Schefter: harbaugh to 49ers

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MGoRob

January 7th, 2011 at 4:13 PM ^

They also reported he was singing with the Dolphins with a deal in place.  Until it's official, I'm not falling for it.

Wait, didn't we offer him more than 5 million?  WTF Harbaugh.  I really hope he's finally excommunicated from Michigan after this for spurning us in a time of need.

Maize and Blue…

January 7th, 2011 at 4:33 PM ^

I've been consistently anti Harbaugh despite a vast majority wanting the so called prodigal son to return.  Brings to mind an old saying: fool me once shame on you fool me twice shame on me.  Fool me once was when JH threw the program and university under the bus over academics.  Fool me twice you've probably figured out despite JH proclaiming to bleed Maize and Blue.

The big donors and down in front crowd got what they wanted- RR gone.  I hope they are prepared for what's next- Shame on you!  Karma's a bitch and I hope we, the average fan, don't suffer for the arrogance of the big shots who thought RR just wasn't one of us- a Michigan Man.  Yost and Bo weren't Michigan Men when they came here either.

buddha

January 7th, 2011 at 5:03 PM ^

Why?! Because he wants to test his skills at the highest level the sport has to offer? Grow up. He's a titan in his industry these days and making a professional choice about his career. Don't be a dick simply because he didn't choose the job that you wanted.

Maize and Blue…

January 7th, 2011 at 6:31 PM ^

I didn't want him here to begin with and have stated that he wasn't coming so how am I being a dick.  A titan in the industry-seriously?  He's done nothing long term and you don't become a titan in the industry overnight unless say you invented the forward pass or did something to revolutionize your chosen field.  He's a freakin football coach that hasn't even won a conference title!

harmon40

January 7th, 2011 at 7:18 PM ^

If my situation if life were such that I had an opportunity to actually DO something about our 7 game skid against OSU, as an alum I would not hesitate.  But, you know, other people may have different ideas about things like the eternal battle between good and evil and the future of Western Civilization.

"Never takes sides against the family again."

Wolverine0056

January 7th, 2011 at 4:02 PM ^

So? He has coached in the League, won the SB, is a great character guy that many people like. He would also be a great recruiter. Plus, I haven't heard anything bad about the guy, so he wouldn't be bringing any baggage (I may be mistaken). Gruden has also supposedly studied the spread option offense the last few years. Not to mention he is decently young, IMO.

HeadAsplode

January 7th, 2011 at 4:31 PM ^

Gruden does seem to have a unique mixture of football accomplishment, ego, X's and O's, and name recognition that seem like a good fit for the Michigan brand/culture.

The only hang-up for fans (or at least those on this blog) seem to be his lack of college experience.  I don't think we'd ever get a candidate with an absolutely perfect resume - do his pros outweigh his cons?  I think he's got to be top 3 at this point.

davidhm

January 7th, 2011 at 4:35 PM ^

...NFL coaches can fail in the NCAA ranks.  I don't see Gruden being able to lead/guide 18-22 year olds.  Can he manage men? Yes.  NCAA and NFL are two entirely different beasts. 

This is also why I don't see JH doing well in the NFL.  His high-intensity, body-blocking during the pre-game the other night might get young men amped up, but I'm not so sure it will motivate a group of highly paid professionals and the "diva" receivers.  

The Baughz

January 7th, 2011 at 4:54 PM ^

I am a huge Gruden fan. Probably one of my favorite coaches in any sport. I read a couple of his books and he mentioned in "All it Takes Is All Ya Got" is how he grew up around ND football and how he was so excited every time they would play Michigan at Michigan. Even referred to coaching at UM as a "dream job." He would be a great hire and great fit. He understands the Michigan traditions and rivalries. Plus the man can coach. He does have a SB ring. I believe, imo, he would also adapt to our personnel and keep Denard at qb.

MI Expat NY

January 7th, 2011 at 4:15 PM ^

Shouldn't Weis' experience tell you that the biggest concern isn't recruiting, but actual coaching?  The NFL is a different world.  You have to coach in a different way in college.  You're not working with professionals, you're working with guys who may not have had a whole lot of great coaching before getting to college, you're working with time constraints, you need to game-prep your first string while also giving enough time to your young players to prepare for the future.  It's just not the same thing.  Can it work?  Yes, but there's certainly no guarantee, and history leads me to think that it's unlikely.

PurpleStuff

January 7th, 2011 at 4:21 PM ^

Gruden has been an actual head coach (and a very succesful one at two stops in the NFL).  Weis had never been anything but an offensive X's and O's assistant.  I also think Gruden would inspire more attentiveness and confidence in his players than a man who put the South Bend Golden Corral out of business.

MI Expat NY

January 7th, 2011 at 4:46 PM ^

I think it's a bigger deal to understand coaching in college vs. pro than to have head coaching experience.  If being a head coach in college or pros so easily translated to the other, there would be far more success stories going one direction or the other. 

Weis was an offensive coordinator for a defensive minded coach.  It's pretty fair to say he essentially ran one half of the team for several super bowl winners.  Coordinators transition into successful head coaches all the time.  

With Weis, the problems only started when he lost his veteran corp.  It was like he had never thought about what type of preparation was needed to turn those guys into veterans.  The same problem might not apply to Gruden, but to me it was a problem for Weis, not because he didn't have head coaching experience, but because he was coming from the NFL.  

PurpleStuff

January 7th, 2011 at 4:59 PM ^

The reason there aren't more success stories is because there aren't many (if any) proven NFL head coaches who take college jobs.  Someone like Wannstadt never won in the NFL.  Pete Carroll did okay but never really won big (and he did alright in college).  Who else has made that move?  Dan Devine? 

I don't think the lack of guys doing it reflects on the difficulty of doing it, but rather the fact that top coaches don't leave the pros for a college team. 

Maize and Blue…

January 7th, 2011 at 6:34 PM ^

won't allow Patterson.  He's not one of us and his tirade during the Rose Bowl about getting a concussed player who hadn't been given clearance back into the game should eliminate him 100%.  Not to mention DB wants somebody with Midwest recruiting ties.  Does DB realize that you can win NCs with primarily Florida, Texas, or California talent?  You would need to get every major Midwestern talent just to have a chance and that is highly unlikely.