Harbaugh and 49ers have deep rift per Jason LaCanfora/CBS
Of course I recognize this has little to do with Michigan Football, per se. But am I the only one doing the math on the two years remaining on his $5M/Year contract. Adam Schefter reports he's looking for $8-$9M moving forward, so if a certain thing with a certain hot-seat coach were to not work out so well in 2014, would this be a viable (real) option?
This assumes he would even consider coming back to college football.
#HasThatShipSailed?
February 24th, 2014 at 3:14 PM ^
The guy wanted to be in the NFL back when he was at Stanford, and now he's having a lot of success there. If the only rift here is that he wants to be paid more (i.e. not that he isn't succeeding in the pros), I'm assuming he's there for good.
February 24th, 2014 at 3:20 PM ^
I'm not sure the rift is "entirely" about money. I get the sense it's just as much about player/personnel control, in addition to folks not seeing eye to eye there.
February 24th, 2014 at 3:15 PM ^
My opinion is that Jim Harbaugh is NFL all the way.
February 24th, 2014 at 5:16 PM ^
I wouldnt be so sure.... the NFL is very hard, and 'very challenging' as Brandon said in that press conference.... Harbaugh made the NFL championship game twice, not to mention losing a Super Bowl...
And Hoke would gladly kick himself to defense just like Fickell did, if he wasn't getting it done and Harbaugh wanted to return here. I privately hope that this scenario happens.
February 24th, 2014 at 5:22 PM ^
you so confident that Hoke would "gladly kick himself to defense"?
I have a hard time believing that would be true.
February 24th, 2014 at 8:52 PM ^
Hoke has been a head coach for 11 years. You can't compare him to Fickell.
February 24th, 2014 at 10:12 PM ^
Hoke is not Fickell.
February 24th, 2014 at 10:52 PM ^
You mean Hoke is not fickle?
February 24th, 2014 at 3:16 PM ^
I thought this was going to be about him going to the Lions if Caldwell doesn't work out. Either way, Harbaugh isn't coming back to Michigan in a coaching capacity any time soon.
February 24th, 2014 at 3:17 PM ^
Sailed? That ship was torpedoed and is currently sitting at the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
February 24th, 2014 at 3:42 PM ^
This comes to mind:
Egon: Vigo the Carpathian. Born 1505, died 1610.
Peter Venkman: 105 years old, he hung in there, didn't he?
Ray: He didn't die of old age, either. He was poisoned, stabbed, shot, hung, stretched, disembowled, drawn and quartered.
Peter Venkman: Ouch.
Winston: Guess he wasn't too popular at the end, huh?
Egon: No, not exactly a man of the people. Also known as Vigo the Cruel, Vigo the Torturer, Vigo the Despised, and Vigo the Unholy.
Peter Venkman: Wasn't he also Vigo the Butch?
Ray: And dig this, there was a prophecy. Just before his head died, his last words were "Death is but a door. Time is but a window. I'll be back."
February 25th, 2014 at 9:36 AM ^
you have been a BAD MONKEY!
February 24th, 2014 at 3:54 PM ^
I admire the analogy of the dark, deep, neverending abyss that is the Mariana Trench, but I think the bottom of the San Francisco Bay is more appropriate as Harbaugh's wife allegedly never wanted said ship to leave that area.
February 24th, 2014 at 4:49 PM ^
Why? Because of Brandon's "all that glitters is not gold" shot? Dave Brandon is not guaranteed to be here for long himself with the way things are going.
February 24th, 2014 at 5:40 PM ^
Because Jim Harbaugh hates America.
February 24th, 2014 at 3:17 PM ^
Michigan will never pay 8 million a year... Until they do.
February 24th, 2014 at 3:22 PM ^
It will happen! This would give Dave Brandon a reason to raise student ticket prices 300%...and then hire a coach for $3-4 million instead.
/s
February 24th, 2014 at 3:34 PM ^
Some coach down the road will get $8M per year, you just wonder how far along that will be. The endowment alone is for $10M.
February 24th, 2014 at 4:35 PM ^
will just have to pony up some more scratch. Or they'll lose the title. . .
February 24th, 2014 at 6:52 PM ^
I would hope a Northern Irish terrorist organization isn't bankrolling our football program.
February 24th, 2014 at 4:59 PM ^
Yes. You make the phone call, you open your check book, and you say "Jim, give us a number." Of course you go after him. He is the surest thing in football right now. Even if he only gave you 3-4 years, his coaching tree alone would be enough to sustain your program solidly for at least a decade after he leaves.
February 24th, 2014 at 7:21 PM ^
Could not have said it any better myself. If Harbaugh even considers jumping back here, you bend over backwards to bring him here. Heck, I'd bend over backwards twice if not three times to see Walmart Khakis roaming the sidelines here. If this was recruiting, Jim Harbaugh is a six star.
February 24th, 2014 at 3:19 PM ^
But the Browns made a dipshit "trade" offer and were told to fuck off, which is far from the "trade talks" portrayed. Also, Mike Florio reported that, which means you should believe the opposite anyway.
February 24th, 2014 at 3:58 PM ^
Dear 49ers:
I tried to help and this is the thanks I get.
Your pal,
Jimmy H
PS: Not many franchises can screw up not one but TWO teams coaching staffs in one botched search process. That's the "Cleveland way".
February 24th, 2014 at 3:21 PM ^
guy has been there 3 years now and has been to a Super Bowl and the NFC title game three times. Sounds like they have it pretty tough over there in the Bay.
My guess would be the strain would be money and/or he wants more control over the organization, much like Belichick or his brother John, but they won't give it to him.
February 24th, 2014 at 9:00 PM ^
his brother john? i dont really follow pro football as much but if john demaneded more control over personnel moves etc then i hope bmore ownership told him to take it easy. ozzie newsome sculpted that team into a super bowl champion and sustained that success over 10+ years via his otherworldly talent eval genius...not really sure what youre referencing but anyone trying to wrest majority control of scouting/ draft day responsibilities from newsome if just asking for it so hopefully that did not happen
February 24th, 2014 at 3:23 PM ^
What is the likelihood that Jim Harbaugh leaves SF/Palo Alto? It's just not very probable.
February 24th, 2014 at 3:23 PM ^
Harbaugh wanted to succeed at the highest level, and he has. If Coach Hoke struggles this year, and this rift between the 49ers and Harbaugh continues, prepare for a long year of speculation. I am as big a Coach Hoke supporter as there is, but I'd be lying if I said the thought of Harbaugh at Michigan wasn't exciting. Anyone says it's unlikely is kidding themselves. Harbaugh is a proven winner, an alum, and runs a Schembechler offense, not to mention his no nonsense style would play well among certain circles.
February 24th, 2014 at 3:25 PM ^
...what MGoVoldemort said.
February 24th, 2014 at 4:10 PM ^
Is not exciting.
It would signal failure of our current coach. The idea of that sucks. It means more pain as a fan, and more turmoil as a program. If our current coach is successful, that is good.
It's a dark fantasy that you have.
February 24th, 2014 at 4:36 PM ^
That's ridiculous. It could mean one possible season of darkness swapped out for a potential decade of glory.
Harbaugh would give Michigan an instant mojo. Meyer and Dantonio would immediately be put on notice.
February 24th, 2014 at 4:39 PM ^
The idea of Harbaugh at Michigan is exciting, and the idea is not complicit to Hoke getting fired. I can get be excited about a lot of things, and not care if they never happen. Each time my wife was pregnant, I was excited about the possibility of having a boy. All three times she had a girl, and I was just as happy.
February 24th, 2014 at 5:47 PM ^
Such an ironic analogy...we literally JUST got back from the 20 week ultrasound. I would have been very excited either way but...:-)
February 24th, 2014 at 7:54 PM ^
my wife and I found out the gender around 12 weeks from a genetic work-up from my wife's blood. My jaw hit the floor when I heard that they could do that now. FYI, my wife is 38 and we have a daughter with Down syndrome, so with the already elevated risk they wanted to do the genetics.
February 24th, 2014 at 8:04 PM ^
Good lord, man. Did the clinicians work in shifts?
February 24th, 2014 at 6:13 PM ^
glad for you that your imagination of this possibility makes you happy.
I get all anxious at the thought of changing coaches. harbaugh or not. Call me Notre Dame, I dunno...I just don't look forward to changing. besides, it's too bad people around here cant root for the current coach to be "the one". It's like the 7 year itch, except its more like the 2 year itch around here.
February 24th, 2014 at 6:34 PM ^
You will need to cut your ties! You cannot have endless years of 4-5 losses. We probably will lose 4 games this season but if we lose 4 in 2015 then it will be time to let the Hoke ship sail away!
Harbaugh will be an NFL coach for the next decade at least. I could see him wanting to coach at Michigan after his NFL coaching career. He will probably be around 65 but I could see him being the type to coach into his mid 70s. I don't see Harbaugh at Michigan until after 2025! I hope he will be taking over a top ten team by that time!
February 27th, 2014 at 3:27 AM ^
Guy. Enjoy your positive attitude while you wait for your favorite team to loose. That way if they win, you'll be happy and if they loose you can be right.
I will 'cut my ties' when it's time. Until then, I will keep hoping for the best and cheering on my team.. I have pride in my school.
February 25th, 2014 at 7:10 AM ^
and I agree with MGoBrewMom...not liking the ND coaching carousel thing. Also, let's say we hired Jim Harbaugh at $8M per year. I'd hate to see the constant whining and Brandon bashing on this board about rising ticket prices or a few extra signs to pay that salary.
February 24th, 2014 at 7:39 PM ^
Harbaugh in a vacuum is exciting. Not a literal vacuum, but a figurative one...
"Help, I'm in a vacuum. How did I get in this bloody vacuum?"
February 24th, 2014 at 6:45 PM ^
The program also isn't a shambles from a talent perspective. Michigan was set up to struggle for a few years after Rich Rod left; that isn't so now. Have to pay him a lot though, and I'm not sure the university is really up for that.
February 24th, 2014 at 5:58 PM ^
This is random but Jason LaConfora is one of the best people to follow on twitter. He's always on top of all the breaking news happening before anyone else.
February 24th, 2014 at 3:27 PM ^
As long as Hoke gets to a bowl next year, he won't get fired. Book it. He's not on the hot seat yet. Brandon loves him and so do I.
February 24th, 2014 at 3:33 PM ^
Yup, 2014 would have to be a complete disaster of a season for Hoke's job to be in jeopardy. And by disaster, I mean only like 4-5 wins and blowout losses.
February 24th, 2014 at 3:49 PM ^
I politely disagree. Another 7-6 season with a shit bowl game performance in a shit bowl against an equally shitty team and Hoke will be in deep, deep trouble.
You think the natives were restless this year? Wait and see what happens if we have a three year record of 22-17.
February 24th, 2014 at 3:52 PM ^
I agree...losses to both OSU and MSU and it would be the end of the Hoke era
February 24th, 2014 at 4:51 PM ^
And perhaps it should be. That was one of the criteria used in getting rid of the last coach.
February 24th, 2014 at 8:35 PM ^
10-2 with those two road losses gets Hoke fired?