January 6th, 2011 at 9:43 AM ^
They post it for legal reasons, but already know who they want to hire.
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<br>I think applied last time, just so I can say I was a candidate for the Michigan Head Coaching job (thinking I wouldn't have another chance for 15-20 years. Uhm, yeah...)
January 6th, 2011 at 10:32 AM ^
January 6th, 2011 at 11:53 AM ^
The new coach would have to get interested recruits lined up in a day for next weekend otherwise he will have only one weekend to bring in visitors before the dead period and NSD. Yikes!
January 6th, 2011 at 9:19 AM ^
Can someone eventually summarize? Thx
January 6th, 2011 at 9:32 AM ^
Like the front page, after saying the press conference was horrible, and saying Brandon should have just said "I talked to Harbaugh, he said 'no'", rather than dancing around it, or said nothing at all rather than killing it.
January 6th, 2011 at 9:39 AM ^
They summed up DB JH comments as if he goes to the NFL UM saved face by saying he was not a candidate, BUT if he goes back to Stanford UM is F&^ked. As we know though these guys only now 1% of what's going on but that’s what the national perspective is going to be.
January 6th, 2011 at 9:40 AM ^
After the bowl game. That took it (and Brian) from the razor's edge to over it.
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<br>And don't bring up Tony Dungy.
January 6th, 2011 at 2:03 PM ^
would DB be able to claim he decided to fire RR the night before but then also say he was talking to Harbaugh about coaching at UM? that violates NCAA policy at worst, at best it just throws the whole 'this was a process' claim in the trash.
people getting way too hasty to trash DB on this. not you M-Wolv but others.
January 6th, 2011 at 2:08 PM ^
I was just summarizing Brian on the radio. I didn't think a "turn on the radio post" would turn into this, but I should have know better with the limited posting.
January 6th, 2011 at 9:19 AM ^
Brian definitely sounds despondent but he is not (his words) pussy-footing around with his distaste for Brandon's mishandling of this situation. I totally agree.
January 6th, 2011 at 9:27 AM ^
Someone posted this last night, but mgoblog is again inverse/bizarro world and at odds with public perception.
Every neutral/reasonable/casual/etc fan I've talked to is Very impressed with Brandon and the way he's handled this. They like him and saw him as exceptionally professional and "really looks like he knows what he's doing."
Harbaugh said no. That's a bit of an embarassment to M, but it's not on DB. National search is the next step, which yes, painful, but it's the appropriate path. We all thought he'd have had that completed already - probably naive in hindsight.
January 6th, 2011 at 9:33 AM ^
Is just glad Rich is gone.
January 6th, 2011 at 9:36 AM ^
Looking like you know what you're doing is vastly different than actually knowing what you're doing. Brandon has a week to walk the walk.
January 6th, 2011 at 9:40 AM ^
To be fair, I also think the average college sports fan thought UM should keep winning 9-10 games a year for eternity, regardless of the talent level, injuries, etc. I mean, there is a loud group of people who are calling for Mack Brown to be fired a year after the team played in the BCS title game. So just because a couple of fans are like "oh yeah, good job firing RR" while ignoring the fact that signing day is a month away and trying to bring in a big-name guy and having him set up is virtually impossible in that time frame, that doesn't make it a good move. Plus, TV and radio personalities know that if they bash Brandon too much, he can make their lives more difficult in terms of access later on down the line.
Personally, I think Brandon dropped the ball here. There was always a chance that Harbaugh would leave UM hanging when NFL money started sniffing around, and he should have had some backups in mind. The coaches at BSU/TCU/Utah were known commodities, as was everyone else on the list. Maybe you don't contact Dan Mullen before the bowl game out o fairness to RR, but I honestly feel that Brandon dropped the ball in not having a successor either in-hand or close. Starting a coaching search now will submarine this recruiting year, which will rear its ugly head in a couple of years when the new guy struggles with a depleted senior class and (what a minute, this sounds familiar) people start calling for his head after a couple of growing pains.
January 6th, 2011 at 10:06 AM ^
1) it likes to do so
2) JH was not introduced yesterday
3) no one else was introduced yesterday
In response:
1) ... and everyone follows Brian's lead
2) he didn't want to come
3) maybe a back-up plan could have been in place. But... it was probably a toss-up or near it before the bowl game on retaining RR. The plan was most likely wait for the bowl result, and have JH as the back-up. Getting obliterated in the Gator Bowl changed a lot of minds - Brian's, some players (reportedly), dumb fans like me. Why not Brandon? If we win that game, I don't know if we even offer JH the job. But after 52-14, RR is not an option. JH says no. What do you do now other than a national search? I think you'll agree it's not realistic that he would have had Patterson/Peterson/Fizgerald already in hand as option C. Too many balls in the air. Maybe he should have hired JH after OSU (and maybe he tried to), but waiting for the bowl result was the decision he made.
January 6th, 2011 at 10:17 AM ^
Difficult to swallow, but well said. I'm of the mindset that even though this is a horribly aggravating process, we have to find the right long-term answer. We can "what if" all we want (and this is what the MGoBoard is for, and usually I really enjoy that) but until the on-field results prove us wrong, we have to trust Brandon because he's decided to take the reins alone.
January 6th, 2011 at 1:10 PM ^
I think this is a very good summary.
January 6th, 2011 at 10:22 AM ^
What if DB had hired one of Brian's short-listers in December? Everyone would have gone freakin nuts. WE WANTED JH!!!! So he waits, can you imagine if DB had tried a poach job on Harbaugh and failed which he would have. The carnage from that would have been horrible. Its the same reason RR got strung up early in his tenure.... some bad breaks. Be reasonable. I think DB appraised the situation late in the year and saw how dicey it was and went with this plan and stuck to it and now the emotional side of the fanbase is freaking out.
My main point is this... If Harbaugh is the main target but it's not known if he's available, you either poach or move on early or wait. DB waited till he could find out. He would have been vilified if he moved on and it would have made us out to be douches if we tried to poach and lost out- which we would have. Im gonna try and be reasonable. DB is in a very tight spot here... we will see what he's made of but so far I can't see where he's blown it.
January 6th, 2011 at 10:28 AM ^
I'm not sure Brandon is just now starting his "national search". It sounds like he has been looking at candidates and maybe even having discussions with them for awhile, as any CEO would do in normal sucession planning. When the new coach is named (hopefully by this weekend), I think we'll find that the first conversation between Brandon and the coach wasn't on January 6.
January 6th, 2011 at 11:33 AM ^
I agree that it's doubtful that he is just starting his search, but I have no idea why he said it. It makes it seem like he was waiting for no reason whatsoever. Even if he was unsure on RR, you still have to begin looking for a replacement. Does looking for a replacement really harm RR's credibility and viability as a HC more than letting him just twist in the wind for a month and a half does?
I think that we should all just wait and see what happens; last time the coaching search was an absolute debacle and we had a great hire (not in retrospect obviously). Though, I'm terrified that this is going to drag on and we're going to end up with someone not fit for the job.
January 6th, 2011 at 12:06 PM ^
I don't think you can let on that you talked to candidates about a position when the current hire is still there. For future references and struggles of whoever is the coach, they have to know the AD has 100% faith in them, and will always give them time. If the coach is spending time looking over his shoulder and dealing with rumors and X and Y person were contacted about the job he's currently in, that kills motivation and trust and creates and promotes a bad atmosphere. You can't have that.
January 6th, 2011 at 10:13 AM ^
I feel like Brian keeps us rational. Everything is backed up with analysis. Regular readers of this site are the die-hards. Most of us are probably young and not involved with the old-school boosters who just want to throw old money at coaches and ram the ball up the middle.
We also aren't like the younger, casual fans who think Les Miles is a good pick because he was at Michigan like 30 years ago.
As a blogging community I wish we had some sort of power. Maybe we can get Brian to write a letter to Dave Brandon about how we feel and all sign our names and our affiliation
IE: Joe Blow - M Fan since '88, football season ticket holder.
January 6th, 2011 at 10:29 AM ^
I respect the thoughts/opinions of the MGoCommunity much, much more that an "outside" Michigan fan. People that read this blog are generally much more educated about football in general and what is going on within the program. I'll take educated opinions over uneducated opinions any day.
And I disagree that the national view is that Brandon has/is handling this well. I am an out-of-stater (like many of you) and I think the national opinion is that Rodriguez is at least as good (if not better) than any other coach Michigan will get. True, Michigan has lost some prestige by losing the past several years. But I believe the national sentiment is that Rodriguez got a raw deal because of the internal forces in the fan base. Just read the unbiased opinions of the sports reporters (who I could care less about) - they basically shape the national sentiment.
January 6th, 2011 at 2:37 PM ^
Unanimous opinion from ND, USC, Cal, Stanford & Spartan fans that I know and watch football with here is that a rabid and uneducated fanbase fucked this up early on and David Brandon caved to their whims and took the easy route thinking he had a popular choice as a replacement in the bag. No he doesn't have a replacement and is likely finding out that not too many coaches are very high on stepping into the void that has been created.
They are all quite knowledgeble sports and college football fans and have no influence from Detroit area media and from a somewhat objective viewpoint they think a proven coach who can take his pick of jobs that open up in the next few years would be crazy to take the smoking crater/toxic black hole that is is the M coaching vacancy. Seems like a dicey career move unless you are a nobody with something to prove. As my USC friend put it, 'why would a coach go somewhere that he could be hated from day 1 for his accent and his wife's wardrobe before even seeing the field? Where I would be looking at a depleted roster and at most 3 years to show results or be shown the door?'
My Sparty friend here openly hopes and prays that it ends up being Hoke because it is so surely a step backward and if nothing else 3-4 (oh wait, coaches only get 3 years to rebuild) more years of turnover and rebuilding. I openly hope and pray it is not.
January 6th, 2011 at 1:15 PM ^
I feel like Brian keeps us rational.
I love Brian, but I don't know if I always agree with this. Certainly not right now. I don't think his response to Hoke's (potential) candidacy is rational, and it's sending people over the edge.
January 6th, 2011 at 9:21 AM ^
Brian's really PO'd that there will likely be a head coach of this team not named Jim Harbaugh. He doesn't sound excited about really any of the candidates.
January 6th, 2011 at 9:23 AM ^
Unless Brandon pulls a rabbit out of his hat, there aren't many coaches aside from Harbaugh to get excited about in the first place. The fact that Brady Hoke continues to get thrown out there as a name should speak volumes to the talent pool of viable coaches.
January 6th, 2011 at 9:40 AM ^
I didn't mean to imply that he was wrong. I'm being cautiously optimistic that there's a diamond in the rough somewhere. And we're not going to know how any coach is going to perform for Michigan until he's on the Michigan sidelines. That's naive but until any new coach proves me wrong, I've got to have faith that Brandon hires the right guy.
Or at least that's what's keeping me sane/sober right now.
January 6th, 2011 at 9:43 AM ^
I'm for the optimism, but there isn't a diamond in the rough out there unless somene like Mullen leaves Miss St. AND brings Diaz, or UM is able to pry Patterson/Peterson from their homes. I think Brandon dropped the ball here and will scramble for a replacement, but for all the talk of his pimp hand the only one being slapped around now is UM.
January 6th, 2011 at 9:56 AM ^
already got hired away from MSU
January 6th, 2011 at 9:56 AM ^
Can't have Diaz. He just took the Texas DC job...
January 6th, 2011 at 10:01 AM ^
So are we resigned to the fact that the next coach will be a failure and another bad fit before he even gets here and coaches a season? I refuse to believe that. It's like we're saying the results of our coaching search are a failure when we haven't even made an offer yet.
I totally agree that Brandon hasn't handled this well at all. This has gone on for too long and if this is the route he wanted, it should have been taken place before the Bowl game. We can stop talking about his "pimp hand" because it's his show that, the best that we can perceive it, has gone poorly. But I think you and I are talking about the process and the results of the coaching search at the same time and even though they're related in some ways, I'm defining "results" as on-field W-L record, regardless of the name of the coach.
Diaz is gone to Texas, BTW.
January 6th, 2011 at 11:13 AM ^
There are no more coaches. We missed on Harbaugh and there are no other options. This is why the 49ers and Dolphins want Harbaugh. Because if they don't, they will have to play football next year without a head coach.
If the point was that there are no more sexy/glamour hires, well then yes, that's true. But there was only one of those anyway. And JH did not want to come here
January 6th, 2011 at 12:15 PM ^
I guess I'm saying we shouldn't call this search a failure if we get a less-glamorous hire than we expected when we first thought JH was interested in us. I'm just saying wait until whoever we hire has a chance to put a team on the football field to make some conclusions about the results of this coaching search.
I get the feeling we agree - your response was just a little more sarcastic than mine. But I couldn't tell so I'm sorry if I'm unnecessarily defensive.
January 6th, 2011 at 12:45 PM ^
Sorry if that wasn't clear. My bony finger of sarcasm was pointed directly at bronxblue
January 6th, 2011 at 11:57 AM ^
actually have a lot of returning starter pending transfers. This is something RR didn't have when he took over.
January 6th, 2011 at 2:53 PM ^
And a fairly easy schedule, if RR and new D coordinator on board, we probably would have won 9+, so I'm expecting at least 7 next year barring transfers yada yada
January 6th, 2011 at 11:41 AM ^
January 6th, 2011 at 9:25 AM ^
...Hoke could change his name to Jim Harbaugh. Would that work?
January 6th, 2011 at 10:06 AM ^
a hearty plus one to you. if it it were possible.
January 6th, 2011 at 2:41 PM ^
it would work, as long as he lies on his resume also
January 6th, 2011 at 9:24 AM ^
Brian thinks DBs comments regarding Harbs yesterday stem from a little anger because JH "sort of gave us the middle finger."
"press conference was a disaster.......inexcusable for Michigan AD to torpedo JH"
(???? Brain really thinks there was a little FU back and forth between harbaugh and DB? I don't agree at all.)
"There's no excuse not to call the guy 2 seconds after the press conference and say "the job is yours""
--Brain, how do you know he DIDN'T do that? Harbaugh is still the coach at Stanford. There has to be some form of decorum between two institutions, doesn't there? I think Brian is being a little presumptuous. Perhaps, though, he has more inside info.
"Just come out and say it......drop your corporate speak or keep the wall up"
Commercial break.
Man, talk about a dude frustrated.
January 6th, 2011 at 9:30 AM ^
...is exactly what DB is looking for. Crap!
Here's a little juxtaposition for compare and contrast purposes:
January 6th, 2011 at 10:01 AM ^
Harbaugh told DB PRIOR to the conference that he's not interested in the UM job. That's why it was ok for DB to say it doesn't look like Harbaugh is coming.
In fact, Ross (owner of Dolphins) contacted DB yesterday to inquire about the Harbaugh situation. Ross didn't want to get in a bidding war against his alma mater. DB told Ross that Harbaugh isn't interested in UM and gave Ross the OK to pursue Harbaugh.
January 6th, 2011 at 10:07 AM ^
brian said that or you have a source for that? i can't listen to WTKA on my work computer.
January 6th, 2011 at 10:16 AM ^
The stuff about Ross I got from an article on ESPN's front page about JH meeting the Dolphins.
I can't listen to the WTKA broadcast either. So, my comment about Brian getting the situation wrong is based on the summary provided by listeners (I assume they're providing accurate summaries...)
January 6th, 2011 at 10:32 AM ^
Yeah, because ESPN is so reliable, right? It may be true, but I wouldn't treat it as fact just because you heard it on ESPN. The most trusted source providing info about Harbaugh not going to Michigan would be his brother, in my opinion.
January 6th, 2011 at 11:05 AM ^
It came from Mortensen who is much more reliable than the college clown parade they have.
January 6th, 2011 at 11:09 AM ^
Sam Webb said the same thing this morning
January 6th, 2011 at 11:19 AM ^
Ross donated $100 million to the university and sits on Mary Sue Coleman's advisory board for intercollegiate athletics. Brandon had to know that he couldn't say, "No," and it wouldn't matter if he did.