CC: Intervention

Submitted by The Reeve on

This is a PSA for obsessed Wolverine fans, of which I am one. It truly is; I want to eliminate that sinking feeling I know so many of you feel when you see "...Harbaugh permission to talk to Raiders" in a Board post title. The next 48 or so hours promise to see many more of these fictitious attempts to harsh your mellow. Your mellow is intact.

As I mentioned before, I think this is PTSD, and, after Appalachian State, Toledo, 3-9, RR, 2-11, 0-7, Minnesota, Rutgers, 5-7, 5-7, Hoke, decommits, "Well..." and on and on, I understand and share the trauma. But like Frodo awakening on the Field of Cormallen, the bad things are now over, and it's time to move on. Yes, we must still scour the Shire, but that is a foregone conclusion.

We are not now on the edge of knife with Harbaugh still in play for both NFL teams and Michigan, with heavy-hitting suits and suitors circling the Bay Area for a final sales pitch. IF any NFL team is still actually contemplating a run at Harbaugh, they do so in vain; if any discussion unfolds, it is but a courtesy as Jim smartly maintains goodwill in the NFL, where he will one day return for large trucks full of cash and a Superbowl title at a place of his choosing after leaving behind Big Ten titles, multiple NC playoff appearances and a lush coaching tree.

Contemplate this fact: Harbaugh loves Michigan so much that he is willing to leave what he himself regards as the pinnacle of his profession to return to Michigan. A coach widely regarded as a top 5 coach in the game is so attuned to the pleas from family, players and friends that he is willing to walk away from the NFL. You are saying, "Idiot OP, this has been discussed ad naseum." If it is obvious, then this very same loyalty, respect, and reverence for our beloved institution categorically prohibits:

  1. Deceiving family, players and friends.
  2. Leaving Michigan in total disarray without a Plan B coach at the 12th hour.
  3. Making a mockery of the University in the media and among rival fanbases.

The very prospect of Jim standing at the altar now (devotion to M) prohibits the further destruction of that same program, unless you think this man lacks all integrity. If you think that, you haven't watched this. This does not mean he had to choose Michigan. It means he has chosen Michigan. If he still was contemplating staying in the NFL--a reasonable and even expected position some months ago--that would not be a bad thing, but it would be accompanied by behavior in line with the respect discussed above: a loud and ongoing note of caution communicated through back channels to Michigan folks, encouraging the following activities:

  1. Continued search for coaching alternatives.
  2. His own statements of caution when asked at press conferences and in interviews.
  3. Michigan-based communication that respects his indecision and refrains from too much optimism being expressed in the form of exuberant team meetings, catered events, basketball announcement plans.
  4. Creation of a narrative in the public square that JH was one of many candidates so that UofM did not look "jilted" if he stayed in the NFL and, should he stay, that the vetting of Harbaugh was simply part of a sensible process.

The complete absence of these activities reveals that a man who worships Bo and his father, and loves the University feels no need for Michigan to be doing any of those sensible and "protective" things.

Furthermore, San Francisco's behavior would also be different if JH was contemplating staying in the NFL.

  1. There would be no public communication that they are surrendering proprietary control over Jim's services.
  2. If Jim was determined or even contemplating staying in the NFL, SF would be getting paid.
  3. And Oakland would not be doing the paying, because SF knows that--for all his flaws (in their mind)--Jim Harbaugh is one proven thing: a quick fix artist. It would be a certainty that JH at Oakland would revitalize that franchise immediately, taking what is already a PR problem and making it a PR catastrophe in that local market. This will not happen.

This overlong discussion leaves other compelling data unconsidered such as Brian Cook's certainty, the rumor mill being all in one direction, radio broadcasts with Michigan people publicly declaring it's happening, etc.

Hello: Jim Harbaugh.

Enjoy the next two days! 

xxxxNateDaGreat

December 27th, 2014 at 11:55 AM ^

"Appy State"

You know my rule. I'm logging in right after I type this...

Edit: you know what? Fuck it. Upvote for rational thoughts and good vibes. That's enough to override my irrational hatred for y-based word abbreviations.

macdaddy

December 27th, 2014 at 11:55 AM ^

Well crafted and I want to believe but in the end that's just, like, your opinion man.
Waiting on pins and needles for the official announcement, until then I will fret the hours away.

Auerbach

December 27th, 2014 at 12:19 PM ^

On a related note, if anyone wants a good source of up-to-date info on the Harbaugh hire, RCMB has a 3,500-post thread going on our coaching search (which has a quarter of a million views already). I've found that new info gets posted there even before it gets posted here. #notobsessedwithmichiganatall

Auerbach

December 27th, 2014 at 12:54 PM ^

Here's a summary of the evolution of that thread...

From....

"LOL scUM actually thinks they might land the most conveted [sic] coach in the NFL. How can they be so delusional?!"

...to... 

"LOL They really think Harbaugh is going to be there [sic] next coach! I will LOL so hard when he announces that he's staying in the NFL. The meltdown will be epic!"

...to...

"Um, wait, what? He might actually be going there?! Well, it doesn't matter. Dantonio is the best coach in all of football! He even won a Rose Bowl! Go Staee!"

...to...

"There's still hope you guys! The Raiders might make a last minute push and steal him away!"

alum96

December 27th, 2014 at 12:26 PM ^

I wrote a similar thing in the Raiders post but not as eloquently and without photos and videos - and you wrote it in a much more lengthier version than I did.  Which as people on this blog know is difficult to do. ;)  So bravo and agree 100%.  I read a few other sports blogs and somehow UM fans have become more PTSD than even Lions fans who have 50 years of pathetic to deal with.  I am trying to think of why everything is so overanalyzed here (and nearly always to the negative) while other fan bases dont do it to this degree and the only thing I can come up with is the general intellect of the fanbase and we have a lot less sheep than most fan bases.  I'm usually a cynic but in this case drink the damn kool aid people.

As you said, the machine is turning for Tuesday.  A machine led by a conservative man that obviously got the signal from JH he is coming.  A man who has been working on this for weeks on end.  Jim is an ass but not that sort of ass to rip the heart out of his school on Monday, within 15 hrs of getting on a flight for AA just because the Raiders want to talk to him.  He has made a life decision.  The end.  Aside from the school just think about his dad - obviously Jim has committed to UM, I can't imagine him going to his dad Monday and acting like a bride who has walked away hours before the ceremony.

p.s. I think when it is all said and done it will come out that the night Les Miles told people "off the record" he is not coming, Jim H either agreed to a contract with UM or made a dramatic move towards Michigan.  That was Monday or Tuesday afte they got eliminated.  If you remember a lot of "good news" came out that night in terms of tons of sources suddenly getting happy.  Maybe it wasnt 100% finalized but I just think there was a major major move that night and since then its just been working out details and going thru roadblocks such as the situation with the minor children.  We'll see.

Wolvie3758

December 27th, 2014 at 12:46 PM ^

I have refused to get excited about the possibilty. I was always taught if it seems to good to be true IT IS...while I am cautiously optomistic Im not going to feel good until its signed and I see the announcement with my own two eyes...having said that? EXCITEMENT mounting

The Man Down T…

December 27th, 2014 at 1:19 PM ^

the issue is the amount and pain of the dong punches over the last several years has conditioned us to be very suspect of good news.  It will take the press conference to convince a lot of people.  Once that press conference hits, morale on this site will go through the roof faster than the Nasdaq on a tech bubble.

 

Just a couple more days!!!

charblue.

December 27th, 2014 at 1:44 PM ^

on to coach at Michigan, but the OP makes some very credible points about Harbaugh accepting a last-minute offer from the Raiders. At this point, the 49ers are open to allowing Harbaugh to speak with Oakland to hear their offer and see what it fully entails because this is going to be the best one financially and with the most personnel control that he'll get from the league at this point. So, what this means is, it's a done deal until it isn't, whch has always been true about the Harbaugh hiring, however, probable or improbable it has seemed.

Certainly, this is a backdoor means of SF getting something out of Harbaugh's departure, something they've been seeking for the past couple months. Even if they want to blame the coach and the team for failing to make the playoffs, 49er management is responsible for the position they've put themselves in, which is a no-leverage corner, except or until someone else in the NFL wants to deal. Hence: allowing the Raiders to talk with their coach still under contract for another year. Obviously, giving permission means the 49ers are either planning to fire Harbaugh or let him out of his contract, however, it can best be done to their benefit.

Again, for the Raiders, making Harbaugh their next coach and giving him more personnel control would mean that they would have to have a deal already in mind. It would also likely mean firing their current GM or reducing his reach inside the lockerroom. And presumably they would have to be prepared to offer Harbaugh a contract in the $10 to $12 million range to compete wth what Michigan has ostensibly offered. Harbaugh's agent has pushed hard for this and that is why all the NFL insider talk can be regarded as accurate if not true more or less based on whatever prism you are viewing this process.

This final hurdle for Michgan was apparently signaled and accepted by Hackett as a precondition to his target signing on with Michigan. So, unless the Raiders, have things well in hand at this point, Michigan is in the far superior contract position with a timetable for acceptance and the official announcement pretty much set.

Whether or not Michigan has to come back and renegotiate with Harbaugh's reps will be known by Sunday night. If we have still not heard a no from him, then this deal truly is done and IT WILL BE HAPPENING.  And then we can celebrate without concern.

 

 

The Reeve

December 27th, 2014 at 2:49 PM ^

It is my belief, fueled by rumors and a discussion of legal people smarter than me, that Michigan is compensating SF to make sure they close out the NFL suitors before they can flirt. In addition, JH retains the right to veto and trade (as he did with Cleveland), which he clearly would do, if you accept my conclusions about the certainty of his position. In other words, if he was going to entertain a last minute NFL offer, he would not have left Michigan hanging.

There is nothing any NFL team can do at this point.

chango

December 27th, 2014 at 1:46 PM ^

I'm going to watch closely for a sign...I don't expect it but I just think it would be icing on the cake.

I know, he's a pro, but an M fan can wish can't he  :)

With the M brass being there its must watch TV.

Jimmy hands game ball to Hackett ha!

BlueMan80

December 27th, 2014 at 2:20 PM ^

This has gone very far without a bump and plans are being made for the end game, but...it's not over until ink is on the paper and its been publicly announced. Until then, there is some stress. [fingers crossed, knocks on wood, throws salt over left shoulder, rubs rabbit foot]