Is JH's floor 10 wins to return?
New DC, Mike McDonald's salary was recently reported by Freep here. Sorry about the Freep as I know many don't like them. The salary itself is nothing overly interesting ($1 million/year for 3 years), but the bonuses seem noteworthy specifically the one about wins. McDonald gets an extra $50k for every win over 9 wins. I've never heard of that language in a contract before for an assistant. He doesn't get anything extra for 7, 8, or 9 wins. But, he's gets $50k for win #10, $50k more for win #11, etc. all the way up until $200k. Reading between the lines it almost sounds as if JH was told he needs to win 10 games to keep his job. He's highly incentivizing his new d-coordinator to win more than 9 games.
February 5th, 2021 at 9:51 AM ^
Harbaugh is back if the Defense improves and trends up, the offense works efficiently, and recruiting momentum is continued. This staff has potential but the roster is not at the level it needs to be.
I'm surprised that the general consensus here appears to think JH's job is safe after next year even if he goes, say .500. I think there is absolutely is a floor here. I think he could very well improve from the clusterfuck of last year and still get canned. If he has his second worst year at UM next year, meaning he wins less than 7 games, I think he's 100% fired. Maybe the floor isn't 10 games or even 9 games. But, I have a hard time seeing a 5-7 win team that gets it's ass kicked by OSU and may or may not beat MSU, being enough for JH to stick around.
February 4th, 2021 at 8:28 PM ^
The only 10 in McDonald's future is a McNugget value meal.
February 4th, 2021 at 8:31 PM ^
This post’s author should change name to MgoWeakness
February 4th, 2021 at 8:31 PM ^
Ah. Now that NSD has come and gone, we get to do this again.
February 4th, 2021 at 8:34 PM ^
Harbaugh made a great shift in getting the program back to where we want it to go.
Brought in young stud recruiter coaches. The program is about to be stock full of very good players, along with some good qbs.
This is the road back to the rivalry. Soon we will have great talent and then the opportunity will be there.
I digress. The next thing JH has to do is return the team uniforms back to the see thru mesh kind from 1997, with the normal numbers and not this gimmick font. Need to look the part, and our best success and program memory was with those uniforms.
February 4th, 2021 at 10:42 PM ^
I’d settle for getting rid of those freakin white pants!
February 5th, 2021 at 9:55 AM ^
Harbaugh made a great shift in getting the program back to where we want it to go.
Didn't we also say that when we got Brown, Gattis, etc. Why is this one any different? At some point there is a line in the sand that demands results now, not in some hypothetical future that never comes.
This is the road back to the rivalry.
I'm highly skeptical of that until OSU stops recruiting like Bama and loses more than one game a year before the playoffs.
February 4th, 2021 at 8:35 PM ^
I think it means that there are incentives to having good seasons and seasons that are good enough to win the B1G. There's nothing in that language saying "win 10 games or else"
February 4th, 2021 at 8:37 PM ^
maybe but prolly not
February 4th, 2021 at 8:56 PM ^
Maybe. Or not.
February 4th, 2021 at 8:57 PM ^
stoopid
February 4th, 2021 at 9:14 PM ^
Of course not. If they go 6-6 but beat OSU, do you really think they'd fire him?
February 5th, 2021 at 6:07 AM ^
What about 6-6 with a 20-point loss to OSU? That would still be a significant improvement!
February 5th, 2021 at 10:01 AM ^
If they go 6-6 but beat OSU, do you really think they'd fire him?
I don't see any way JH is back after going 6-6 short of beating all the important teams like OSU, MSU, PSU, & Wiscy and just losing to the cupcakes. If he's 6-6 he's almost certainly a goner IMO.
February 5th, 2021 at 10:53 AM ^
The administration has made it clear they are happy with the current situation if they only have to pay a base of $4 million. I think he can be the coach as long as he wants if he wins 8 or more games a year. He only gets fired if he doesn’t make a bowl. Also, he got a pass this year, next year we’ll come up with some excuses for a post covid season so he’ll get a pass as well. After that I think he’s fair game if he wins less than 8.
February 5th, 2021 at 11:03 AM ^
Where has the administration made anything clear? I'd really love to see that communication if it exists, because I haven't seen anything beyond generic coach talk, which likely does not represent their true intentions. It's not as though they can come out and publicly say if JH doesn't beat OSU and/or win 8-10 games he's gone. That would be a bad move, but could very well be their intentions.
February 4th, 2021 at 9:26 PM ^
Doesn't matter. He's gonna win it all this year and you babies are going to forget you were crying while you desperately scramble back onto the bandwagon.
February 5th, 2021 at 10:54 AM ^
You willing to put your money where your mouth is?
February 4th, 2021 at 9:27 PM ^
Also, "highly incentivizing"? By 5% of his salary when he's already making 7 digits? You know about diminishing returns, right? The guy is not going to do his job any differently for 50k.
February 5th, 2021 at 10:06 AM ^
Also, "highly incentivizing"? By 5% of his salary when he's already making 7 digits?
That's only for one win. It could be up to 20%.
You know about diminishing returns, right? The guy is not going to do his job any differently for 50k.
I'd be curious to see your theory with a little more specifics. What's $200k to someone making $20 million with lots of money in the bank? Probably not that much. What's $200k to someone making $1 million this year which is the highest salary he's ever had and he's only 33 years old with much less in the bank? Probably a lot more. I'm not sure that diminishing returns is all that impactful in this scenario, at least if he made $100-200k. If he only made an extra $50k, then yeah I could see that.
February 4th, 2021 at 9:31 PM ^
No.
Harbaugh has a bit more leash than that, as 10 games has been his ceiling at Michigan...if he's sub .500, then there's a chance he gets nudged out the door...
He's lost by 23 and 29 to OSU already, so it seems like it would take at least 4 TDs and a FG differential for anyone that matters to do something.
February 5th, 2021 at 10:14 AM ^
Harbaugh has a bit more leash than that, as 10 games has been his ceiling at Michigan...if he's sub .500, then there's a chance he gets nudged out the door...
I do think it would be hard to can him for 10 wins. But, I also get the impression that Warde is saying what he's done in the past is not good enough, hence why his salary is reduced. But, maybe at this new salary they are suggesting that 8-10 wins is just fine. But, I have a hard time seeing a 6-7 win season being enough to retain JH, particularly if they struggle with MSU and get their asses kicked by OSU again.
He's lost by 23 and 29 to OSU already, so it seems like it would take at least 4 TDs and a FG differential for anyone that matters to do something.
I think he needs to be at a minimum 3-score game that could at least indicate there's a chance at victory in the 4th quarter. If he loses by 13 points, OK. If he loses by 28 points I think he's done unless he's winning 9 games and beating 2/3 of PSU, Wiscy, & MSU. I can understand if there are some growing pains from the defense while still showing improvement in preventing the passing attacks of teams like OSU. But, if the offense is still not showing anything with Gattis and the defense is also not great and they only manage to win 6 or 7 games, JH is out IMO.
February 4th, 2021 at 9:41 PM ^
We did a great overhaul of the coaches and we see recruiting taking off based on the crazy season we just had.
Our team can't get more Michigan Men coaches than it currently has.
If anyone comes on here and say we lack passion, we have Mike Hart on the team. Every damn year we see that clip of him putting MSU down. He gets it better than Campbell or any other coach you could ever want.
So let's hope that we finally see returns on the field and not be quick to jump ship.
February 5th, 2021 at 11:20 AM ^
I'm excited and hopeful too. I was surprised by how well this staff closed this class and the previous group's ability to keep the guys in the fold through a challenging year. But, we've also had several classes as good or better and it wasn't enough then, so I'd ask why now? I'm also skeptical it will be enough to overcome whatever JH's problem is when it comes to retention and development and planning.
February 4th, 2021 at 9:43 PM ^
Assuming we are including the bowl game so 10-3 is the season record.
If our 3 losses include OSU and the bowl game is it enough to stay?
February 4th, 2021 at 10:04 PM ^
As for a floor, I like Pergo or solid wood.
Go Blue!
February 5th, 2021 at 8:48 AM ^
Only if they embarrass Sparty along the way.
February 5th, 2021 at 10:33 AM ^
So, you would want us to tear it down and start over?
February 5th, 2021 at 11:29 AM ^
This isn't about what I want, it's about what, if anything, the DCs contract means. But, IMO last year's 2-4 season warranted a firing when taken in context of JHs tenure and downward trajectory and I would have taken a run at Campbell after his strong season. It seems reasonable by JHs delay in signing the contract he was also weighing his options, which is more support for letting him go.
February 8th, 2021 at 1:55 PM ^
We are doing a rebuild this year. Its just that Harbaugh gets to do it.
At some point he is going to have to beat OSU. Even John Cooper beat us twice...
February 5th, 2021 at 10:56 AM ^
Harbaugh doesn’t win bowl games. Also, apparently no one here cares about bowls anymore. 9 wins is enough for him to not get fired though.
February 4th, 2021 at 10:12 PM ^
Might as well make the bottom of this thread worth reading. I watched Big Bang Theory last night and in that episode Penny said that you can pick up Thor's hammer in space? Is that possible or would the gravitational or magnetic force of the nearest mass still prevent you from picking it up? Would it be attracted to dark matter causing it to shoot through space at the speed of light?
February 4th, 2021 at 11:24 PM ^
Someone picking up Thor's hammer will have nothing to do with any gravitational or magnetic force of nearby universal bodies. There is one requirement for picking up Mjolnir and one requirement only: you must be worthy. If you are worthy, you will be able to pick it up. If you are not worthy, you'll make out like all the Avengers save Cap.
February 5th, 2021 at 8:47 AM ^
The point of picking up Thor's hammer isn't a strength issue - only a worthy person is able to use the hammer. That's why when Captain America picks up the hammer in Endgame, Thor says "I knew it".
February 5th, 2021 at 10:58 AM ^
I always thought Chris Evans’ Captain America was a whiny bitch.
February 4th, 2021 at 10:27 PM ^
Nope. Harbaugh will leave after 2021 if:
- He decides to retire
- Warde is let go and he is fired by a new AD
- He takes an NFL job
- He has a terrible season (3-9 or so) and is let go -- and that's only a 50/50 chance. He will justify it with new staff in their first season, and we will rinse and repeat for 2022.
Aside from those ways, Harbaugh's job is safe, basically for as long as he likes, assuming none of the above things happen. Remember, Warde said, "it is up to Jim".
February 4th, 2021 at 10:31 PM ^
You are not stupid. Ignore the buttheads here who are cranky because their wives would rather read dinosaur erotica books than go to bed with them.
I do not believe there is a specific number, but the off-season moves in the coaching staff seemed like such an overhaul that Warde may be giving him another 2-3 years to see what can happen. But there needs to be massive improvement in how well coached this team looks in order for this to continue.
February 4th, 2021 at 11:57 PM ^
“The T-Rex gazed longingly at her curvaceous, armored plates and placed his tiny hand on her supple shoulder. He roared softly what could only be interpreted by the great poets not yet born to this world. As the meteor hurtled ever closer towards earth, they knew their forbidden passions could no longer be denied.”
February 5th, 2021 at 4:01 AM ^
Dino porn? Those bull elephants are amazing.
February 5th, 2021 at 6:56 AM ^
What, you think I made this up?
February 4th, 2021 at 10:41 PM ^
I think it’s more of a product of where the university is right now with the money crunch. Not paying as high as salaries but put incentives in there so they have a carrot out there. Team gets 10 or more wins very good season and UM doesn’t mind shelling out a few more bucks. It has no reflection on JH situation next season
February 4th, 2021 at 11:01 PM ^
I see 6-6 or 7-5 so for his sake it better not be.
February 4th, 2021 at 11:35 PM ^
No.
He’s getting 2 years minimum with a new staff, especially with how it looks like they’re recruiting now.
Ill bet Jim pitched Warde a rebuild to change the culture, and Warde is going to let him and the new staff see it through.
February 4th, 2021 at 11:39 PM ^
I think the question to be asking is: "Can Harbaugh beat Ohio State or at least be competitive against them?" That will overshadow the 10 win record metric.
February 5th, 2021 at 12:15 AM ^
The defense will not be that great once again, just do not have the talent. The offense will show improvement however not enough to overcoming the defense shortcomings. I see a 6 - 6 or 5 -7 record and if OSU administers another epic whipping, Jim could receive his walking papers.
February 5th, 2021 at 9:54 AM ^
So you expect Harbaugh to put up the worst record of his tenure by up to 3 games (not fair to count this ridiculous year) next year? That seems a bit Chicken-Little-ish when looking at his record of essentially winning everywhere.
February 5th, 2021 at 11:00 AM ^
Why should this year count for everyone except Harbaugh? He got embarrassed by MSU FFS. I do believe he got paid for 2020 as well.
February 5th, 2021 at 1:22 PM ^
I wouldn't count it for anyone, and did suggest that only Harbaugh get a Mulligan. It was a joke year. Some teams played half as many games as others. There was no spring practice. Young teams, like UM, performed much worse than veteran teams with a very abnormal asymmetry between the groups. UM's best offensive player and most important defender chose not to play.
February 9th, 2021 at 7:15 AM ^
OSU and Michigan had the youngest teams in the B1G! Only one showed it.
February 5th, 2021 at 12:28 AM ^
JH's floor is the crappy fair weather fans that make posts like your post. Get a life.