CC - Mortensen Harbaugh Rumor
More crap to add to the fire. Chris Mortensen thinks Harbaugh wants to coach in the NFL and stay on the West Coast.
In other words, the only real way to lure Harbaugh out is to get him hired by an NFL team (or another college team). The Panthers stand out as an obvious location for both guys, because they'll need a new coach after 2010 and are likely to hold the top spot in the NFL Draft.
However, Mort notes the Panthers would need "a stroke of luck" to get Harbaugh, who apparently would prefer staying on the West Coast.
In other news, Jim's brother John says he thinks Jim wants to stay at Stanford:
"I think he wants to stay at Stanford, I think he’d love to stay there, but then again, you just have to see what happens. He’s not the kind of guy that’s going to make any kind of commitment until he’s ready to make a commitment. I think his commitment right now is having a baby and winning the Orange Bowl. So, we’ll see what happens."
Personally, I think this is much ado about nothing. RR will be back next season. We will win many games. The hot seat will cool to a very comfortable temp. RR will stay for a long time. We will look back at this as very amusing while we count our NCs.
December 20th, 2010 at 12:42 AM ^
This is very telling.
December 20th, 2010 at 11:37 AM ^
part is if he signs the extension Stanford offered him about two weeks ago. If he really wanted to stay, he would have signed it by now.
The rumors about the NFL are nonsense. First I doubt any owner would entrust his team to someone who has never coached in any capacity in the NFL. Second, Harbaugh wants to control and run HIS football team. In the NFL he would have to answer to a general manager and owner for just about anything he wants to do.
Harbaugh is an outspoken assertive individual and that may give Brandon pause. Brandon strikes me as a take charge guy and may not want a strong football coach. He has RR hanging by a thread and should he decide to retain him, RR would be indebted to him. As a result, Brandon will in effect become the general manager of the Michigan football team.
December 20th, 2010 at 11:57 AM ^
First I doubt any owner would entrust his team to someone who has never coached in any capacity in the NFL.
Harbaugh was an offensive assistant with the Oakland Raiders in 2002-2003 (source).
December 20th, 2010 at 12:15 PM ^
Also, I was not aware he interviewed for the head job with the Jets. That said, I have to believe if the Michigan job was open he certainly would be very interest in it above anything else.
December 20th, 2010 at 7:27 PM ^
First I doubt any owner would entrust his team to someone who has never coached in any capacity in the NFL.
Welcome to Washington Steve Spurrier.
How about the 'ol ball coach aka. the former head coach of the Tampa Bay Bandits?
December 20th, 2010 at 12:14 PM ^
First I doubt any owner would entrust his team to someone who has never coached in any capacity in the NFL.
Like Al Davis did with Lane Kiffin? Unless you count being a QC assistant for one year as coaching in the NFL.
And if you mean no HC experience, well, that's been happening a lot.
December 20th, 2010 at 12:47 AM ^
so basically, he likes where he is now but you never know what could happen. thanks i guess haha
December 20th, 2010 at 7:39 AM ^
Rumormongering 101. Classic.
December 20th, 2010 at 12:49 AM ^
That would be telling.
December 20th, 2010 at 10:05 AM ^
Whoa. Creepy 1960s sci fi is creepy.
December 20th, 2010 at 10:09 AM ^
yay i can finally do this:
+1 for you
hahaha i feel the power coursing through my veins
December 20th, 2010 at 12:50 AM ^
Unlike some other places, he seems to do a good amount of fact checking before reporting something even speculation. So IMHEO, this is a good sign for RR in a sea of rumors and mis-information.
December 20th, 2010 at 12:55 AM ^
There's no real reason to think that Mort has an ironclad read into the situation, but he's like Gammons or Keith Law to me; if he passes on information, I find it hard to dismiss out of hand.
December 20th, 2010 at 10:39 AM ^
A couple years ago Eli Manning got nicked up in a game and a couple days lter Mort said he'd be out 4-6 weeks. Tom Coughlin and Giants GM Ernie Accorsi both said he's wrong. Eli's fine. Accorsi even spoke to the ESPN Gameday guys on air via phone and said Eli will miss no time and will start that Sunday. That's how off Mort was. You'd think that would have been enough for Mort to back off. But Mort was there on the set and said nope, my sources say he's out 4-6 weeks. That's just arrogance at that point. So Eli plays on Sunday and obviously was fine. Mort never even manned up and said he was wrong afterward. Said nothing. So I always remember that when Mort has inside info supposedly.
December 20th, 2010 at 9:57 AM ^
I agree that Mort is usually pretty reliable because he doesn't throw out crap without checking into this. But here, Mort didn't say anything, really - his blurb read more as opinion than purporting to relay facts. He really just said that JH likes Stanford. Not much more here.
December 20th, 2010 at 12:54 AM ^
RR will stay for a long time. We will look back at this as very amusing while we count our NCs.
I think so too. Hopefully.
If not, he'll be counting NC's somewhere else and we'll get torn apart by every mobile QB we play.
December 20th, 2010 at 1:10 AM ^
to believe that he will win NT's at UM or anywhere else, don't you? A dynamic offense is great, but Rich Rodriguez has a long way to go to warrant the confidence that he will win NT's anywhere as a HC, A great 2011 season will go a long way towards that.
I hope he does because he is Michigan's coach. But let's see him beat MSU and OSU first before making grand predictions of future success.
I will be negbanged because this is not a post dripping with fawning praise of RR, but I have to say what I believe.
December 20th, 2010 at 1:13 AM ^
"Rich Rodriguez has a long way to go to warrant the confidence that he will win NT's anywhere as a HC"
He was a broken thumb away from playing for one before he jumped to Michigan. Just saying... carry on.
December 20th, 2010 at 1:19 AM ^
But then injuries a part of the game.That Pitt team also had a losing record and WVU lost at home.One can argue that WVU should have won regardless if White played or not.
That was also in the Big East, a greatly inferior conference to the Big Ten. His style has yet to prove that it can win in the Big Ten. That does not mean that it cannot, but only that it has yet to be shown to win championships.
Like I said, 2011 is a very important year for RR.
December 20th, 2010 at 1:34 AM ^
Rich Rod's "style" is an offensive style. It's the spread option offense. In his tenure here, Rodriguez has amply demonstrated that his style can produce the best offense in the conference, even when it's starting underclassmen all over the field.
December 20th, 2010 at 3:27 AM ^
Rich Rod's "style" of offense has also amply demonstrated that it doesn't take care of the ball very well, irrespective of who is starting all over the field. For the past five seasons, his squads have led their conference in fumbles in conference games. Now that may fly in lesser conferences such as the Big East, but you're not going to get away with that kind of carelessness in the Big Ten and win many conference titles, let alone NCs. Let us hope that when Rich Rod waves his magic wand this offseason to fix his historically bad defense, he also sprinkles a little fairy dust on his mistake-prone offense.
December 20th, 2010 at 8:18 AM ^
before running with this. Turnovers have been depressing these last 3 years, but a lot of them were due to 1st year Threet/Sheridan, 1st year Tate, 1st year Denard
<br>Mallet was a turnover machine in his brief periods of play under Carr
December 20th, 2010 at 9:22 AM ^
How do you explain his leading the conference in his final two years at WVU? What is his excuse for that?
December 20th, 2010 at 10:15 AM ^
I see signs of linear progress. In 2008, Michigan fumbled 8 more times than the next most fumble-prone Big Ten team in conference play. In 2009, they fumbled 5 more times. In 2010, they fumbled only 3 more times. I boldly predict that Michigan will TIE for the most fumbles in Big Ten play in 2011.
December 20th, 2010 at 8:19 AM ^
He should stop teaching people to fumble the ball. It's just a bad strategy.
December 20th, 2010 at 9:46 AM ^
You're right. Probably total coincidence that his teams have led their conference in fumbles five straight years. I'm sure it has nothing to do with his style of play.
December 20th, 2010 at 10:03 AM ^
Alright we get it you did some research on turnovers. Was it 5 straight years? Was it leading the conference?
December 20th, 2010 at 7:06 PM ^
What are you talking about?
FUMBLES LOST
| Year: 2006 | Thru: 01/08/07 |
| Rank | Name | Fumbles Lost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rutgers | 7 |
| 2 | Connecticut | 9 |
| 2 | West Virginia | 9 |
| 2 | Pittsburgh | 9 |
| 5 | Cincinnati | 12 |
| 5 | Syracuse | 12 |
| 7 | South Fla. | 14 |
| 8 | Louisville | 16 |
In 2007 they did finish 2nd to last... but really, WTF are you talking about?
December 20th, 2010 at 8:24 PM ^
How dare I use 'fumbles lost' and the whole season? Sorry.
Why don't you just go ahead and look at what effect his style had on INTs thrown? They count the same as fumbles lost. You'll see that So. and Jr. Pat White threw the 2nd and 3rd fewest. Total TOs looks about average. Those teams lost 3 games...
I truly wasn't trying to cherry-pick my numbers.. and that's something that you can't say.
December 20th, 2010 at 9:01 PM ^
There's a reason that I specifically didn't mention "fumbles lost".
Protecting the ball is a fundamental skill and some players, teams, and offensive systems are better at holding on to the ball than others. Ergo, some teams are more likely to put the ball on the turf than others. Recovering a fumble, however, is a totally random act and depends many different factors: player positioning, who sees it first, and the unpredictable bounces of an oblong shaped ball. Bottom line, there's no rhyme or reason to fumble recovery. As a result, "Fumbles", not "Fumbles Lost", are a better stat for estimating a team's likelihood of fumbling. Simply put, if you don't fumble it in the first place, you can't lose it.
But by all means, please continue trying to make yourself look smart by making snarky little comments, please continue to turn the focus to how I "cherry-pick" stats and please continue to pretend that fumbling more in conference games than any other team in your conference for five straight years is not an issue. After-all, I'm just a hater! Neg-bomb away!!!
December 20th, 2010 at 9:16 AM ^
I think Barwis had an unintended effect on you - It appears as though your brain may have shrunk or many, many brain cells have been destroyed. That's the only way to explain the gibberish that you typed in your post.
December 20th, 2010 at 9:23 AM ^
The truth hurts sometimes.
December 20th, 2010 at 9:42 AM ^
Thanks for the good laugh this morning. I appreciate it - this contract I'm drafting is bringing me down and your response added some well-needed levity.
December 20th, 2010 at 9:48 AM ^
The slappiness that pervades this board does the same thing for me, so I know exactly how you feel.
December 20th, 2010 at 1:39 AM ^
You can't hold an injury to his other worldly quarterback against him. That's like saying Mac Brown sucks because he lost the MNC after Colt McCoy got knocked out.
Also, when will the "the spread doesn't work in the Big Ten" meme die? DIE.
December 20th, 2010 at 1:51 AM ^
When Michigan wins (or at least starts coming damn close to winning) the conference.
December 20th, 2010 at 1:55 AM ^
at home. Jarrett Brown was on that team and he was a decent enough player. Do recall that RR likes 3 QBs in case of injury. Brown should have been able to win that game considering how much emphasis RR puts on preparing the backup.
That said while WVU choked the same could be said of Bo vs Minnesota and Wisconsin.So a coach cannot be graded just on one game.
Also, I define working as winning football games, not racking up yards. Points and wins are what define a successful offense.His program has not proven to be able to beat good teams yet. It makes perfect sense to wonder if he can after 3 years of no success against good defenses.
BTW, UM has scored 24 and 58 in three years versus their two biggest rivals. 8 and 19 pts per game is not particularly impressive. Youth is an issue so that is why 2011 is such a huge year. UM has to beat one or both of these teams to prove that his style can work(win).,
December 20th, 2010 at 1:56 AM ^
that one bad loss outweights any and all of his big wins while at West Virginia? Seems kinda like a massive double-standard to me.
December 20th, 2010 at 2:12 AM ^
Yeah, he says you can't judge a coach on one game... and proceeds to bring up the Pitt game in every single one of his posts. I see what he.... wait no I don't.
December 20th, 2010 at 2:17 AM ^
Georgia and?
And to counter your argument, how can all of his big wins erase his bad losses?
I would never say that one loss erases all the good wins. Not at all. I was just digging deeper into the "But he was one win away" argument. You cannot use that argument if you don't want i scrutinized.
December 20th, 2010 at 2:20 AM ^
his beating a highly ranked Virginia Tech before they took off for the ACC?
December 20th, 2010 at 8:12 AM ^
Your arguement was that RR has never shown that he is capable of winning NC's anywhere he has been. The other poster commented that he was one win away from doing just that.
You want to judge RR soley on what has transpired here at UM without taking into account all of the things that have occurred that have contributed to it. Ordinarily, I would say that is fine because none of his history makes much difference to UM now. In this case though, what bothers me is this is a fanbase that continuously points to the past and their historical prosperity when anything bad happens.
We always point OSU, MSU and others to our past history when people question what is going on here at UM. The problem I have is many of those fans that harp about our past and how great we were don't do the same thing when judging a coach.
Has he had a rough first three years, of course. Is there any reason to believe that things will continue to improve in the future (the way they have for the past three years) absolutely and if you can't see that, I don't know what can be done for you.
He has also had more big wins than against Georgia, but obviously facts aren't what you want so I will just end it there.
December 20th, 2010 at 8:46 AM ^
But have enjoyed your debate, along with the others. Since I'm on an iPhone, I authorize +1s to be partitioned by proxy on my behalf
December 20th, 2010 at 7:49 AM ^
had on quite a few occassions let MSU win, or stay in, games that they had no business being in.
Don't underestimate the emotional factor involved in rivalry games.
December 20th, 2010 at 9:43 AM ^
Being a broken thumb away from playing for the national championship is like being the chief of staff for a losing presidential candidate. You're close to the sphere of power but effectively neutered.
December 20th, 2010 at 1:16 AM ^
I'm not negging you, but saying he's given no evidence anywhere that he will be winning NC's is kind of silly. Yes, at UM he hasn't shown anything yet. At WVU, however, he coached a team that was a touchdown away from the NC, then proceeded to utterly destroy its BCS opponent in a noncompetitive game.
December 20th, 2010 at 1:26 AM ^
then they defeated Oklahoma who pretty much loses to everyone they play in BCS bowls. The Big East as we all know, stinks. The level of competition at the top ofthe Big Ten is significantly greater than in the Big East.
I don't want to knock his accomplishments at WVU. He did great things that got WVU back to where Bo-disciple Nehlen had them. But he has yet to show that he can win at this level.That really is the only thing relevant here.
2011 is HUGE. He HAS to beat MSU and one of NEB or OSU, to shown that his stylevcan win here.I believe that the offense can work. But I need to see it actually beat an elite team before I get giddy about future greatness.