CC: Harbaugh's extension offer

And what if Jim Harbaugh said "I'm not going to deal with any of this until after the bowl game."

Hart hasn't decommitted.  If he does, it might be because of coaching uncertainty, or it might be because he wants to play with Clinton-Dix at Bama, or it might be because of the tailspin we entered in the back half of the season.  We'll know when we know.

Sousa, by all indications, wasn't feeling the love from the coaches, and didn't like looking up at Denard, Forcier,and Gardner at the depth chart.  I fail to see how hiring Jim Harbaugh NAO!!! would have changed that.  Unless of course you mean Denard and Gardner would immediately transfer to Rich Rodriguez's new school.

Let's also be honest here, Stanford's AD probably doesn't think that Harbaugh will stick around for any more than the 2011 season at best.  So he probably knows that Harbaugh won't be fulfilling the contract extension.  All of this is CYA by him.  This way angry irrational message board people* won't come up with stupid reasons to fire him (BUT WHY DIDN'T OUR ATHLETIC DIRECTOR OFFER 30 MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR FOR HIM  AND OFFER TO BLOW UP THE MOON BECAUSE IT KEEPS HARBAUGH AWAKE AT NIGHT???!?)

*sound familiar?

1) No one here knows DB's state of mind or plan and what he has done or will do to effect that plan.

2) No one here has seen the terms of the alleged JH contract extension, so no one can say what said extension means to the CC situation.

3) Michigan has a bowl game in 26 days - Go Blue!

Though I, like many others, would prefer a quick decision from Brandon (as much for my own peace of mind as for the sense of stability it would bring the program), I can see one scenario where waiting does make sense from Brandon's perspective. 

If he wants to keep Rodriguez or if Harbaugh is leaning toward staying at least another year at Stanford, Brandon could either endorse Rodriguez immediately or wait.  If he endorses him immediately, critics of the coach freak out and scream "But just lost Ohio Statez three timez arrrrghghghghghg!!!"  They will also openly pine for their man-crush, Jim Harbaugh.

On the other hand, if Brandon waits until Harbaugh is no longer available (and I think his desire to stay at Stanford could fall into the 95% of stuff that we apparently don't see), he takes away the primary (and really the only viable) option advocated by those wanting Rodriguez ousted.  Without Harbaugh in the discussion, the decision to retain Rodriguez becomes a lot easier for all but the staunchest Rodriguez haters (and maybe a few of Brady Hoke's family members). 

If Brandon could do this while sticking to his public story that "this is the timeline" and perhaps quietly reassuring recruits that no change is in the works (note Dee Hart's backtracking and Greg Brown's plans for early enrollment) it isn't a bad plan of action, all things considered.

Of course, I could just be making all of this up.

for anyone who didn't click through, is really this part:

"We have a proposal in front of Jim and he's indicated he plans to accept it," Bowlsby said Sunday.

The "indicated he plans to accept it" part seems, you know, kinda vaguely possibly might be meaningful, or perhaps not, or wishful thinking, or genuinely factual, or just splunge. 

I have listened to all this DB love and posts about the undying faith so many have in the guy, but I have to say, with each passing day my faith in the guy diminishes.

This is the first evidence we have in which to judge DB as an AD.. None of his past really correlates that well to being an AD. In this instance, I can't see how anyone thinks this timeline isn't a massive mistake. Beyond this, no one can point to anything to say "remember when DB did this and everything worked out....just have faith". He hasn't done anything to this point to warrant that faith.

People keeping defending DB by saying things like he isn't wielding to the bitching of fans and media but that is drastically understating what is going on here. Due to the uncertainty of the situation we are losing ground with current targets and it looks like we may possibly lose some of those already considered to be in the fold because of the way this has been handled. To say the only purpose speeding up his agenda would hold would be to satisfy fans and media is absurd.

I am a Cardiologist but have many friends in the business world and I can say that there aren't many CEO's that don't recognize that there will be times when situations dictate that you need to abandon what you thought was the correct course of action and move in another direction. Changing your stance or gameplan because of a change in situation doesn't make you a weak leader, it makes you a smart one.

The biggest mistake he made was providing a concrete timeline for his evaluation, there was really no need to do that with anyone outside the program. He has a chance to put his pride aside and do what is in the best interest of the program now, even though it goes against his original plan. If he can't do that, I will say he has made two monumental mistakes in the short time he has been the AD at UM.

I am not saying DB won't turn out to be a great AD, but I am questioning all the faith people have in him considering the evidence we have to go on thus far.

This is how you make an executive decision as a CEO.  It is not an impulsive job (unless you are a founding CEO whom tend to be impulsive by nature).  You have to weigh all the facts in hand, and see if the failing division can:

A) turn around the existing process issues

B)  Has a plan to scale production to meet demand

C)  Can maintain operational integrity in the face of growth

D)  Has all the resources necessary to execute

Any part of management that can't manage the above has to change.   Any managers that stick their neck out for underperforming staff can't effectively manage.  

I actually think the reason DB is waiting until January is because he is actually a man of his word and is evaluating the totality of the program.  He wants to know what Rich's plan is for growing the offense, fixing the defense, advancing recruiting and marketing the brand.  If Rich is willing to go out on a limb for Greg or Brandon doesn't see a commitment from Rich to address the growth of the WHOLE team then he won't have a choice but to let him go.  But that is something he won't know until they have real time to sit down, discuss the issues and see if they are on the same page with the issues.

I am actually in the camp that Jim Harbaugh is a red herring.  If you are going to replace a CEO you never, ever discuss the job even in back channels yourself with the new CEO.  You conduct a CEO search after firing the existing CEO.  The reasons are numerous mostly that you can't control leaks from the other side of the recruitment (ie. Harbaugh's people),  you don't want the morale of internal personnel to deteriorate to the point they can't do their current job and issues related to tampering.  

I think I would be very very surprised if RRod is fired and Harbaugh is announced the next day.  I'm not saying Jim couldn't be the next coach, I just don't believe it has even been actioned in anyway.

... DB learned from Bill Martin's ham-fisted handling of finding Lloyd's replacement (Carr not Brady).   Dare we forget what it was like to have Michigan's desperate search Page One sports news during the league championships?  Spurned by Les "Damn Strong" Miles? (And later by Greg "Chop Wood" Schiano)?

If we get any decommits, (a) good riddance and (b) it's probably more due to the Iowa, PSU, Wisconsin and tOSU losses than anything else.

We may not get Harbaugh.  And the "anybody but RichRod" contingent are the same people who start screaming for the backup in Week 2 of the NFL season.

(Edit: one GIGANTIC +1 to The Denarding, who posted while I wrote this.  EFZ!).

Rich signed a new contract a few weeks before he left for Michigan too. I wanna say right before WVA's season in 07.  Most big time coaches who bolt on a school for a better job do so under a recent contract extension.  It is an important move to head off negative recruiting. Smart by Stanford and Harbaugh.

If he signs it, it might show us that there have been little to no discussions between Brandon and Harbaugh.  Or it might not even show us that. We're all left to guess.

It looks like I am in the minority  that thinks Brandon is playing this pretty well IF we accept as truth this story: he would prefer Harbaugh, but that absent that option, Rich coming back is his next best choice.   It sure seems like that is the only story that makes sense given Brandon's approach.

Harbaugh signing an extension doesn't change that possibility, but it might up the cost to Michigan.  It definitely adds weight to the public approach of Harbaugh that he is happy at Stanford. It will help a lot with recruiting.

98% of current Michigan alumni players hate RR after the bust... but if he starts winning football games and beats MSU and OSU and goes to the Rose Bowl he'll be ok by them.  This has nothing to do with anything other than wins and losses.  Now RR is getting more W's than L's and slowly but surely people will start to like him more.

Unless he gets fired and they hire Harbaugh.  Then it won't matter.  But I don't think that's going to happen.

If DB is really just waiting for the bowl game to decide and all of these discussions are just overthinking what he's actually thinking. Wouldnt that be funny??? Wouldnt it? Hello? Is thing on?

(probably unwelcome for the most part and undoubtedly redundant to at least half the board)

1.  Stanford's AD may be trying to force Harbaugh into saying something publicly that he doesn't want to say.  Either I'm staying or I'm leaving.  This would be similar to what LSU did to Miles when Herbstreit said it was a done deal.  

2.  If Brandon is undecided at this point, he's not doing anyone any favors.  Does beating -- or losing -- to Mississippi freakin' State make a difference to anyone vis-a-vis Rodriguez' status????   If he's decided to keep Rodriguez and won't say it, then he's an idiot.  Even if he really meant, he would evaluate things after the Bowl game, the inertia has changed and he can't hold off any more.  The only way silence behooves Brandon is if either Harbaugh's undecided or Harbaugh's already decided to take the job, but asked him to wait until after the Bowl game.

when making this decision. He is going to look at the long term benefits of this decision. Yeah, a good recruiting class would be nice this year, but DB is not factoring that into his decision.

If we're going to get JH, Michigan will buy out his contract regardless.  All it is is another news story to generate hits, capitalizing on the drama surrounding the program.