The release by Warde was definitely a CYA. But that also doesn't mean that giving Harbaugh what he wanted would have kept him either. He (read: his legal counsel) very well could have clinged to the immunity point as a way of keeping negotiations open so that he could continue weighing or leveraging his other options. I admit it's not probable, but certainly possible.
IMO we all know the NCAA was after him at all costs. Given that, combined with the chatter around him in 2020, he justifiably had a reason to be concerned about potentially being axed down the road, whether as a result of NCAA rulings or under the guise them for other reasons. Doing so would be a for cause termination and he would forfeit the remainder of his contract.
Truthfully, for him, I think leaving a place that you've considered home for so long isn't just a business decision. It's an emotional and personal one too. I'm sure he went through that emotional rollercoaster throughout the entire process. It may seem like he was forcing Warde to agree to something, but from Harbaugh's perspective, I'm sure it felt like Warde was forcing him to take an enormous risk and leap of faith that he wasn't willing to make. By the time Warde reached back out, Harbaugh's emotions had already coped with and accepted the reality of leaving. When that happens, in any circumstance, the emotional door has been shut and there's really no going back.
I don't know if this is a Michigan fan thing based on years of disappointment, but this is such a loser's mentality.
What you're saying is "Even though we just won a national championship with a team loaded with young talent and we have enough money to make anyone the highest paid coach in CFB, we aren't good enough to get Harbaugh's best assistant, so we should pay his second best assistant, who has never been a head coach, $7 million a year."
Is that seriously where we're at as a fanbase? Would Alabama make Tommy Reese it's next head coach because the players liked him?
We should demand so much more when it comes to our HC search and our program as a whole. If anything, we've never had more leverage for a HC position than we do at this moment. We need to raise our expectations.
Yes, 3/4 of those hires are highly unlikely, but Moore would be a Carr hire at best and a Ron English hire at worst. Maybe the players stick around and he goes 10-2 and gets bounced in the first round of the playoffs next year, but the wheels will come off sooner or later.
Saying that he "deserves" to take over a program that was 100% Harbaugh's for close to a decade because Moore "coached" 3 games that Harbaugh prepped, schemed, and gameplanned for every single minute of the day other than 60 minutes on GameDay, and where our defense performed better than our offense, is selling a National Championship winning program that has the purse to make any coach the highest paid coach in all of football woefully short of its potential.
I do find it funny that the Harbaugh apologists keep citing issues, such as the rebuild of the roster, or the coaching staff, or the fact that we had low expectations heading into the year, as though those issues are not directly related to Harbaugh's management of the team itself. You can't say "well he's got a whole new coaching staff" when the reason he's got a whole new coaching staff is because he made terrible coaching hires time and again for 5 years straight and had to replace them all. Or "Many people predicted this year to be 7-5." Okay... They predicted that because Harbaugh has underperformed for 6 years straight.
The question to ask yourself is: if losing to MSU consistently and to OSU every year is not enough for you to want a change, then what is? Because the reality is that just about any coach at Michigan can rack up the same record as Harbaugh in the Big 10. Look no further than Mel Tucker, James Franklin and Paul Chryst. Comparatively, those programs were all second to Michigan for generations. Now, they're all on par or better. Michigan is second tier. Not just nationally, but in the Big10 itself. If that's not enough for you to make a change, nothing will be.
One thing I haven't seen anybody comment on that truly bothered me about the offense last night was the cadence in the snap count. Maybe this wasn't as obvious on TV, but I was at the game, and it was literally the exact same thing every single time. Fake clap; QB looks up; Clap to snap.
People have commented on how Shea was constantly under pressure, and I have no doubt that's part of the reason why. It's such an easy thing to fix. Hoping that Gattis takes care of it before the next game.
For the love of g-d, DON BROWN DID NOT GIVE UP 62 POINTS TO OSU. Will people please stop saying it already? Unless of course you want to immediately show your idiocy, in which case, please keep throwing out that fake statistic.
I'll say it one last time and then I'm done belaboring the point because people keep picking at the edges of my post without addressing the main, fundamental points: If what you say is true, and it doesn't matter who the OC is because Harbaugh completely controls his offensive coordinators, please explain why Harbaugh has had successful offenses at every stop he's ever coached, both collegiately and professionally (including Michigan), prior to Pep.
Pep is the cause of the issues. It's so blatantly obvious that I truly find it unimaginable people fail to accept it.
And to your point, I'm not missing what people mean by "Harbaugh's Offense." I'm speaking to the many forum posts throughout this site that believe Harbaugh calls every single offensive play.
Finally, unless "I'm crazy," your statement that McElwain wouldn't call a similar offense under Harbaugh as he would with any other Power 5 coach is wrong. He did. Under Saban. And again at Colorado State. I specifically addressed this point in my original post when I said that McElwain runs an offense that fits Harbaugh's pro-style philosophy.
I'm done explaining and re-explaining these points. It's becoming exhausting.
Offense gave up a pick from Shea that left OSU in the red zone and lead to a touchdown. Milton threw a pick that left OSU on the 3 and lead to a touchdown. Special Teams had a punt blocked that went for a touchdown. That's 21 points. Please let me know where the disagreement lies.
As I posted in another thread, if it were true that Don Brown's defense didn't work against superior athletes, he would have failed at UConn, Maryland and Boston College. He didn't.
I work in such a profession. It does not have the effect you think. And again, if your point is true, it does not explain the offensive production Harbaugh has had his entire coaching career prior to Pep, including Fisch. It also does not explain why Pep failed as an OC prior to Harbaugh.
Instead of pointing out what "might be" a hypothetical situation, let's go on what we know. You've got one individual who has been successful offensively everywhere he's been, both professionally and at the college level, for 20 years. You've got another individual who has failed repeatedly as an OC and is in charge of play calling. As soon as the person with the history of failure took over, there was a noticeable downturn.
To try and point the blame at the successful guy and say that he's holding back the historical failure and that's the reason the team isn't producing defies all logic.
Let's stop over complicating things. It's not hard to grasp what's going on.
If it were true that Don Brown's defense does not work against superior athletes, then he would have been a failed D Coordinator at UConn, Maryland and Boston college. But he wasn't. Even though all of those schools sit towards the bottom of the conference, he wasn't. When facing better athletes and competition, he still produced outstanding defenses at every stop.
Also, stop shouting about 62 points when at least 21 of those came on the other side of the ball (both offensive turnovers and special teams).
Any casual observer of CFB knows that when the other team's offense can't keep up and you get a decent lead, coaches tend to take more risks and open up the field rather than play it safe. Had our offense ever been even a remote threat in this game, OSU's offense would have been different. But because OSU knew that we were not capable of putting points on the board, they had no reason to fear the risks that come with airing it out.
Watch the game. Think critically. Don Brown is not the issue.
I'm aware the JH has "final say" on playcalling. That's no different than any HC at any school (or any superior position in any profession for that matter). Final authority has very little effect on a play-by-play basis, and it's not as though Harbaugh is going to reverse Pep's decision on every single play call and do the job entirely on his own.
If you can't see the difference between being in charge of a duty and having the final sign-off on it, I can't help you see it.
Moreover, if you wish to ignore all the evidence pointed out above (change in philosophy since Fisch, direct video evidence, etc.) and believe that Harbaugh, who has put together successful offenses at every team he's ever coached at for the past 20 years, coincidentally lost his ability to coach offense at the exact same time that Pep Hamilton, an OC with a history of failure, takes over, I'm certainly not going to change your mind.
1. Can people stop saying this is "Harbaugh's Offense" and that he's the one calling the plays? It has been thoroughly discredited.
McElwain explicitly said that Pep Hamilton calls the plays. Harbaugh explicitly said that Pep calls the plays and that he's tired of addressing the issue. Anyone who watched the Amazon documentary could see that Pep called the overwhelming majority of plays even while Drevno was OC. There has been a significant change in offensive philosophy since Jedd Fisch left and Pep became involved. Outside of conjecture on these boards, there is literally zero evidence that anyone other than Pep is calling plays and all evidence and statements indicate Pep is in charge. Please, stop saying anything to the contrary, as it is patently false.
2. We do not need to bring back Fisch. We already have someone on staff known as a great offensive coordinator that runs the same pro-style philosophy Harbuagh likes: McElwain. The guy has a proven career as an outstanding offensive mind, and he's wasting away as a low-tier position on our staff. Get rid of Pep. Give McElwain the reigns as OC. It's that simple.
3. Something lost in all this discussion is how much the offensive woes fall on Harbaugh's decision making. His stubbornness in the Drevno transition, and refusing to appoint Enos to the position Enos rightly deserved, is the reason we aren't playing in the CFB Playoff right now. Had he given Enos the OC position from the get-go, this team is markedly different. Look no further than the offensive play of Alabama this year.
tl;dr JH screwed up in the offseason and can make it right if he fires Pep and promotes McElwain.
Saying Jon Fox isn't a good coach because he won in Denver but won't go .500 after only one year as head coach of an utterly terrible bears team/roster is just moronic. Are you forgetting that Fox was successful before Denver as well? And that he's been the head coach in Chicago for a single season?
There are plenty of great coaches available for hire, inside and outside the NFL. Personally, I think the Lions should go after either Chip Kelley or Vic Fangio. Both would be great hires... Which means neither will happen.
Lol back. Top three companies: Walmart, Exxon, Chevron. The lowest employees in those companies are paid little to nothing. If you think pointing to energy companies will serve your argument, while you're on Google, feel free to search the oil atrocities taking place in Africa. Then come back and tell me that those companies' lowest employees are paid based on the amount of revenue those companies turn.
No offense, but literally none of that has anything to do with whether or not players should be paid. You don't get paid in this country for being poor. This argument is actually one of my biggest pet peeves about this entire topic. Name me one company in the entire country that makes large profits and whose lowest level workers are not underprivileged, underpaid, and uneducated. That's like saying that McDonald's workers should be paid millions because the product they create is worth billions and they come from underprivileged areas.
I'm not sure the reason for all these poster's backlash. I agree with her. I understand the "market" economics at hand, but college football and professional football are supposed to exist in separate markets altogether. The more that college athletics increase salaries, publicity, etc., the more that the line between amateur and professional atheltics decreases.
Name another amateur sport that pays its coaches as much as college football. What's more, the salaries beat out most professional sports. Notre Dame's new Showtime series is yet another example of these blurred lines.
Yet people wonder why these high school kids act like divas and celebrities--its because we give them that status. They are surrounded by all the same components that celebrities and professional athletes are surrounded by. In the end, it will be College Football's own fault when the term "amateur" gets removed from its title and it's left paying 17 year old kids millions of dollars.
Rawls wasn't the issue here. I'm not sure what it was at a threshold level, but ultimately it came down to coaching in some form (whether of the running backs, OL, or both). Our backfield recruits were, IMO, the best in the nation in terms of prospects. We had Justice Hayes (4 star, #3 overall RB), Derrick Green (5 star, #1 overall RB), Dennis Norfleet (4 Star, #5 overall RB) and Fitz (4 Star, #8 overall RB). And who was our best? Deveon. I'm not one of those persons who is all about stars and recruiting, but those numbers tell me that either every analyst got 5 different players wrong, or our coaches couldn't develop talent. I'm going with the latter. Just look at the players that were similarly ranked in their respective classes and how they panned out. Derrick Green is a perfect example. The number 2 RB in his class was Greg Bryant who went to ND (and now left for academic reasons). Bryant is head and shoulders above green in terms of development and play. These aren't coincidences people. There's a common denominator.
I've posted similar articles before, but every coach of a physical sport should require the players to do yoga. My rugby team saw a rash of injuries one year and decided to institute yoga the following season. Since then, we've seen our injuries progressively decline by large amounts. Hopefully all of M Football is doing it, not just the O-Line.
Vivant is the old church renovated as a brewery in GR. I think I've been to just about every decent brewery in Michigan and that might be my favorite, followed shortly thereafter by Greenbush
I'm curious if there is any cryptic message in this tweet. I think so. He's well known for doing that in the past. This is a rather random thought that doesn't make sense. Think: how does Michigan = Prestige WorldWide? That's not a normal comparison one would make. And why did he capitlize "wide" at the end? If I had to guess, he's sending some sort of message with the use of the word "wide," but I'm not sure what it is exactly.
That SF gate writer completely misses the mark in his article. Jim Harbaugh's tweets aren't nonsensensical inner thoughts. In the past, he's actually put cryptic messages regarding the Stanford football program in his tweets. Here's an SI article I remember reading in 2010 about Harbaugh's Twitter account. Those thinking his Twitter account at UM will be pointless to follow should give this article a read:
I'm just as psyched for Harbaugh as anyone, but I have to disagree with one point Brian made:
"When Brady Hoke left Ball State after their breakout year, the Cardinals went with an entirely new staff and immediately collapsed back to the pack. When Harbaugh left Stanford, they hired his offensive coordinator, attempted to preserve everything he'd brought the program, and ripped off three consecutive 11-win seasons."
That's not entirely true. Stan Parrish, Hoke's prior OC, became the head coach. After Hoke left, Parrish bumped the running backs coach up to OC and kept the Offensive Tackles and Tight Ends coach as well as the DL coach. Pretty much everyone else left with Hoke to SDSU.
At the end of the day, reporters are measured by how many views they get. Websites like ESPN, SI, CBSSports, etc., are no different than Facebook. They earn revenue based on advertisements which are priced off of views and clicks.
Don't pander to them by clicking on their articles, now or in the future. They don't care if they are right or wrong. They only care if they get you to read their article, because that determines their value to their employer. Moreover, the more people who click and read these dumb articles only encourage this type of behavior.
Especially when someone posts the article in MgoBlog, just read that person's synopsis or the comments to get a good grasp on the article instead of going to the article directly.
We're basically recruiting Harbaugh as our next head coach. Therefore, along the lines of the hundreds of posts I've seen on this site regarding high school recruits, I want a guy who wants to be here. If Harbaugh is taking Michigan by default because the bears or falcons job aren't open, then I'd rather him not come. All in or not at all.
I imagine it's 49 mill/8yrs and that includes incentives. So in other words, it'll be closer to 5 mill a year with the possibility to make it six depending on performance. That would not only make sense economically, but it would explain the outrageous figure.
There was a time during the Weis era where ND fans were obsessed with Urban Meyer going there that was pretty similar. Flight tracking, rumors, etc. I don't know that it was THIS bad or constant, but there also wasn't as much social media or message board fodder back then either.
Like I said, I don't disagree with the sentiments. But I also believe that every fan, just like every player, person, alumni, etc., has the right to support the team in whatever way they see fit. I don't think fans need RVB telling them what they do or do not do in terms of supporting certain hires is right or wrong and/or with or against. Supporting be program and supporting a hiring decision are two different things. People always support the program, but do so based on what they believe is best for the program. If you don't believe a coaching hire is in the program's best interest, you don't need to conform our opinion or risk be called a "muggle."
Personally, I actually don't like this letter. For one, because there's no reason this statement can't be made to the players directly versus a social medium. And second, because reading a letter that seems like an "official statement" of sorts on behalf of player alumni, akin to something that would be released by a university department, feels like it continues to drive separation between the program and fans. For me at least. I'm not saying I disagree with the letter's sentiment, or what it asks of fans for the new coaching hire, but just because it feels like something that says "this is the official stance on the coaching search process, and you as a fan have no say in what the proper stance is or should be. If you disagree with this letter, you're in the wrong." Maybe that's just me.
^ This. That's an even better idea. As I stated below, I think it's ok to ask Harbaugh's input moreso once he's already hired. Hackett could inform him during the interview process that if Harbaugh takes the position, they would include his input on the new AD.
I actually thought the most persuasive part of this article was the following:
"After all, Harbaugh could reportedly leave San Francisco because of friction with the team general manager Trent Baalke, so putting him at ease that he would not have the same issues in Ann Arbor would be a substantial benefit."
This is important for two reasons. First, it shows that Harbaugh would leave a perfect fit--which San Fran is NFL-wise for him, regardless of success, because of management. Second, if he's willing to leave because of management, he may be willing to commit based on it as well.
With the caveat that the list is narrowed, I think asking him for input isn't all that bad of an idea. The issue is that he's not the coach here yet. So the conversation wouldn't just be "who should we go with?" Instead, it would be "would you come here if we went with X over Y?" There is a very different dynamic between those two questions.
One thing I've consistently noticed as becoming progressively worse, which I think can account for TONS of different issues, is angles and form.
Watch the defense try to tackle players. They consistently take the wrong angle, and try to tackle across the body. Not only is it a great way to miss or get beat on a tackle, it's a great way to get injured as well. The only player I saw show good form and angle recognition on Saturday was Lewis, who caused a fumble, by using good form. Other than that, everyone was atrocious. Watch this video with Pete Carroll on proper tackling, then watch Michigan try to tackle, and you'll see what I mean. Michigan constantly tries tackling guys by going high, bear hugging them, and concentrating too much on trying to pull the ball out instead of getting the guy down.
When it comes to the offense, it's the same deal. The running backs consistently take the wrong angles and make the wrong cuts. I can't remember who it was last week, but there was a player that had a wide open path if he would have just run off of his blocker's backside. For some reason, he took the inside instead and was forced out of bounds. The backs just run into holes that aren't there instead of making the proper read as to whether the hole will develop or whether they should bounce outside.
Finally, the offenseive playcalling in the first half of last game was ATROCIOUS. I couldn't believe the commentators were praising Nussmeier towards the end of the game. It was clear early on that Michigan's OLine was not going to put up a lot of protection against MSU. An incredibly easy way out of that situation is to call quick slant routes or WR screens. I don't recall seeing one of those until late in the 4th quarter. Instead, Nussmeier was calling deep plays that took forever to develop, and shockingly, a flea flicker at one point. When the OLine can't protect more than 3 seconds, why in the world are you calling a flea ficker that takes forever to develop? It was infuriating.
I thought he had some pretty good info, actually. People are downplaying his comments on DB's relationship with Harbaugh and Miles. His statement was in fact that he "has it on very high authority" that Harbaugh and Miles would "never" work under Brandon.
Moreover, he also said that in the last coaching search after RR's firing, when he sat down with the head coaches of NW, OSU and a third major program which I can't remember, the very first question those coaches asked him was whether it was true that Michigan's AD sits in on film sessions with coaches.
I found those statements incredibly damming, especially from a guy who chooses his words carefully.
Another commentator then brought up a great point: if both those statements are true, you've now taken your two top candidates, as well as a host of others, solely because of the personality of your AD.
I disagree with the OP... BECAUSE you have nothing to lose, all the more reason to fire him. It's sort of like dating a girl even though you know you're going to break up with her down the line... Looking back on it, why put it off?
In reality though, we know what we have with hoke. We have no idea what we have with him gone. Since it can't get worse, I say we turn that stone and see what's underneath. It can only benefit us.
Along those lines, even though everyone praised it at the time, I actua was turned off by Hagerup's letter to the team. Notably when he wrote "Finally, play for yourself. Pride in yourself means that, win or lose, you worked and competed as hard as you possibly could until the schedule provided no more games to play."
It just seemed a far cry from "The team, The team, The team."
Recent Comments
Shaka Smart and Chris Beard both deserve consideration.
The release by Warde was definitely a CYA. But that also doesn't mean that giving Harbaugh what he wanted would have kept him either. He (read: his legal counsel) very well could have clinged to the immunity point as a way of keeping negotiations open so that he could continue weighing or leveraging his other options. I admit it's not probable, but certainly possible.
IMO we all know the NCAA was after him at all costs. Given that, combined with the chatter around him in 2020, he justifiably had a reason to be concerned about potentially being axed down the road, whether as a result of NCAA rulings or under the guise them for other reasons. Doing so would be a for cause termination and he would forfeit the remainder of his contract.
Truthfully, for him, I think leaving a place that you've considered home for so long isn't just a business decision. It's an emotional and personal one too. I'm sure he went through that emotional rollercoaster throughout the entire process. It may seem like he was forcing Warde to agree to something, but from Harbaugh's perspective, I'm sure it felt like Warde was forcing him to take an enormous risk and leap of faith that he wasn't willing to make. By the time Warde reached back out, Harbaugh's emotions had already coped with and accepted the reality of leaving. When that happens, in any circumstance, the emotional door has been shut and there's really no going back.
Swap out Kleiman, Fitzgerald and Stoops for Vrabel, Drinkwitz and Dabo, and I think you have a solid list of actual potential candidates.
Please don't put this thought out into the world. Because it would also be the most Lions thing ever to let him go.
If you think that's the pool, you're just as short sighted as the rest.
I don't know if this is a Michigan fan thing based on years of disappointment, but this is such a loser's mentality.
What you're saying is "Even though we just won a national championship with a team loaded with young talent and we have enough money to make anyone the highest paid coach in CFB, we aren't good enough to get Harbaugh's best assistant, so we should pay his second best assistant, who has never been a head coach, $7 million a year."
Is that seriously where we're at as a fanbase? Would Alabama make Tommy Reese it's next head coach because the players liked him?
We should demand so much more when it comes to our HC search and our program as a whole. If anything, we've never had more leverage for a HC position than we do at this moment. We need to raise our expectations.
1. Deion …
An actual answer:
1. Deion
2. Belicik
3A. Urban
3B. PJ Fleck
Yes, 3/4 of those hires are highly unlikely, but Moore would be a Carr hire at best and a Ron English hire at worst. Maybe the players stick around and he goes 10-2 and gets bounced in the first round of the playoffs next year, but the wheels will come off sooner or later.
Saying that he "deserves" to take over a program that was 100% Harbaugh's for close to a decade because Moore "coached" 3 games that Harbaugh prepped, schemed, and gameplanned for every single minute of the day other than 60 minutes on GameDay, and where our defense performed better than our offense, is selling a National Championship winning program that has the purse to make any coach the highest paid coach in all of football woefully short of its potential.
We need someone to drive the car, not valet it.
I do find it funny that the Harbaugh apologists keep citing issues, such as the rebuild of the roster, or the coaching staff, or the fact that we had low expectations heading into the year, as though those issues are not directly related to Harbaugh's management of the team itself. You can't say "well he's got a whole new coaching staff" when the reason he's got a whole new coaching staff is because he made terrible coaching hires time and again for 5 years straight and had to replace them all. Or "Many people predicted this year to be 7-5." Okay... They predicted that because Harbaugh has underperformed for 6 years straight.
The question to ask yourself is: if losing to MSU consistently and to OSU every year is not enough for you to want a change, then what is? Because the reality is that just about any coach at Michigan can rack up the same record as Harbaugh in the Big 10. Look no further than Mel Tucker, James Franklin and Paul Chryst. Comparatively, those programs were all second to Michigan for generations. Now, they're all on par or better. Michigan is second tier. Not just nationally, but in the Big10 itself. If that's not enough for you to make a change, nothing will be.
One thing I haven't seen anybody comment on that truly bothered me about the offense last night was the cadence in the snap count. Maybe this wasn't as obvious on TV, but I was at the game, and it was literally the exact same thing every single time. Fake clap; QB looks up; Clap to snap.
People have commented on how Shea was constantly under pressure, and I have no doubt that's part of the reason why. It's such an easy thing to fix. Hoping that Gattis takes care of it before the next game.
The back and forth I went through in my head about this comment was exhausting.
I have this weird feeling it would be Scott Shafer again.
For the love of g-d, DON BROWN DID NOT GIVE UP 62 POINTS TO OSU. Will people please stop saying it already? Unless of course you want to immediately show your idiocy, in which case, please keep throwing out that fake statistic.
Except that he didn't give up 62 points.
I'll say it one last time and then I'm done belaboring the point because people keep picking at the edges of my post without addressing the main, fundamental points: If what you say is true, and it doesn't matter who the OC is because Harbaugh completely controls his offensive coordinators, please explain why Harbaugh has had successful offenses at every stop he's ever coached, both collegiately and professionally (including Michigan), prior to Pep.
Pep is the cause of the issues. It's so blatantly obvious that I truly find it unimaginable people fail to accept it.
And to your point, I'm not missing what people mean by "Harbaugh's Offense." I'm speaking to the many forum posts throughout this site that believe Harbaugh calls every single offensive play.
Finally, unless "I'm crazy," your statement that McElwain wouldn't call a similar offense under Harbaugh as he would with any other Power 5 coach is wrong. He did. Under Saban. And again at Colorado State. I specifically addressed this point in my original post when I said that McElwain runs an offense that fits Harbaugh's pro-style philosophy.
I'm done explaining and re-explaining these points. It's becoming exhausting.
That is irrelevant in terms of my comment about 62 points. Thanks for confirming my initial statement.
Offense gave up a pick from Shea that left OSU in the red zone and lead to a touchdown. Milton threw a pick that left OSU on the 3 and lead to a touchdown. Special Teams had a punt blocked that went for a touchdown. That's 21 points. Please let me know where the disagreement lies.
As I posted in another thread, if it were true that Don Brown's defense didn't work against superior athletes, he would have failed at UConn, Maryland and Boston College. He didn't.
I work in such a profession. It does not have the effect you think. And again, if your point is true, it does not explain the offensive production Harbaugh has had his entire coaching career prior to Pep, including Fisch. It also does not explain why Pep failed as an OC prior to Harbaugh.
Instead of pointing out what "might be" a hypothetical situation, let's go on what we know. You've got one individual who has been successful offensively everywhere he's been, both professionally and at the college level, for 20 years. You've got another individual who has failed repeatedly as an OC and is in charge of play calling. As soon as the person with the history of failure took over, there was a noticeable downturn.
To try and point the blame at the successful guy and say that he's holding back the historical failure and that's the reason the team isn't producing defies all logic.
Let's stop over complicating things. It's not hard to grasp what's going on.
If it were true that Don Brown's defense does not work against superior athletes, then he would have been a failed D Coordinator at UConn, Maryland and Boston college. But he wasn't. Even though all of those schools sit towards the bottom of the conference, he wasn't. When facing better athletes and competition, he still produced outstanding defenses at every stop.
Also, stop shouting about 62 points when at least 21 of those came on the other side of the ball (both offensive turnovers and special teams).
Any casual observer of CFB knows that when the other team's offense can't keep up and you get a decent lead, coaches tend to take more risks and open up the field rather than play it safe. Had our offense ever been even a remote threat in this game, OSU's offense would have been different. But because OSU knew that we were not capable of putting points on the board, they had no reason to fear the risks that come with airing it out.
Watch the game. Think critically. Don Brown is not the issue.
I'm aware the JH has "final say" on playcalling. That's no different than any HC at any school (or any superior position in any profession for that matter). Final authority has very little effect on a play-by-play basis, and it's not as though Harbaugh is going to reverse Pep's decision on every single play call and do the job entirely on his own.
If you can't see the difference between being in charge of a duty and having the final sign-off on it, I can't help you see it.
Moreover, if you wish to ignore all the evidence pointed out above (change in philosophy since Fisch, direct video evidence, etc.) and believe that Harbaugh, who has put together successful offenses at every team he's ever coached at for the past 20 years, coincidentally lost his ability to coach offense at the exact same time that Pep Hamilton, an OC with a history of failure, takes over, I'm certainly not going to change your mind.
1. Can people stop saying this is "Harbaugh's Offense" and that he's the one calling the plays? It has been thoroughly discredited.
McElwain explicitly said that Pep Hamilton calls the plays. Harbaugh explicitly said that Pep calls the plays and that he's tired of addressing the issue. Anyone who watched the Amazon documentary could see that Pep called the overwhelming majority of plays even while Drevno was OC. There has been a significant change in offensive philosophy since Jedd Fisch left and Pep became involved. Outside of conjecture on these boards, there is literally zero evidence that anyone other than Pep is calling plays and all evidence and statements indicate Pep is in charge. Please, stop saying anything to the contrary, as it is patently false.
2. We do not need to bring back Fisch. We already have someone on staff known as a great offensive coordinator that runs the same pro-style philosophy Harbuagh likes: McElwain. The guy has a proven career as an outstanding offensive mind, and he's wasting away as a low-tier position on our staff. Get rid of Pep. Give McElwain the reigns as OC. It's that simple.
3. Something lost in all this discussion is how much the offensive woes fall on Harbaugh's decision making. His stubbornness in the Drevno transition, and refusing to appoint Enos to the position Enos rightly deserved, is the reason we aren't playing in the CFB Playoff right now. Had he given Enos the OC position from the get-go, this team is markedly different. Look no further than the offensive play of Alabama this year.
tl;dr JH screwed up in the offseason and can make it right if he fires Pep and promotes McElwain.
Saying Jon Fox isn't a good coach because he won in Denver but won't go .500 after only one year as head coach of an utterly terrible bears team/roster is just moronic. Are you forgetting that Fox was successful before Denver as well? And that he's been the head coach in Chicago for a single season?
There are plenty of great coaches available for hire, inside and outside the NFL. Personally, I think the Lions should go after either Chip Kelley or Vic Fangio. Both would be great hires... Which means neither will happen.
No offense, but literally none of that has anything to do with whether or not players should be paid. You don't get paid in this country for being poor. This argument is actually one of my biggest pet peeves about this entire topic. Name me one company in the entire country that makes large profits and whose lowest level workers are not underprivileged, underpaid, and uneducated. That's like saying that McDonald's workers should be paid millions because the product they create is worth billions and they come from underprivileged areas.
I'm not sure the reason for all these poster's backlash. I agree with her. I understand the "market" economics at hand, but college football and professional football are supposed to exist in separate markets altogether. The more that college athletics increase salaries, publicity, etc., the more that the line between amateur and professional atheltics decreases.
Name another amateur sport that pays its coaches as much as college football. What's more, the salaries beat out most professional sports. Notre Dame's new Showtime series is yet another example of these blurred lines.
Yet people wonder why these high school kids act like divas and celebrities--its because we give them that status. They are surrounded by all the same components that celebrities and professional athletes are surrounded by. In the end, it will be College Football's own fault when the term "amateur" gets removed from its title and it's left paying 17 year old kids millions of dollars.
I'm curious if there is any cryptic message in this tweet. I think so. He's well known for doing that in the past. This is a rather random thought that doesn't make sense. Think: how does Michigan = Prestige WorldWide? That's not a normal comparison one would make. And why did he capitlize "wide" at the end? If I had to guess, he's sending some sort of message with the use of the word "wide," but I'm not sure what it is exactly.
http://www.si.com/more-sports/2010/06/28/harbaugh-tweets
I'm just as psyched for Harbaugh as anyone, but I have to disagree with one point Brian made:
"When Brady Hoke left Ball State after their breakout year, the Cardinals went with an entirely new staff and immediately collapsed back to the pack. When Harbaugh left Stanford, they hired his offensive coordinator, attempted to preserve everything he'd brought the program, and ripped off three consecutive 11-win seasons."
That's not entirely true. Stan Parrish, Hoke's prior OC, became the head coach. After Hoke left, Parrish bumped the running backs coach up to OC and kept the Offensive Tackles and Tight Ends coach as well as the DL coach. Pretty much everyone else left with Hoke to SDSU.
It's pretty easy. Don't click.
At the end of the day, reporters are measured by how many views they get. Websites like ESPN, SI, CBSSports, etc., are no different than Facebook. They earn revenue based on advertisements which are priced off of views and clicks.
Don't pander to them by clicking on their articles, now or in the future. They don't care if they are right or wrong. They only care if they get you to read their article, because that determines their value to their employer. Moreover, the more people who click and read these dumb articles only encourage this type of behavior.
Especially when someone posts the article in MgoBlog, just read that person's synopsis or the comments to get a good grasp on the article instead of going to the article directly.
^ This. That's an even better idea. As I stated below, I think it's ok to ask Harbaugh's input moreso once he's already hired. Hackett could inform him during the interview process that if Harbaugh takes the position, they would include his input on the new AD.
I actually thought the most persuasive part of this article was the following:
"After all, Harbaugh could reportedly leave San Francisco because of friction with the team general manager Trent Baalke, so putting him at ease that he would not have the same issues in Ann Arbor would be a substantial benefit."
This is important for two reasons. First, it shows that Harbaugh would leave a perfect fit--which San Fran is NFL-wise for him, regardless of success, because of management. Second, if he's willing to leave because of management, he may be willing to commit based on it as well.
With the caveat that the list is narrowed, I think asking him for input isn't all that bad of an idea. The issue is that he's not the coach here yet. So the conversation wouldn't just be "who should we go with?" Instead, it would be "would you come here if we went with X over Y?" There is a very different dynamic between those two questions.
One thing I've consistently noticed as becoming progressively worse, which I think can account for TONS of different issues, is angles and form.
Watch the defense try to tackle players. They consistently take the wrong angle, and try to tackle across the body. Not only is it a great way to miss or get beat on a tackle, it's a great way to get injured as well. The only player I saw show good form and angle recognition on Saturday was Lewis, who caused a fumble, by using good form. Other than that, everyone was atrocious. Watch this video with Pete Carroll on proper tackling, then watch Michigan try to tackle, and you'll see what I mean. Michigan constantly tries tackling guys by going high, bear hugging them, and concentrating too much on trying to pull the ball out instead of getting the guy down.
http://www.seahawks.com/videos-photos/videos/Seahawks-Tackling/af5b80dd…
When it comes to the offense, it's the same deal. The running backs consistently take the wrong angles and make the wrong cuts. I can't remember who it was last week, but there was a player that had a wide open path if he would have just run off of his blocker's backside. For some reason, he took the inside instead and was forced out of bounds. The backs just run into holes that aren't there instead of making the proper read as to whether the hole will develop or whether they should bounce outside.
Finally, the offenseive playcalling in the first half of last game was ATROCIOUS. I couldn't believe the commentators were praising Nussmeier towards the end of the game. It was clear early on that Michigan's OLine was not going to put up a lot of protection against MSU. An incredibly easy way out of that situation is to call quick slant routes or WR screens. I don't recall seeing one of those until late in the 4th quarter. Instead, Nussmeier was calling deep plays that took forever to develop, and shockingly, a flea flicker at one point. When the OLine can't protect more than 3 seconds, why in the world are you calling a flea ficker that takes forever to develop? It was infuriating.
Moreover, he also said that in the last coaching search after RR's firing, when he sat down with the head coaches of NW, OSU and a third major program which I can't remember, the very first question those coaches asked him was whether it was true that Michigan's AD sits in on film sessions with coaches.
I found those statements incredibly damming, especially from a guy who chooses his words carefully.
Another commentator then brought up a great point: if both those statements are true, you've now taken your two top candidates, as well as a host of others, solely because of the personality of your AD.
That blows my mind. The guy has to go.
In reality though, we know what we have with hoke. We have no idea what we have with him gone. Since it can't get worse, I say we turn that stone and see what's underneath. It can only benefit us.