Is there anyone on our staff you'd like retained if we got a new coach?
Yes, this is another post about coaching changes.
If we were to get a new coach, would you want a whole new staff? For instance, if Matt Campbell were hired, would you want him to bring everyone from ISU over? This didn't really work out for Frost at Nebraska who took all of the UCF staff with him, but I do believe there should be some sort of continuity if/when a new head coach comes. It does look like much of the ISU staff has stayed with Campbell from Toledo. There are only 2 or 3 from the UM staff I like at this point, Warinner, Moore, and maybe Jean-Mary.
December 1st, 2020 at 2:42 PM ^
I honestly wish they would get the Harbaugh firing over with and make Gattis interim so we could see what we have there. Hard to judge him under Harbaugh.
December 1st, 2020 at 2:44 PM ^
I honestly wish people would stop thinking they are gonna fire Harbaugh. It ain't happening. He might not get renewed, but he isn't getting fired either.
December 1st, 2020 at 2:45 PM ^
I actually think you are correct but that doesn't change what I said.
December 1st, 2020 at 3:11 PM ^
I'm sorry, it's just been one of those days, I didn't mean to come across snarky. I wish it were different, but I said this in another thread, I believe he will be back. I think he agreed to a contract before Covid, and it wasn't announced because they were laying people off, and shutting down different sports. He was one of the first, if not the first coaches in America to publically take a reduction in pay, and then Howard followed suit. I don't know if Izzo did, and I can't think of another big name coach across the country that did. Harbaugh, for all his coaching failures has built up a ton of good will at the University. I think people better start getting used to the notion that he will probably be back for 3 more years, at least, after next year. He will tell Warde he can fix it, and will be determined to do so.
December 1st, 2020 at 3:26 PM ^
I hope you're wrong, but I don't think you are...
December 1st, 2020 at 3:38 PM ^
If that was the case they’d have announced it already to stop the potential recruiting cliff they’re about to drive off. Either that or they’re the stupidest athletic department ever.
December 1st, 2020 at 4:17 PM ^
We all took a reduction in pay. He makes more in a year than most people make in multiple lifetimes. Not to mention he really wasn’t doing any work. Let’s not make him into a hero because he got a forced paycut for ‘coaching’ football. Quite frankly he’s getting paid right now and I’m not sure he’s doing any work.
December 1st, 2020 at 4:26 PM ^
I don't know about 3 more years but I definitely think Warde will not make a decision on Harbaugh's future based on the COVID year. If next year is as bad as this one, I think that may be a different story.
December 1st, 2020 at 6:13 PM ^
If Vanderbilt, a program that literally treats football as a side distraction, can fire a coach during a pandemic, what are we doing here?
December 1st, 2020 at 4:58 PM ^
Correct.
You can’t fire someone who quit in 2016.
December 1st, 2020 at 5:48 PM ^
Wowza!! I don't know if I can call this comment hitting the nail in the head. It stings more to hear this truth. Like hitting your funny bone...
December 1st, 2020 at 5:10 PM ^
I *hope* not to see Harbaugh as the leader of this program past this season. My personal view.
December 1st, 2020 at 7:40 PM ^
After the MSU debacle, he ceased to be the leader of this program.
December 1st, 2020 at 2:46 PM ^
I've advocated this. It's a total moonshot--I think the chances that Gattis is serious HC material right now are quite low, and while I believe Harbaugh has a negative effect on his offense, there are also some play designs that aren't very good that I have a hard time explaining as anything other than Gattis not doing a great job.
Having Harbaugh step down early and letting Gattis run the show for a couple of weeks is just taking a chance you'll role double sixes. It's small but it's worth a shot. You'd hate to be the team that gave up on the next big thing.
But Michigan does not fire guys midseason, and so it won't happen, and it's not the end of the world.
December 1st, 2020 at 2:48 PM ^
The chances of Josh Gattis being offensive coordinator material right now are even lower. Took our offense from 40th to 51st to 79th. He's awful and a bigger problem than even Don Brown.
December 1st, 2020 at 2:56 PM ^
Perhaps, but the issue is that we really don't know that for sure. We don't know how much input Gattis has and/or how much override Harbaugh has.
December 1st, 2020 at 3:03 PM ^
This... We're seeing things from the offense that Harbaugh has done his entire career - the same things that are the opposite from what Gattis has said his offense will be. How much is Harbaugh, how much is Gattis?
December 1st, 2020 at 3:48 PM ^
Agree, I wanted to believe that Gattis was running the show but after this year, I don't anymore. Man ball runs up the middle in obvious running situations, play action on 3rd and long, absolutely no tempo at all and even worse during a 2 minute situation. Those are all Harbaugh trademarks that we complained about when "things were good". He is the one constant throughout all of the changes. I'm not saying Gattis is good or should be given a shot, but I would like to see it just for the hell of it.
December 1st, 2020 at 4:59 PM ^
We are doing manball up the middle because Gattis doesn't have a run game. I mean. At all. A few trick plays which apparently have no constraints, but otherwise, nothing.
Did you watch the Army game last year? That was Gattis' run game. Thank the lord for Warrinner and Harbaugh or that would have been the whole of 2019.
December 1st, 2020 at 5:28 PM ^
So its practice. Gattis has them practicing tempo and they are getting to the line quickly and executing, then Harbaugh comes over and says “hey hey hey i dont want to see us be able to execute a 2 minute offense, now fuck up and take forever.” You people and your hate for Harbaugh is making you say stupid shit. This offense is run by Gattis and is shit. Is it Harbaughs shit as well sure, but its Gattis offense and his play calls. Stop the love for this trash.
December 1st, 2020 at 3:03 PM ^
Sorry but I'm with Steven on this one. I would love to see Gattis without the influence of Harbaugh, I mean really without any of his influence, before judging. Here's what I know:
1. Harbaugh is a notorious meddler in the offense and has been since the day he arrived here. We had an OC by committee for a couple of years too and who do you think in that committee got the final say over the playcall?
2. He walks the sidelines with Goddamn playsheet for gosh sakes. Why do you suppose he carries that? Hint: it's not a stage prop.
3. Gattis knows what his boss wants and what his boss doesnt want. Like any employee with half a brain who wants to keep his job. If your over the age of 30 I'll bet you've had a boss like Jim who, if they didnt explicitly tell you what to do, sure made their desires known and made sure you were very aware when you didnt meet them.
4. Watch games from 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018 then compare the playcalls to 2019 & 2020. VERY similar (run, run, pass) and Gattis wasnt here for the first four years. And the running is seemingly always between the tackles by a RB.
5. Every QB with the exception of Rudock has regressed during their time here. And Jim is very involved in the QB coaching.
6. Gattis is young, seems very bright, articulate and would connect, IMO, one hell of a lot better with our players than our "quirky" head coach does right now.
I'm actually way more bullish on Gattis in full effect than even Steven is. But I know we're never going to see "him" as long as Jim is hovering over him on the sidelines making sure he calls the right plays.
December 1st, 2020 at 4:14 PM ^
Giving him an offense with two qbs who can't throw (one or both is injured) isn't going to tell us much either though. Still like to have Harbaugh give him a game. I am sure he connects way better with the players.
December 1st, 2020 at 5:20 PM ^
Yep, its amazing to me that people are blaming Gattis for the offense. He may very well be terrible, but we have no idea. I mentioned some things above and you listed them and more here that make it blatantly obvious that these gameplans are more Harbaugh than Gattis.
I can't say for sure, but I'd be willing to bet Gattis could get a play called and snapped without letting the clock bleed to 2 seconds.
December 1st, 2020 at 3:39 PM ^
This board has devolved even further into confirmation bias. If you hate the head coach, every offensive failure is because he meddled in the offense. If you like the head coach, the inexperienced coordinator clearly is the failure. What I find interesting though, is the only thing that has worked for this offense lately is that which is more aligned with the head coach, power running between the tackles. I still don’t get how so many of you have convinced yourselves that every offensive failure is because the head coach put his fingerprints on the offense. It is staggering.
December 1st, 2020 at 3:50 PM ^
That's not entirely true. Cade had like 5 TDs against Rutgers...it was a well-balanced attack of run and pass that was so effective in that comeback.
And PSU had only running success, true, but Cade's arm was falling off and Joe Milton couldn't hit the broadside of a barn, so it's hard to have a passing attack when your QBs can't complete a forward pass.
Not to mention it was the Indiana and Wisconsin games where our running attack was so nonexistant that we were on the receiving end of a rushing rutger two weeks in a row.
Point being, the offensive failures are being spread around by everyone.
December 1st, 2020 at 3:52 PM ^
Because his record here is 14-18 when the opposing team scores 20, which is pitiful, and 0-11 when they score 30 (multiple overtime games against Rutgers and Indiana don't count). 20 or 30 are not high scoring games anymore.
Where do you see the power running between the tackles working? In the loss to winless Penn State? In overtime vs. Rutgers when they tried really hard to give the game away doing that?
December 1st, 2020 at 4:22 PM ^
1. I dont "hate the head coach". In fact I was a huge fan of his when he was in school (I graduated in 81) and in the pros. And i'm sad and disapointed it hasnt worked here.
2. Please point me to the games this year where running between the tackles worked.
3. It's not confirmation bias to notice that the one constant is Harbaugh, not Gattis, over the past 5 years. And noticing patterns that repeat each year - regardless of who was calling the plays - speaks to the constant over those years (Harbaugh) being the reason, not the variable (Gattis).
Not sure how old you are or where you are in your career but I have worked for a LOT of "Jim Harbaugh's" over the years. And while they might not have told you directly what to do - they absolutely make their feelings known on what would make them happy and what they would dislike. And most employees in every industry try and please their boss - not anger them.
December 1st, 2020 at 2:43 PM ^
Warinner tops the list easily. The only other guy that may add value could be Zordich with the CBs.
But if everyone leaves except one assistant, Warinner is unquestionably the guy I want to keep.
December 1st, 2020 at 5:05 PM ^
Warinner, Zordich and maybe Jean-Mary. But coaching cohesion has to be top priority next staff. I hated my boss hiring my people without my input, and I assume that's what has happened here. Total chaos on both sides of the ball and nobody on the same page.
December 1st, 2020 at 6:33 PM ^
Zordich is a fucking awful recruiter. I don't care if he can teach players how to clutch and grab with the best of them. The shitshow that is this year's secondary is on him.
December 1st, 2020 at 2:44 PM ^
Zordich instead of Jean-Mary
December 1st, 2020 at 2:45 PM ^
If you are just going by results, Jean-Mary is a horrible coach.
December 1st, 2020 at 2:49 PM ^
Why do you say that? He seemed to do a good job on the recruiting trail and is only coaching Viper/SAM. I don't think those positions have really been a big part of the defensive issues this year,
December 1st, 2020 at 2:45 PM ^
Zordich I'm kinda done with. 90% of it is probably because of Don Brown, but I wouldn't mind him staying
December 1st, 2020 at 2:51 PM ^
Only keep Zordich if we have a DC who can make up for Zordich's lack or recruiting chops
December 1st, 2020 at 3:03 PM ^
I don't want anybody on the staff who can't be at least a good recruiter. On this staff that leaves Moore, Gattis and Warinner for sure. Maybe Jaybaugh and Jean Mary. I would like a totally fresh start but would have no problem with Moore and Warinner.
December 1st, 2020 at 2:44 PM ^
I'm ok with brooming everyone out and starting over. I'd be fine with Warriner, Herbert, and MAYBE Gattis. Anyone else is gonna get some serious side eye.
December 1st, 2020 at 2:45 PM ^
Warinner
December 1st, 2020 at 2:45 PM ^
I think we should keep Zack Morris and AC Slater, Screech can kick rocks though
December 1st, 2020 at 2:57 PM ^
Keep Kelly Kapowski for sure
December 1st, 2020 at 2:49 PM ^
I'm sure the custodians at Shembechler Hall are doing a fine job. They can stay.
December 1st, 2020 at 2:50 PM ^
Coach Warinner he is an excellent OL coach
December 1st, 2020 at 3:15 PM ^
He really isn't though. Our OL under him has never been dominate despite having NFL Talent across it.
Sure, from an individual perspective, he seems to get the job done developing the guys, but we have never been a cohesive unit under him. We've had nothing more than average lines that whiff and stumble over their own feet way too much.
And the stretch under him without a true OT commit is almost as criminal as what's happened to our D-Line.
We need a complete reset. Broom them all out.
December 1st, 2020 at 3:24 PM ^
I'll disagree! He has had to reinvent his OL every year, during the season, because of offensive 'philosophy' changes. In 2018, he took the crap the Drevno left behind and turned them into a functional unit despite having to rebuild and conjure up a running game midseason. In 2019, he had to solidify and (again) rebuild another running attack that sucked out of the gate. This year his new parts (trained, but inexperienced) all got injured, leaving only untrained replacements. They have visibly improved the last two games.
Warriner is good.
December 1st, 2020 at 3:33 PM ^
Warriner is our best assistant but that doesn't make him a good coach. He's average and he's certainly replaceable.
December 1st, 2020 at 3:26 PM ^
yet our oline can't move the d-line enough for our 6'5" 245# QB to convert on a 1 yard QB sneak....
i really don't think our Oline looks like it's being coached by an excellent coach.
December 1st, 2020 at 3:29 PM ^
When the defense has 9 men inside the box waiting for the QB that's alone in the backfield, with no wideouts, there isn't much the two guys (center and guard) can do when the QB runs straight ahead...
December 1st, 2020 at 3:32 PM ^
Why didn't we think of this when we faced Wisconsin?
December 1st, 2020 at 4:38 PM ^
Well they’re mostly freshmen and we played our #6, #7 and #9 offensive linemen against Penn State after injuries. So is it that our OL aren’t well-coached? Or is it that you’re expecting positive contribution from young guys who shouldn’t be playing yet?
December 1st, 2020 at 6:52 PM ^
I’m talking about his overall body of work here. It’s not good. It’s the definition of average.