Morning Drinking: Approved Comment Count

Brian

Both Adam Rittenberg of ESPN via Chris Mortensen and perpetual bearer of hate news Michael Rosenberg are reporting that if Harbaugh does not take an NFL job he will not leave Stanford:

Brandon's seemingly obvious move with Michigan football -- to fire coach Rich Rodriguez and hire Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh -- appears to be off the board. Colleague Chris Mortensen reports that Harbaugh is more likely to remain at Stanford or take an NFL job than return to his alma mater.

Because of course he is. Rosenberg is even more direct:

Jim Harbaugh is highly unlikely to accept the Michigan football coaching job if it becomes available, a person with direct knowledge of Harbaugh's thinking told the Free Press.

Harbaugh plans to decide this week whether he wants to take a job in the NFL. If he stays in college coaching, he has decided he will stay at Stanford, where he has built a potential powerhouse. It would take an extreme change of heart for Harbaugh to end up in Ann Arbor, according to the person, who did not want to be identified because Rich Rodriguez is still U-M's coach.

Hopefully that's as accurate as the rest of his reporting about the Michigan program but with a second confirming source it looks grim. Somehow Michigan has managed to screw this up, too. If the athletic department had a two-inch putt lined up they would whack it into a communications satellite. Seriously, what the hell, Harbaugh?

Comments

beastcoastinc

January 4th, 2011 at 10:46 AM ^

Schefter seems to think its between Michigan and SF though...so who really knows?  WE won't know until he actually says something because everyone is reporting different opinions.  Last week they said he wasn't being contacted by a lot of NFL teams because they thought he was already going to Michigan...which is also a reason that Florida gave after they called him.

cheesheadwolverine

January 4th, 2011 at 10:47 AM ^

But we're Michigan.  We're his alma mater and with all due respect Stanford isn't really in our league as a program with regard to resources, recruiting potential, etc..  I get chosing the NFL, but I really don't get staying at Stanford.

bluebyyou

January 4th, 2011 at 11:04 AM ^

You took the words out of my mouth...School is drop dead gorgeous with amazing academics and endowment that dwarfs Michigan's, is private and oh yeah...no winter.

What they don't have is Michigan Stadium.  Nobody does, but that, in and of itself, may not be enough.  

They also have a defense, something that we don't.

I sure hope Brandon has a plan B, or this is going to get ugly.

4godkingandwol…

January 4th, 2011 at 12:11 PM ^

... about winning.  More fans will show up.  More fans show up, you can build a bigger stadium.  Maybe he's taking the long view.  He could be the Fielding Yost of the Stanford Program.  There is something to be said for that that people on this board may be discounting.

bnoble

January 4th, 2011 at 11:25 AM ^

I grew up in Michigan.  I moved to Palo Alto at 16, and graduated from Paly, kitty-corner from Stanfurd Stadium.  I went to Cal from there, while my parents moved back to Michigan.  I didn't quite reach escape velocity, and ended up back in The Mitten, but I can tell you first hand, there are reasons why hanging out in the Bay Area has its advantages over dear old Southeast Michigan.  And, Stanfurd, despite not being Cal (or Michigan), isn't a half-bad place to be a demigod.  They've got plenty of loaded alumni who might be all too happy to sweeten the pot from time to time.  They've got a well-run and well-funded athletic department.  That his first wife---and the resulting kids---probably wouldn't come to the frozen tundra for a bigger football stadium doesn't hurt either.

I'm trying really hard to just wait and see what happens when it happens, and even if this is his state of mind this morning, it might change five times before he takes his evening constitutional.  But, nothing will surprise me, 'cause all of Mr. Harbaugh's options are good ones.  If he doesn't come here, it's because he has something else he'd rather do.  There's only so much Brandon can do to change his mind, 'cause the Big House ain't moving to the corner of Embarcadero and El Camino.

His Dudeness

January 4th, 2011 at 10:49 AM ^



Jim Harbaugh is highly unlikely to accept the Michigan football coaching job if it becomes available, a person with direct knowledge of Harbaugh's thinking told the Free Press.

Which it hasn't. Seriously.

Come on sack up, Biff. 

Steady as she goes.

wlubd

January 4th, 2011 at 10:49 AM ^

If Rittenberg's basing this on Mortensen's report which is a rehash of Rosenberg's report which he's flip-flopped on, in addition to being a waste of life, then this isn't credible.

Maize

January 4th, 2011 at 11:15 AM ^

Who would he be saving from trouble? A bunch of guys on an internet message board? The MSM? In all reality nothing has happened. He is sticking to the timeline that he said he would from the beginning. Brandon is doing exactly what he said he was going to do. It's the rest of the world that is freaking out over this.

His Dudeness

January 4th, 2011 at 10:55 AM ^

The funny thing is that's what everybody said they wanted! I typed over a month ago that DB should publically solidify the coaching position by saying RR will remain the coach for the entirety of his contract. Then if he wanted DB could still go out and put feelers around and if JH wanted in then he could always fire RR after the bowl game anyway, but everybody hated that idea. I got negged to fuckland for it. Now people want him to be sneaky and go against everything he has said up to this point? Has the whole world gone fucking crazy? Doesn't anybody give a shit about the rules?

AgonyTrain

January 4th, 2011 at 11:09 AM ^

Agreed.  I also thought the month-long "evaluation" strategy would be a fiasco unless DB had effectively already made a decision and had JH committed to coming hear (couldn't announce it because of JH's desire to coach final game and save money on buy-out).  Sadly, I can draw only two conclusions if JH doesn't end up coming here:

1.  DB is incompetent and truly believed this evaluation thing that put tremendous pressure on recruiting, the team, and the existing coaching staff without a locked up replacement (i.e. willing to start a hiring process after January 2nd) was a good idea.

2.  DB is a sucker and JH ran circles around him to have the Michigan job as a fall-back while he tested his true desire to go to the NFL (if the right NFL job wasn't available - see SF - JH could always fall back on Michigan) or use him as leverage to get a better deal at Stanford.

I think the answer is 2 but I am not sure if a gullible AD who got played by a HC prospect is much better than an incompetent one.  Maybe DB should take the pimp hand to pick some tomatos in California

If JH comes here I will repent before the mighty PH

Poster Nutbag

January 4th, 2011 at 10:50 AM ^

If that is the case, we keep RR for another year, fire the defensive staff, hire someone really good and see what happens in the next year or two.   Maybe JH will have a change of heart.  Only time will tell.  

 

Either way...GO BLUE!!

rpel84

January 4th, 2011 at 10:50 AM ^

It looks like keeping him for one more year looks good after this.  The system is in place.  Wait to see about next year and then make a move.  There will be better coaches available.

thesauce2424

January 4th, 2011 at 10:58 AM ^

If you were RR would you stay without some sort of extension? I sure as hell wouldn't. Unless DB gave RR a "secret" vote of confidence sometime in the past couple of days I'd be shocked if he stayed on for "one more year".  Granted, RR has not helped his situation,but I can't think of a single thing he's done to deserve this. This whole process has been bad mannered and in bad taste and I for one am disapointed.

thesauce2424

January 4th, 2011 at 11:14 AM ^

What do you mean by better job? Stature? Fit? Money? Pressure? My point had nothing to do with finding a "better job".  It had to do with how he's been treated. Personally, I wouldn't stand for it and I thought we were better than this. I want badly to win, but I want us to do it right. There's no possible way you can convince me we are going about this the right way.

Tully Mars

January 4th, 2011 at 12:26 PM ^

I'm guessing it's a lot easier for the AD to pay the buyout than RR to pay it. So much so that RR sticks around even if he isn't happy. I still feel like he wants Michigan to genuinely work out though and would be 'all-in' if he was given the chance to stay.

FreddieMercuryHayes

January 4th, 2011 at 10:50 AM ^

I really don't see this as a screw up on the athletic department.  Maybe he just didn't want to come here.  Maybe he wants to take a championship run if Luck stays.  Maybe he just really wants the challange of the NFL.  I'm sure DB gave his best pitch, but just because we're Michigan and his alma mater, doesn't mean we can give him everything he wants.

Giff4484

January 4th, 2011 at 11:02 AM ^

The pay site crew thinks that it seems to be Hoke and that is who DB & MSC wanted all along. I can't F'ing believe we are going to be coached by Brady Hoke if this falls through.

He might be a good coach but in the short run here we are going to lose recruits and half of the guys we are on are going to ask who the hell is Brady Hoke?