Harbaugh and 49ers have deep rift per Jason LaCanfora/CBS

Submitted by Ron_Lippitt on

http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2014/2/24/5442024/jim-harbaugh-san-francisco-49ers-cleveland-browns-trade

Of course I recognize this has little to do with Michigan Football, per se.  But am I the only one doing the math on the two years remaining on his $5M/Year contract.  Adam Schefter reports he's looking for $8-$9M moving forward, so if a certain thing with a certain hot-seat coach were to not work out so well in 2014, would this be a viable (real) option?

This assumes he would even consider coming back to college football.

#HasThatShipSailed?

PeteM

February 25th, 2014 at 4:49 PM ^

I don't doubt that there were fractures in the family pre-Hoke, and I love Hoke's unabashed enthusiasm.  That said, I'm a bit tired of that argument.  Why were there fractures in the Michigan family?  The reason I know is because a lot people wouldn't accept hiring RichRod since he wasn't a Michigan Man.  Who would they have preferred?  Debord?  English? 

I'd like to see Hoke succeed, but that success will be represented on the field,

slamalamadingdong

February 24th, 2014 at 10:16 PM ^

Just another example of the media blowing up a non-story. There is no way Harbaugh is leaving the Niners, especially for the worst team in the league minus a few top draft picks. He wants a Super Bowl and there is no chance he is getting this with the Browns or the Wolverines.

Wolverine Devotee

February 24th, 2014 at 11:06 PM ^

Getting a coach like Harbaugh would imply that anyone in this athletic department is capable of putting what's best for the football program ahead of their own agenda.

Seems to be too much to ask. Had there been any competence, Michigan would be heading into year 8 in the Les Miles era.

state wouldn't have gotten to where they are now as a program, the ohio fiasco would've ended a lot sooner than it did, Michigan would probably have more than one win over them in the last 10 seasons and Michigan would at the very least have a division title.

In reply to by SECcashnassadvantage

[email protected]

February 25th, 2014 at 6:02 AM ^

While I agree thatcher athletic department is flailing, I don't know that harbaugh is " the best thing for the program". He's mercenary and divisive.



He's like a shot of nitrous to an engine. Yes, for a short time we'd win. A lot. But I think that it's likely that he'd leave a lot of wrecked relationships and angry people in his wake that would end up hurting the program in the long run. It's very tempting. But I think it would help us in 3 years and hurt is more in 5 after he left.

SECcashnassadvantage

February 25th, 2014 at 8:23 AM ^

Does Saban care about relationships? No and souvenir sales cover any donation losses. The winning fixes everything in the SEC. It's going to be the same at Ohio. I live in Florida and trust me Urban is a big dick. We just need to win and if a donor doesn't get that, which they do, we have bigger problems. We aren't the all mighty Notre Dame letting armchair quarterbacks pick coaches; wait that happened. We needed Miles or Harbaugh, and nobody will admit that. I pray Hoke turns it around and I like the guy. I like my mom, but she isn't ready to coach at Michigan. I just don't see any motivation at all coming from him. The team knows when they have a plan.

Wendyk5

February 24th, 2014 at 11:11 PM ^

He's not coming here. Ever. By the time he's done in the NFL, he's going to be a crazy, out of control egomaniacal lunatic. He is a pretty good coach, though. 

I dumped the Dope

February 25th, 2014 at 2:30 AM ^

Just read thru the posts.  Harbaugh is a divisive personality.  Do we really want that?

The thing I dont really like is that he has pretty much proven at every level that the only thing sacred to him is the dollar.  His name will come up in every open coaching job vacancy conversation maybe second to only the inside joke of Jon Gruden, just to put pressure on his current employers to keep raising the bar of his salary.  Its even possible that he hosed Brandon once by feigning interest in Michigan when Rod was at the end of the plank.

Again, this smacks of short-term, win-at-all-costs madness.  Our program is storied.  Its legendary.  That does not equate with whiplash from trying to jerk the strings of the HC and the staff like a damn marionette to roll the dice on a gamble for a few more wins.  The crater that Michigan is in, I'm convinced of, is due to the Rod experiment and the subsequent trashing of the recruiting class of at least 2 years' time.

Everyone was meh on Beilein, myself included, but look what he's quietly built.  Hoke is obviously at the base of a bigger lightning rod due to the larger magnitude of the football program and the amplified expectations.  Just keep in mind the bar for 130+ years is set at 9-3 for a season.  Nobody has managed to do better than that.  Hoke is 3 wins off this pace in 3 years' time (26 of 39; getting to 29 of 39 is right in the range) and there's a huge section of the board ready to release the Kraken.

I don't get it.

MWolverine7

February 25th, 2014 at 6:29 AM ^

What Hoke fans fail to realize is that Hoke is divisive as well. There were many fans that were not happy with the hire. If you haven't figured it out yet- I am one of those fans. We had a chance to fix the football program but settled for a coach that could recite a few catch phrases. Many of the Hoke supporters will claim that there were no other capable candidates. Meanwhile a team on probation conducts an actual coaching search and hires O'Brien and seems to have hit a home run with his replacement. Even though I was not happy with the hire, I like a lot of Michigan fans still support this coach and team every Saturday. That being said, I'm not prepared to overlook another 7-6 season. There are no more excuses left. If a change is needed, you do start with the Harbaugh brothers. If neither one wants the job maybe try doing an actual search and avoid any other candidates from the Lloyd Carr coaching tree.

Danwillhor

February 25th, 2014 at 2:49 AM ^

I had this lovely dream in my head when it was obvious that Jim was leaving Stanford. It was before Tressel was gone and many had already inked Jim to Michigan. I wanted nothing more than to see a cheating scumbag get beat down at the hands of a Harbaugh led Michigan team, have them meet at mid-field and SEE THE LOOK IN JT's EYES that spoke of his own impending doom. Cheating and all, I wanted to see Tressel KNOW in his soul that his sweater vest Bolshoy days were over. I wanted that to be read in his eyes after Jim led Michigan to an easy victory. It was all I wanted, lol. Then, NFL happened. Yet, I'd take the same with urbz as we're 1-2 under Hoke but urbz has yet to beat us like JT used to. Even this last year shit squad was one play away from winning. Jim would, now stocked with his kind of players, painanal his ass. I'd a dream I'll never see, sadly. /pardon my language.

Michigania

February 25th, 2014 at 9:41 AM ^

well sadly, to beat Tressel, we needed to get the one guy who could beat him.... his former DC in dantonio.  it'd have prevented a lockdown on the state of ohio recruits, too.  instead, we didnt replace lloyd, and let recruiting take a huge hit.

 

so, lloyd passed on jim harbaugh twice, i understand.... sounds he was insecure here.

and bill martin passes on les miles, passes on dantonio... and    brandon didnt actually have an opportunity to pass on miles because he wasnt coming here anyway.

saveferris

February 25th, 2014 at 8:38 AM ^

Regardless whether we believe Hoke has the stuff to head Michigan in the coming years; why is the only viable alternative discussed around here, Harbaugh?

Let me guess, something, something, Michigan Man, something.

The Michigan Man thing just needs to go.

JamieH

February 25th, 2014 at 4:22 PM ^

I like Brady Hoke. 

Brady Hoke is NOT Jim Harbaugh, and most likely never will be.

Harbaugh may be one of the top 5 football coaches in the entire country.  And that might be a conservative estimate.  Is he divisive?  Sure.  But he wins EVERYWHERE he goes, even impossible places to win.  And he wins immediately.  With whatever he has.  The guy is an unbelievable coach.

Tons of big IFs to deal with.

IF he wants to coach Michigan. 

IF he's willing to do it for the amount of money Michigan can/will pay, which is going to be less than the NFL

IF he's willing to be here for the long haul and not just have this be a temp job until he finds a better situation in the NFL.

THEN we'd be fools not to want Harbaugh.  He's basically Bo Schembechler 2, except probably better in bowl games. 

NONE of this is Hoke bashing.  Hoke might be a great coach some day.  He isn't there yet IMO.  He does a lot of things well, but only a handful of coaches have had the kind of instant success at every stop that Jim Harbaugh has had. 

saveferris

February 26th, 2014 at 12:27 PM ^

but only a handful of coaches have had the kind of instant success at every stop that Jim Harbaugh has had.

Harbaugh's record at Stanford his first three seasons as head coach was 17-20. Granted, Year Four was outstanding, and taking Stanford into the elite status of the Pac-12 is no small feat, but it his tenure there hardly qualifies as "instant success".

JamieH

February 26th, 2014 at 2:46 PM ^

Stanford went 1-11 the year before Harbaugh showed up.  1-11.  They had won 17 games in 5 years.   By year 3 he had them at 8-5, which was their 2nd most wins since 1992 and by year 4 he had them at 12-1 which was the most win IIN THE HISTORY OF THE PROGRAM.  Yeah schedules are longer now, but Stanford had only had double-digit wins TWICE before, in 1992 (10), and 1940 (10) and he got them to 12 in year 4. 

 

If you don't call that "instant success", the what the **** is?  the guy took a team from 1-11 to 12-1 in 4 seasons!     What more could you possibly ask for????

 

 

bigfan2959

February 25th, 2014 at 4:29 PM ^

Harbaugh could land here I think.  If Hoke continues to struggle, Michigan will want to and need to make a change to keep the money machine rolling.  At U of M Harbaugh could have obsolute control.  People would think of him as a god if he were to post records like he did at Stanford.  I do think Harbaugh wants to stay in the NFL though.  I would not bet on him coming to Michigan, much as I would like it.  Hopefully Hoke kicks butt next year and all that talk would go away, but I would not bet on that either. 

Lampuki22

February 25th, 2014 at 8:08 PM ^

Is just implausible. No way he comes here . I don't think he would even take the interview.



I see Nuss as essentially coach in waiting, I love Brady Hoke but he's just not the guy that gets it done. He's too straight and narrow too nice. Bad line + no pass rush+ another year of Gardner?



2015 can't be here quickly enough.