Lifetime Contracts, Consternation and Class

Submitted by bluepalooza on

Rumour of Lifetime Contract for Jim Harbaugh?  If Michigan was 10-1 playing for the B1G championship and trip to Final Four almost every nay sayer would be screaming "sign him up". Yes, this year has been frustrating to say the least. A loss to an inferior MSU team at home, getting torched by PSU and losing to a Wisconsin team with a good defense but pedestrian offense.  Michigan QB's have not ascended like most of us thought they would.  Many are wondering what is going on in Michigan's 3rd year under Harbaugh.  Well let me tell you.

Michigan was what Tennessee is now just 4 years ago.  For the first time in my lifetime I quit watching Michigan football on Saturdays in 2014.  The only thing that makes me want to quit watching Michigan in 2017 is some of our fans.  I am embarrassed at some of the things said to players.  Call out the coaches, they get big $$ to be critized, but please leave the players alone.

In 2014, Michigan couldn't give away tickets to games. In short Michigan was a dumpster fire.  In 2014, Michigan was the biggest dissapointment in college football, PERIOD!  The winningest program in CFB history, great alumni, great education and the culture that was built by Yost through Bo got demolished.  The culture of Michigan football was no more. Urban Meyer stepped into a loaded team and great culture of winning. Not taking anything away from Meyer, but comparing the situations of Meyer, Saban or even Cryst is comparing a Ferrari to a Prius.  Michigan was the Prius (nothing against Prius, just comparing performance).  Wisconsin does not recruit at Michigan's level, but they have a culture that has carried over from Alvarez. Michigan was the most talented team on Saturday but Wisconsin was the best "team".

Michigan and Jim Harbaugh is building that culture back.  I can see it.  I saw it on Saturday against WI and I have seen it all year. As sure as I am writing this, Michigan will start to resemble the teams of Yost and Bo next year.  Most people are looking at our offense and QB's and wondering what is going on.  Where is the progress?  The team that started in September has been decimated by injuries at WR and QB.  Michigan is the youngest team in D1 playing in the toughest division in CFB.  When I saw the comparison of Harbaugh vs Cryst on Fox through the same number of games I almost through my shoe into my TV.  Cryst plays in one of the weekest divisions in College Football. Comparing Cryst to Harbaugh through same number of games is just plain ignorant.

I, like many of you have HAD consternation about the Team.  I, like many of your were "hoping" for year three to be the magical year. Taking my emotion out of it and looking at the Team in 2017 vs 2014 and 2015, I can tell you, you haven't seen anything yet.  Michigan will be that DYNASTY we all want starting next year.  This team will steam roll inferior opponents and inpose their will on the PSU's, MSU's and OSU's next year! Michigan QB and WR questions will be a thing of past in 2018.  The TE's are already just now showing tremendous promise. Players like Ruiz, Bredeson and Big Mike will be road graders next year. 

I think Jim Harbaugh is one of best and classiest coaches in college football.  He has the weight of Bo, Yost and Michigan football on his shoulders.  He has "pundits" pointing and telling him he is not as great a coach as we all thought.  Even fans now turning on him. Well, I am here to tell you he is one of the best coaches in college football.  I am here to tell you EVERY team in NFL and CFB who needs a coach would hire him tomorrow.  Ladies and gentleman, appreciate what we have now.  Pray he gets a lenghty contract extension.  We have the Bo and Yost of our era.  My advice to Warde Manual win or lose vs OSU, regardless of score........Sign him up!

ldevon1

November 22nd, 2017 at 9:41 AM ^

Lifetime contract doesn't mean a whole lot. Contracts are made to be broken, adjusted, or just renegotiated. On another note, let's stop calling MSU inferior. The people saying that are just enamored with recruit rankings, and don't want to admit they have had better play from their offensive line and QB.

Jevablue

November 22nd, 2017 at 9:46 AM ^

That I already agree with. M is still reaping the leftovers of the disaster that was the Martin-Brandon regime. Losses will always suck but perspective is important.

bcnihao

November 22nd, 2017 at 10:34 AM ^

Perspective is important, indeed.  Some who don't have it have started to sound like SF Forty-Niner management did near the end of Harbaugh's final year there.  Ignore facts about injuries.  Ignore the state of the program immediately before H. arrived and how much better it is even now in this disappointing season.  We have to get back to a culture of winning, blah, blah.

The Mad Hatter

November 22nd, 2017 at 9:52 AM ^

It's still a gigantic wall of text though.

 

Rumor of Lifetime Contract for Jim Harbaugh?  If Michigan was 10-1 playing for the B1G championship and trip to Final Four almost every naysayer would be screaming "sign him up". Yes, this year has been frustrating to say the least. A loss to an inferior MSU team at home, getting torched by PSU and losing to a Wisconsin team with a good defense but pedestrian offense.  Michigan QB's have not ascended like most of us thought they would.  Many are wondering what is going on in Michigan's 3rd year under Harbaugh.  Well let me tell you.

Michigan was what Tennessee is now just 4 years ago.  For the first time in my lifetime I quit watching Michigan football on Saturdays in 2014.  The only thing that makes me want to quit watching Michigan in 2017 is some of our fans.  I am embarrassed at some of the things said to players.  Call out the coaches, they get big $$ to be criticized, but please leave the players alone.

In 2014, Michigan couldn't give away tickets to games. In short Michigan was a dumpster fire.  In 2014, Michigan was the biggest disappointment in college football, PERIOD!  The winningest program in CFB history, great alumni, great education and the culture that was built by Yost through Bo got demolished.  The culture of Michigan football was no more. Urban Meyer stepped into a loaded team and great culture of winning. Not taking anything away from Meyer, but comparing the situations of Meyer, Saban or even Cryst is comparing a Ferrari to a Prius.  Michigan was the Prius (nothing against Prius, just comparing performance).  Wisconsin does not recruit at Michigan's level, but they have a culture that has carried over from Alvarez. Michigan was the most talented team on Saturday but Wisconsin was the best "team".

Michigan and Jim Harbaugh is building that culture back.  I can see it.  I saw it on Saturday against WI and I have seen it all year. As sure as I am writing this, Michigan will start to resemble the teams of Yost and Bo next year.  Most people are looking at our offense and QB's and wondering what is going on.  Where is the progress?  The team that started in September has been decimated by injuries at WR and QB.  Michigan is the youngest team in D1 playing in the toughest division in CFB.  When I saw the comparison of Harbaugh vs Cryst on Fox through the same number of games I almost through my shoe into my TV.  Cryst plays in one of the weakest divisions in College Football. Comparing Cryst to Harbaugh through same number of games is just plain ignorant.

I, like many of you have HAD consternation about the Team.  I, like many of you were "hoping" for year three to be the magical year. Taking my emotion out of it and looking at the Team in 2017 vs 2014 and 2015, I can tell you, you haven't seen anything yet.  Michigan will be that DYNASTY we all want to start next year.  This team will steam roll inferior opponents and impose their will on the PSU's, MSU's and OSU's next year! Michigan QB and WR questions will be a thing of past in 2018.  The TE's are already just now showing tremendous promise. Players like Ruiz, Bredeson and Big Mike will be road graders next year. 

I think Jim Harbaugh is one of best and classiest coaches in college football.  He has the weight of Bo, Yost and Michigan football on his shoulders.  He has "pundits" pointing and telling him he is not as great a coach as we all thought.  Even fans now turning on him. Well, I am here to tell you he is one of the best coaches in college football.  I am here to tell you EVERY team in NFL and CFB who needs a coach would hire him tomorrow.  Ladies and gentlemen, appreciate what we have now.  Pray he gets a lengthy contract extension.  We have the Bo and Yost of our era.  My advice to Warde Manual win or lose vs OSU, regardless of score........Sign him up!

WeimyWoodson

November 22nd, 2017 at 10:03 AM ^

I would hope to see Harbuagh start adapting/changing his offense to fit the college game more though.  His offense is like a top European car, its complex and beautiful.  It is difficult to stop when everything is running at 100%, but it can break down easy if every part is not 100% functioning.  It's too difficult year in and year out to expect college players to perform perfect NFL style jobs all the time. 

By adpoting a more college offense you can perform like a Japanese sports car.  Easier to plug in parts year after year and keep running at a high level all the time. 

1VaBlue1

November 22nd, 2017 at 10:14 AM ^

You make a reasoned argument, but I just don't see it happening.  Nowhere has he dumbed down his offense - not San Francisco, not Stanford, not even USD.  Don Brown didn't dumb down his defense because a bunch of freshment and sophomores started this year.  Don't expect Harbaugh to, either.

Saban hasn't dumbed down anything from his NFL styled system.  But he's got the recruit train running and most players don't see the field until they've been there for a couple of years, or more.  There are exceptions for exceptional players.  And he has put in some option stuff for Hurts because, well, Hurts is exceptional.

WeimyWoodson

November 22nd, 2017 at 10:22 AM ^

+1 for the good/open discussion!

I think that adapting/evolving is something that the top coaches (and even others in whatever profession) do to stay on top.  Harbaugh is really good at that when it comes to hiring coaches.  I mentioned it in another post about Don Brown, where last week he was told by a reporter that his defense wouldn't work in the NFL and he replied along the lines of "well I don't coach in the NFL, I'm a college coach".  Which makes it a bit different, and if Michigan had corners who were getting burned week in and out fans would complain that Brown needs to alter his plan.  

Saban has adapted to some spread options too recently.  Now I'm not hoping that Harbaugh puts in a Rich Rod style, but I believe he should adapt some spread pass and/or run options in it.  You're not facing teams with 11 NFL defensive players on it.  That's one the reasons college style offenses work so well.  Taking advantage of athletes in space.  Just my personal opinion, and the only money I've ever made in coach is for coaching track & cross country lol, but I feel it would be helpful year in and year out if some of that was added in.

1VaBlue1

November 22nd, 2017 at 10:39 AM ^

Saban added some spread concepts becuase Hurts is more dangerous with his feet than his arm.  But that is still a base NFL offense.

Harbaugh did try to adapt his O some this year - witness Pep.  He was brought to install an NFL styled passing spread, ie: 5-wide, empty sets.  Specifically to take advantage of the new WRs and NFL type arms of Peters and McCaffrey, along with his NFL-type pass catching TEs.  It was all undone by the Frankenline (great nickname, whoever said that!) and injuries.  If the offense grows into that, as we can easily expect they will, what college defense will stop it?

Good defenses will have thier days, too.  But those will be further apart than they are now.  Ask Bama...

EGD

November 22nd, 2017 at 10:11 AM ^

I agree with the overall sentiment, but declaring that the Harbaugh "dynasty" starts next year and that M will "impose its will" on teams like Ohio State is a little over-the-top. I think in the next few years M will be more like they were in, say, the mid to late '90s: an excellent team that can hang with anyone and maybe win a championship if circumstances break favorably, but not an Alabama-style dynasty.

1VaBlue1

November 22nd, 2017 at 10:24 AM ^

"...but not an Alabama-style dynasty."

I'll agree, but only because Michigan plays in the toughest division in all of college football.  And that isn't going to change anytime soon.  Bama doesn't have to be 'on' pretty much every week against conference opponents.  The bottom of the SEC East, and the crossovers from the West, don't present the challenge every week like the B1G East does.  And Michigan's crossovers will include Wisconsin (by far the class of the West) for the next 5 years.  I do think UM will be at that level, but the path isn't as clean as it normally is for Bama.

RedRum

November 22nd, 2017 at 10:15 AM ^

Sorry I signed up to MGOBLOG in 2017 - but as a third generation alumnus, I feel qualified to state that the general trendline of UM football is in the correct direction. I am starting to agree with ACE, some of the fans here are the worst.  This team is good and hitting expectations. Their performance has nothing to do with bloggers. It is not JH's fault that his product has become an extension of people's ego. I'm going to watch UM get outplayed by a better team on Saturday. The loss will hurt. It is going to make the decade of dominance comring our way taste all the sweater.

Go Blue! Gobble Gobble.

TIMMMAAY

November 22nd, 2017 at 10:25 AM ^

 For the first time in my lifetime I quit watching Michigan football on Saturdays in 2014.

Stopped reading right there. That disqualifies any opinion you may have about anything. 

Pepto Bismol

November 22nd, 2017 at 11:14 AM ^

I'll never understand this thinking.  Michigan was terrible in '14.  A truly bad football team who was embarrassed by Notre Dame, embarrassed by Utah and waiting out a storm only to finish in front of a few thousand Ute fans in the Big House, embarrassed by the Golden Gophers both in score and the handling of Shane Morris and the subsequent campus protests and ouster of Dave Brandon.

How are you feeling so far?  Keep going?  Okay.

They were embarrassed by 24 at MSU after planting a stake and then, against all odds, OUR coach apologized to Dantonio for getting our ass kicked.  Then there was M00N, an opus of ineptitude.  Did we lose to Maryland?  You bet we did.  And finally collapsed against OSU after Drake Johnson leg blew up.

At no point was 2014 any fun to watch.  If you turned it off, stopped subjecting yourself to weekly crushing disappointment and embarrassment and moved on with your life, you are smarter than most. 

In fact, I'll go so far as to say if you watched every down of 2014, you're a pure glutton who lacks rational perspective and disqualifies any opinion you may have about anything.

Reader71

November 22nd, 2017 at 11:44 AM ^

I don’t think it disqualified anyone from anything.

But, it’s also an absolutely pointless thing to write since it says nothing at all about Michigan or Harbaugh or lifetime contacts or anything anyone outside of the OP would ever care to read about. It tells us things about the OP, but he mentions it as if it tells us things about Michigan.

You Only Live Twice

November 22nd, 2017 at 10:57 AM ^

Porbably could have edited this down jut a bit OP :-)

+1 for the alliteration in post title.  

 

 

Funchessoffun

November 22nd, 2017 at 11:46 AM ^

What is this recurrent, "Michigan was the more talented team" concept rooted in? It is mentioned about every loss except PSU. Provide evidence that Wisconsin has some sort of inferior talent.. Is this based on recruiting stars? 

Sideline

November 22nd, 2017 at 12:16 PM ^

I feel like we need a General Venting thread. 

 

For Michigan fans in a panic: "It will be fine, get inibriated more"

For the calm Michigan fans: Keep Calm and Go Blue. 

For Everyone else: Remember 2007. Remember 2008-2010. Remember the slight uphill ascent from 2011-2014. 

bluepalooza

November 22nd, 2017 at 2:42 PM ^

Actually thought many of you would be a little less tolerant to my "wall" and "opinion".  Yes, I am a Harbaugh and Michigan fan. But I see the warts of this year like anyone else.  I do get frustated, like many of you but choose to step back and look at whats real. Michigan has real talent both on field and sidelines. At the risk of offending some of you, Michigan was in decline before the loss to App State. Michigan was a team lost in the coaching wilderness for many years. Tennesee and Nebraska are two examples of making wrong coaching choices. I am thankful for Harbaugh.  Our worst year may be this year with the youngest team in CFB in the toughest division in CFB.  That is pretty DAMN good considering where this program has been.

I just don't understand trashing players and some fans giving up.  The team I have seen EVERY week this year is better than most teams I watched for the 10 years before Harbaugh. The B1G is a lot tougher than it was in 70's, 80's and 90's when essentially it was the Big Two.

Mgoriz

November 22nd, 2017 at 3:04 PM ^

Lock him in long term. Can't say that I agree with every single Harbaugh decision, but he is and always has been essentially a perfect fit for head coach at Michigan. This is a tough year, but we will be competing for titles soon and we'll all feel better knowing that he's committed to Michigan, and Michigan is committed to him.