Unverified Voracity Has Spirits Comment Count

Brian

USE THE FORCE JIM. Daily article on Harbaugh's mentors with them all lined up…

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…and the mind instantly puts them in this:

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Sorry, Mr. Carr. Shouldn't have stood in the center.

MATTISON IS PRETTY MUCH IN. Man is still recruiting:

Score.

GET THIS MAN A TATTOO. Mark the Nomad has got to get some ink:

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He's looking for the internet to fund it, in order to slightly reduce the chance this results in a divorce.

FIFTH YEAR OPTIONS. A quick glance at the roster will tell you that Michigan should be in the market for a graduate transfer QB. Their current options are either freshmen, Russell Bellomy, or Shane Morris. The former two have never played in college; the latter two have struggled immensely when they've gotten in the game. So this bit of news is intriguing:

A redshirt junior on track to graduate in June, [the Chicken Bowl] was probably [Kevin] Hogan’s last shot in a Stanford uniform. He hasn't addressed whether he'll return for his final year of eligibility, and head coach David Shaw intimated that Hogan didn't want to discuss it before the end of the season.

Harbaugh recruited Hogan, and he's obviously got he academic chops to make a smooth transition.

Hogan wasn't a world-beater this year (or he wouldn't be transferring) but he did finish with a 66% completion rating, 7.9 YPA, and a 19-8 TD-INT ratio. He's also a decent runner. He would almost certainly be an upgrade on Michigan's current options, and he knows the offense.

Another option: Everett Golson. Golson dropped off a cliff at the end of this year, as he turned into a turnover machine and split time with Malik Zaire in the bowl game. ND insiders and message boards are rumbling about a potential departure. If I had to bet I'd say he returns to ND, but keep an eye out if he doesn't.

DISCOUNT STILL IN EFFECT. Moe's is taking advantage of an opportunity with an enthusiasm unknown to retail-activation-kind.

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AND SUDDENLY YOU'RE A FREE AGENT. Bills coach Doug Marrone has a bizarre window built into his contract that allows him to opt out at no cost… one he's just exercised. This puts his assistants in serious limbo, one of whom is Tyrone Wheatley. Even before this happened a lot of Michigan folk suspected that Wheatley would end up in Ann Arbor; now it seems highly, highly probable.

ALL THIS COULD HAVE BEEN OURS. LSU fans have always been turning on Les Miles, but now the knives are well and truly out. Miles is losing DC John Chavis to a megaoffer from A&M, leaving LSU scrambling to keep their defense as good as it needs to be to keep the wonky Tiger offense from submarining seasons.

ADDING TO MOUNT NFLWRONG. He hates recruiting!

His wife didn't want to come!

His heart is in the NFL!

York, though, would not shed any light on what was said in those discussions, saying they were "private" in nature, though he did acknowledge that teams had inquired about trading for Harbaugh, and Harbaugh was not interested.

It was all about the money!

NOPE. If you were wondering if Devin Funchess would return to the team because Harbaugh, your answer is no:

He'll be a first or second round pick in the draft even with the disappointing finish to his year.

WHAT ON EARTH. There is a woman named Ann Arbaugh who lives in Ann Arbor. And she's…

The Ohio State graduate said she hasn't abandoned her Buckeye roots, and that she's become an Ann Arborite but not quite a Wolverine-lover.

…an Ohio State graduate. Life is weird.

COLTS ON HARBAUGH. They didn't think he was a total weird megalomaniac:

"I've read about that side of him, but that's it," Ward says. "He was not thought of in that way (here), and it doesn't characterize Jim as we knew him. He was intensely competitive, absolutely, but he was a great team player and scrappy and always, always battling for the team."

Indianapolis fell in love with Harbaugh, in part because he was the anti-Jeff George, a superstar talent whose less-than-superstar results and aloof air – think Jay Cutler – rubbed people the wrong way. Jeff George was not what the city of Indianapolis craved in a leader. Jim Harbaugh was, and he gave this city what it loved.

There was the 1995 AFC championship game against the Steelers in Pittsburgh, when the Colts trailed 20-16 in the final minutes and Harbaugh was bleeding from a torn hand and still leading the team down the field before his final pass, a heave into the end zone, bounced away from Colts receiver Aaron Bailey.

"I remember blood dripping from his hand," Ward says, "and he singlehandedly pretty much drove the team within inches of winning that game."

ETC.: Mitch Albom bashing always goes down smooth. His latest stuff is so bad that colleagues are publicly mocking it on twitter. John Morton 49ers interview. Ditto Drevno. We are mad about khakis.

How to get eligible real quick, or The Demar Dorsey Eligibility Plan. Someone at a newspaper wrote something that's actually funny. HSR on the hire.

Comments

Bando Calrissian

January 1st, 2015 at 3:40 PM ^

I'll never forget watching that 1995 AFC championship game with my dad purely for watching Harbaugh. The Steelers scored the winning touchdown when their receiver did a freaking lap around the goal post before coming inbounds to catch the pass. And Harbaugh still almost pulled it off. Ugh.

bacon1431

January 1st, 2015 at 3:43 PM ^

I mentioned it in the Hogan thread, but does anyone know if UAB's Cody Clements would be an option? I've never seen him play, but he's got okay numbers. He wouldn't have to sit out a year due to UAB dropping football. He'd be a senior too, so provides the same flexibility for the roster that Hogan would. 

ESNY

January 1st, 2015 at 3:57 PM ^

What I also love about the NFL wrongs is how hard they were pimping the Oakland job as a much better option than Michigan and a great situation.  If its such a great opportunity, why in hell would they be interviewing Eric Mangini as a potential option (not to mention Pat Shurmur).  Just another indication that no self respecting coach that has any opportunities elsewhere would willingly go to Oakland.

evenyoubrutus

January 1st, 2015 at 4:16 PM ^

Hopefully for her sake "Arbaugh" is a married name because she must have taken so much crap at osu for it. Although if she attends class reunions she must get it now at least.

langkyl

January 1st, 2015 at 8:05 PM ^

This is straight up bush league writing. Anyone read this pile of dog vomit?

Any editor that calls himself a man, would say to Mitch, "Mitch, this is mush. You write like an 11th grader with phrases implying you are in mid-conversation with someone writing a eulogy. "

"But you better be careful"...."but, remember, Jim".....and continuing to say "Jim" like he's writing him a personal letter. C'mon Guy!!!!



RobM_24

January 1st, 2015 at 4:22 PM ^

I'm very excited to hear that he was more interested in assistant coach pay than his own pay (along with the news about him enjoying recruiting). It seems as if he's really trying to build a program that molds great men -- players as well as coaches. It seems like he really enjoys helping people grow. Maybe that is his way of repaying his Dad, Bo, and the University as a whole. He's "paying it forward" if you will.

Tater

January 1st, 2015 at 5:16 PM ^

I'm glad I don't read the freep anymore.  It has kept me from having to witness the "fall" of a writer I used to really respect and enjoy.  I started getting tired of him when he had obviously decided he was too important to give a shit about sports anymore.  He became so condescending on ESPN that I just didn't enjoy anything he had to say anymore.

I would never tell anyone they should or shouldn't be intrested in sports, but sports fans deserve to have someone who is interested in them writing sports columns.

Njia

January 1st, 2015 at 6:21 PM ^

He became too much once he got the WJR show. Between that and his first book, he took on an even greater air of self-importance and condescension.

Let's not forget that this is the guy who made up interviews that didn't happen then all but accused those who caught him at it for having the temerity to point it out.

Bottom line: he's an overrated horse's ass. In other words, perfect for the Freep.

MFanWM

January 1st, 2015 at 8:47 PM ^

I think that the Stanford transfer makes sense, Golson might be ok depending on how badly his psyche has been broken by the purple-faced one in South Bend.

I think for Funchess sake it is probably good he is not going to re-think coming back, not sure he would see the field without a complete 180 in dedication to compete on every single play and NOT make statements about losing being just a statistic....I am guessing those characteristics will not fly with Harbaugh and will somehow NOT be received with a supportive clap on the sideline.

Yes, Albom is a douche is this article....as if Harbaugh has missed the last 20 yrs of the evolution of the college game in complete obscurity on another planet, maybe he should hang it up himself.

bj33smith

January 1st, 2015 at 10:21 PM ^

In that John Morton interview he says there's nothing that can compare to Sundays. No college team or a stadium with 200,000 fans. Still think he's a sure thing?

stanfordwolverine

January 2nd, 2015 at 10:04 AM ^

Highly doubt Hogan comes to UM as a grad transfer (although would love it if he did). He has the starting gig locked down at Stanford until he exhausts his eligibility.

I have seen some speculation that he may transfer to a mid-Atlantic school to be closer to home, due to the recent passing of his father.

kilar

January 3rd, 2015 at 1:17 PM ^

my dad in-law got a  fantastic yellow Mercedes SL- Class SL63 ju st by working online with a lap-top.

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