will coach Michigan and the Raiders at the same time.
Firesign Theater once asked, "How can you be two places at once when you're not anywhere at all?"
Well, Jim will be in two places at once thanks to the help of our friend and his, Quantum Mechanics.