Fisher vs Harbaugh vs the Refs

Submitted by poseidon7902 on

Espn did a fun article on the outburst toward officials comparing Fisher's Clemson game to Harbaugh's OSU game.  Fun read and I feel bad for whatever official screws up a call in this game.  

http://www.espn.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/140226/harbaugh-v-fisher-a-re…
 

You can still probably recall the images: There was Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh shattering his headset and trying to mount the broken pieces back over his hat after disagreeing with a few calls in the Ohio State game. A month earlier, Jimbo Fisher labeled the officials "gutless" in Florida State's loss to Clemson.

When it came to shredding officials in 2016, no coaches were as strident or resolute as Fisher and Harbaugh. Their harangues after losses in their biggest games of the season -- and the ensuing fines -- have been impressed upon our memories of this past season.

So consider this a warning to the officials of the Capital One Orange Bowl, where Fisher and Harbaugh will meet Dec. 30: This is a heavyweight matchup in referee rhetoric, and Fisher and Harbaugh share a common opponent. Dan Murphy and Jared Shanker offer the tale of the tape of the two and their memorable tirades after the Clemson and Ohio State losses.
 

Style

Fisher: Swarmer. The seventh-year Florida State coach doesn't come with just one power punch. It's 60 seconds of fury from Fisher, whose mind works faster than his mouth. In a single minute of his Clemson rant, Fisher took down multiple officials over multiple games. A jab for the referee and center judge for failing to call targeting. A haymaker for the side judge who called a "garbage" block below the waist on Dalvin Cook's long fourth-quarter run and a "gutless" unsportsmanlike conduct in the aftermath (and Fisher feels the ball was incorrectly spotted). And a rabbit punch for the officials in the Miami game, when Deondre Francois took a lot of big hits.

Harbaugh: Focused attacker. In an eight-minute press conference, Harbaugh rarely veered far from his thesis on the officiating. He found ways to steer several questions about his defense's efforts and other subjects back toward the officiating. He didn't bother to wait for a question to tee him up on the refs either. He brought it up himself. He doesn't bring the same rapid-fire cadence as Fisher, but he stayed on message and controlled the conversation no matter what else was thrown his way.

Advantage: To be determined.

Reach

Fisher: The disputed calls came in that weekend's prime-time game, so much of the college football audience watched Fisher's eruption. His postgame comments quickly deluged social media that Saturday night.

Harbaugh: If we're talking about audience reach, it doesn't get a whole lot larger than the 10.4 overnight rating that The Game got this season (Clemson-Florida State delivered a respectable 6.0). Harbaugh's rant spawned Zapruder-style film breakdowns of crucial calls and added an extra layer of debate to an interesting decision for the College Football Playoff committee.

Advantage: Harbaugh always manages to attract a crowd, especially on such a big season-finale stage.

Favorite move

Fisher: In the postgame setting, Fisher spiced up his rant with adjectives like "cowardly," but it was him bitterly slamming his cheaters that added the most emphasis. Holding his reading glasses, Fisher swung his hand and then banged the table several times to drive home his point. He then tossed them aside, only to pick them back up as he continued another 40 seconds

Harbaugh: "Bitterly disappointed" was Harbaugh's go-to move when he was looking for a little extra emphasis in Columbus. Remember the old "I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed" death blow that could cut you down to size? Harbaugh gave it an upgrade with the palpable disgust that came when he added "bitter" to the equation.

Advantage: Fisher brought props. Harbaugh decided to leave his new glasses on his face. Edge goes to Fisher.

Sideline demeanor

Fisher: There are no projectiles from Fisher, whose assaults are more verbal with an occasional finger point. In the Clemson game, he didn't toss a play sheet or headset to draw the "technical foul" like Harbaugh, but Fisher did lose his cool on the sidelines. The profanities and pointed glares flowed in the officials' directions, and then an assistant took it a step further to warrant an unsportsmanlike conduct flag.
 

Harbaugh: No assistance necessary when it comes to drawing an unsportsmanlike call on Michigan's sideline. Harbaugh's postgame comments caused a stir, but the ruckus started long before then. Given his Pro Bowl credentials at quarterback, the referees are at a serious disadvantage when he starts turning coaching gear into projectiles.

Advantage: Harbaugh. This isn't the first time he has sent his play sheets flying since coming to Michigan, and it probably won't be the last.

Putting money where their mouth is


Harbaugh: Michigan got off easy by that standard. The school was fined $10,000, and Harbaugh got a "public reprimand" from the Big Ten. Considering that $10,000 is less than what the coach makes in a day (and that's assuming he works 365 days a year on his $5 million salary), here's guessing he feels like he got his money's worth.Fisher: His response was probably along the lines of "$20,000? Well worth it." Fisher knew the fine was coming and welcomed it. He said with coaches and players' careers on the line, officials need to be accountable. If they miss obvious calls "they shouldn't be out there."

Advantage: Fisher got charged more, but he asked for the fine mid-rant. Respect has to go to the man who called his shot.

DonAZ

December 21st, 2016 at 4:11 PM ^

I find myself liking Jimbo Fisher.  He accomplished a challenging thing by following a legend and being successful.  He seems to be an intense competitor, but knows not to take himself too seriously.  There are parallels between him and Harbaugh.

I like the video of him discussing the upcoming Orange Bowl with Michigan.  When asked what he thinks of Michigan's "old school" style of football, Fisher quickly corrected that -- "It's not 'old school,' it's real football.  It's what's played on Sundays."  The look on his face conveyed the seriousness with which he meant that.

Regarding each having a beef with the officiating ... I'm not one to put on the tin-foil conspiracy hat quickly, but I do raise an eyebrow at how fast both OSU and Clemson went back up the rankings after their respective losses, and how both seemed to enjoy a certain ... um ... assist from officials in key games they likely would have lost otherwise.

UMProud

December 21st, 2016 at 4:23 PM ^

Good analysis OP I have a soft spot for original thinking.

That being said I would pay good money to see an MMA death match team of Jim and Jimbo vs Jim Delaney and his ACC counterpart who I hope is named Jim

Wolfman

December 21st, 2016 at 4:55 PM ^

but I think its safe to assume Fisher will go off first and will go off often. The nature of Brown's uber aggressive defense results in multiple defenders arriving at the target simultaneously. Being as protective as he is in regard to his trigger man, I think its safe to assume he'll be calling for flags early. When the blitz packages are run to perfection, it usually results in multiple defenders getting a piece of the qb. And one of Jabril's go to moves is wrapping up the qb and then seeing how high and far he can toss him. Others like Wormely and Taco simply go through the ball carrier as they've been taught since pop warned. Should be some very fun stuff. Jim, on the other hand, is a freak as to rules and he has no problem being the first member of the officiating crew to call atention to the disregard for same on the part of the opposition. Looking forward to it. 

AmayzNblue

December 21st, 2016 at 4:58 PM ^

Both men were right to share the truth. They are biased, but both games had some seriously poor calls that seemed one sided.




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Greg McMurtry

December 21st, 2016 at 5:25 PM ^

I do remember one particular call against FSU, which I think this is referring to. The FSU blocker hit a guy at hip level then almost inmediately glanced downward and caught the opposing players leg. The refs called it an illegal block below the waist and nullified a huge FSU gain. Really bad call. Then I think Jimbo got 15 additional for arguing the bad call.




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rockydude

December 21st, 2016 at 8:04 PM ^

I know it might have been more appropriate to the diary section (and probably with a lot less cut and paste), but I doubt I would have read it if it were in the diaries. So, yes, the criticisms are true to an extent, but I'm still giving a thumbs up because the OP brought me an article that I wouldn't have seen otherwise. (loved the article)