coaching changes
jim harbaugh

Probably Useless Speculation Update Comment Count

Brian

jim-harbaugh-rick-leach

I'm not sure what value all this has since none of it is anything more than fourth-hand whispers that happen to end up on a verified twitter account or—ugh—random sports talk radio, but the thing to do at the moment appears to be "collect and relate various Harbaugh related items," so here are various Harbaugh-related items.

We have the wobbly Schefter report and the all but certainly worthless Big Lead post already mentioned. Also:

Positive: NFL Network reporter (and OSU alum who irritatingly uses "the") Albert Breer has a couple tweets indicating the supposed Ballke hire would be bad for the 49ers in their pursuit of Harbaugh:

Hearing front-office structure/GM is vital to landing Jim Harbaugh for NFL teams. And that could put Baalke's candidacy in peril with 49ers. Basically, if the Niners really want Harbaugh, might have to pass on Baalke. We'll see. Either way, who the GM is, is very important to JH.

All that said, Michigan's still a very viable option for Harbaugh. I don't think there are many NFL jobs better than that one.

Negative: Schefter tweets…

Worth noting: Jim Harbaugh does not have blind loyalty to Michigan. He still remembers being bypassed for Mich QB coaching job in 2002.

…wait, what? Because Lloyd Carr didn't hire Harbaugh in 2002 he wouldn't be the head coach, thereby getting the ultimate-I'm-nailing-your-ex revenge on Carr? There was a different AD, different coaching staff, and now the current guy is a former teammate of his who escorted Carr out the door earlier this year. If Brandon asks, the fact that someone else didn't want him to be QB coach doesn't seem like it would play a factor.

Bah.

Schefter also expanded on that NFL feeling from the twitters on the four letter, and it was transcribed by the News:

"Now, there is a real feeling around the league he would prefer be in the NFL, but it will have to be a situation and an organization that is aligned in a way Jim Harbaugh wants it to be, and if that's the case then maybe he makes the jump to go to San Francisco, but Michigan is clearly interested and is making his decision difficult."

Schefter believes Harbaugh's decision could come as early as the middle of the week. Stanford is scheduled to return to Palo Alto, Calif., by 8 p.m. Detroit time on Tuesday.

"I would say sometime 24 hours after that we should be able to get a decision on whether Jim Harbaugh will be leaving Stanford to go to the NFL or whether Jim Harbaugh will be going to Michigan," Schefter said. "All along, we've said Michigan is in play and it would be up to an NFL team to convince him not to go to Ann Arbor and make it worth his while to prevent him from going to the college ranks, and that's exactly what's going to happen.

"If there's an NFL team out there, a la, the 49ers that can come with a compelling enough offer and make it worth his while, then he's going to the NFL."

Kirk Herbstreit said the opposite as the college and NFL guys displayed their biases. A "feeling around the league" is about as worthwhile as a feeling from Ann Arbor, because NFL guys can't think of anything else they'd rather do up to and including see their children.

Positive: On 97.1 this afternoon, Doug Karsch asserted that "two very connected sources" within the athletic department said that if offered the job, Harbaugh would come and that if he doesn't it's because Michigan didn't offer the job, something no one believes will happen. This is the Ann Arbor version of "feeling around the league."

Comments

jmblue

January 3rd, 2011 at 4:13 PM ^

Not to mention that Brian just noted on the front page that RR has "lost" some players currently on the team.  Retaining him might lead to more transfers than firing him.

Joined: 11/07/2008

MGoPoints: 102712

Huntington Wolverine

January 3rd, 2011 at 4:45 PM ^

Also, while some players have been publicly supportive, a lot of parents have jumped ship and have met with Brandon expressing frustration at goings-on on the defense. Some players may have been "lost" by the bowl debacle as well.

Sounds like the frustrations are on the defensive side of the ball, not with RR explicitly.  I'm guessing the players are really frustrated with GERG:

1) Roh asks to be moved back to D-line from LB

2) RR forces GERG to play Demens over Ezeh

3) the stuffed animal and the awkward responses in the postgame presser

4) general confusion within the defensive substitutions and units

5) GERG having LBs line up too close to line of scrimmage

For all the talk of RR making GERG do things, GERG agreed to this job and could've walked at anytime if he wasn't being allowed to run the D his way. 

Joined: 10/26/2009

MGoPoints: 2588

Logan88

January 3rd, 2011 at 5:16 PM ^

You keep using the words "certainly" and "definitely" in regards to UM's improvement, yet those are mere articles of faith on your part...unless you are THE_KNOWLEDGE.

Either that or I have to conlude like Inigo that, "I don't think that word means what you think it means."

(EDIT: This post was supposed to be a reply to His Dudeness...not sure what happened.)

Joined: 01/05/2009

MGoPoints: 8078

skunk bear

January 3rd, 2011 at 3:48 PM ^

Virtually every team teaches fundamentals up to a point. But, teams that are fundamentally sound stress the fundamentals. It is a choice. Scheme vs. fundamentals. Boring, hard tackling drills or fun, snazzy new plays. You only have so much time at practice.

But, you crawl before learning to walk, learn the alphabet before you learn to read and learn arithmetic before you learn algebra.

Schemes are designed to put players into position to make plays. If your player can't make the play even when in position to do so, your scheme breaks down on a fundamental level. It is what we have been seeing. These guys need to learn how to tackle, catch, etc. better than they do now. Expecting them to improve fundamentally simply because they are older or have played some in games is expecting the unreasonable.

They would get better , as they got older and played more, so long as they were being properly schooled in the fundamentals at the same time.

If this staff was focused on the fundamentals, you would see such improvement over time. Alas, we still tackle poorly, catch poorly, kick poorly, etc.

 

 

Joined: 03/09/2010

MGoPoints: 1971

Logan88

January 3rd, 2011 at 5:19 PM ^

Yessir.

The sad thing is that we were warned of these issues by WVU fans during the first year. Most of us put their claims that RR's offense was too simplistic (particularly the passing game) and that he was loyal to a fault to "his guys" down as mad ramblings of a jilted fanbase, but I think it is pretty clear that their observations were spot on.

Joined: 01/05/2009

MGoPoints: 8078

dankbrogoblue

January 3rd, 2011 at 4:28 PM ^

You have to crawl before you learn to walk, and you have to struggle before you get better. Unfortunately for us, that struggle had to be on the field of play. It's extremely asinine to think that our players won't improve.

I'm honestly indifferent to who our head coach is at this point. I don't think RichRod deserves to be fired, but something about JH sounds refreshing (probably just in that our fanbase would finally stfu). I do however think it is stupid to think that hiring another HC is the only solution to the problems we see. Hire Harbaugh because he's our dream coach, don't fire RichRod because we hit the program-reset button and growth is slow and hard to watch.

Joined: 11/12/2008

MGoPoints: 4021

skunk bear

January 3rd, 2011 at 4:45 PM ^

Brandon has been attending our practices as part of the evaluation. If our AD likes what is going on in practice that can only help RR.

If the only thing to go on is performance on the field of play RR is gone.

BTW: I didn't say the players wouldn't improve at all, (if that was meant for me), I mean to say that if you want players to tackle, catch, kick, etc., well,  you need to teach them how. Not a little bit of teaching, but a lot.

One problem of a complicated scheme is that it takes time away from working on fundamentals. One advantage of a simpler scheme is that it often only requires proper fundamental play.

Joined: 03/09/2010

MGoPoints: 1971

jtmc33

January 3rd, 2011 at 3:25 PM ^

First, the fans, University, and media would all hold hands and sing The Victors in unison for the first time since November of 2006. Whether that can be parlayed into a "good" 2011 on the football field? Who knows.... (P.S. - I'm not holding hands with D. Sharp when we all sing.)

Joined: 04/15/2009

MGoPoints: 10052

08mms

January 3rd, 2011 at 3:30 PM ^

Ideally, improvement on fundamentals (especially on the D side of the ball).  The offense will likely not see any tectonic improvements, but hopefully the talented pieces can be redeployed in a manner that is at least relatively effective.  Even with experience, the complexity of the offense as it is now run leads me to believe it will never reliably win games all on its own and without a change i'd imagine our recruiting will go into a death spiral.

Joined: 07/02/2009

MGoPoints: 2141

Big Boutros

January 3rd, 2011 at 3:35 PM ^

It's a fair question. This isn't a great answer, but it will reenergize or reinvigorate or SHAKE WEIGHT the program. The roster might not be national championship caliber but Harbaugh will talk some shit and steal a recruit and maybe get a lucky bounce to beat Michigan State in Year One. We all saw the bowl game, and its aftermath; Rich Rod is totally shelled. Vacant. In a sport like college football, the myth, the mojo--however lacking in substance it may be--is equal to the results on the field. Rich Rod has done two things here: lose a lot of football games and diminish in swagger. Harbaugh, if nothing else, will stroll into Schembechler Hall with his balls swinging and a burning sweater vest in his hand. It will make people feel better. Ultimately, that is the purpose of sports fanaticism and it will be served by his arrival.

Joined: 07/08/2008

MGoPoints: 23338

michgoblue

January 3rd, 2011 at 3:22 PM ^

I hate to break it to you, but if RR stays, we have a few more years of rebuilding ahead of us.  The defense is starting from ground zero.  The rebuild process could only be better with JH.  Couldn't be worse.

Ditto for special teams.  Regardless of who is there, we have to rebuild special teams.  I guess I just have lost faith in RR to handle that rebuild.

As for the offense, while many RR defenders laud that as the area of strength, I disagree.  Our offensie is only a strength if our only goal is to beat up on crappy teams.  If we want to actually win games against quality teams, our offense has a ways to go. 

Joined: 11/16/2009

MGoPoints: 32160

His Dudeness

January 3rd, 2011 at 3:34 PM ^

We have a first year QB... who just put up 1500/2000. Our offense is fine. Defense, sure but that has nowhere to go but up. I just think if we bring in JH you can press eject on the offense and the defense will be where it is now.

Joined: 11/24/2008

MGoPoints: -973290

dahblue

January 3rd, 2011 at 4:51 PM ^

The offense isn't fine.  It tumbled as the season wore on.  We only averaged 16/game over the last three and just under 21/game in our six losses.  That isn't so hot.  Turnovers...still a huge problem on offense.  

Of course Denard (a sophomore, not freshman) is an exceptional talent, but that one player doesn't make a winning offense.  Just think what a weapon he can be (and how high his pro prospects can soar) when in the hands of a more flexible coach.

Joined: 11/09/2009

MGoPoints: 5253

jmblue

January 3rd, 2011 at 4:06 PM ^

You are making the assumption that JH is an inflexible "system" coach who can't adapt to his personnel.  Based on what he's done with Josh Johnson and now Andrew Luck, I disagree.

Joined: 11/07/2008

MGoPoints: 102712

WolvinLA2

January 3rd, 2011 at 4:24 PM ^

I know people say this a lot, but why do you think so? What players of ours are ill-fitted for JH? Maybe a Vincent Smith, but then we also have guys like Hopkins and Toussaint, and Shaw for a year. Our receivers and linemen are good for any offense. Unless you're saying Denard can't throw well enough, but I disagree, especially with another year of coaching.

Joined: 11/13/2009

MGoPoints: 58191

08mms

January 3rd, 2011 at 3:26 PM ^

Even if DRob transfers (sad face), Gardner is still waiting in the wings with a year of conditioning and probably a more natural physical fit for a hybrid/pro-style offense (height + deep ball).  Excepting another unholy rash of transfers, our offense should be a bit more robust this time around and our defense will start from wherever it is regardless of a transition.  

Joined: 07/02/2009

MGoPoints: 2141

snowcrash

January 3rd, 2011 at 3:47 PM ^

Looking at that Stanford video, Harbaugh likes to use a lot of different formations and personnel packages. They ran a good number of plays out of a spread set. If he could convince D Robinson to stay, I think he would be able to incorporate the zone read into his offense. That said, I would be very surprised if Harbaugh were able to use Robinson as effectively as RR would. I think the offense would regress at first, but it wouldn't necessarily fall off a cliff.   

Joined: 07/22/2008

MGoPoints: 6605

MBAgoblue

January 3rd, 2011 at 3:24 PM ^

Harbaugh contract, Clause 36B:

When hired, JH must wear the outfit in the photo above on the sidelines at least 1X per year for now and evermore, or until god smites Columbus with a mighty fireball, whichever shall come first.

There's your breakdown in negotiations right there.

Joined: 07/09/2008

MGoPoints: 2623