"

• Seth: Frustrated how people put made up stuff out there. National reporters, NFL people, even some closer to home were putting out false information. I live in terror every day that I’ll post something wrong.

"

This is the 'sheep' syndrome i use to call 90 percent of the posters on mgoblog.  Once one 'popular' person gives his positive or negative position as a reply, the sheep pour on following suit.

Same with media.  Then it starts an avalanche.

Seth is THE MAN!  ???〽️

The fanbase's reaction has raised an interesting counterfactual: How would this last month have played out if Harbaugh had been transparent about his intentions? Imagine that he made the following statement after Black Monday:

After seven seasons at Michigan, I still wonder if I have unfinished business at the NFL. I cannot let those questions undermine my tenure at Michigan. I intend to spend the next month interviewing to be a NFL head coach and determining if I need to return to the NFL. This will be the one and only time I pursue this opportunity. If I do not accept an NFL head coach position by the end of this month, it will be because I do not need to return to the NFL and plan to coach at Michigan as long as they let me.

Based on my augury, this statement seems to capture Harbaugh's mindset and intentions. Would a statement along these lines have made Michigan players, recruits, assistants, athletic department, or fans happier?

My hypothetical has two obvious problems. First, Harbaugh may not have known exactly what he needed to find out when he started looking at NFL positions in early January. Second, this statement would effectively eliminate him from NFL coaching consideration. While betting against the general incompetence of NFL owners is foolish, I cannot imagine that any NFL team would want to interview a candidate who does not express complete certainty about their desire to coach in the NFL.

Craig Ross is on fire!

The two WTKA guys reaction to this whole thing is embarrassing...  Refusal to admit they were apart of the bad reporting and insisting that anyone who is upset about a coach wanting to leave the program but lacking any options is an irrational fan.

It was a good discussion on the Round Table this morning. In order to win over nearly all of the fanbase, Michigan will need key wins over Iowa, Penn State and sparty. Then go to C-bus undefeated to face the buckeyes. So, it will take well into the fall 2022 season to get all of the fanbase on board.

The discussion about reassurances by Jim not doing this NFL thing again was very good. That's what has won me over regarding Jim staying on. I'm turning the page on this as things should work out for this football program going forward.

Not that you necessarily take requests*, but I'd be interested to hear everyone's thoughts on the Brian Flores suit if there's time in a future Roundtable.  It's understandable that we have all been focused on Harbaugh, but my guess is that Flores' case will prove to be the biggest sports story that emerged this week.  He is going full bore at the NFL in a way that I don't recall seeing (and good for him if the allegations are true).

*Do you guys know "Born to Run"? 

Living in terror of posting something that’s wrong is so quaint.  It’s pretty apparent that 90% of the media today want to be first to post something on a subject, whether or not it’s right.

Ok, with this in the rear view camera we can return to the usual pre-season 'Fire Harbaugh' posts.

First off, Craig's idea of having no head coach is bad. Almost as bad an idea as a permanent 6-man rotation in basketball. 

Second, I would expect extensions/raises for Harbaugh and his staff and a defensive co-odinator hire would probably put about 95% of all our worries to rest. Bonus points if the coordinator is Foote, another NFL assistant, or a "Big" name from another school (Partridge would qualify here). Of course, I'd just as soon promote Clink, but that's just me.

Of course, beating MSU and Ohio State would be the only way to really slam the door shut on all the noise. 

Double-Postin' Yeah Yeah.

"DC talk" ... where my 90's Christian rap kids at?

I feel like Harbaugh actually was much more aligned with more aggressive 4th down analytics this year. But I like the conspiracy theory.

I am skeptical of the idea that Harbaugh wouldn't leave Michigan in a lurch and the new staff in 2021 was part of Harbaugh's plan to leave Michigan in a good place. As I see it, Michigan brought in 6 new coaches that fall into two categories. 

1. People that John Harbaugh sent him to help save his skin (Macdonald, Weiss, Helow)
2. Folks that probably should have been hired years ago (Bellamy, Hart, Clink) who may have been dictated to him by Manuel

I think the 2021 shuffling was much more likely about saving his own ass than setting anything up for after his departure.

What is the connection to the state of Michigan for Steve Clinkscale? They said he’s been trying his whole life to get back to Ann Arbor, I don’t see anything in his bio that has a link to the state.

Could someone tell me who Craig was referencing as the qb from Michigan State who may have views aligned with the Klan?

Did I hear that right? Cousins?

Great analysis Seth and how McDonald put together an NFL defense to take on an OSU NFL built offense by Day. Maybe an over-reach but OSU might have of hung 60's on Don Brown in that game...and I liked Don Brown, just not for that game. 

This was spot on and hopefully we get a suitable replacement for "one of the two seasons". 

Really good roundtable, well done guys. 

I mean, TEA LEAVES, Im thinking Balas was a topic on here and man o man....he is not feeling great now. 

Who is the MSU quarterback who Craig made the crack about in his top five?  Cook?

I have a problem with Sam, if you are going to talk about how bad the reporting was on Harbaugh then say WHO was misreporting. Don't sit there and pat yourself on the back that you didn't do that, be a man and say these people were clearly false reporting things