Jim Harbaugh Appreciation Thread
Jim Harbaugh understands rivalries and is the definition of a Michigan Man
Last night's loss, as fresh on our minds as it is, was not and should not be the reason for us as fans to suddenly want Jim Harbaugh gone and back in the NFL. He has a vision for this team and I know that it will get here sooner rather than later. The weaknesses of this team will be strength under Harbaugh and we are seeing this team transform. Prior to his arrival, we were horrible on Defense, Special Teams, and Offense: Two of those Three weaknesses are fixed and the Offense will take a huge positive soon.
Jim's record to date as our head coach is 24-7. In most of the losses, including last night's game, we were competitive and had a chance to win. Last season we didn't lose a game by more than 5 points. Yeah, losing to a rival sucks ass because we have been dominant against OSU/MSU for over a decade now but the sky ain't falling. A loss like last night's game builds steel in your spine.
I attribute all the anger and frustration to a few things: 1. A sense of despair and loss not seen since these two took the field:
Nick Sheridan and Steven Threet
2. Urban Meyer / Mark Dantonio dominance in the B10 and against Michigan.
Everything is coming to a boil and I feel that the anger won't subside until we beat OSU, which may or may not happen this year.
The Michigan Death Star will not be built in a day, but it WILL be built by Jim Harbaugh. I'm appreciative of that and know that it will happen sooner than later. The last thing we need is a complete regime change which will probably see the likes of our top 10 defensive coaches leaving our program and years of further rebuilding. I DO NOT WANT A NEW REGIME CHANGE.
Thanks Jim Harbaugh for all the hardwork you are doing with the program. This is football and losses will happen, but the team is on the right path. Onward and forward!
October 8th, 2017 at 10:52 PM ^
They were holding the entire game! The refs were OSU fans! JT was short! It was raining for the whole second half! We had 5 turnovers! They only won because of a fluke blocked punt!
I do not fucking care about your excuses. I have NEVER called for Harbaugh's head. All I said is he needs to start winning vs. OSU and MSU. If he does that, great! We'll most likely compete for the Big Ten and on a national level too. But things are looking bleak for this season. The OL has massive problems and very few players in the pipeline. Our starting QB is out for the season (at least) and the backup looks mediocre. We have an offense with no elite skill players. But excuses are for losers. If we go 8-4 like nearly everyone on this blog now expects now, that is a failure of a season. Being fed up with mediocrity is why OSU is second to only Alabama at the top of the football world today.
I did not say Harbaugh should be fired. That's fucking ridiculous. Yes, it's only been 2.5 years. But things need to get better. The game yesterday suggests that this offense is likely worse than the offense in 2015. That's fucking pathetic.
October 8th, 2017 at 10:33 PM ^
Plus to you
October 9th, 2017 at 2:09 AM ^
Wins against rivals aren't more important? This may be one of the dumbest things I have ever seen on this board considering that is the reason JH was sought out to coach this team. Takes a big man to call someone a retard on the internet. If you're going to say ridiculous offensive things like that, take it somewhere else.
October 8th, 2017 at 9:47 PM ^
"To me, there is really no difference between going 10-2 and losing to OSU/MSU every year and going 3-9 or 5-7." Well, congratulations: You've just put yourself on the level of OSU fans during the John Cooper years.
October 8th, 2017 at 10:33 PM ^
How did firing John Cooper work out for OSU?
Oh that's right, they went and found a coach no one had heard of who proceeded to win a National Championship in his 2nd year and go 9-1 against Michigan.
"But he was corrupt and his players sold swag for tattoos!" you say.
No problem, they had literally 1 down year, then went and got a 2-time National Championship-winning coach who proceeded to go undefeated his first year, win it all in his 3rd year, and go 5-0 against Michigan.
But by all means, be content to keep letting OSU and MSU be our daddy for the next decade as we wither further into irrelevance.
But yeah, clearly they should have kept Cooper and kept going 10-2 and 11-1 and losing to Michigan, because college football is all about being an appreciative fan!
October 9th, 2017 at 2:10 AM ^
BOOM.
October 8th, 2017 at 10:09 PM ^
Take the 10-2 over the 8-4 regardless of "rival"
October 8th, 2017 at 9:43 PM ^
October 8th, 2017 at 9:52 PM ^
Okay, but you can't deny that Harbaugh has struggled significantly on the offensive side of the ball since he was hired. And it's getting worse. Last year's team had national championship talent and lost three games.
October 8th, 2017 at 10:36 PM ^
that the JH/Drevno/Pep thing has got serious problems this year. And no doubt that the offensive game plans and play selection has been pretty bad.
However, people need to get a grip. Florida State is 1-3 right now. They are not very good, even though they were ranked top 5 in the pre season polls.
Does this mean that Jimbo Fisher is suddenly an idiot coach? No. It means that some guys graduated and he is starting a young and inexperienced QB. He is still one of the top HCs in CFB
The Michigan offense has big problmes, starting with the game plans and play selection. It is on JH to fix it. But the fact that through 5 games this year the offense has been bad does not erase the last decade that shows that JH is a great HC.
October 8th, 2017 at 10:47 PM ^
Jimbo Fisher dominates his rivals (exception this year) and is a national title winning coach.
Harbaugh is not there yet and... also lost another close game to FIsher...
October 8th, 2017 at 11:03 PM ^
is that even very good coaches can look not very smart when they have players that are young, etc.
My point was not to argue that JH is better than Fisher or whatever.
Fisher is having a bad year so far, but he is still a top HC. Michigan is 4-1 with a dysfunctional offense, but he is still a top HC.
October 9th, 2017 at 9:52 AM ^
No one is saying Harbaugh or FIsher are idiots. But I am sure if you went on an FSU Board right now they are talking about how their OL is a sieve and their QB play w/o Francois is a big problem.
Every situation is different. Fisher has a national championship in year 4, 3 ACC championships, a 5-2 bowl record including 2 Orange Bowl wins, 5 straight 10 win seasons, a 29 game winning streak, and he's 13-2 against rivals Miami and Florida. If Harbaugh does anything close to that, he will be adored by the fanbase.
October 9th, 2017 at 12:03 PM ^
There has been a very loud section of the fanbase (at least on Saturday) actively saying JH is stupid and is flat out a bad head coach. Which is just kind of mind blowing.
October 9th, 2017 at 12:51 PM ^
I think you need to separate the drunken angry emoting with an actual opinion. They are not really the same thing and once people stop being pissed 99% of people don't think that. This is the internet; people aren't here to be rational. I mean, I get where you are coming from, but you should probably just wait 72 hours before visiting the Board after any loss to OSU or MSU or you will see a lot of angry nonsensical venting.
October 8th, 2017 at 10:37 PM ^
Your takes are the worst. I mean that literally. They are literally the worst on the blog.
October 8th, 2017 at 10:39 PM ^
October 8th, 2017 at 10:52 PM ^
October 8th, 2017 at 10:58 PM ^
We have Ulizio and O'Korn instead of Magnuson and Rudddddddddock?
October 8th, 2017 at 10:29 PM ^
You're the one who got his fucking panties in a wad because I expressed my opinion that Harbaugh has absolutey not been an elite coach during his time at Michigan.
What the fuck kind of Michigan fan are you that don't think rivalry games matter? If we lose to OSU and MSU we aren't winning shit that year so what the fuck is the difference if we go 10-2 and play in some dumbass meaningless bowl game vs. if we go 5-7? Sure, I'd prefer to go 10-2 if we're going to lose to both rivals anyway, but I would much prefer beating OSU and MSU and going 8-4 compared to losing to them both and going 10-2. Because in both cases, we aren't winning the Big Ten anyway, so what the fuck does it matter if we lose to Wisconsin and Iowa and Penn State or whatever.
If you hate the fanbase then get the fuck out and go root for Sparty. You clearly don't care enough about having an elite team that competes for championships and you also have zero angst whatsoever over the fact that Michigan has gone ONE AND FUCKING TWELVE against their arch enemy.
Nothing you wrote makes any sense.You are just being a jackass and a troll because I am stating the very legitimate fact that Harbaugh does not have a single signature win yet here at Michigan.
October 8th, 2017 at 10:31 PM ^
October 8th, 2017 at 10:57 PM ^
October 8th, 2017 at 9:48 PM ^
October 8th, 2017 at 9:51 PM ^
October 8th, 2017 at 10:06 PM ^
October 8th, 2017 at 9:59 PM ^
October 8th, 2017 at 10:08 PM ^
I feel Harbaugh is loyal to his coaches almost to a fault and it’s clear now that that a change is needed, I don’t have “they sky is falling” outlook like some folks on here have but Harbaugh clearly needs to shake things up and simplify the play calling. I actually do think O Korn, and even Speight can have success in a much simpler offense with less to “think about”.
I will be interested to see the play calling at Indiana, and if we see much of the same that we have all year this could be a very long season...I don’t think Harbaugh would fire anyone mid-season out of respect but the duties of Drevno and company need to realigned.
October 9th, 2017 at 4:50 AM ^
Apparently he fired some of his staff at Stanford, including a "friend and former player who had attended Harbaugh's wedding."
http://www.businessinsider.com/john-harbaughs-insane-competitiveness-20…
October 8th, 2017 at 9:50 PM ^
Harbaugh is the best coach Michgian will find. He just needs to clean house on the offensive side of the ball, and judging from his comment about playcalling, I think he will.
October 8th, 2017 at 9:58 PM ^
....just sayin eh.
October 8th, 2017 at 10:00 PM ^
That's because Lloyd Carr was a better coach than Jim Harbaugh.
October 9th, 2017 at 2:15 AM ^
One has a championship and one does not. Results are what they are.
October 8th, 2017 at 10:08 PM ^
Of course, 1997 Michigan didn't have 17 new starters either, nor did it have unusually small junior and senior classes.
Lloyd did a good job of keeping a solid program going, but never had to truly rebuild. The closest he came to that was in 2001, which was not exactly a national championship squad.
October 8th, 2017 at 10:03 PM ^
of this staff in preparing this team to compete, is creating an identity or anything of substance that works consistently on offense. There are certain plays that our backs run and which get blocked well, and have been very effective.
Obviously, this staff is working with less experienced guys on offense and a new quarterback who has a tendency to bail from the pocket early on pass plays.
I just don't understand why our offense doesn't fit the talents of our team. Why aren't we running plays that our guys execute well regardless of what the defense is doing. If a play works, it's because most everyone involved made it work and most of that is rote stuff. Guys just perform certain plays better than others.
I mean we don't run misdirection and a lot of presnap movement stuff with run pass options now (apparently because of inexperience) even though the lone TD we scored last night came off play action that opened a downfield middle window after drawing their crashing lbs up with the run fake. That play was never repeated? Why? I mean you run it until they stop it. Or if you screw up the play but see it would have worked, then try it again out of a different look. I mean why aren't we trying to fool the opposition when they were supposedly lacking experience on defense?
MSU scored its game-winning TD on a window dressing 5-yard screen pass that pulled three defenders away from the direction of the play and made Lewerke and his OC look brilliant and our defense befuddled. Our defense has been scored on this year by getting fooled on play fakes not by getting beat over the top or on the perimeter or even through the middle. They have just been fooled or picked by screening receivers on scoring plays.
Why don't we do that on offense?
October 8th, 2017 at 10:05 PM ^
But yeah keep bitching at Harbaugh after two 10 win seasons out the gate. The guy who turned Stanford into a winner and never had a losing record in the NFL. Yeah let’s try and run him out of town.
October 8th, 2017 at 10:27 PM ^
October 8th, 2017 at 10:55 PM ^
So because of one game you want to run Harbaugh out of town and probably set this program back a number of years. Alright then.
Who you got to replace him then that’ll do so much better?
October 8th, 2017 at 11:13 PM ^
The two teams played under the same conditions. Michigan was favored by 10 at home against their in-state rival and lost. They got dominated in the first half, before the monsoon hit.
No one is trying to run Harbaugh out of town. You are fighting a straw man. People are starting to question whether the offensive woes are part of a larger problem.
October 9th, 2017 at 12:44 AM ^
October 9th, 2017 at 2:17 AM ^
BOTH TEAMS played in the same fucking weather. Quit using that dumbass excuse. It doesn't even make sense on the most basic level.
October 8th, 2017 at 11:30 PM ^
It sounds like you and many others are erasing everything but last night.
Imperfection! Burn it down!
October 9th, 2017 at 4:02 AM ^
I am not calling for Harbaugh's head. I'm saying that the staff has some serious problems they need to address on offense. Those problems were evident last year and cost us a shot at the playoff, and they have not gotten measurably better this year.
When Harbaugh was hired, people expected we'd one day have a 2010 Stanford-level running attack and QB. The problem is not that we aren't there yet, it's that the running game and QB play have not been on an upward trajectory at all. If anything, they are worse than what we saw in 2015. The same problems we groaned about for the first 4 games (and that Brian warned us about in the offensive UFRs) were the same problems that bit us last night.
October 8th, 2017 at 10:07 PM ^
October 8th, 2017 at 10:08 PM ^
October 8th, 2017 at 10:20 PM ^
Running Harbaugh out of town would be the death knell to this program. I've just accepted we aren't the program we once were. We just gotta buckle up and pray. My panic button was pushed a long time ago... OSU and MSU just sort of laugh at us now.
Refs screw us anyway and that self righteous dick Dantonini has our number... I'd love to see us respond to dirtiness from MSU with nastier dirtiness from us. Talking Purdue jump on QB's back while he is sitting down to try to break his spine dirty. This offense just looks like a bunch of choir boy pussies to me.
October 9th, 2017 at 2:20 AM ^
Talk about hot take. Not having Harbaugh would not be the death knell for this program. He is not bigger than this program or university and one day he will be gone one way or another. The program won't fold then and it wouldn't fold now. There are other good head coaches. He is not the only one. I am glad to have him here but come on. Peterson over in Washington is pretty good. There are many that are good.
October 8th, 2017 at 10:09 PM ^
October 8th, 2017 at 10:26 PM ^
October 8th, 2017 at 11:22 PM ^