Can this Jim Harbaugh be reanimated?

Submitted by Ezekiels Creatures on September 23rd, 2019 at 12:39 AM

I hope he's not gone forever.

 

https://media.giphy.com/media/3oz8xHOLKf8EWibipy/giphy.gif https://media.giphy.com/media/UrjPBzayGCTZK/giphy.gif https://media.giphy.com/media/3Wc9j9kHTxT2w/giphy.gif https://media.giphy.com/media/8xAD5rLYFPaFO/giphy.gif

 

https://media.giphy.com/media/2yRHfRYMt54fC/giphy.gif

 

https://media.giphy.com/media/pXTgiQuJDImIg/giphy.gif

 

 

Pay particular attention to this one:

 

https://media.giphy.com/media/63z3aohlwzXaw/giphy.gif
MGoBoard
Football

Bando Calrissian

September 23rd, 2019 at 12:56 AM ^

For the millionth time.

Harbaugh made a conscious decision to tone down his sideline antics due to the "Harbaugh rule," as well as a self-awareness that his behavior was catching this kind of attention. 

See: Bacon, John U., Harbaugh, Jack, et al.

Joined: 07/02/2008

MGoPoints: 68120

ldevon1

September 23rd, 2019 at 8:18 AM ^

Is that going to take away Shea's happy feet? He misses open receivers more than Wilton Speight and doesn't see open receivers more than JOK. Sadly, I'm not sure if Dylan was healthy if he would be much better. I'm not sure if these guys have lost all confidence in the Oline, so they don't have the patience to go through their progressions, but they have thrown the ball in more multiple coverages than one would imagine. 

Joined: 09/09/2015

MGoPoints: 36887

Hotel Putingrad

September 23rd, 2019 at 1:09 AM ^

Not buying it. What kind of attention do you think he'll get with a 6-6 year? Do you really think an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty here or there would unnerve him. No way.

There is something else going on. It's health related and serious. Of that I am certain.

EDIT: I'm not speculating as to cause or condition, and it doesn't really matter to anyone besides him, his family and his boss anyways. But 50 year-old men don't magically change personality through sheer willpower (and if they did, they would be shouting their secret from the rooftops). And people as hard-charging as Jim Harbaugh used to be don't suddenly "tone things down" for image purposes. Nobody knows better than him how emotions and intangibles influence play on the field.

My point is this: that Harbaugh you see in the OP's clips is never coming back. And we need to accept that. The tough part as fans is that his personality was one of the biggest tools in his motivational tool-kit. And without that, you're left with tactics and recruiting. We're going through an ugly transition in tactics, and recruiting will always be a cut below the powerhouse programs. So you need something else to close the gap any given Saturday. And if it's not Jim Harbaugh being classic Jim Harbaugh, what is it?

 

Joined: 12/10/2014

MGoPoints: 212158

bo_lives

September 23rd, 2019 at 1:22 AM ^

This is completely baseless speculation, but it’s almost as if he is bipolar and started taking mood stabilizers. He always had that laser-focused, hypomanic aura about him until the beginning of last year. Now he looks like he’s just tired and pathetic.

I’m not saying I truly think that’s what happened, but it really is weird how toned down he has been the last 2 years given how fiery he always was before that. It’s like someone flipped a switch in his head.

Joined: 04/10/2011

MGoPoints: 7867

Arb lover

September 23rd, 2019 at 9:23 AM ^

This has been my critique of the Michigan program over the last several years. The "tone it down" decision is the sort of thing that would have been Regent/front office driven, you know, to make the university look "above it all". As an outsider but knowing Michigan, I have a hard time believing it was anything but this.

However, these decision makers are utterly wrong. They fail to understand that young college kids believe in authority for the most part, and it's hard to quantify the mental impact of authority appearing significantly biased against them. When your coach is fiery about it you know that coach has your back. When he does nothing, mental games start. You start to think that maybe you shouldn't pass to your receivers because they are going to get tackled without a call, or if they do have a spectacular catch, it will be overturned just because. If so, better to just hand off for the run in that case to keep the drive alive. Lack of coaching emotion also confirms to the audience that there really wasn't an issue with xyz call on the field. It also makes officials more willing to call a one sided game, not because they want to, but because if only one coach is yelling at you for bad calls, you have a tendency to take the path of least resistance. (Exhibit Izzo and percentage of calls that go against the opposing team).

Not defending your guys doesn't make the university look "above it all", it makes the university look weak and lacking in knowledge (of the game). Defending them in some email discussion with the NCAA after the fact that nobody hears about, doesn't do anything, either. How many times have we heard that the NCAA "apologized" after the fact. Each of these instances Harbaugh should have let it be known that there was an issue. Until such time as they actually start changing game outcomes after the game, this "quiet strategy" does nothing. 

Joined: 11/26/2017

MGoPoints: 6915

clarkiefromcanada

September 23rd, 2019 at 8:15 AM ^

@Putingrad

The narrative plays better on an Internet message board if JH just isn’t aware and their loud shouts for him to “wake up” are the tipping point that caused him to turn it around.

Like that awful lady in front of me in my section yelling on every play to “hit someone” and to “come on guys”. 

Joined: 11/20/2008

MGoPoints: 49257

1408

September 23rd, 2019 at 10:10 AM ^

I love Harbs. Will stick with him even if they lose to OSU again this year. 

He took A LOT of shots to the head in college and the NFL. Waaaaaaaaay more than his peer coaches (most of whom - Saban, Meyer, etc. - had very pedestrian college careers and never sniffed the NFL let alone make pro bowls).

Would it surprise anyone if he had CTE and his personality has started to alter? I certainly hope not but it makes you wonder. 

Joined: 01/28/2015

MGoPoints: 4333

justthinking

September 23rd, 2019 at 3:10 AM ^

Perhaps he can’t shut it off at home, and his family - especially small children - are more important than being lightning in a bottle on any given sideline 12 Saturdays out of the entire year. 

I was on Zoloft for a few years and know firsthand what it does to you. I wasn’t lightning in a bottle to begin with either, so maybe he has a stronger medication that keeps him more even keeled. 

Pure speculation, but that would be my wild ass guess.

The sad part is really the outcome on the football field after five years. This is Jim’s absolute nightmare scenario, and even if he leaves or gets fired - his legacy here will forever haunt a guy with that much passion for football, and the University of Michigan. It will haunt him to his last breath on earth.

The results are unacceptable for a program with the big money and bigger expectations behind it. Nobody knows this more than Jim Harbaugh, and He could use a few more prayers instead of hot takes at the moment.

Jim is loyal to a fault - to Bo, to the University, and sometimes for too long to some of his assistant coaches who were his personal friends. Bad breaks, bad injuries, bad quarterbacks, bad calls from the officials - he has certainly had his share. Nobody hurts more over a loss than Jim. I think it does actually kill his soul a little more each time, especially when the play is out of his control. 

Stress is an absolute killer. For a guy wired like Jim Harbaugh, he had choices to make. I believe he made them for himself and his family. I will never knock a guy for that. 

God bless you Jimmy. I pray you get some better bounces, better calls and better results on the field. I hope you are able to right the ship. 

Joined: 09/16/2009

MGoPoints: 2120

BernardC

September 23rd, 2019 at 6:18 AM ^

As a guy who has a bipolar son, a Wife and another son who struggle with anxiety and depression, this is my gut feel as well. PURE speculation, but mental illness is very real and can be damaging.  I care more about seeing him do the right thing for his family and himself, than chew a ref's ass.  Again, that's all speculation, but something HAS changed and it has the feel/look of a guy taking medication to smooth out his emotions. So his highs and lows are more even.

Joined: 03/17/2010

MGoPoints: 2539

The Mad Hatter

September 23rd, 2019 at 9:07 AM ^

Mrs. Hatter is also bipolar (anyone surprised I married a crazy person?), and she can usually get by with minimal meds and regular ketamine infusions.  But even the prozac changes her personality pretty significantly.  The crippling depression is in check, but she also loses her capacity to feel intense emotions; nothing is really good or bad, it's all just sort of meh.  Mood stabilizers made her even crazier and transformed her into a completely different person.

 

Joined: 02/17/2015

MGoPoints: 112109

Hannibal.

September 23rd, 2019 at 1:00 PM ^

It's our attempt to explain the inexplicable. 

 

But shit man, I don't know.  I do know that Harbaugh's personality has changed, and from a coaching standpoint, it was not for the better.  Is it on purpose?  A side effect of something?  God only knows.

The discussion is relevant because it relates to figuring out who we've got now, and whether he is worth keeping.

Joined: 09/09/2008

MGoPoints: 9051

ERdocLSA2004

September 23rd, 2019 at 8:12 AM ^

You don’t go from a teeth clenching mouth foamer to a emotionless robot because you start taking Zoloft.  If you’re making the assumption that his new mood is purely medication induced, it’s something a lot more potent than Zoloft.  Maybe he just smokes a ton of weed and is thinking about Taco Bell all game.

Joined: 01/08/2011

MGoPoints: 16083

JFW

September 23rd, 2019 at 8:25 AM ^

Amen X 1000. 

I had some depression issues a few years back and had to make some changes. Why? Because I had two young kids at home and I couldn't be a dick to them. They didn't deserve that. Did it make me less effective at work? Maybe. Probably. But I'd make that trade again 1000X. 

Now... I have no idea if that is what's going on with Harbaugh. But I agree completely with the rest of your post. 

I for one still haven't given up. The RR/Hoke years were too painful, and the JH years here have still been too good in aggregate. 

I do wish that we had more of the '15/pre Iowa '16 Michigan. That was a team that seemed to be more than the sum of its parts, not less. 

My worry is that this is a team that seems to be less than a sum of its parts. 

Can they right the ship? I think so. It might not be this season though. And unfortunately it likely will mean a new OC. 

In the meantime, we have to live with the slings and arrows of rivals, sports talk radio, and social media.

As an aside, part of the reason I'm a bit more sanguine than I might have been in the past is that I was miserable; and not liking football anymore. And then it hit me. It isn't the football. 

Michigan had some crappy losses, and 'bad' seasons when I was in college. But at the time I was soaked in the environment and was able to enjoy things more because my interactions with the team were largely on Saturday. There was no social media for assholes with hot takes and dire predictions based on recency bias. Sports Radio was mainly concerned with the League; and I didn't have the opportunity to listen much anyway. Asshole rivals didn't live in my world. So I actually really enjoyed the football. 

I went to Michigan from '91-92 to '95-'96. Big Head Todd was playing in the bars all the time. email was the hot new thing. I was cool amongst my buddies because I created a pine mailing list we could use to talk about football. During those years we had *ONE* season with double digit wins. But I was happy. Probably the biggest difference was that we beat OSU more frequently. 

So, what did I decide to do Saturday? Coach at my sons Pop warner game. Have fun. Enjoy the time. Be bummed about Michigan, but then take the kids to Lake Michigan to swim. Then I got over it. Just like I did back then. The only difference is that I have to avoid the social media in a more active way now. 

:-)

Joined: 10/20/2010

MGoPoints: 15285

Hannibal.

September 23rd, 2019 at 9:59 AM ^

If everything that we are seeing is a conscious decision then he needs to make a conscious decision to tone it back up. 

Becoming a zombie didn't even help with the refs since the 2017 team was possibly the most screwed over team in the history of college football.  Remember that graphic on how we never got a holding penalty called on our behalf?

Joined: 09/09/2008

MGoPoints: 9051

ajchien

September 23rd, 2019 at 5:53 PM ^

I agree, The toned down Harbaugh occurred right after the "Harbaugh rule" went into effect.

That said, having been a college kid competitor (different sport), and having coached them (different sport) ... college kids are mentally fragile. They're still building up their mental fortitude abilities. Having a fiery coach does help. Having a supportive home crowd does help. Having a unsupportive road crowd does depress the will to fight.

And yet referees are also affected. Perhaps those referees in games should also be scouted. Some are likely to wither and start being favorable to your team to avoid being the target of ire. Whereas others may rebel and start throwing more flags at you.

Joined: 10/12/2010

MGoPoints: 202