Feldman: Michigan sources believe Harbaugh would accept Raiders job
Same thing Sopwith has been saying. I guess we need to prepare ourselves that this could happen and just be pleasantly surprised if he returns.
January 19th, 2022 at 10:02 PM ^
I also know that it’s possible that Feldman doesn’t know shit. And that this is all just for clicks. But it’s very possible that those sources are real. I just hope we find out sooner rather than later.
January 19th, 2022 at 10:26 PM ^
FWIW it's been radio silence from the connection inside Schembechler Hall all week re: job search. Good? Bad? I don't know, but I'm leaning good because every day without breaking news from Adam Shefter seems good. Bear in mind that if a team sets up an official interview for an HC candidacy, they are required to report it to the NFL and it will be public in 2 seconds.
EDIT: stand corrected below, evidently college coaches don't trigger an auto-disclosure. Well damnit.
January 19th, 2022 at 11:55 PM ^
You said “Bear in mind.” Is this code for Chicago Bears? Omigod, has Harbaugh accepted the Bears job? Panic!!!!
January 20th, 2022 at 11:29 AM ^
Did he meet anybody currently in his life in Chicago, though?
January 20th, 2022 at 7:29 AM ^
The requirement to report an interview doesn't apply to college coaches from what I heard on the radio yesterday.
January 20th, 2022 at 7:42 AM ^
Yeah, isn’t required for college coaches. Reporting that a college coach interviewed would tank their recruiting & credibility with a fan base if they didn’t get or take the job; NFL teams know very few college coaches would accept their interview requests if they were reported
January 20th, 2022 at 12:28 PM ^
Who's your source? The janitor?
January 20th, 2022 at 12:14 AM ^
Is there a place on this site to view posting stats? Seems like every thread I open these days is posted by you, TK.
Unfortunately, it's a real quantity over quality situation. Not a lot of new info being shared, at least to my knowledge.
January 20th, 2022 at 9:10 AM ^
Yeah, this board has a real phobia over new topics. Especially when it comes to Harbaugh and the NFL rumors. I certainly don’t start topics that are my own hot takes or opinions, and I don’t want to post every Harbaugh rumor. The reason why I posted this is because Feldman is echoing what some people around here have been saying, and it’s interesting that he has Michigan sources who feel he would accept the offer. Like I said, it could be a lie designed for clicks. Or it could be that his Michigan sources are wrong on what Jim wants to do. But I still think that it’s noteworthy that someone else close to the program believes he would accept the offer.
January 20th, 2022 at 11:22 AM ^
The board doesn't have a "phobia." That's vintage gaslighting nonsense. A sizable, and increasing portion the board has "exhaustion" over the incessant posting of non-news, often unsourced, or "sourced" with same-but-different anonymous drivel. The next time a run-of-the-mill poster posts real Harbaugh news on MGoBlog's Message Board will be the first.
Anyone who pays for The Athletic subscription is a sucker, imo. A poster yesterday accurately pointed out that The Athletic often publishes contradicting speculation in rumor mill scenarios, but uses different authors, thus insuring at least one of their hacks can claim being right after the fact. I canceled my subscription some time ago. I have zero regrets.
January 20th, 2022 at 8:48 AM ^
I had a brief exchange with my contact at Ravens. Feldman’s statement is 90% wrong. Jim could take the Raiders job but only under very specific conditions, which are not satisfied, and may never be satisfied. One point my contact told me that I did not know is that Carr will be a FA after this year. That complicates the case. As I said before, my contact tells me that chances of winning SB vs CFP is an important factor. Another source in Ravens, who is not as connected as the first one, told me that Davis knows how determined and independent Jim can be, and that may give him some pause in giving full control to him. I could not get more information about the possible timeline.
January 20th, 2022 at 9:12 AM ^
There are exactly -zero- actual quotes in that article. Just a guy talking and making assumptions.
January 20th, 2022 at 10:16 AM ^
Direct quote from article:
"They also know that Harbaugh can be hard to read. Their hunches could be wrong"
AKA they don't know shit and are just guessing
January 19th, 2022 at 10:02 PM ^
So you're saying the Raiders are in play?
January 20th, 2022 at 5:58 AM ^
Not Oakland though
January 20th, 2022 at 8:59 AM ^
Getcha popcorn ready!
January 19th, 2022 at 10:05 PM ^
I saw this earlier, and since I didn't see a post about it figured it must be old news/already debunked.
At any rate, I'll believe he moves his family (including young kids) to Vegas when I see it...
January 20th, 2022 at 5:59 AM ^
Is the "Thunder from Down Under" Australian Chippendale troupe still performing there?
very kid friendly
s/
January 20th, 2022 at 7:57 AM ^
the Strip is like 5 percent of Vegas geographywise. It's like saying "I'd never move my kids to Chicago because the Bean is stupid"
January 20th, 2022 at 8:47 AM ^
It's more than just the strip though. The whole city is just kind of...gross(disclosure I am a native Nevadan from not Vegas and so have always hated that city) even if you're in Henderson you're still surrounded by the billboards and the ads and you're still dealing with going to school and having to pay for a buddies lunch because his parents gambled the lunch money away again.
Also its the fucking Raiders. A shit franchise that hasn't done anything in decades run by Cousin Oliver from the Brady Bunch with a Homeless mans version of Matthew Stafford at QB and a roster of players who can't go more than a week without getting a DUI in a city designed to take stupid people with money and completely wring them dry. I just can't get myself in a headspace where I can see him taking THAT job over Michigan.
January 20th, 2022 at 9:18 AM ^
Co-signed…
I know people like NFL coaches in any city live in a bit of a cocoon, but I’ve spent enough time in and around Vegas to know that yeah, there’s a halfway decent neighborhood here and there, but really there’s the strip, and then there’s blech.
Either way, I can’t imagine a bigger culture shock than between Ann Arbor and Las Vegas.
January 20th, 2022 at 10:51 AM ^
funny and about 99% true from my experience. my only difference is that i'd say carr is a pretty good QB. maybe not elite, but pretty good and as far as i know is well liked by the team which is important.
used to hunt in the carson valley and up into the sierras for fishing and skiing for years with my investigators back in the day. there is a lot to like about nevada, but vegas isn't one of the reasons.
January 19th, 2022 at 10:05 PM ^
If he wants to go, we are better off without him. We need a coach who wants to be here. Michigan football is bigger than one man. I hope the reports are false. If they are true - it is time for a new leader.
January 19th, 2022 at 10:12 PM ^
I'm with you. I'd like him to stay because there is no better coach for Michigan. But there are coaches just as good. The problem is identifying one and getting the job done.
January 20th, 2022 at 12:10 AM ^
I'm also in total agreement with Pete.
Quite frankly, I'm getting irritated by Harbaugh, if he is intent on staying then say so ,quit stressing out the Fanbase with this BS.
So taking your young kids to a town like LV really works for him? A franchise that hasn't been the most stable one for decades?
Shit or get off the pot, I appreciate what he did this past season but build on it and prove it wasn't a fluke, he seems to be enjoying this dalliance a bit too much IMO.
January 20th, 2022 at 1:00 AM ^
He'd be a fool to not listen. NFL and college teams are throwing around ridiculous contracts. If I were a coach, I'd stay radio silent as well.
He's currently under contract for Michigan, and he has zero obligation to acknowledge rumors. We could go right into spring training, summer camps and the 2022 season without him ever acknowledging Bruce Feldman for all I care.
January 20th, 2022 at 4:30 AM ^
Uhh he doesn't owe the fan base shit he was already successful in the NFL and didn't have to come back to Michigan. Not to mention, the majority of the fan base wanted him gone last year. He had to stress about his job last year so now it's our turn to stress.
January 20th, 2022 at 8:09 AM ^
My thoughts exactly
January 20th, 2022 at 9:56 AM ^
Seriously. If any fanbase on earth deserves to stress about a coaching situation, it's ours. The amount of people clamoring to fire him after 2020 was disgusting, and included most/all of the staff here at mgo (which in turn fed into the bi-polar nature of most of our fans). Let them twist themselves into knots for another week.
January 20th, 2022 at 10:40 AM ^
"If it were all an eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth we'd all walk around blind and toothless."
January 20th, 2022 at 2:29 PM ^
"Majority"
Shut all the way the fuck up with this stupid shit.
One ass fuck on a street corner with a bullhorn being able to shout louder than all others doesn't = a majority.
Pissed off stupid fucks twittering and texting doesn't = a majority.
January 20th, 2022 at 8:08 AM ^
To be fair Mick, Harbaugh doesnt owe the fanbase shit. Most of the posters on this board wanted to fire him last year, and again during the Rutgers and MSU game. Who he does owe it to is his team. I truly believe that if Harbaugh goes, he will set this team back another 5+ years. You will see transfers, coaching changes, and recruits going elsewhere. Selfishly I do not want Harbaugh to go, but this yearly coaching carousel is getting out of hand.
January 20th, 2022 at 12:24 AM ^
Yes, there are other good coaches, but this team is built in his mold. We don't need another change; not to mention, it's too damn late in the game to find anyone decent at this point.
January 19th, 2022 at 10:27 PM ^
If he stays, he'll buy in. I don't believe that he'll somehow be half-hearted about it; I've been critical of his coaching in past seasons, but I don't believe that was an effort issue, either, and I think a lot of the complaints about his on-field demeanor were overblown. (I should say I *didn't* at the time, and now many of my complaints have been demonstrated to be incorrect).
If, say, Seth were to be interested in a chief editor position at the New York Times, applied for the job, hoped to get it, and got turned down, would that make his work remaining at Mgoblog less effective? No. People have interests and pursue them and are still capable of being very effective in the roles they remain in. How many of us have applied for jobs that we would take if offered, that we didn't get, that kept doing the job we remained in well? Some may have mailed it in, but a lot of us kept at it well.
I wish Harbaugh didn't want to go, but he's a football coach, from a football coaching family, a guy that has coached in the NFL and won. I'm not surprised he's interested in it again, if this is true (and I tend to believe it, at least some of the noise from people like Sopwith). Nor do I hold it against him. "But I thought he loved Michigan," one might object. He does. That's why he came; he could have stayed in the NFL if he had wanted to, but, like Juwan, this was literally the only job that would pull him to the college ranks. They didn't come because they love coaching in college, they come because they love Michigan.
I hope he stays. If he stays, he can build on the work this year. If he goes, he has beaten OSU and brought us to the top of the conference, the doorway of the elite. The roster is good. The plan is there.
I knew that this might be a possibility when he signed on. I didn't imagine the winding pathway it would take to get here, but Harbaugh has coached at Michigan for a significant chunk of time, he has left the cupboard stocked, he's looking at options. If he leaves I'll be disappointed, but not angry. But if he stays... I don't care if he thought about leaving. I'll be happy he stays. It will be good for us if he does.
January 19th, 2022 at 10:35 PM ^
If he stays, he'll buy in. I don't believe that he'll somehow be half-hearted about it;
100% this. Jim Harbaugh doesn't do anything half-assed as it relates to football. When this is done playing out, if he stays, he's all-in on all his responsibilities to Michigan.
January 19th, 2022 at 11:08 PM ^
Sure he’s 100% In but for how long? I don’t want him sticking around if every year he’s thinking about going to the NFL. I want JH here but also want him to make a long commitment and not flirt with the NFL every time there is an opening
January 19th, 2022 at 11:15 PM ^
Yeah this is where I’m at and I kind of hope he goes. It appears to me Michigan is the backup plan here, if it wasn’t the extension would be signed. Given that it’s a matter of when not if he is back in the nfl. That’s not saying he won’t give 100% to the team this season, but if we are doing this again next year it’s going to get real old. There are other good coaches in college football and harbaugh has his issues too. I’m comfortable with him moving on, doing this every year is going to get old.
January 20th, 2022 at 12:11 AM ^
Michigan is the backup plan here? I don't see that at all.
When asked what he thought of his salary cut last year, Harbaugh said he really didn't think about it too much. He said he loved the job so much he would do it for free. He donated his bonuses for winning the division and conference, and for making the playoff, to the Athletic Department to compensate others who took a forced pay cut during the COVID year.
When asked what he thought of finally beating OSU, he said it felt like the beginning. Since the playoff he has gone on recruiting trips, signed top position coaches, attended campus sporting events with visiting recruits and with family. When a recruit asked if he was going to the NFL the recruit was told not to worry about that at all.
These are facts. The rest of it is all speculation, rumors, or outright lies.
I wouldn't be surprised if the delay in signing is that JH is negotiating something completely new that benefits his players and staff. I think Harbaugh ends his career at UM after many, many more seasons.
January 20th, 2022 at 7:07 AM ^
If Michigan was Plan A, he would be signed. Multiple reports said the offer Warde gave him was very good.
January 20th, 2022 at 8:35 AM ^
What does he have to sign? He already has a contract with Michigan. There's nothing that he HAS to sign.
Now, if Michigan intends to give him a new contract, and they're in the process of ironing out the details (because, maybe Harbaugh wants something different than what they're offering), do they or Coach Harbaugh owe anything to you or any of us not attached to the football program? Are they obligated to even tell you this negotiation is happening? No. Because, as far as we know, he has a valid contract with Michigan.
Someone needs to drop a virtual Xanax on this board.
January 20th, 2022 at 12:12 AM ^
I have no doubt that is true for Harbaugh, the question is, what influence does this have on everyone else? Do all of the assistants and analysts stay 100% locked in? Maybe. My working experience says probably not. Some will start to focus more on getting their next job in anticipation of a new coach coming in this year or next. The players? I’m betting a few of them are distracted already and are being recruited to enter the portal if Harbaugh leaves. The recruits? I guarantee opportunities for other teams are already being opened because of the situation.
These are the issues Warde needs to weigh. A fully committed Harbaugh locked in for the long haul is the best coach for Michigan. Harbaugh playing it out at Michigan waiting year to year for the best NFL opportunity to become available may not be.
January 19th, 2022 at 10:40 PM ^
Excellent points - and well-stated Stephen.
As you know, I have unwaveringly supported Harbaugh throughout all of his ups and downs while you and many others thought it was time to move on. We are so fortunate to have him as our coach. I don’t care if he thinks about leaving / nor do I hold it against him if he thinks about it. But, if his heart’s desire is to go the NFL, I think all parties are better off if he goes.
The reason I still stand by my seemingly simple take is this: if he wants to go the the NFL, and he doesn’t go this year because the right opportunity isn’t there, then he will go next year or the year after. The only way he stays for more than a year or two (if his heart longs for the NFL) is if the NFL doesn’t want him. The only way the NFL doesn’t want him is if he falls to a lower achievement rung at Michigan.
This sounds simplistic, but Michigan football succeeds at the highest level only when its coach commits 100% of himself to the job. This includes his heart/motivation/volition. I challenge anyone to find one time in history when that sentence was not true, going back to the 19th century (Yost, Crisler, Oosterbaan, Schembechler, Carr). Harbaugh has had this commitment until now, but if he is ready to move on - I don’t think he, or any other person, can succeed optimally at Michigan with that mindset.
January 19th, 2022 at 10:45 PM ^
I was tracking the NYT jet, and I think Seth might be in play there. Has he said anything lately about sticking around MGB? Fingers crossed.
January 19th, 2022 at 10:33 PM ^
College football has aged me. All I want is for UM to beat OSU more than once a decade...
January 19th, 2022 at 10:05 PM ^
So tell me what type of pizza do they have in Vegas?
January 19th, 2022 at 10:27 PM ^
Meh. Biggest problem is the water is awful, hence difficult to have decent dough.
Hey, you asked!
January 19th, 2022 at 10:41 PM ^
Overpriced.
January 19th, 2022 at 11:44 PM ^
Overpriced? I mean yeah if you're buying it in a casino, but that's not exactly a good measure of the town.
January 20th, 2022 at 7:46 AM ^
Only pizza I’ve had there is from the Giordanos over by the Bally Casino. I make sure to hit the In N Out whenever I go to Viva Las.
January 20th, 2022 at 8:06 AM ^
Never been to Vegas even though I lived in LA for a while. When it comes to burgers I find Fatburger far superior to In N Out. (Let's see if I can start another multi-thread) debate about food. haha