Harbaugh on beating OSU: We’re going to do it or die trying
Well I can appreciate the “do or die” mentality at this point. What are your thoughts?
Beats "win or quit trying" as a motto.
Did JH have 50 Cent on his mind?
I could see Harbaugh vibin to Many Men.
^^Banger^^. Could also go with Life's On The Line.
The whole album was/is a banger. I miss those days.
Coin flip, gun cock - beat drops. Sit back and listen.
He died for your sins.
My thoughts exactly.
*Years* ago there was a piece in HTTV that discussed Harbaugh's odds of catching up to OSU. Conclusion: Not good. I agreed.
Back in mid-2015 I figured Harbaugh could get a win every few years against OSU. (That school had already pushed through its ceiling at that point and reset it.) Oh, well. I think he's going through the motions at this point and has been for a long time.
Also, his speaking in incomplete sentences is annoying.
Living just for dying. Dying just for you
RIP, indeed.
Died trying in 2016.
If half of our team would’ve tackled Samuel when he was dancing way behind the line of scrimmage instead of funneling him back across the field then JT wouldn’t have even been able to come up just short. I still can’t understand that whole sequence to this day.
Jourdan Lewis was blocked in the back.
Quadruple holds. Please stop. Someone please make it go away.
Or don't fumble at the 1 yd line....pick 6...another interception that put them in scoring range. The defense more than did it's job that day. I'll beat this drum til the day I die. OSU would have been shutout that game if our offense played mistake free football. It didn't happen that way though.
There was nearly half a dozen holds/blocks in the back that should have been called on that play alone. I get the whole “you gotta execute” to an extent, but it’s hard enough to beat a team with as much talent as OSU without the officiating crew allowing them to get away with murder all game.
While the tv coverage was showing replays, referees were celebrating with buckeye players and fans, high-fiving them, pinching and slapping their butts (butt guys?), etc.
And that's ...the rest of the story!
Stop trying to cheer me up...
-_-
Too soon:
Two fuckin penalties for 7 goddamn penalty yards, one OHMYGOODNESS from Chris Fowler, and even a missed call concession by Herbstreit.
Forget the miscues. Michigan had to play flawless football just to eke out a win.
2017 is on the phone.
YEP, the whole Harbaugh era.
I mean, what else is he supposed to say? Unfortunately he’s already tried. A lot. And nothing is changing anytime soon.
Except for a shitload of coaches. Harbaugh is trying new shit. I have hope that we can sneak one from them one of these years.
I guess I don't understand why so many of you choose to be pessimistic about everything related to the football program. Yes, last year sucked, but it was the weirdest season of college football in any of our lifetimes. Before that, michigan had been a good football team. It is at least as likely that michigan reverts to the mean than continues the shit show of last year.
If ya can't have any optimism, why are you still fans? If you've given up, I wish you'd give up a little quiter.
I mostly agree with this. I was on the Campbell train, but with JH back and an all new staff, I'm looking forward to a successful year. I want Jim to work out here, I want him to have the success I know he wants to have here. There is no better coach than Jim MF'in Harbaugh for Michigan's football program - as long as he's having the success we all want him to have. And that's where I differ from you - since 2017 (maybe even 2018) I don't think Michigan has been a good team.
The defense, until last year, was solid and mostly dependable. But the offense has let this team down since 2016 - continuously and dependably. I believe the defense will again be solid and reliable this season, even with new coaches and a brand new scheme. The true test, as I see it, that will show how much Harbaugh wants to win, will be the offense. What will it look like? Will it be the same thing we've seen since 2017, or will it be something different?
I have a lot of hope that we'll see a team that fights. A team that plays hard, and doesn't quit. A team that isn't afraid to put its players in elevated risk situations* and asks them to make plays. A team that uses the strength of its players. Even if the W-L record isn't all that, I want to see the team play hard, as a team. A team that will make us proud to be Michigan fans - even after an L.
(* - risk of turnover, or loss of down. Not risking player safety.)
I agree with everything you have said
Just give us ONE...ONEEE QB who can hit a WR in stride and this offense takes the team to another level.
I guess I don't understand why so many of you choose to be pessimistic about everything related to the football program. Yes, last year sucked, but it was the weirdest season of college football in any of our lifetimes. Before that, michigan had been a good football team. It is at least as likely that michigan reverts to the mean than continues the shit show of last year.
IMO its trajectory. There were lots of positive signs from 2015-2018. But, everything changed in the OSU game in 2018. For the first time in forever OSU fans didn't like their chances going into the game. But, that game was demoralizing. UM never recovered. They got smoked by Florida in the bowl the following game. 2019 had some wins, but it was frustrating to watch. Then, last year was a clusterfuck . Now being favored in the OSU game like we were in 2018 seems light years away. That's why folks are pessimistic.
So, it's just been a downward trajectory since OSU 2018. Since that game UM is 10-11 overall and 2-8 versus ranked teams. There were things that happened last year which make you believe it won't be that bad again such as injuries, coaches not being present, and Covid restrictions and opt outs. It will surely improve, but improving to 7-5 isn't going to make anyone happy. To give you a comparison Carr's worst season was 7-5. He did that once in 13 years. And, Carr's worst loss to OSU by 31-16.
Recruiting would tell you UM is the 2nd most talented team in the conference. Yet, expectations are UM is still an underdog to Wiscy, PSU, and maybe even Indiana in 2021. That's essentially the problem. The second most talented team in the conference is picked to finish 4th in the division. If JH is getting worse the longer he's there that doesn't instill confidence that it will turn around. You have to believe that Gattis will finally turn the offense around and McDonald will be able to fix the holes left by Brown. How confident are you in that?
People don’t need to be fans the way that you see fit. I am optimistic in getting a new coach and getting back to where we should be. But Harbaugh clearly isn’t the guy he used to be so it’s time to burn it down and rebuild.
Harbaugh clearly isn’t the guy he used to be
Hard to tell because JH has never stayed in one place longer than 4 years. Is JH any different or has he been forced to change his offensive style that made him successful at San Diego, Stanford, and San Fran? Let's be fair, it worked in 3 of his first 4 years at UM too.
At all 3 stops he's played a pro style offense and been very involved in the offense. It wasn't until Gattis arrived that this changed. Now, either it's all Gattis or it's a group process. Either way, it's a shift that hasn't worked yet. I think if he gets this figured out it can work again. The recruiting is good enough. The problem is OSU is better than ever so catching them may be beyond his grasp. But, he can cement UM as #2 in the conference and have a winning record against PSU & Wiscy if he figures out the offense. But, this is new territory for him. He's trying something he never has before and it's obviously a process. The question is can someone else do better?
Personally I believe they can. He re-stabilized the program. The cupboard is not barren. Now that his best skill (pro style offensive mind) is no longer applicable in today's game he lacks any tangible skills that might be better than a potential predecessor IMO. So, I think he's the same as he always was, it's just his skills no longer apply to the current game like they used to. That makes him a CEO and unfortunately that appears not to be his best skill.
You're completely missing the point. The Jim Harbaugh we've had since ~2017 is NOT the same Jim Harbaugh that we hired, or even the same Jim Harbaugh that coached us in 2015 and 2016. It's clear as day to anyone that's paid attention. The old Harbaugh was fiery, explosive, liable to let loose on a ref or destroy a headset at a moments notice. The Harbaugh we've had since 2017 has been muted, emotionless, downright zombie-like. The difference is night and day.
Now whether it has made a difference on the program is up for debate. I personally think that it has, that too often his lack of emotion and fire has rubbed off on the team and their play. But regardless of the impact, it's impossible to deny the change in his demeanor. If you took away the face and the name, and just looked at the mannerisms of old vs. current Harbaugh, you'd never believe they were the same person.
The Jim Harbaugh we've had since ~2017 is NOT the same Jim Harbaugh that we hired, or even the same Jim Harbaugh that coached us in 2015 and 2016. It's clear as day to anyone that's paid attention.
Is there any comparison of JH 2015-2017 to 2018-current? Is there any evidence whatsoever beyond him getting penalized in The Game in 2016? One reference point is hardly sufficient data to make a valid argument. Maybe there are more, but I haven't heard of any. He's always boring in press conferences, both before and after and that's the only on-field moment I can remember during the "firery" JH period. What else is there? If nothing, it's not a great argument. Can you point to any other examples of what he did then that he isn't doing now?
We are gonna do it unless we don’t
Quit drinking and go to bed!
Nah, I’m going to stay awake and keep drinking
NOW he gets it...... Welcome aboard the play to win train
Last big media day statement of a once-promising head coach.
Here is hoping this year’s attempt succeeds.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=f4n1h1uig6E
queue the Ghana pallbearers
The only problem is he still has that horrible, half-hearted delivery. I don't remember JH being like that in SF or Stanford but I never watched his press conferences back then.
He always looks like a deer in the headlights whenever he talks to the media -- wide eyed and mouth open, long pauses between his words with lots of uhhhh-ing and ummm-ing. Like he's worried if he says the wrong thing he could spontaneously combust. Or maybe there is a guy in the back of the room with a shoe in his hand, arm cocked and ready to fire a-la GW Bush.
I like the words he said but the way he said them leads me to believe he hasn't regained his confidence. Feels like his tenure at Michigan has shattered him.
I don't recall much from Stanford and SF, but since he's been here, even when he was blowing up twitter and doing sleepovers and lighting into the refs he has been an awful interview for the most part.
I agree that his sideline demeanor and social media presence have drastically changed but press conferences are not and will never be his strength.
I finally got around to reading John U. Bacon's "Three and Out." (Yes, I know I'm late to the party on that, but stay with me here.) I found it fascinating, not only for what happened during those three tumultuous RichRod years, but also with the perspective that comes with the 10 years since.
One thing he mentioned was that RichRod was never very good at press conferences (nowhere near as good as he was in team meetings.) But the one guy Bacon applauded for handling the press, for having a good sense of public relations, was Dave Brandon. Yup, Mr. "Free Tickets with Two Bottles of Coke" was comfortable front of an audience, fielding questions from the press, and putting the proper spin on his answers.
Of course, nobody would describe him that way now. (Most descriptions would be profane.) So the ability to easily handle a press conference shouldn't be seen as an indication of excellent job performance. Likewise, Harbaugh's discomfort with them shouldn't be seen as anything more than "public speaking ain't Jimmy's best thing."
You’re being generous… among Harbaugh’s not-his-best thing also includes:
- coaching up QBs
- beating ranked teams
- beating teams on the road
- beating rivals
- devising a consistent, high-powered offense
To be fair he's not trying to do the last one.
It is a fair point. It is nice to have a leader who is eloquent with the media. However, it certainly doesn’t appear to carry much weight in how well one does their primary job.
What is concerning to me is some of the “reports” saying Harbaugh is also not a good motivator/speaker in front of the team. Whether true or not, there was some scuttlebutt that this deficiency is a contributor to why they are so flat in road games.
This could all be BS, revisionist history, deflecting blame etc. However, you look at the way they played at home last year without fans (MSU and PSU in particular given how poorly they also played)…and it certainly makes me wonder.
I listened to JH speak at a high school camp earlier this summer. It was a video that I believe was posted here on MGoBlog. And he indeed sounded very different in that camp speech than he does talking to reporters. He was lively, energetic and words were flowing off his tongue with a lot more linguistic perfection than anything he has delivered to reporters in press conferences lately. So, I think he just hates talking to reporters. In these situations it almost seems like his mind is somewhere else and would rather be anywhere than at that podium talking to the press.
Remember the awkwardness of the Cowherd interview? I think that was a great example displaying the "just get me the fuck out of here" mindset that I believe he has when talking to reporters/press people/TV personalities.
This makes a lot of sense.
I agree with Harbaugh 100%! If he can’t beat OSU this year, then his coaching career at Michigan will be dead.
So 10-2 with a competitive loss to OSU will get him fired?
I can deal with competitive losses to the likes of OSU, PSU, UW... Those are pretty good teams. But 'competitive' means hanging tough all 4 quarters - the entire game. Doesn't have to mean a 2 point affair, but at least have the outcome in serious doubt for all four quarters. We haven't seen that since 2017 against OSU. They need to be better, but competitive losses should not be head-hangers.
10-2??
I’m sorry to shatter your fantasy, but there is no way we go 10-2 in 2021.