Couple small football updates.
Nothing too earth shattering but I have heard a couple Michigan people on the radio and podcasts say that right now it’s business as usual and Harbaugh is busy recruiting and doing his day to day job as usual. I don’t subscribe to the premium sites but i check out thread titles on occasion and if there’s an update from Sam or Balas or whoever it seems like the reactions are positive. Also heard some players were told not to worry. So I would say it’s like Bacon says, no one knows for sure but things seem to be trending in a positive manner. When there is complete resolution I do not know.
On another note it appears Hongiford is coming back for another year. Which is good because he was important to our run blocking, but it makes me wonder about young guys like Hibner and Hansen and if they will be patient enough to wait their turn.
January 12th, 2022 at 9:55 AM ^
Hongiford is coming back... Which is good because he was important to our run blocking
Returning experience is good, but I'm interested to see if Hibner/Hansen/Loveland can develop and get run over him given their receiving and athletic abilities.
January 12th, 2022 at 11:01 AM ^
Man i am old. Run, a noun, not run a verb. I have seen that actually so it only took me a few re-reads to realize that no one is getting run over.
January 12th, 2022 at 11:11 AM ^
Language keeps changing. "Literally" now has a secondary meaning that isn't actually literal.
Times are a-changing.
January 12th, 2022 at 11:29 AM ^
"Those peppermint shakes at Chick-fil-A are fire!"
Really, it find they taste sweet and are very cold.
January 12th, 2022 at 11:46 AM ^
My dad and I argue all the time between "proper" language and effective communication. Example, he hates when someone says athleticism and not athletic ability because when it started, athleticism was not an actual word. I argue the English language is ever evolving and we don't speak the same English we spoke 200 years ago so "proper" language is always changing. As long as people can effectively communicate, that is what is important. However, I do also accept that the kind of language used should also be based on the setting and communication will not be hindered nearly as much by using "proper" language in the wrong setting than if you used "poor" language in a "proper" setting.
January 12th, 2022 at 12:26 PM ^
Incentivize drives me nuts, and it’s now ubiquitous in business-speak.
Whereas incent is so simple, and beautifully concise.
January 12th, 2022 at 12:51 PM ^
The word “Mink” is now a coat or the sound one makes when throwing a punch, while shadowboxing.
January 12th, 2022 at 1:04 PM ^
Hold on a minute. You're a Michigan fan. You should surely know the alternative meaning for "mink," going back to the Denard Robinson days.
January 12th, 2022 at 3:28 PM ^
I always think of the UM hockey player from 99-03, Mark Mink
January 12th, 2022 at 12:52 PM ^
And my personal pet peeve.....
"X is going to try AND do something" when they mean "X is going to try TO do something".
Sorry. I couldn't help myself.
January 12th, 2022 at 1:58 PM ^
I cringe every time someone says that in a meeting. I’ve ranted about the misuse of the reflexive, in the past. Myself should rarely be used, yet I hear it 10 times per day.
January 12th, 2022 at 3:20 PM ^
One thing we don’t have to worry about is this topic being mimicked on any other sports blog in the great state of Michigan.
January 12th, 2022 at 3:36 PM ^
What if instead XM is going to try AND do something?
Also, for the OP: asking for a Couple I know, here are their small footballs ??, can you update them?
January 12th, 2022 at 12:54 PM ^
"Monetize" is a favorite of mine. I actually have adopted it and use it.
Two words that I struggle to incorporate as even functional to utter are: physicality and trickeration (that one will never be used except to make fun of the one who speaks it :-) ).
January 12th, 2022 at 1:03 PM ^
My boss uses "action" in this way and this irritates me: "Who is going to action this?" because the word "do," being monosyllabic as well as an actual verb is too difficult.
I reserve my full, unadulterated fury for announcers who use the coach's name as a replacement for the team name: "The Fighting Schianos" instead of Rutger etc. Reese Davis is the worst perpetrator by far.
January 12th, 2022 at 1:34 PM ^
100% agree with the "Fighting Coach Names." Additionally, I want to renew my objection to "trickeration."
January 12th, 2022 at 12:53 PM ^
I agree with you in general, but the use of "literal" to means its exact opposite is one that I think is worth resisting. It ends up being less effective, because it no longer specifies either literal or figurative language.
January 12th, 2022 at 1:50 PM ^
I hate "trickeration".
I once heard a church staff member use the term "planfully" and "planfullness".
January 12th, 2022 at 9:55 AM ^
To be fair, Lincoln Riley and Brian Kelly were both out recruiting when they got the offers from other schools. Just standard operating procedure.
January 12th, 2022 at 10:03 AM ^
I agree with this. I don’t think it’s really all that noteworthy that he is continuing to do his job. But at least it’s not like what the NFL reporters were saying and it was a done deal that he is gone. It does seem like most people are feeling very optimistic these days, I’m not exactly sure what that is based on. So if anyone else has any information on where the optimism comes from, please share.
January 12th, 2022 at 10:20 AM ^
What concerns me is the length of time that we've heard nothing. I feel like the longer we go without an extension announcement, the less likely it is to happen.
I'm already sick of this and hope for everyone's sake it's wrapped up soon.
January 12th, 2022 at 10:30 AM ^
I agree, the longer we don’t here about a contract, the more seriously Harbaugh appears to be taking his other options.
Which is what it is. At some point the decision will be public and he can take the time he needs to make it. The wait is frustrating and makes for some “tea leaves” we can try to read but it won’t actually mean anything in the end.
January 12th, 2022 at 11:25 AM ^
I'm not sure. Contracts can take a long time to get ironed out, and they may just be waiting until things are totally official.
OTOH, I feel like if an NFL team were trying to poach him right now, things would move quickly and there'd be a lot of smoke. The one exception might be the Raiders, since they're active in the playoffs, but are we sure they want to make a coaching change at this point?
January 12th, 2022 at 11:48 AM ^
The length of time could be the athletic department putting together an NIL program that Harbaugh considers effective and doesn't insult the "respectabilities" of the ones running the university.
January 12th, 2022 at 3:59 PM ^
This ^^^^^^^ is exactly why I have become a HUGE Raiders fan for this year. Chris Collinsworth touched on this topic (not mentioning Harbaugh by name) on the final game against the Chargers. His most telling comment was along the line (paraphrasing).....
...."it would be hard to make a coaching change when the current coach gets the team into the playoffs..."
The Raiders have won 4 in a row to get in and 5 of their last 6. Any additional playoff win would presumably solidify the current coaching situation for Las Vegas....
Just win baby!!!!
PS Mike Davis is just enough of a nut ball that he could pull the trigger regardless, particularly if he believes that he can get Harbaugh to come. So hold onto your butts.....
January 12th, 2022 at 11:39 AM ^
There is nothing more Warde can offer him at this point. It's not the contract that is holding things up. It's JH waiting for his phone to ring.
January 12th, 2022 at 12:18 PM ^
It’s JH waiting for his phone to ring
And you know this … how?
January 12th, 2022 at 1:33 PM ^
A source inside Schembechler Hall and in a position to know via a single intermediary that I trust implicitly and has been right about everything so far well in advance of the media picking up on it. So take it for what you will.
January 12th, 2022 at 1:52 PM ^
Yesterday you said he would take any NFL job that was offered. You believe that? If true, that’s a million miles away from some of the reports we have heard. If that’s the case, he is almost certainly gone. And if not this year than certainly next year. He is much more attractive candidate than 95 pct of the coaches who NFL teams will look at. He either wants to be here or in the NFL. If he really wants back in the NFL there is literally nothing that would stop him.
January 12th, 2022 at 2:57 PM ^
That would have been my assumption until the last 72 hours, because I always assumed it was JH's decision to make. Right now, it looks like the limiting step isn't JH, it's the NFL owners. And (this is 100% purely my speculation) maybe his reputation for being a weird and/or difficult guy that the owners can't figure out has limited his opportunities more than anyone realizes. Maybe Jed York has blackballed him at owners meetings. Who knows.
But his stock right now is as high as it's going to get... dude took a preseason unranked team to the playoffs and is the AP coach of the year. If not now, when? Some people are taking every day that goes by without a UM contract as a cause for pessimism. I'm the opposite.. every day that goes by without NFL news tilts in favor of a return.
EDIT: for what it's worth (and this is strictly from me not the source), I doubt JH would break a signed contract with Michigan. So it either happens when he's not under contract or not at all.
January 12th, 2022 at 2:15 PM ^
If he wants to go back to the NFL and will take any job that’s available that he is as good as gone. It would just be a matter of time. Let’s hope that this turns out not to be true.
January 12th, 2022 at 10:45 AM ^
I think the silence supports the update Seth provided. Harbuagh is listening to the Raiders and probably the Raiders only. There is nothing to talk about since the Raiders are in the playoff. Right now it's wait and see what happens this weekend. If the Raiders lose, there will probably be an official announcement of Harbaugh leaving or staying next week. If the Raiders keep winning, it's going to drag out further unless Harbaugh either decides he isn't going to go or Mark Davis decides he will have to keep the current interim coach.
TL:DR: Waiting on the Raiders. That's why it's silent now. Probably means Harbaugh is not interested in any other current NFL job (waves tiny flag)!
January 12th, 2022 at 10:53 AM ^
There is no chance Harbaugh doesn't know what the Raiders offer is. I'm willing to bet through backchannels the details have already been agreed upon in almost full detail, how much power he'll have, etc. They just can't sign anything until the Raiders season is over.
January 12th, 2022 at 11:36 AM ^
This is probably what is going on unfortunately --- It has already been decided and are waiting for the raiders to finish-- In previous years Harbaugh quickly comes out to squash the nfl rumors
January 12th, 2022 at 11:51 AM ^
He doesn't have an offer from the Raiders as of yesterday.
January 12th, 2022 at 12:25 PM ^
Unless your last name is Harbaugh... I dont think you can know he has no offer yet.... maybe not an official offer...
January 12th, 2022 at 12:30 PM ^
Yea. I'm not in the know, but the interim coach is doing well. Very well, in fact. Simply letting him go for Harbaugh doesn't seem like the most smart decision.
January 12th, 2022 at 2:25 PM ^
It seems like Bisaccia has good buy-in and support from players and fans which is understandable given that he got them to the playoffs after they fired coach mid-season.
Harbaugh is already a pretty polarizing person, so I question if he would get the full support of the team and fans if they were to let Bisaccia go. Maybe that will end up factoring into the decision for both Harbaugh and the Raiders.
January 12th, 2022 at 10:55 AM ^
That seems to be the most likely scenario.
January 12th, 2022 at 10:57 AM ^
Exactly as I read the situation as well. The Bears would be a longshot but not out of the question - same with the Giants IMO. Unlikely but until they hire someone else they're "still in play" to borrow a worn out phrase from the past.
But I, like you, think it's far more likely it's Raiders or bust as it regards to JH's future here at Michigan. Selfishly I hope they win on Saturday and keep winning becasue that will put immense pressure on Davis to retain the interim coach (whose name escapes me at the moment) as the permanent hire.
Unitl that job is filled anyone writing off Harbaugh leaving is running a fools errand IMO.
January 12th, 2022 at 11:20 AM ^
Meh if the Raiders want Harbaugh bad enough, they'll move aside --looks up current coach-- Rich Basaccia in some capacity to get him. Short of winning the SB, I don't think the "Coach takes us far in the playoffs" is that solid of an argument if you have quality targets already lined up.
January 12th, 2022 at 11:54 AM ^
If it was the Lions he would already be under a lifetime contract. Or better yet if it was like what they did with Gary Moeller they would move on from a quality coach that had good results.
January 12th, 2022 at 12:07 PM ^
Agree with the first part of your conclusion but not the second. Yes, waiting on the Raiders. But he does have interest in other NFL jobs, they just haven't been calling him. So all that amounts to... waiting on the Raiders.
January 12th, 2022 at 1:59 PM ^
So you agree with both my points then (I know you weren't responding to me)
FWIW Sopwith has been here a LONG time and I've never known him to post any rumors, much less unfounded ones.
I believe you.
January 12th, 2022 at 2:45 PM ^
Thanks man, and yes basically agree with your post.
I lurked on the site since summer of 2008 before finally creating a login and commenting for the first time in 2010. Appreciate the vote of confidence especially after all the times I've posted the Cleveland Browns QB jersey with many names crossed out (are we ready for another?) :)
January 12th, 2022 at 1:36 PM ^
Im going with the extreme optimism route here.....soon enough there will be TWO front page posts announcing Jim is staying here and got a sweet new contract for him, his coaches, and his players...AND Texas A&M DLine coach is coming to Ann Arbor.
A boy can dream
January 12th, 2022 at 11:11 AM ^
Vegas was the only serious contender and they are in the playoffs and not doing their coaching search right now. If you wanted a quick resolution should have been rooting for the chargers
January 12th, 2022 at 11:14 AM ^
A couple weeks in January doesn't matter in the long run if Harbaugh stays. I'm rooting for the Raiders to increase the chance they decide to keep the coach and staff they have.
January 12th, 2022 at 10:29 AM ^
But Kelley and Riley were recruiting for themselves (current or new school, who cares when the HC comes in and charms your family). Harbaugh can't take these HS players to the Raiders/ Bears.