SEARCHBITS XXVI: EVERYBODY INCREMENTS Comment Count

Brian

large[1]

This seems in poor taste. I mean, the Cowboys? [Dustin Johnston/UMHoops]

TICK TOCK. Sam goes to 70% and says he'd be at 99% if San Francisco's season ended today. Joe Pequeno says it's Harbaugh barring one of them last minute change of heart things. Bacon says 85%, also citing last minute change of heart. Bacon also says that Michigan made a pass at Harbaugh last time, "but a weak one."

Heck, even Adam Schefter continued inching towards "it's happening," twice saying that "the pendulum has swung to Michigan" on ESPN's mid-day NFL shows on ESPN2.

WHY? Webb reports that Hackett was "in the Pacific Time Zone($)" yesterday, with the possibility of major movement today. Those Who Stay reported movement on the agent side of things, with Harbaugh/Dunn meeting at which things are just about hammered out but not quite signed. Clearly something happened yesterday to create another wave of IT'S HAPPENING, and that's a plausible reason.

DONE DEAL? I don't think it's quite that, but I think it's just about pen-to-paper time. Reports filtering down from the big baller donors certainly think it is done—we had one on the site yesterday that we had to scrub because the poster made an unwise decision to spill, and the inbox has a couple more. This is very much a situation in which the game of telephone would turn "it's about to be done" into "it's done," though.

WHEN? Still hearing that things won't be official until the 49ers are done. Michigan appears to be assembling a press conference on or around the 30th. That certainly implies they think it's done.

A CATCH? Did get a report that at least some people in the 49ers organization think the pendulum is swinging back to the NFL; hard to square that with everything else I've heard. FWIW; that would be a potential reason the NFL insider types are so dismissive.

WELL, THAT'S ALL OUT IN THE OPEN THEN. 49ers GM Trent Baalke was on the radio yesterday, and when asked about Harbaugh he confirmed that Michigan had reached out to the 49ers directly:

"I don't know that it's been offered to him. I don't know that it's been offered at all," Baalke said on his weekly segment on 95.7 The Game. "I haven't seen a report that the contract has been handed to him and he's mulling it over." …

Fox Sports reported Sunday that Michigan relayed its interest to the 49ers, and he reportedly told them he was undecided on his future.

"I think the University of Michigan, in reaching out, did handle it correctly," Baalke said. "As I look at it, guys, it's very simple: He's the head football coach of the San Francisco 49ers."

So that helps confirm the chatter that Michigan was trying to work out the details with the 49ers because they were so confident they'd locked down Harbaugh their attention was turning to details like extracting him from his contract. Somewhat odd that Baalke says he hasn't "seen a report" that he's been considering a contract when he is capable of walking into Harbaugh's office and asking, but maybe the two guys don't talk much anymore.

MAYBE IT'S ALL IN RUBLES. Sam says he's got an unconfirmed number($) for the assistant pool that is just about about on par with LSU and amongst the tops in the country. I am hearing some rumblings that Sam's weird suggestion (Mattison might stay on as a LB or DL coach with additional title frippery to be determined) is on point, which would explain some of that pool.

HOW NOT TO BACKTRACK. Adam Schefter has been walking his no-way stance back gradually, and that's fine. I think he got some bad information early, but he's reporting what he hears and moving away from Protect The Shield more than most other people in his profession.

On the other hand, you could pretend that you're defending Schefter when you opened your coverage of this coaching search with "Harbaugh turned Michigan down" and tripled-down on that assertion when it became clear it wasn't anywhere near true. If you guessed Scott Roussel was that guy, you get a cookie:

"Facts."

HOW TO CORPO-TWITTER. Well done, whoever:

#BUTTHOLE. Former Jack Harbaugh QB and Jim staff member Willie Taggart on the man:

"A lot of people think he's a butthole," Taggart says, matter-of-factly. "But he's not. Some people want things the easy way, sometimes people want others to bow down and just give in and do things the easy way. It's never like that with Jim.

"He's going to give it to you how he sees it. It's not to demean anyone, but it's how he sees it. He always does what he thinks is right. And, nine times out of 10, he is."

If Taggart doesn't make it at USF (he's gone 2-10 and 4-8 in his first two seasons) I wouldn't be surprised to see him join a hypothetical Michigan staff in the event of an opening.

CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE. Normally we take a week off around this time of year, but with Michigan's coaching search still ongoing I'll be around more. I'm going to get in a car right now and be in it for most of the rest of the day. I don't plan on posting anything the 24th or 25th unless it is literally happening. If there is enough stuff there may be a searchbits or two on the 26th and/or 27th.

The 28th is when things will start rolling in earnest as the 49ers finish up their season.

ETC.: Narduzzi the favorite at Pitt. John Harbaugh says some boilerplate stuff about his brother. Harbaugh with photoshopped bread? Okay. Wetzel on why getting rid of Harbaugh is a bad idea. Brian Dohn on possible contractual trip-ups.

Comments

814 East U

December 23rd, 2014 at 11:43 AM ^

Football Scoop post a couple days ago (in their podcast) that they were hearing FROM RANDOM COACHES different things. Well, no shit! Random coaches across the country probably do not know too much unless Harbaugh has called them up. Guy is a moron. Rant over...until his next tweet. 

Chitown Kev

December 23rd, 2014 at 11:49 AM ^

But not even an increment for the next two days, Brian...ah,well...

I guess that I know that the edge of the internet runs 24/7/365 but you never know what they're cutting the bits with out in those parts.

GoWings2008

December 23rd, 2014 at 11:51 AM ^

The problem I've had with Schefter is the whole Defender of the Shield crap....now he's backing away from it.  Okay, yeah...I see folks get fed bad information, but the problem I have is with the whole (said with extreme prejudice), "Why would Jim Harbaugh ever consider going back to college to coach, let alone Michigan..."  bullshit.  The ego and attitude of the NFL types piss me off to no end....

TheVictors

December 23rd, 2014 at 10:21 PM ^

MICHIGAN is a 'better' job than at least a half-dozen or more NFL jobs. Sure some HCs seem better suited for one or the other at times, but if you're hiring the guy from Montreal or another guy because he's also a "Gruden," you're not saying much about the NFL or coaching acumen.

It's a slap in the face but a dose of reality too for the NFL

Jacksonville and Oakland tarp over entire sections of their stadium and Cowboys games are half fans of the opposition. NFL is suffering a bit of hubris these days, IMO.

Magnum P.I.

December 23rd, 2014 at 11:56 AM ^

FACTS! What does it even mean?! It's a fact that you told me something untrue and I shouted it to the world sans humility! It's a fact that I was completely wrong and went into shameless spin cya mode! Facts!

McSomething

December 23rd, 2014 at 11:58 AM ^

No more searchbits until, at least, Friday?! What the hell am I supposed to do the next two days, spend it with family? Good god man, do you know what you're asking of us?

bstaub32

December 23rd, 2014 at 12:00 PM ^

I'm fine with them saying "facts change" even if they don't. Seems like things are swinging in our favor, and it's better than them digging their heels in and adamantly denying the momentum that Harbaugh to UM is gaining in the NFL crowd... IT'S HAPPENING!!

His Dudeness

December 23rd, 2014 at 12:04 PM ^

Huge anti jynx here but can we put up a post looking at OC DC?

I'm thinking DJ will be written in as DC. Chatter about Mattison staying on as LB coach capacity.

I am kind of in the blue (woo) about OC though. Talk of Wheatley, but kind of thinking about OC at Boise right now (worked with JH at Stanford).

I think it would be good discussion.

Happy Holidays!

I will be headed to Walking Dead filming country (GA). Cheers!

WolverineHistorian

December 23rd, 2014 at 12:10 PM ^

Christmas of 1989, I got the best gift a 4th grader could ask for in a Nintendo. I went through all the motions in wanting it with all my heart, believing it was too good of a gift to actually have so naturally I wasn't going to get it. That led to a depressing acceptance in my mind until I unwrapped it on Christmas morning and nearly passed out from the excitement.

If Harbaugh really does come home, I picture the same reaction on my part but magnified by 100.

Jim, please be my Nintendo this Christmas.