jim harbaugh contract stuff
nihilism
mike macdonald
coaching changes

Harbaugh Harbaugh Harbaugh? Harbaugh! Comment Count

Brian January 8th, 2021 at 11:05 AM

We've been locked in a never-ending, pointless loop since March. Things are supposed to happen. They do not. Wheels are spun. The press is avoided. Reality is twisted. Absurd things are said out loud by purported adults. People get angry and scream at each other on social media. A sickness has descended on our nation.

Also there is a pandemic.

Anyway, we're on day one billion of Harbaugh Extension Theater. Yesterday there was widespread reporting that he would indeed get one, and sign one. Yes, again. Nick Baumgardner had the most detail so he wins the embed:

Harbaugh, of course, has not signed this extension. We will wake up tomorrow to Brandy and Dierdorf singing "I Got You, Jim," like we do every day.

[After THE JUMP: one more excuse to reference Scottish twitter?]

This has caused the usual riot and tumult on Michigan twitter, especially since it's paired with this obscure NFL name as defensive coordinator:

Macdonald has been with the Ravens in some capacity for seven years and has been a position coach for four. Before that he was a grad assistant at UGA. This is not exactly the Don Brown hire; Brown had the best defense in the country at Boston College. Macdonald has no meaningful track record and hasn't recruited, ever.

Try to keep a couple things in mind:

  1. It was always going to be difficult to find a replacement for Brown as Mr. Low Buyout.
  2. It does not matter at all who the defensive coordinator is since Michigan does not recruit DTs or CBs anymore.

I mean, I guess it matters at the margins. But the situation here is that Michigan went 2-4 with a humiliating loss to a year zero MSU program. OSU is one of the three perennial playoff participants. Harbaugh has been looking for an NFL exit that does not exist and is being roped into signing a contract that makes him easy to fire. The defensive coordinator who's able to come in and wave his magic wand to make next year's OSU game competitive does not exist, and even if he did he would not come to the least stable situation in the Power 5. And if next year's OSU game is not competitive Harbaugh is gone.

You can ask why the administration is looking these facts in the face and not pulling the trigger. I am certainly baffled. But the identity of the defensive coordinator is not worth getting bothered about. Eat at Arby's.

Comments

DrewForBlue

January 8th, 2021 at 11:43 AM ^

Not sure how this is pure insanity on al sides, though it certainly may appear that way.  Manuel is a full on disaster over the last month, and everything flows from that.  Fire Harbaugh end of season, this doesn’t happen.  Tell Harbaugh negotiations must be concluded a few days after the season and put your full confidence behind him, it’s at least not as bad. 
 

Instead we half-heartedly endorse a coach who is like 80% certain to fail after letting it seem like coaching Michigan is a backup plan while our rivals get to dunk on us in celebration throughout the process.  Somebody send the AD to a public relations seminar.

Joined: 11/02/2009

MGoPoints: 2133

mgoblue0970

January 8th, 2021 at 11:56 AM ^

Not sure how this is pure insanity on al sides

 

It appears insane via:

1.  Giving an extension to a coach whose record is <insert East German Judge's list of JH bullet points here> 

I'm not as critical of Warde as JH (see below).  Personally I wish he would have just moved on from JH.

2.  Hiring a position coach with no relevant college or coordinator experience.

Please note, I'm not against people moving up when they switch jobs but I don't have any faith this program is going to be able to groom this new guy for success.  If Saban was hiring him, I'd be cool with a position coach going to DC (one has to get the experience somehow afterall).  In the JH administration, not so much.

Joined: 11/22/2008

MGoPoints: 18648

DrewForBlue

January 8th, 2021 at 12:05 PM ^

I said the “insanity” is a result of one person - the AD, not all sides - making terrible decisions.  If you want to include “the administration” in there......ok, sure.  
From that one person’s bad decisions, most results seem rational.  This is exactly Brian’s point as well.  The D-coordinator will not be a great hire, because no great hire will  come into this situation.  This guy might be a great hire given the circumstances.  I agree that extending Harbaugh is also a bad decision.

The twitter craziness is also understandable because experts and non-experts are attempting to fill in an information gap, created by the AD.

Joined: 11/02/2009

MGoPoints: 2133

Millie's Cookies

January 8th, 2021 at 1:04 PM ^

That's the optimistic take; I hope it turns out to be correct.

The other obvious possibility is that, apart from his own brother's coaching tree, there is nowhere left for Jim to look. Nobody else will come. The Ravens are the only distributor left who can provide Jim with product to bring to retail.

And that's, yeah, bad.

Joined: 07/14/2015

MGoPoints: 746

gruden

January 8th, 2021 at 2:29 PM ^

As I recall, the Ravens needed a scapegoat that year for their post-season playoff exit so it fell to Mattison to take the hit.  It worked out well since they arranged a soft landing at Michigan in a (more-or-less) lateral move.  We were all happy to have Mattison back because we knew what he could do.

I wonder if this time around was John saying to the guy "Hey, help my brother out for a year, climb up the ladder and get a better paycheck, and I'll remember the favor."

So yeah, this is a really different situation (and smells like it too).  But I guess it doesn't matter if the guy can't recruit because he probably won't be around long enough to need to.

Man, Warde has done a lot of things right, but it's that loyalty thing coming around to bite us in the arse again.

Joined: 04/29/2016

MGoPoints: 6063

bluebyyou

January 8th, 2021 at 1:20 PM ^

I've been critical of Warde but after listening to Johh U this morning Warde has done well so far with his Mel and Juwan hires.  Perhaps he deserves some slack.

Harbaugh is a problem.  If the delay is due to him shopping for an NFL job, and I wouldn't blame him if he were doing so, it's time for plan B.  

Joined: 09/07/2009

MGoPoints: 18566

gruden

January 8th, 2021 at 2:34 PM ^

All true, but Warde didn't really have many options, did he?  Belein left late so the search was slim pickings.  Coach Howard was the best option available from candidates willing to take the job, and fortunately for us it seems to really be working out. 

Harbaugh isn't working out.  Letting him pick his exit is a lot like Lloyd hanging around longer than he should have (and wanted).  We saw what happened then, and it will be no different now, maybe worse. 

Joined: 04/29/2016

MGoPoints: 6063

Eschstreetalum

January 8th, 2021 at 11:15 AM ^

The dragging out of this has almost completely eroded what support Jim had left in the Michigan Nation.  It’s clear he isnt jazzed about being here either. 
 

We should have known it would come to this when he ate that booger on TV. 

Joined: 01/21/2016

MGoPoints: 655

jabberwock

January 8th, 2021 at 1:04 PM ^

and my question is why the fuck are we keeping a coach that caused us to need a "rebuilding" year in the first place!  Is Northwestern rebuilding?  East dakota?  OSU doesn't even blink, let alone rebuild.  

Sure as shit any 2nd to 6th yr coach that deserves to earn Michigan money should never need to "rebuild" unless they have the good fortune to loose a bunch of all americans to the NFL draft.

Keep shuffling those deck chairs Jimmy.

Joined: 07/04/2008

MGoPoints: 51146

1VaBlue1

January 8th, 2021 at 11:20 AM ^

Warde is not up to the job of replacing, or even improving, the Michigan football program.  There is no other explanation...  

This has been bungled by everyone involved.  Harbaugh clearly doesn't want to be here - he won't even sign a contract he could negotiate his way out of before signing it!  I mean, if Warde wants him to check the NFL, sign an extension with a free out for an NFL job now.  That would've saved face for everyone involved, and still have been a sham.  But noooo...  Ignore the press, keep everyone on ice, tell the world you don't want your coach, tell the world your coach doesn't want you, and ignore players, recruits, and potential transfers.

What a clusterfuck.  If Schlissel actually cared about sports, he'd be talking to the lawyers about getting Warde and Jim out of their contracts.

Joined: 01/31/2016

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MGoAlumnus

January 8th, 2021 at 11:35 AM ^

Wait you mean Warde has to concern himself with the budget of an entire athletic department (during COVID), not just football!?

It's not that hard to understand, Warde is looking at the long term health of the athletic department over football for the next year.  People may disagree with that choice, but he's not incompetent.

Joined: 07/27/2009

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