All quiet on the Harbaugh front...for now.
So a contract extension is allegedly on the table, JH is allegedly on vacay in Cali, and both JH and WM are allegedly waiting to see if the NFL comes calling for the Quarterback Whisperer. Allegedly.
If both sides really wanted this deal done, guess what? It would have been done. Absolute silence on an extension. What does that tell you? It tells me that having JH as the HC, for next year and beyond, is both sides’ back up plan. WM is offering Harbaugh what he probably thinks is an inferior deal so he says “shove it I’m outta here”. That’s because he doesn’t have the guts (or buyout money) to fire him. Let’s make him an offer he CAN refuse. Harbaugh is going to use the offer as leverage to get an NFL job. But if the extension isn’t a great one, what kind of leverage can JH have?
I say chances of Harbaugh leaving: 50/50.
December 20th, 2020 at 7:09 PM ^
Corching sounds quite painful although I’m sure will will find it satisfying.
December 20th, 2020 at 6:05 PM ^
Christmas Eve news dump on the extension
December 20th, 2020 at 6:09 PM ^
The old day before a holiday long weekend 5:30pm dump.
December 20th, 2020 at 6:06 PM ^
Maybe the reason some coaches followed Moorhead is because they're about to hired at Oregon?
December 20th, 2020 at 6:15 PM ^
Warde is now free to talk to Campbell and Fickell and arguably the 2 Clemson Coordinators.
Saying nothing now doesn’t mean “giving Harbaugh time to find an NFL offer” like some people assume. It gives Warde time to talk to other candidates and Harbaugh time to scope out new assistants*
December 20th, 2020 at 7:41 PM ^
It’s just as possible as anything else.
December 20th, 2020 at 6:16 PM ^
Starting to think a year of Gattis as interim head coach is their solution to simultaneously not spending money and not feeling like they completely lied to recruits. And yes, I realize this is a wild, baseless guess.
December 20th, 2020 at 6:29 PM ^
Now there’s an interesting thought
December 20th, 2020 at 6:30 PM ^
I see we have more sports talk radio on the blog tonight. #FirstTimeLongTime
December 20th, 2020 at 6:30 PM ^
50/50. What a bold statement. That’s like saying there’s a 50% chance of rain. Shrug your shoulders, it happens or it doesn’t.
December 20th, 2020 at 6:33 PM ^
While we are sharing complete and total guesses, my take is the delay is more associated with determining position coach and coordinator changes. I could see them announcing Harbaugh’s return, Don Brown deciding it’s time to retire, and the hire of somebody to replace him all at once.
December 20th, 2020 at 6:59 PM ^
I kind of agree with this. Just announcing Harbaugh's extension by itself lends itself to get scrutinized by the media, fans, former players,etc. If Harbaugh told recruits he would be back and they would fix the issues at hand then I can see why they would've stayed on board. By them changing the landscape of the defensive staffing side of the ball, and perhaps some offensive staff changes as well, then you announce those together and it gets everyone a little more excited. To accomplish this, you have to get some good, strong coaches and recruiters on board with these hires.
December 20th, 2020 at 7:27 PM ^
This is a good call. They may also be, quite simply, still haggling over some of the details. But a lot may lie--in terms of Jim's ego--in the way the agreement is presented to the public, so if they announce an incentive-laden but not wildly lucrative new contract PLUS a bunch of flashy new coaches, that may prove a lot more appealing to all concerned.
I'm always surprised that people making assertive-sounding but (in truth) random-ass guesses about these things aren't more willing to admit that there may be a shit-ton of variables we're completely unaware of.
Having said all that, I could also see Jimmy just wanting some more time to think. After all, this is pretty fateful stuff he's deciding. Three-four years down the road the NFL may no longer be an option. I'd certainly be looking at every option.
December 20th, 2020 at 7:31 PM ^
Yes, and if you announce his contract by itself, people will scrutinize every fine detail. If you make some flashy hires as you said, it makes it a little harder to pick apart exactly what is going on.
December 20th, 2020 at 8:33 PM ^
Given Harbaugh’s clock management, is anyone surprised the clock continues to run on him signing the contract?
I’m guessing the clock continues to run while many of the good candidates get signed elsewhere and then Michigan announces the hire of some retreads and we all try to find the good news in between the obvious question of why? Why did it take this long?
December 20th, 2020 at 6:36 PM ^
Great insight...to nothing.
December 20th, 2020 at 6:55 PM ^
Insight...Harbaugh on vacay in Cali? Literally everything is shut down there. That's the first clue to no insight.
December 20th, 2020 at 7:40 PM ^
None implied.
December 20th, 2020 at 8:13 PM ^
Interviewing with the Spanos. Where do u think they'd rather live ? AA or San Diego ?
December 20th, 2020 at 6:37 PM ^
There's no reason for it to drag out this long unless either Harbaugh doesn't like the deal and is waiting on an NFL team or Michigan just operates at half the speed of smell on everything important.
December 21st, 2020 at 12:38 AM ^
I mean you’ve seen the tempo at which the football team lines up and snaps the ball presumably...
December 20th, 2020 at 6:37 PM ^
Incompetence. Sure I would dislike Warde a lot more if he extends Harbaugh but I’d have a lot more respect for him if he at least did something. If the OPs opinion of how this negotiation is being managed is true, it’s embarrassing.
December 20th, 2020 at 7:29 PM ^
What’s embarrassing is that simply because you’re not privy to the why’s and wherefores of a delay, because it’s “above your pay grade”, you assume incompetence. Just admit that you don’t know why and your not savvy enough in contractual matters of this sort to understand what’s going on.
December 20th, 2020 at 7:38 PM ^
Just my opinion Sven. I didn’t think one had to bug Warde’s office or Jim’s home to give an opinion on something that’s at the forefront of the minds of people who actually give a shit about Michigan football.
December 20th, 2020 at 9:26 PM ^
I was responding to ER
December 20th, 2020 at 8:30 PM ^
Other than some PR bump, that I'm skeptical of, what's the positive to dragging this out if a decision is made?
December 20th, 2020 at 9:32 PM ^
What’s the negative? The people who need to know — the current players, recruits and their families, and staff —ostensibly know what’s going to happen. I get that fans want to know, but claiming malfeasance and incompetence out of frustration is ridiculous.
December 21st, 2020 at 10:25 AM ^
Yeah not sure about everyone’s rush.
Either he’s being brought back and it absolutely doesn’t matter when it’s announced as he’s under contract next year anyway.
Or he’s leaving for the NFL (regular season doesn’t end until the 3rd, when most jobs would be opening up) and the guys you’d WANT for the job just coached for conference titles on Saturday night and probably don’t want to enter contract talks the week after which also happens to be Christmas week.
December 20th, 2020 at 6:50 PM ^
50/50, that’s a pretty bold prediction
December 20th, 2020 at 6:51 PM ^
Man another insider.
December 20th, 2020 at 6:56 PM ^
Even when Michigan doesn't play a football game, they still suck at tempo.
Waiting on what the NFL says is a dick move by both parties. Either you want to stay or you don't. Either you want JH gone or you don't.
December 20th, 2020 at 6:56 PM ^
He signed the extension and they’re waiting to finalize staff changes to announce them all at once.
December 20th, 2020 at 9:56 PM ^
Ding ding. This is the reason, IMO. Michigan's athletic dept is as corporate as it gets and this is how the corporate world does things. They never piece meal announcements. It all comes at one time even though everyone knows what's happening at least 2 days prior. So the announcement never comes as a surprise to anyone.
December 20th, 2020 at 6:57 PM ^
I was just wondering: what does Spookers think?
And now I know.
Thanks, Spookers.
December 20th, 2020 at 7:33 PM ^
Your Welcome. That’s what MGo Board is for!
December 20th, 2020 at 6:58 PM ^
Quit drinking the eggnog, and go to bed.
December 20th, 2020 at 7:02 PM ^
Seems fairly obvious that he’s waiting for the Lions to offer. Keeps him in Ann Arbor close to family and puts him back in the NFL where he can be himself again.
December 20th, 2020 at 7:48 PM ^
It will probably be less than two weeks before the GM is hired. Obviously, that person is getting interviewed about what kind of HC he wants and candidates. Definitely would be interesting to know what certain NFL front office people REALLY think of JH's fit back into the NFL.
December 20th, 2020 at 7:03 PM ^
This unique thought definitely needed its own thread, for sure.
December 20th, 2020 at 7:11 PM ^
Harbaugh to the Jags now.
December 20th, 2020 at 7:20 PM ^
Sailboat Jim!
December 20th, 2020 at 7:27 PM ^
I recently found the wording on a Don Brown search from Wikipedia interesting. It says he was most recently the Defensive Coordinator for the University of Michigan. I did numerous other searches for coordinators and they all said is currently the insert coordinator for insert school. No other search used the word *was* except for Brown. Kind of interesting to me.
December 20th, 2020 at 8:10 PM ^
I think anyone can edit a wiki page.
December 20th, 2020 at 8:26 PM ^
I think so, yes, just find it funny, and interesting, that no other coordinator i could find was changed to *was*.
December 20th, 2020 at 7:43 PM ^
Really no reason now to announce anything before the bowls. NFL will be required to interview multiple people to meet the Rooney Rule requirements so JH will likely not get much formal notice until two more weeks.
December 20th, 2020 at 7:53 PM ^
The amount of equivocation and assumptions in the first sentence sort of negate the rest of this post. But sure, it's a day that ends in "Y" so why not fan fic the UM coaching position.
December 20th, 2020 at 8:09 PM ^
On vacation in California, interviewing maybe with the Spanos? Can't see a better fit for him with Herbert.
December 20th, 2020 at 8:16 PM ^
Agree. Already posted that if he goes, he goes San Diego.
December 21st, 2020 at 2:27 PM ^
What’s in San Diego?
December 20th, 2020 at 8:15 PM ^
Wow - hope you didn't hurt anything getting to that tortured conclusion from dubious "facts"