Harbaugh letter grade year one
It has been almost exactly a year. At the end of the 2014 season, some were angry, some apathetic, and nobody was happy. 5-7 will do that. Then Hackett and Harbaugh happened. Here are my grades for Jim after one year. A+: Energizing and unifying the fan base and University community. From spending two hours at Ultimate Frisbee practice, to his delightful Twitter account, to actively encouraging lettermen to be around and part of the program...this has been a home run. A: Building an infrastructure for success and recruiting. The addition of a team mom and grabbing Partridge as a recruiting coordinator were big. He cobbled together a respectable class in his first month, and what could be a monster this year. A-: Building a coaching staff and in-game coaching. Think he misread Durkin and his character/commitment level. Allowing him to interview when he did with Maryland was a mistake. He also didn't beat either of our two main rivals. On the other hand, awesome overall staff and in-game coaching ranged from solid to brilliant. Neg away for this one... Incomplete but promising: Talent evaluation and player development. Give it one more year, would be an A if graded now. Overall: A. Pretty much hit the realistic ceiling with this team.
December 24th, 2015 at 9:51 PM ^
December 24th, 2015 at 11:00 AM ^
December 24th, 2015 at 11:56 AM ^
He had a job to do that week, and it was a pretty important one. Anything less than his 100% attention to the job at hand is wrong.
December 24th, 2015 at 12:08 PM ^
How much time do you think he lost interviewing? And importantly, do you really think that would have changed that outcome?
December 24th, 2015 at 1:52 PM ^
So you have never once glanced at your cell phone or checked MGoBlog while at the office? You show up at 8 and your eyes don't leave your computer screen until 5? Because that's 100% attention.
December 24th, 2015 at 4:07 PM ^
Power five coaches make the money they do for a reason. Comparing my job to theirs is a straw man.
Equating me checking the blog, to Durkin interviewing to leave his current post, is not even in the same ballpark. Hell, not the same sport.
December 24th, 2015 at 11:00 AM ^
Ä I'm going to give him the German letter A.
Blau is German for Blue by the way.
December 24th, 2015 at 11:02 AM ^
I wish people would stop saying stupid stuff about the Durkin situation. He needed a DC and he needed one quickly. He knew exactly what he was getting and how long he'd likely have him for. If doing a good job and getting a shot at a head job somewhere in a year or two wasn't part of the plan then there would've been no reason for Durkin to leave FL. He would've been the constant there and helped through the transition. This wasn't a miscalculation and if you can't get over losing coordinators then you're not ready to be a fan of a big time football program so please stop with all the unfounded sour grapes.
December 24th, 2015 at 11:21 AM ^
December 24th, 2015 at 11:06 AM ^
I think even Harbaugh himself would say that a year where you lose to MSU and OSU and don't win the B1G can never be an "A" at Michigan.
B it is.
December 24th, 2015 at 11:06 AM ^
B. Losses to 3/4 teams ranked in the final top 25. Win the bowl game and it can bump up to a B+
December 24th, 2015 at 11:52 AM ^
December 24th, 2015 at 11:14 AM ^
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December 24th, 2015 at 11:17 AM ^
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December 24th, 2015 at 11:18 AM ^
B- compared to program expectations.
A- if grading on the 2014 curve.
December 24th, 2015 at 11:24 AM ^
A+: on his performance
F: if you grade on a curve of our unrealistic expectations as a fan base.
We have a hard time stomaching anything other than perfection
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December 24th, 2015 at 12:09 PM ^
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December 24th, 2015 at 11:23 AM ^
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December 24th, 2015 at 11:24 AM ^
B. I fully expected them to beat Ohio State, and they... whats the term? Laid an egg. And this year, I thought they would crush them and flip the script for 10 years. But I suppose its more like an A+ when you consider that Hoke left a Hoke-sized hole to dig out of.
December 24th, 2015 at 11:25 AM ^
B-. I thought he would be a little more successful flipping a few big time recruits last year. Way too many penalties. Team seemed to peak early in the year, most of the B1G wins after Northwestern were ugly.
That being said I'm expecting an A or A+ in year 2.
December 24th, 2015 at 11:28 AM ^
I am feeling it's a B and the bowl could bump a half-grade it in either direction. The results versus OSU were very telling. A competitive loss and the grade could have been an A. I throw out the MSU results because it was the result of a fluke play. Game by game:
- Utah. B - only because the result. I think the team played well
- UNLV/Oregon State - A-. The defense was great, and the offense found it's footing.
- BYU, MD, NW - A+. This is the best I've seen us play in a long time.
- MSU: No grade
- Minny: B. Result was not indicitive of play. Lucky rodents.
- Rutgers: A. Pantsed a pantsable outfit fittingly
- IU: C. Can't stop run
- PSU: A. Without the ridiculous reffing, this would have been thourough distruction.
- OSU: D. SMH.
He get's an A+ for the off-field stuff.
December 24th, 2015 at 11:28 AM ^
Lost to Sparty (in an unfortunate disaster) and lost badly to OSU. Coulda lost to Minny or IU.... Still the record is as good or better than most anyone predicted. He's recruiting his ass off. And we haven't had any off-field disasters.
Next year depends entirely on the QB. Yeah we have an issue at LB, but every great team has an issue at some position group going into a season. QB is different though as we would clearly have beaten both Utah and MSU with even decent QB play.
The proof of HARBAUGH will be in 2017 when he will be replacing 4 OL, maybe the best TE in college FB, maybe the best 2 DBs in college FB, likely 3 drafted DL and 2 drafted WR. He'll be facing this challenge while using in part the lightly regarded (for us) 2014 and 2015 recruiting classes.
December 24th, 2015 at 11:29 AM ^
Grade: A+
From 5-7 and no bowl game to a possible 10-win season and a number 1 ranked recruiting class. Hell yeah.
December 24th, 2015 at 11:32 AM ^
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December 24th, 2015 at 11:33 AM ^
December 24th, 2015 at 11:33 AM ^
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December 24th, 2015 at 11:37 AM ^
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December 24th, 2015 at 11:38 AM ^
December 24th, 2015 at 11:41 AM ^
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December 24th, 2015 at 12:42 PM ^
people think we were destined to be undefeated this year, yet just months before the Harbaugh signing, people were worried if we were going to be able to track down a quality coach...Harbaugh came in, changed the appearance of a program from a hasbeen to a shiny-recruit attracting program. He finally united a fractured fan base. He sold out the Big House, reversing negative trends. We are a win away from a 10 win season...A+. Fuck people who think he only did a B-B+ job this year
December 24th, 2015 at 11:37 AM ^
Michigan State, as good a team as they are, was more lucky than "sound". Their record, no matter if they finish 12-2 or 14-1, will have an asterisk. They lost to Michigan. We are 10-2.
December 24th, 2015 at 11:49 AM ^
This is silly. Going back to re-calculate a record based on penalties (called or not) is futile. To win a close game in football you have to not only beat the other team, you have to overcome the risk of bad calls. Its a game full of human error and innovation. Its part of what makes football so frustrating in its greatness.
December 24th, 2015 at 11:52 AM ^
December 24th, 2015 at 12:04 PM ^
That left 8 people to block MSU's 10. They had just called a timeout before. Really inexcusable. Not even sure Blake gets the punt off if he doesn't drop it.
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December 24th, 2015 at 1:15 PM ^
December 24th, 2015 at 11:37 AM ^
Introduction to Program Turnaround? Grade A!
I think he did as well as could be expected with the talent on this team. Next year's course will be tougher, so it will be harder to get an A. But I have hope.
And a RB named Walker!
December 24th, 2015 at 11:39 AM ^
was him laying an egg in preparing for and coaching in tOSU game. I'm not saying it was easy. I'm not saying a better scheme or better in game adjustments would have changed the outcome. It was simply was a mediocre at best performance by Durkin. Behind closed doors I think Harbaugh was quite p*ssed off getting blown out at home after giving Durkin the flexibility to interview during game week. IMO Durkin showed his youth in the way he handled his last few weeks at Michigan. It's okay to consider another job when you're currently employed, but don't lay an egg in the most important game of the season for your boss and mentor.
December 24th, 2015 at 11:39 AM ^
December 24th, 2015 at 11:47 AM ^
Blown out at home in the second half to OSU is a full grade reduction. For those giving Harbaugh an A, how would they rate Hoke's 2011 season that was 11-2, with wins over ND/OSU and BCS Sugar Bowl win? Guess an A+++. Also, the penalties were a big disappointment along with the poor running game--someone said our running game was worse this year than in Hoke's last year. How is that an A performance? Passing game was a great improvement.
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December 24th, 2015 at 11:57 AM ^
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December 24th, 2015 at 11:51 AM ^
December 24th, 2015 at 1:31 PM ^
December 24th, 2015 at 11:45 AM ^
I can't blame Harbaugh for MSU cud they was the flukiest fluke that ever fluked but something weird happened against OSU and because it was so bad I'd probably give an A- still.
Building program infrastructure is clearly A+ and I won't even grace your "A" with an argument.
December 24th, 2015 at 11:48 AM ^
He changed the culture, and for that I give him an "A." Our team had a losers mentality, and that is really difficult to change, no less in one year. Obviously losing to our two rivals makes me want to dock the grade a bit, but he did what I was hoping he would do in year one.
December 24th, 2015 at 11:49 AM ^
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December 24th, 2015 at 12:10 PM ^
This was a hapless 5-7 team last year. No one was going to come in and go undefeated (and beating MSU and OSU means you're probably either undefeated or 1-loss) unless you get some wild turnover magic which is the only reason Hoke ever did any good here.
Harbaugh took a joke of a program and made them top 10-15 right away without the help of any turnover voodoo. I think anyone giving less than an A- completely forgot where we came by mid-season and decided that the Northwestern and BYU games is how it should go against everyone
December 24th, 2015 at 11:51 AM ^
You want to grade him when he aint done coaching yet? Let the man finish coaching this year and then issue him a grade.
December 24th, 2015 at 11:54 AM ^
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December 24th, 2015 at 11:58 AM ^
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December 24th, 2015 at 12:09 PM ^
this seems like an "A" year. But if we beat Florida, by Michigan standards, I would give the year a " B+ / A-" grade. If we lose to Florida it's a "B" coupled with optimism for the staff, recruiting and general direction of the program.
I have good feelings that next year we will be a better team albeit against a tougher schedule. The "A" expectations will be at least one victory over MSU and/or OSU.