NBC Sports - Pro Football Talk just wont give up
Mike Florio posted an article pointing out that Jim Harbaugh has flown to AA without a contract in place.He basically tried to re-quote Harbaugh by saying "nothing is done until its done, and until its done nothing is done." He goes on further to say Harbaugh is officially in play for NFL teams, and they need to speak quickly, with their wallets.
And, here's the mother of all quotes from an NFL Source whose behind is hurting him really badly right now
"Then again, the fact that Harbaugh is heading to Michigan after days of rumors and reports and speculation suggests that none of the interested NFL teams were interested in paying him in the range of $8 million per year, and that they’re expressing interest on Monday to avoid future criticism regarding their failure to try to get Harbaugh, if the coaches they hire end up not doing a very good job"
It's nice how he says Harbaugh chose Michigan because none of the NFL teams wanted to match Michigans offer, and now they are just acting interested in him to appease fans. What a JOKE!!
December 29th, 2014 at 6:00 PM ^
NBC out for the coveted vendor/supplier/network of the year award at the Annual SHIELD awards, given at halftime of the Pro Bowl.
Definitely not the Flo(w) of the century. Time to concede, gracefully or not.
December 29th, 2014 at 6:00 PM ^
December 29th, 2014 at 6:14 PM ^
as to whether or not it's true that Harbaugh has snubbed the NFL:
December 29th, 2014 at 6:44 PM ^
through this weekend only.
December 29th, 2014 at 6:00 PM ^
I used to like Florio, but the fact that he is ignoring facts that don't suit is narrative (like Balas and everyone else saying the deal is done) is incredibly unprofessional.
December 29th, 2014 at 6:01 PM ^
I will never again believe these hacks.
December 29th, 2014 at 6:01 PM ^
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December 29th, 2014 at 6:01 PM ^
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December 29th, 2014 at 6:02 PM ^
Florio and PFT used to be my favorite place for NFL rumors. It was an independent blog which, while not always correct, was very good at tracking the league's backroom action.
Ever since it came under the NBC umbrella, its product has gone downhill. At this point, it's just Florio and co. conjecturing....usually from behind.
December 29th, 2014 at 6:06 PM ^
Harbaugh is really going out of his way to misdirect everyone and accept the Raiders job...
December 29th, 2014 at 6:08 PM ^
Didn't Balas also report that the deal was incentive-laden so that it wasn't actually $8M a year? How many different ways do they want the narrative to crumble?
December 29th, 2014 at 6:27 PM ^
Sam pretty much said the same thing, in terms of not being able to confirm the contract length....
would not be surprised at all if the contract actually falls into the 7 million dollar range...
December 29th, 2014 at 6:47 PM ^
double post
December 29th, 2014 at 6:09 PM ^
December 29th, 2014 at 7:46 PM ^
Im not old enough to remember Harbaugh ever being at Michigan as a player, but I have always looked at him as the next Bo (who I also never saw at Michigan, but Ive read a lot and watched videos and such).
Just the idea of Harbaugh wearing a Michigan hat is freaking me out. I think Im gonna die when I see him videos of him from this basketball game
December 29th, 2014 at 6:09 PM ^
...and just earlier the NFL pundits were saying that Chicago was in the mix.
Make up your mind...are these teams begging Harbaugh to come...thus still in the mix or do they not want him?
They're just making things up.
I'll said it again. Jim Harbaugh is now a college coach, NFL b/s should be labelled as "OT"
December 29th, 2014 at 6:10 PM ^
December 29th, 2014 at 6:40 PM ^
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December 29th, 2014 at 6:15 PM ^
December 29th, 2014 at 6:15 PM ^
Jim Harbaugh just flew to Ann Arbor on Michigan's private plane for some alone time so that he could consider all of the lucrative NFL options that are now available to him.
December 29th, 2014 at 6:23 PM ^
PFT sowndng more liek PFTCommenter IMO.
December 29th, 2014 at 6:35 PM ^
December 29th, 2014 at 6:36 PM ^
It is astonishing how far they are pulling the wool over their own eyes.
December 29th, 2014 at 6:38 PM ^
To be fair to Florio, Jim Harbaugh had his chance to prove everyone working that side of the story at least somewhat right by parachuting into Soldier Field as they passed near Chicago. Failing that, his last best hope to retain some morsel of the narrative is if the plane accidentally landed in Newark. As neither of these scenarios materialized, I think we can be done with PFT for purposes of this search.
December 29th, 2014 at 6:41 PM ^
December 29th, 2014 at 6:43 PM ^
Screw 'em.
December 29th, 2014 at 6:46 PM ^
December 29th, 2014 at 9:51 PM ^
I'll bet Harbaugh doesn't even mention the NFL in his remarks.
December 29th, 2014 at 6:49 PM ^
It certainly makes sense that NFL teams are reaching out to Harbaugh.
What makes no sense is, if you believe Florio, that they didn't do so earlier because the money was too much or that they are only going through the motions now to appease their fans.
The former makes no sense because they were not allowed to reach out earlier per NFL rules. The latter makes no sense because, well, if they don't really want him at $8 million per year and are just trying to appease their fans, what do they do if he says yes? "Sorry, just kidding. And let's just keep this between us. Please don't tell my team's fans about it."
I think what is believable is that several teams are making genuine last-ditch efforts to see if they have any chance at all. Kind of like a Hail Mary. And the pass is falling incomplete.
December 29th, 2014 at 6:52 PM ^
ESPN currently does not have anything Michigan/Harbaugh related on it's CFB page
December 29th, 2014 at 7:06 PM ^
I have learned so much about the mainstream sports media during this search. As someone who has watched the internet grow up for more than 20 years, I've always been fascinated by the rise of "new media" over the last decade, especially blogs and community-driven sites. I was also a huge fan of ESPN and the explosion of the 24-hour sports cycle in the 1990s and early 2000s - the Sunday night "Big Show" with Dan and Keith was must-watch TV. I've followed this coaching search obsessively on Twitter, this site, and elsewhere.
Seeing so many people who I used to respect either making up information, spouting uninformed opinions (yes, I know that's the basis of sports radio), or repeating made-up stories without bothering to verify any information has been very educational. People who are completely inside the NFL scene and have wrongly reported this search and hire at many points along the way, and reported as fact, is very distressing to me. Whether it's because they're trying to create clickbait, as many other observers have said, or for some other reason, doesn't matter. I knew long ago that journalism at ESPN was largely dead, but I had more respect for Mort and Schefter for some reason. Oh well.
All's well that ends with Harbaugh as our coach, as they say.
December 29th, 2014 at 7:16 PM ^
For years and years I poo poo d the idea that the news was just pandoring to its sources. I thought that they would not be able to report crap because the secret would slip out. I now realize they don't even care if it is correct or not they just want to be first and no one will remember when they are wrong. More important you have to get the spin to narate the story the way your friends want it. Sports talk radio just makes me want to puke it is so bad.
December 29th, 2014 at 7:06 PM ^
Is an ignorant slut.
December 29th, 2014 at 7:06 PM ^
Is an ignorant slut.
December 29th, 2014 at 7:42 PM ^
On Harbaugh going to the NFL from my perspective (which is obviously not important to anyone, but I will share anyway)...
I am probably as big of an Atlanta Falcons fan as I am a Michigan Wolverines fan. Atlanta is in the market for a Head Coach. I wouldnt want Harbaugh to take that job (which might be one of the more attractive situations for him to walk into NFL wise, becuase most of the teams in need of a HC suck). The idea of Harbaugh at Michigan trumps any NFL opportunity right now, and its not even close. Raiders had some slight appeal because of the "staying in California" thing, but now that he has left the area, I dont see them as a threat to hire Harbaugh away from Michigan in the future (although, that is making the assumption that he wouldnt want to drag his family back across the country).
Aside from Oakland, where would Harbaugh want to go in the NFL?
It would probably have to be a traditional power team (So the Jacksonville's of the world are a no-go). You could say it would have to be a west coast team, but bridges have been burnt in SF, Oakland already got turned down, Seatlle is not an option since Carroll won there, LA doesnt have a team....maybe San Diego? He played there...
As far as the big name teams, Dallas would never happen because of Jerry Jones.
I dont see Harbaugh in New York.
I dont see him going to any other Western Division teams in the NFC or AFC (outside of possibly SD). I dont really see him going anywhere in the NFC or AFC South. I dont see him in Philly or Washington, so the NFC East is out. Maybe he coaches against his brother in Pittsburgh if Tomlin ever gets canned. I cant imagine Jim Harbaugh coaching in Ohio....so the other two AFC North teams are out. Detroit, Minnesota and Chicago would never happen. The Bears owners are too cheap to figure that out and they can be controlling (or at least that is the rep they get). Green Bay could be an option, his parents were living in WIsconsin. Then, I guess there is something in Miami...and maybe he could replace Belicheck?
So the only teams I could ever see as legit threats to steal Harbaugh if he gets the NFL itch in the future are:
San Diego
Pittsburgh
Green Bay
Miami
New England
An LA team
Those are the only teams I could imagine Harbaugh waling away from Michigan for.
Again, this was just from my perspective. I cant see Harbaugh coaching in any other place but those teams. Im sure we will hear rumors of Harbaugh leaving Michigan if he is struggling to get things turned around here in a few years....but I just dont see it happening. Then again, if Harbaugh doesnt win big at MIchigan then we might as well just call it quits. There would be nothing left worth continuing Michigan Football for. It would be finished.
But no pressure lol
December 29th, 2014 at 7:46 PM ^
Well, let's face it, there are no facts stated yet by JH that can be reported as to why Harbaugh made the choice he made. People can't climb into someone else's head.
So opinions have been substituted for fact. These comments tell you more about the commenter than the subject of the comments. For most folks, a job about the money, so they project that onto JH. Example, Drew Sharp's article on how Harbaugh was merely using M's offer to manipulate the NFL for his next gig.
My take on that is that's how Drew Sharp would do it, not how Harbaugh would. Tells you more about Drew Sharp than JH, right?
I personally think that JH was looking for a fit, and knew the money would be there regardless of NFL or M.
Someone will at some point do a TV interview of Harbaugh, and he'll explain what he was thinking, and the last vestiges of the current narrative will die. Then they'll create a new narrative based on their interpretation of that interview. And ultimately, that will all be opinion, too.
There's no way to plug people's mouths, and they're going to say what they think.
Smart people realize that news and reporting are largely colored by the reporter's opinion, and that the same facts can be spun a lot of ways.
And what's more newsworthy than a famous person's opinion? This is why every time John U Bacon is quoted or interviewed, it is preceded by "best selling author John U Bacon," etc. If you you back opinion up with credentials, reputation, awards, sales figures, whatever, it works like magic. Though JUB is as far as I'm concerned a solid citizen and great guy.
There isn't anything wrong with this, it's human nature. So I don't blame the NFL guys for reporting what they do.
On the contrary, it's up to the listener or reader to decide what's true, and the proof of this is the past few weeks' reporting.
December 29th, 2014 at 7:54 PM ^
At some point every guy with his head in the sand will need to come up for breath, realize Harbaugh is gone, and then we can move on from the constant reminder of how shoddy NFL reporting really is.
December 29th, 2014 at 8:02 PM ^
December 29th, 2014 at 8:14 PM ^
December 29th, 2014 at 8:40 PM ^
That site is finally admitting that Harbaugh is signed: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/12/29/report-jim-harbaugh-signs-with-michigan/
Of course they had to add this caveat at the end:
"Few believe Michigan will be Harbaugh's last stop. After he resurrects the program, he can resume the chase for the Lombardi trophy - and he can wait for the perfect opportunity to arise.
Indeed many believe Harbaugh opted for his alma mater simply because a competitive alternative never materialized in the NFL, despite persistant leaks aimed at getting one or more owners to come to the table with considerable cash."
Unbelievable.