Should Harbaugh take a page from Saban and hire Chryst?
They are friends from their days together with the Chargers. He could come on as an analyst. It's no secret that Chryst is one of the best play-callers in the game so perhaps with two young play-callers it may be beneficial for all parties involved? Discuss... or neg if this is a horrible idea.
October 4th, 2022 at 3:56 PM ^
Yes.
October 4th, 2022 at 4:05 PM ^
Yes... But... "one of the best play callers in the game" ?? I don't see that at all, but he is a good guy and has great experience that would be valuable as an analyst.
October 4th, 2022 at 4:23 PM ^
Do we really need a fourth-string play caller?
October 5th, 2022 at 6:39 AM ^
I always liked the way he handled his press conferences. A true gentleman. Not sure about the value in bringing him on.
October 4th, 2022 at 4:12 PM ^
Maybe.
October 4th, 2022 at 5:27 PM ^
Papa comin'..
cheers
October 4th, 2022 at 6:55 PM ^
Papa Comin’?
Dude, what?
October 4th, 2022 at 7:35 PM ^
Pretty sure he's referring to Papa Kante the basketball recruit.
October 5th, 2022 at 12:56 AM ^
Or maybe the Ghost of Cool Papa Bell.
After all, 'tis the Halloween season.
October 5th, 2022 at 8:29 AM ^
Yes, he's definitely making a reference to a pre-war Negro League Baseball player. I stand corrected. :)
October 4th, 2022 at 6:18 PM ^
Why not? But based on his less than stellar development of Graham Mertz (and others) keep him a mile from our quarterback room.
October 4th, 2022 at 6:28 PM ^
Harbaugh does not want nor need a turtle
October 4th, 2022 at 9:07 PM ^
Hey now
October 4th, 2022 at 4:04 PM ^
Nothing wrong with having an analyst that has been coaching successfully for 20+ years... and one that knows Big Ten teams well.
October 4th, 2022 at 4:50 PM ^
That and he is friends with Harbs. The guy is getting $11M go away money so he likely will simply go away for a bit (I personally would go sit on a beach for a few months). It would not hurt to have him as an analyst if he really wants to hang around the game. He does have years of coaching experience, just don't let him touch JJ though, don't need any Mertz rubbing off.
October 4th, 2022 at 6:20 PM ^
Just enough for a down payment for those townhouses on Main Street.
s/
October 4th, 2022 at 4:51 PM ^
This. As most of us know there's a limitation to what analysts can and can't do for a team. That said, there's no doubting that Paul Chryst is a bright football mind. If he's interested, hire him. Hire him to just prep for The Game. Put him in a room with a mountain of OSU & Michigan film. If he finds one thing that swings the balance of a drive or the game, then it was worth it. In what circumstance can you have too many good resources?
October 4th, 2022 at 7:13 PM ^
There is nothing wrong with hiring an Uber experienced analyst who is going to come up with new plays to exploit vulnerabilities in the toilet bowl game
October 4th, 2022 at 3:56 PM ^
Why mess with what ain't broken?
October 4th, 2022 at 4:25 PM ^
Unless a position opens up after the season ends then maybe Chryst can come in but not sooner.
October 4th, 2022 at 5:41 PM ^
Perhaps if we have openings. The best is can he recruit?
October 4th, 2022 at 6:04 PM ^
Chryst has been a winning head coach for a long time. In fact, he has never had a losing season before. He will be a head coach somewhere by next year. In the meantime he should change his last name to Christ.
October 4th, 2022 at 6:54 PM ^
Why would you be a second-rate Christ when you could be a first-rate Chryst?
October 4th, 2022 at 7:48 PM ^
Because then his next gig can be his 2nd coming.
October 4th, 2022 at 5:36 PM ^
"Why mess with what ain't broken?"
YEAH, don't be a Dave Brandon!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 4th, 2022 at 3:58 PM ^
The only coordinator/coach worth hiring from Wisconsin is Jim Leonard, and they just fired Chryst so that nobody else could poach him first.
Besides, I like our coordinator pipeline we've developed with Jim's brother and the Baltimore Ravens, so let's just stick with stealing the Ravens' up-and-comers for now
October 4th, 2022 at 6:58 PM ^
*borrowing
October 5th, 2022 at 2:37 AM ^
I like this pipeline as well. However, word in Baltimore is that John's on the hot seat these days. Do we get dibs on the whole pipeline if he gets canned?
October 5th, 2022 at 6:21 AM ^
What do the analytics say about firing a coach who has blown two 17+ pt leads in four games?
October 5th, 2022 at 1:27 PM ^
I could not believe John eschewed the go-ahead FG, to go for it on 4th and goal from the 4 with under 2 minutes left. Smacked of football insanity to me.
October 5th, 2022 at 7:38 AM ^
If Lamar Jackson leaves as a free agent, I can see Baltimore cleaning house.
October 4th, 2022 at 3:58 PM ^
He basically did this with Jim McElwain. Not sure if it hurt or helped us any but Harbaugh would be taking a page out of Harbaugh's book on this one.
October 4th, 2022 at 4:07 PM ^
I think McElwain was hired as the WR coach (not an analyst). A temporary gig until he found a new HC job.
October 4th, 2022 at 4:09 PM ^
This comment sent me down the Wikipedia rabbit hole where I discovered that Jim McElwain currently lives in a barn:
The McElwains' living arrangements at Jim's current post at Central Michigan are unique; they live in a barn a few miles from campus. Shortly after McElwain was hired, he attended a party at the home of the athletic director that was attended by many of the program's biggest donors, among them Chuck McGuirk, the namesake of CMU's basketball arena. When McGuirk asked the McElwains where they planned to live, they told him that they would like to live in a barn. Unknown to the McElwains at the time, McGuirk had purchased a farm a few miles from campus several years earlier that included a 6,000-square-foot barn, and he had thought about building living quarters on the lower level. The McElwains envisioned the barn as a meeting space for large groups in addition to a living space. When they visited the barn, they were sold on its potential, and McGuirk spearheaded the conversion of the barn into a combined home and meeting space
October 4th, 2022 at 4:16 PM ^
How many sharks fit in the barn
October 4th, 2022 at 4:17 PM ^
You can't get any further away from sharks than a barn!
October 4th, 2022 at 4:41 PM ^
You´ve clearly never seen Sharknado.
October 4th, 2022 at 5:02 PM ^
Land shark!
October 4th, 2022 at 4:18 PM ^
Well, I mean, someone has to live in a barn if the sharks don't...
October 4th, 2022 at 4:18 PM ^
Coach McGuirk
October 4th, 2022 at 4:36 PM ^
So they're starting a cult?
October 4th, 2022 at 4:44 PM ^
I imagine people spend a great deal of time closing doors he leaves open.
October 4th, 2022 at 6:37 PM ^
it’s like Road House but better.
October 5th, 2022 at 7:38 AM ^
It's called a barndominium. They're getting popular. Exterior finishing is cheaper and you can do the interior however you want. And all your stuff is close by.
October 5th, 2022 at 8:16 AM ^
Plus the body heat from the cows and horses cuts down on your winter heating bills.
October 4th, 2022 at 10:03 PM ^
But McElwain was fantastic as an OC. Alabama had a fantastic offense with him.
October 4th, 2022 at 3:59 PM ^
One of the best play callers in the game? Really? Not trying to argue, I've just never heard that before.
October 4th, 2022 at 4:05 PM ^
It was said ad nauseum when he was the coordinator at Wisconsin.
October 4th, 2022 at 4:37 PM ^
By whom? I don't recall that? He's been criticized for being too conservative with in-game decision making and applauded for doing what Wisconsin has always done....run the ball. I guess he had that one season of Russell Wilson but that doesn't make him an elite play caller.