2016 has... not been a good year. And Coach leaving would be the shit pickle on the shit burger of a year. So thank you guys for talking me down from my low-key panic attack.
My concern is ego. I read the Seth Wickersham article from ESPN the "just go to Michigan" piece from Grantland linked to. I don't think this is Harbaugh coming home for an epic Bo-like run if he does come. I could see him pulling a Pete Carroll at USC. Which I'd absolutely take if it didn't include the recruiting violations. But I'm cautiously optimistic.
Huh, I was not aware of Saban's age. I'm not anti-Miles. I'm just very pro-Mullen. If it's between Miles and anyone but Harbaugh and Mullen, Miles is my choice.
I don't get how we could consider a 61 year old coach who half the program seems to not like on the downside of his career with a checkered recruiting history over Mullen.
If Hackett is serious about putting "the Michigan Man" to rest he wouldn't be looking at Miles over Mullen.
I can't see any reason Mullen say no to the job. He has to fight from underneath against Bama, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, Florida, and Georgia for recruits every year. He comes to Ann Arbor and it's O$U and then nothing.
Biggest plus for Harbaugh? There's a 22% chance he punches Urban Meyer in his smug, sanctimonious face in the next five years. Also, while I think Harbaugh's intensity and personality can grate in the NFL I think that plays to his advantage in college.
How concerned do you think we are with making a big name hire? It's very easy to become a moribund program (howdy, Nebraska and Miami) and the Rodriguez-Hoke years were not good for that.
Harbaugh or Mullen or bust. I lean towards Mullen mainly because I worry that Harbaugh's ambition takes him back to the NFL again sooner rather than later. Paradoxically, I'd feel better about Harbaugh if he'd won the Super Bowl (less to prove in the NFL still).
I'll be even more in the tank for Mullen if he can bring Dak Prescott with him.
I want Mullen so badly it hurts. My biggest concern with Harbaugh is that this is a stopover for him before going back to the NFL (if he wins here I think he gets the itch to prove he can do it in the NFL). Mullen? Mullen I think could be the next great coach in Michigan history.
if Michigan is supposed to be a Tier 1 elite program, why are we settling for all these untested journeymen for coaches? Brandon talked big about breaking out the cash for some big hires, but all I see are "this guy might develop into something good" hires like we were a MAC program.
Isn't that what we did with RR and what Florida did with Urban Meyer? I know Meyer had a lot of success at Utah but Utah isn't an SEC school. Granted, I would prefer we make a splash with our defensive coordinator but we're not doing anything out of the norm.
Lloyd's last few Michigan teams nearly beat excellent Texas and USC teams but couldn't finish.
I was reminded of those games when I watched the OSU-Arkansas game. It seemed like Michigan just got worn out and didn't have the conditioning to hang with Texas and USC.
I can't really hate on Hoke for taking his dream job even if he might not be ready. I'd rather have a coach who lets his nuts swing and believes in himself than a guy who isn't confident in his abilities.
That said, the enmity should be focused squarely on Dave Brandon. I know this has all been hashed and rehashed here but this was a complete mess from the start. If Brandon was going to fire Rodriguez he should have done it after the OSU game and started the search. Then declaring a "national search" for the "best candidate available" but only as long as that candidate had ties to Michigan.
Assuming that media reports are correct Brandon never talked to Dan Mullen (who would have been my choice: he's young, he's at least partially responsible for great offenses at three schools and has a good eye for defensive coordinators), Gary Patterson, or Pat Fitzgerald.
Then, instead of making the bold move of announcing Hoke immediately he made it seem like he was courting Les Miles and Jim Harbaugh and that Hoke was the choice because they needed someone so they wouldn't have a recruiting disaster on their hands.
The media and alum response seems to be, "we're willing to be patient and take our lumps and possibly be mediocre because at least we'll be mediocre doing something familiar".
I know the whole search has been hashed and rehashed, but I'm still frustrated by the "Michigan man" fixation. Of the last six national champions five have been coached by men with no prior ties to the University.
As a new poster I don't want to speak for other people but while I'm disappointed in the hire he's the coach now and I want him to do well. I would have preferred someone else, but I hope that he proves me wrong.
I was really coveting Dan Mullen after I did some follow-up research on him after hearing about him on here. I'm not thrilled with the Hoke hire but hope to be proven wrong.
The most disappointing aspect of the hire for me was the return to MANBALL. You have one of the most exciting players in the country, you're a defensive coach, why go back to what wasn't working? What hurts about keeping some continuity on what was a pretty good offense?
Returning to MANBALL seems to be a capitulation that Michigan's highest ambitions aren't a National Title but to win the B1G and beat OSU 30% of the time. Seems like the majority of the elite programs in this country run some sort of spread/spread-option offense.
Recent Comments
2016 has... not been a good year. And Coach leaving would be the shit pickle on the shit burger of a year. So thank you guys for talking me down from my low-key panic attack.
It's amazing how one year of Harbaugh has me going from
at the end of last season to 
Which I'd absolutely take if it didn't include the recruiting violations. But I'm cautiously optimistic.
If Hackett is serious about putting "the Michigan Man" to rest he wouldn't be looking at Miles over Mullen.
I'll be even more in the tank for Mullen if he can bring Dak Prescott with him.
I want Mullen so badly it hurts. My biggest concern with Harbaugh is that this is a stopover for him before going back to the NFL (if he wins here I think he gets the itch to prove he can do it in the NFL). Mullen? Mullen I think could be the next great coach in Michigan history.
Agreed on some of that. But I'd think that LSU is wayyyyy worse than Mississippi State... In part because I'm praying we get Mullen.
Isn't that what we did with RR and what Florida did with Urban Meyer? I know Meyer had a lot of success at Utah but Utah isn't an SEC school. Granted, I would prefer we make a splash with our defensive coordinator but we're not doing anything out of the norm.
I was reminded of those games when I watched the OSU-Arkansas game. It seemed like Michigan just got worn out and didn't have the conditioning to hang with Texas and USC.
I can't really hate on Hoke for taking his dream job even if he might not be ready. I'd rather have a coach who lets his nuts swing and believes in himself than a guy who isn't confident in his abilities.
That said, the enmity should be focused squarely on Dave Brandon. I know this has all been hashed and rehashed here but this was a complete mess from the start. If Brandon was going to fire Rodriguez he should have done it after the OSU game and started the search. Then declaring a "national search" for the "best candidate available" but only as long as that candidate had ties to Michigan.
Assuming that media reports are correct Brandon never talked to Dan Mullen (who would have been my choice: he's young, he's at least partially responsible for great offenses at three schools and has a good eye for defensive coordinators), Gary Patterson, or Pat Fitzgerald.
Then, instead of making the bold move of announcing Hoke immediately he made it seem like he was courting Les Miles and Jim Harbaugh and that Hoke was the choice because they needed someone so they wouldn't have a recruiting disaster on their hands.
The media and alum response seems to be, "we're willing to be patient and take our lumps and possibly be mediocre because at least we'll be mediocre doing something familiar".
I know the whole search has been hashed and rehashed, but I'm still frustrated by the "Michigan man" fixation. Of the last six national champions five have been coached by men with no prior ties to the University.
As a new poster I don't want to speak for other people but while I'm disappointed in the hire he's the coach now and I want him to do well. I would have preferred someone else, but I hope that he proves me wrong.
I was really coveting Dan Mullen after I did some follow-up research on him after hearing about him on here. I'm not thrilled with the Hoke hire but hope to be proven wrong.
The most disappointing aspect of the hire for me was the return to MANBALL. You have one of the most exciting players in the country, you're a defensive coach, why go back to what wasn't working? What hurts about keeping some continuity on what was a pretty good offense?
Returning to MANBALL seems to be a capitulation that Michigan's highest ambitions aren't a National Title but to win the B1G and beat OSU 30% of the time. Seems like the majority of the elite programs in this country run some sort of spread/spread-option offense.