If Harbaugh turns down the offer is he still loved by the fan base? Is his choice savior or villain?
So, we all know we think he would be a savior or at least the most loved alum at the time if he takes the job. What if he turns it down? Would he become the most hated alum? After all, it's not like he's turning down a middling offer. It makes him the highest paid coach in all of football. Even if the offer he would accept from the NFL is higher, i have to believe this offer aided tremendously in getting him to that stratosphere. I think most people would have thought he was a $6-7 million guy to the NFL without this type of offer from Michigan.
December 18th, 2014 at 11:55 AM ^
December 18th, 2014 at 11:56 AM ^
From what I can find on Google, Gruden is getting about $4M per year from ESPN, so if the Raiders did offer him double the $8M offer to Harbaugh, then he was offered - and turned down - 4 times what ESPN is paying him. That does not seem plausible, but if it is true, that shows pretty emphatically what people think about coaching the Raiders.
December 18th, 2014 at 11:57 AM ^
Harbaugh was a great QB and my favorite who ever played at Michigan. Perhaps this stems from him being the QB when I was in high school, but he Qb'd my all time favorite Michigan team the 1985 team. Nothing will change that rather he takes the job or not.
I can't blame him if he doesn't. He spent years in the league. Everyone wants to be at the top of there profession. In coaching that's the NFL. Harbaugh went to school here but I can't fault him if his desire is not to teach here. School is preparation for life, not a contract that you must come back.
That being said I really hope he takes the job.
December 18th, 2014 at 11:57 AM ^
It would really depend on how much class is used in the rejection of the offer. He could have said "NO" publicly on many occasions and hasn't. This has led the fan base to believe he has been considering this for awhile.
I don't believe he would be hated for turning it down (would personally be in disbelief) that is one hell of an offer to turn down, letting it go until January might not be good. I just don't see the NFL being all that Great!
December 18th, 2014 at 11:57 AM ^
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December 18th, 2014 at 11:57 AM ^
Some have said they wish he would have stated his intentions, or desire to coach in the NFL all along and not coach college.
I believe he said that, and quite emphatically, when he took the job at San Francisco. And with the success he's had, I don't know if he can turn down NFL money ever again. There will be teams lining up to sign him, and give him more than Michigan can or will.
I also wouldn't blame Michigan for pulling out if the current offer is not "good enough." I also question whether he would stay for the duration of any contract, should the NFL come calling again.
I'm not saying the next coach should be here for 30 years, but it would be nice to get a coach who can be successful here and wants to stay for the next decade or so.
December 18th, 2014 at 11:57 AM ^
I dont know that he is currently loved by the fanbase. He was a quarterback that won a big ten championship in '86. Then he was a pro. Now a coach who has already questioned Michigan's academics in the athletic department (which he will undoubtedly walk back if he gets hired). Why would he be LOVED.
I think the fanbase REALLY loves the idea of him as coach. Like others above me have already said before, if he turned down the job, we would continue to feel chapped.
December 18th, 2014 at 12:00 PM ^
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December 18th, 2014 at 12:01 PM ^
December 18th, 2014 at 12:09 PM ^
If he ends up at Miami after deciding to stay in the NFL, I won't be pissed at Ross. He has a franchise to make profitable, can't blame him for hiring the best leader available. I think his statement that he wants Harbaugh at Michigan was sincere and will be backed up with a check if given the chance.
December 18th, 2014 at 12:09 PM ^
December 18th, 2014 at 12:20 PM ^
40% Raise that Michigan just offered him.
I don't see this being turned down. I see the NFL as a fleeting romance (team to team).
College, something you never forget and not just a fleeting (4 years). Jim loves Michigan and will be on his way home the end of the month.
December 18th, 2014 at 12:04 PM ^
December 18th, 2014 at 12:05 PM ^
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December 18th, 2014 at 12:07 PM ^
If he turns it down, how much will Hackett agree to pay Miles?
December 18th, 2014 at 4:06 PM ^
I'd give Miles the same package if I had to and I would defintely give Miles, at the very least, $1.00 nore than Nick Saban.
And Miles would not turn that down...and I could argue that Miles deserves it (hell, he has one MNC and it should probably be 2 MNC).
December 18th, 2014 at 12:08 PM ^
Then he's a black magic evil MFer.
December 18th, 2014 at 12:08 PM ^
It really depends on who we get should he say no. Like many have said, if its Addazio or Schiano then there will be a lot of animosity. If we get Mora or Mullen, then I would still be really happy and optimistic for the future. If its Miles, I would be lukewarm.
December 18th, 2014 at 12:09 PM ^
Speaking of Mora, a friend of mine who lives in LA just mesaged me to tell me everyone out there in sports radio is saying Michigan is targeting Mora. FWIW.
December 18th, 2014 at 12:11 PM ^
December 18th, 2014 at 12:08 PM ^
December 18th, 2014 at 12:08 PM ^
Thankfully I'm not pining for him the way others are. If he says no, I'll move on and hope that the JH as Savior meme goes away quickly. We'll need to move on as a fan base because the new coach will need our support, 100%. At that point, Jim Harbaugh should be cemented in Michigan history as one of our great quarterbacks and nothing else. Appreciate the real accomplishments but let go of the fantasy ones.
December 18th, 2014 at 12:09 PM ^
I wouldn't blame him regardless. He doesn't owe the university or this team anything.
December 18th, 2014 at 12:09 PM ^
Since we are CLASSY, we should all wish him well in his NFL coaching career and turn our attention to the next-in-line coach that will pull us out of this mess.
December 18th, 2014 at 12:10 PM ^
I imagine many would feel at least done bitterness. Obviously he can take his time, but we've been talking to him for probably months about this. If you're gonna say no, say no.
December 18th, 2014 at 12:12 PM ^
I think the issue for many of us is that the narrative is just so damn compelling. With all the talk of how Bo was his hero and idol and his love for Michigan, it is incomprehensible to us (particularly alumni) that you could be offered the chance to come in (with no real financial loss) and be the savior of the university that we have to presume he feels as much about as we do and then turn it down.
It is true that none of us will ever be faced with the choice of coaching Michigan or an NFL team, but we all believe we would choose Michigan. Whether that is a realistic conclusion (kind of like "I never would have cooperated with the Nazis") is another question, and is an easy choice to make when its not a real one. Still, I'd like to say that I'd do the right thing (in both hypotheticals).
He may not be hated if he turns us down, but I don't think he'll ever be loved, or considered a true Michigan Man if he leaves us in the lurch in our hour of need.
December 18th, 2014 at 12:13 PM ^
Rich Eisen's radio show is pro Harbaugh every day. Eisen is sure drinking the cool aid
December 18th, 2014 at 12:13 PM ^
I have been one of the doubters, his heart may be with Michigan but he I still believe he feels he has something to prove in the NFL. Why and how did this get leaked? Maybe it is just JH letting the NFL know this is what you are looking at if you want me. Not that he would use it as a bargaining tool, he doesn't need to, it is already out there. He is no different then you or I,, he will make the best decision for himself and his family. You can't fault the guy for that.
December 18th, 2014 at 12:15 PM ^
The unfortunate thing that I can see happening is if Harbaugh turns down Michigan for an NFL job and everybody assumes he was "stringing Michigan along." That's certainly a possibility, but there is a decision too. I think separating that is going to be hard for people because the effect on fans will be the same on whether he turns us down for the right or the wrongs reasons.
December 18th, 2014 at 12:15 PM ^
I'll just be drinking whiskey alone in the dark if he says no.
December 18th, 2014 at 12:15 PM ^
If it later were reported -- in a well-sourced story -- that he acted other than in good faith (e.g., he knew all along that he wanted to stay in the NFL but kept Michigan hanging to better his negotiating position), then of course that should affect how we view him. But let's be clear: there hasn't been *any* actual reporting to that effect.
December 18th, 2014 at 12:16 PM ^
December 18th, 2014 at 12:19 PM ^
It's such a ridiculous amount of money for a college football coach. How do you legitimately EARN $8M a year in college football, plus whatever additional incentives are being discussed? What are the expectations associated with getting paid that sum of money? It seems to accept such an offer - and out-earn Saban by $3M+/year - is to essentially say, "I guarantee one or more national championships as the head coach of the University of Michigan, and 80% of Big Ten Championships as Coach". If you can't produce that then you haven't EARNED $8M a year, and you'd be a fraud. The man is already too big for Michigan britches, and this offer is the clearest evidence you'll ever need.
Jim Harbaugh will never strap in and play another single down for Michigan Football. We're reconciling $8M a year for a baby-sitter of young-men, to oversee game strategy, and to teach professional fundamentals to 120+ guys who might like NFL careers, but who will most likely graduate and be normal dudes.
There are smart, inspiring football coaches in the world - a dime a dozen - that nobody talks about, but only because the cult of personality isn't yet behind them. $8M/year for a cult of personality with no guarantees?
I sincerely hope this $49M offer is achievement-based; either by backloading, incentivizing, etc. Saban money is already pushing the envelope; this explodes the whole dynamic. I get the same feeling from this offer as I did when I watched home values rising in 2007; it's a meaningless bubble with potential to ruin the industry.
December 18th, 2014 at 12:26 PM ^
Spot-on analogy.
December 18th, 2014 at 12:43 PM ^
and that would account for my own hedge on this "leak" in the first place.
December 18th, 2014 at 12:24 PM ^
If you subscribe to the notion that UM is the only university that Harbaugh ever cared about, that coaching at UM is his collegiate "dream job" and that Ann Arbor is the only place he's ever really wanted to be, then it would be normal to feel jilted if he says no.
If you believe that his feelings about college are a bit more complex than that simplistic picture and have been skeptical he was ever coming in the first place, then a "no" would not generate the kind of negative emotions that feeling "left at the altar" will normally do.
December 18th, 2014 at 12:25 PM ^
He has great reasons (personal and professional) to stay in the NFL. He has great reasons (personal and professional) to come to A2. I would find it easy to respect the NFL decision, and will be happy as hell if ITS HAPPENING!!!!
Unless something unforeseen happened, I would likely welcome him back to A2 at a future time if he was still a quality coach after an extended NFL stint. No hard feelings unless it comes out he was a prick.
December 18th, 2014 at 12:26 PM ^
the QB who guaranteed a win @osu and backed it up. Plus beat NU and "Dr." Tom. I hope he comes, but only because this is where he wants to be for the rest of his career as a coach. He doesn't owe the school or the fans anything except sincerity about where his head and heart are.
December 18th, 2014 at 12:26 PM ^
he should have known that a month ago. If he choses an NFL team over Michigan at this point in the process, I will hold it against him. I think he owed his alma mater a quick "no" if that's the direction he winds up going.
December 18th, 2014 at 12:48 PM ^
That's precisely why my reaction to this offer is so meloncholic. Harbaugh knows Michigan covets him, but he wasn't insistent he would stay in the NFL if offered, so he prompts an offer. But the offer he prompts is for NFL money, and the first of its kind for a college coach.
He's essentially said, "this is the term-sheet for my coaching prowess - and it's not dependent on where I coach; NFL, college, HS, Pop-Warner." But it's false logic, because the truth is this offer - and the discussion it prompts - only furthers the professionalization of amateur collegiate athletics, ruining the very thing we were all so hopeful to restore.
An offer like this is only justified by the cash it brings in; it's justified by business, and it essentially eliminates any teacher-student relationship that existed when it comes to playing organized sports for your university; because it begs the pre-existing question, if your coach is earning $8M/annual, what should YOU be getting? It completely destroys any semblance of an argument that a scholarship, facilities, and room and board is adequately compensatory by comparison, for the guys who actually strap it on and put their bodies on the line.
Jim Harbaugh's head on Michigan's Mt. Rushmore is not a foregone conclusion, and IMO shouldn't be treated like one. Yost, Crisler, Schembechler...they stood for Michigan, and their work-product stood for Michigan. Jim Harbaugh - and I say this based on contract-rumor only - already seems to only stand for corporate M-blocking.
December 18th, 2014 at 12:30 PM ^
I guess some will hate him, some will shrug their shoulders and just be sad.
Either way, Jim Harbaugh doesn't really strike me as the kind of guy that really cares that much what other folks think about him...
December 18th, 2014 at 12:34 PM ^
If he chooses for professional reasons to stay in the NFL, I will always remember him as the leader of two great teams in '85 and '86, for guaranteeing the Ohio State win and delivering and for being, IMO, the best quarterback in school history. I will be disappointed, but I will not hold it against him.
December 18th, 2014 at 12:34 PM ^
December 18th, 2014 at 12:41 PM ^
Here's why:
Who cares about a no-good, for-profit team like the Raiders succeeding? As a UM alum, I care deeply about the success of the student athletes and the prestige of my alma mater. I hope that Jim feels the same.
If Jim chooses the Raiders over UM, I think we can conclude that a significant part of his rationale will be about money. I will find it hard to forgive Jim for choosing money over our beloved University at a time when we need him the most. I sincerely hope he feels the same sense of urgency and desperation that everyone in the UM family currently feels for the football program.
I would be eternally grateful if "Jimmy comes home," spends 3-5 years brining UM back to relevance, and then departs for a much better NFL gig than the Raiders. I suspect he would leave us with some quality coordinator talent, groomed to be his successor.
Fingers crossed and Go Blue!
December 18th, 2014 at 12:46 PM ^
December 18th, 2014 at 1:18 PM ^
My anger in this situation would be rooted in the fact that if he turns us down after this thing has dragged on in public for so long, then this will look very bad plus it will have wasted a lot of the AD's time. If he really does not want the job, then he should make it known through back channels (maybe he already has) or make a public announcement that he does not want the job. I would not fault him for not taking the job, but for implicitly or explicitly gumming up the search for so long by leaving his hat in the ring. If he doesn't want the job, let somebody know now. He owes the alma mater he professes to love at least that much.
If he is using us for leverage, then that would be a bad way to treat his school and I would lose an immense amount of respect for him.
December 18th, 2014 at 12:47 PM ^
I don't even want him to be here for the 20 years that Bo was here or even, necessarily, for the 12 years that Carr was HC.
Right the ship, get the recruits, win championships, get us back to a "reloading" program, designate a sucessor and then go back to the NFL (and if JH does that, there will be NFL jobs for him).
That sounds like a 7-10 year job to me.
December 18th, 2014 at 1:50 PM ^
It's just hard to wrap my head around this offer. It breaks the mold, and there aren't any comparables justifying the cost. It really seems to boil down to the cult of personality, which I suppose has some potential to drive forward - and realize - the agenda you've addressed. But there's never been a Golden Boy/Prodigal Son scenario I can think of that could compare and quantify what we're buying with this offer.
It's a capital "S" Story, for sure. Jim Harbaugh returns. The peasant rejoice. But outside of the state of Michigan and alumni circles, does this hire guarantee top-flight recruits, competitiveness with MSU and OSU, and championships? I would almost prefer Michigan spend little on a quality no-name coach, but over-spend on increasing alumni involvement; ensuring Jim Harbaugh and Tom Brady and Charles Woodson come back for camps, etc., but not as overpaid coaches.
December 18th, 2014 at 12:49 PM ^
December 18th, 2014 at 12:52 PM ^
He will just be another former player.
If there is any anger it should be directed at the athletic department which had been a clusterfuk since the mid 2000's. Without repeated ineptitude and mismanagement Michigan football would not have been reduced to the point of needing a savior.
Hackett is the one who truly has a chance to be "the savior" because he is in the position to fix the systemic damage he inherited.
Anger should be reserved for DB, MSC, and a host of others who lead the program to it's present condition.