Column on the Harbaugh Paradox
This column encapsulated well the divergence between the casual (or at least non-Michigan) football fan's perception of Harbaugh's time here, and my sense of the reaction of the most engaged Michigan fans.
https://www.michigandaily.com/section/football/max-marcovitch-harbaugh-paradox
The writer's doctor seems to see Harbaugh as a coach who took a team to the Super Bowl, and generally as one of the best known coaches at any level, meaning that not making the CFB or beating OSU in 4 years are the main legacy of his time at Michigan. My sense is that readers of this blog look at the decade prior to 2015 and see just 2 seasons ('06 and '11) that compare to 3 of the last 4.
August 26th, 2019 at 10:01 PM ^
Popcorn and lawnchair
August 26th, 2019 at 10:02 PM ^
Eh, 2017 compares closely with 2012.
August 26th, 2019 at 10:24 PM ^
In isolation, barely. In context (2013 vs. 2018, trend, etc.), not at all.
August 26th, 2019 at 10:50 PM ^
Eh? Fer sure you hoser but normally it's like: "Don't ya think '12 compares to '17, eh?"
August 27th, 2019 at 8:59 AM ^
Perhaps, but 2012 was considered a pretty decent year at the time (win against Sparty, close game against OSU, last second bowl loss). 2017 is by far the worst of the last 4 seasons.
August 27th, 2019 at 9:22 AM ^
Um, I think that was the one year not included in the "3 of the last 4" mentioned in the OP, so, yeah.
August 26th, 2019 at 10:12 PM ^
Excellent article. One I'm probably going to have to save and send to a few people throughout this season when Michigan wins in an ugly fashion.
August 26th, 2019 at 10:56 PM ^
I live in SEC country now, and I get this trash all the time.
Harbaugh loves his job, loves his life there, and isn't leaving any time soon.
AND he is building a monster. The days are coming when we will laugh at this talk. We will win The Game this year. And next year. And with the difference that could make in recruiting, we may be looking at the next big streak in the rivalry. 8 of the next 10 or so.
I just keep telling people to listen to Attack Each Day, when they ask me what Harbaugh is like. It's a tragedy that so many listen to Penishead Finebaum. Have patience. The narrative is changing.
August 27th, 2019 at 7:54 AM ^
My daughter plays soccer with a kid whose father is an ND alum, and he was giving me Harbaugh dookey the other day. I said much the same thing: Harbaugh is building something big; prepare your an*s.
August 27th, 2019 at 8:50 AM ^
Hey man, you can say anus, we won't get mad.
August 27th, 2019 at 9:31 AM ^
Anus, butthole, turd cutter, brown eye, anal orifice, asshole, vagina adjacent, and ass pussy. It's all good.
August 27th, 2019 at 8:14 AM ^
Living in ACC-land, I get the same thing - win now, or Harbaugh is gone, right? Wrong. Everyone mentions the 'antics', but I don't even know what that means! All the recruiting stuff is genuine - taking his shirt off in a game (something we've all done at some point); climbing a tree to fetch a lost ball because he was asked to; satellite camps... Okay, spending the night at a kickers house was weird. He's never crapped on a player, something nearly every other coach does with impunity. He's only ever replied to attacks on his team, he hasn't started word wars. I even heard how 'spotlight grabbing' he is because he took a jump off a 10m diving board. No mention that the legendary Dick Kimball challenged him to do so at a diving event...
I will completely agree that he shoots himself in the foot too often (as described in the story), which is why his public perception is tainted. But nobody - absolutely nobody - follows through with any depth about the why behind whatever he's doing. And there's always a 'why'.
August 27th, 2019 at 10:41 AM ^
...C-coaches crap on kids??
August 27th, 2019 at 9:39 AM ^
how is he building a monster ?
August 27th, 2019 at 11:47 AM ^
he is building a monster. We will win The Game this year. And next year. And with the difference that could make in recruiting, we may be looking at the next big streak in the rivalry. 8 of the next 10 or so.
I thought we could have won in 2016 and 2018 and could again in 2019, but I feel like 2020 could look more like 2017. I'm concerned how the o-line in 2020, when we lose Bredeson, Onwenu, and likely Ruiz, may limit how effective the offense can be. I'm not sure I like how we'll match up with OSU in 2020. We really need a win this year.
August 26th, 2019 at 10:37 PM ^
Interesting take. I live in Toledo. Buckeye fans always ask me “when you gonna get rid of that coach of yours?” Sports is interesting in getting to that elite level. Most of the time it takes some growing pains. Doing something hard in sports requires getting the opportunity as often as possible. An ncaa basketball team like Kansas or MSU is always in position to win a national title, but in reality fall short most of the time, Sometimes it’s dumb luck. But a good program/ team will come back again even after adversity and have a chance to break through. That’s all you can ask. Sometimes Izzo loses to Middle Tennessee st. (Knock on wood here). Sometimes “Clemsoning” needs to be overcome. Maybe the Lakers losing to the Celtics in 9 straight finals needs to be put to rest. Or the Red Sox take Aaron Boone’s home run and turn the tables the next year. Coach K gets buried by UNLV and beats them the next year. As long as Harbaugh keeps bringing them back to the brink of a championship, I’ll support him. There’s a breakthrough point eventually. They’ve been a win in Columbus away from a big ten title appearance in 2 of 4 years. Didn’t happen.But good chance they could be in position again. Maybe it happens, maybe it doesn’t. But It could be much worse,
August 27th, 2019 at 12:38 AM ^
The important games we've lost in the past 4 years are disproportionately unlucky. Sadly, it feeds the narrative of 'UM can't win the big one' / 'UM can't win on the road against good opponents'
Keep bringing these opportunities to helm, and breakthrough is statistically inevitable. Beyond that ... in Harbaugh we trust.
August 27th, 2019 at 7:55 AM ^
If OP's perception is bullsh*t, it's okay not to care.
August 26th, 2019 at 10:42 PM ^
Is this like, uhhh .....Harbaugh is going to send Micheal J. Fox to the 50's and ....uhhh, convince Urban Meyer's grandfather to fall in love with Biff? Consequently, Urban Meyer fades away playing cowbell.
Sort of a "Backdoor to the Future", if ya know what I mean. (NTTAWWT)
Wait, you mean some people think he should have already beat OSU with Meyer there, while OSU was fighting it out for some of the best recruiting classes of all time? Squo?
Damn, that's ......................
August 26th, 2019 at 10:50 PM ^
I had the expectation of averaging 10+ win seasons when Harbaugh was hired. To go along with that I felt regularly contending for big ten titles and occasional playoff/championship appearances were also to be expected.
I can understand that seasons like 2017 and The Year of Infinite Pain can happen even when the program appears to be rolling. Those, I expected, are balanced out by 12+ win contending seasons. We haven’t seen it yet but there certainly have been opportunities and this year feels like another good one to achieve that level.
Where I falter with those expectations is when I think about that one or two years out of five that we are real contenders being the only time we beat OSU. I start to second guess not only if that’s enough but is more possible since I don’t really like the sound of that.
August 26th, 2019 at 11:16 PM ^
I want to re-experience the 10 year war, or some facsimile of it. The longer it takes to start that war, the greater the likelihood I won't live to see the 10th year.
August 27th, 2019 at 8:31 AM ^
Urban Meyer is gone. Ryan Day is not one of the 5 best coaches in the history of college football.
You're going to get your wish, or more likely in my opinion, we're going to do to them what they just did to us for the last decade. This really is the year, Bpone be dammed.
Fuck Ohio.
August 27th, 2019 at 9:42 AM ^
bring it on dickhead
August 27th, 2019 at 3:49 PM ^
Agree with the Hatter... unfortunately the stars didn't align for the 10yr war with Meyer, Harbaugh came in too late, and the disaster prior to him meant that he had to do damage control before he could move forward.
Now we enter the "COOPER" years again *snicker*
August 27th, 2019 at 10:50 AM ^
Loved your place in college....
August 26th, 2019 at 11:13 PM ^
It's year five of the Harbaugh era and we're taking a cruise in early October. Maybe I can catch parts of the Iowa game before we sail, but will definitely miss the Illinois match up, and I'm okay with it. Since I returned from Europe 28 years ago I haven't willingly missed a game, I've watched or listened to them all.
Six months ago my wife says, let's go on a Halloween theme cruise. I said, "Let's do it." Then it dawned on me that I'd be missing one or two games, and I was okay with it.
August 27th, 2019 at 8:51 AM ^
I think that probably has to do with lots of factors other than Michigan's success or relative lack thereof. College athletics, particularly college football, is becoming a very confusing landscape. When you combine the compensation issue, transfers, head injuries and targeting, what I perceive to be a really poorly conceived Playoff and bowl structure, restructuring, in-game stoppages and 4 hour games, there is a lot of shit to sort through to try to really stay dedicated to the product and enjoy it. Frankly, I get excited when college football is starting, but by the third week I am only watching Michigan with an occasional glance around the rest of the BIG for much of the season. I have become much more dedicated to college basketball than I have to college football over the last five years.
August 27th, 2019 at 1:18 AM ^
It's crazy how relatable that anecdote was.
I can't tell you how many times someone has asked me a variation of that same question.
I don't even know what to say because the blatant disconnect between other College Football fans and Michigan fans just seems so weird to me.
August 27th, 2019 at 11:47 AM ^
Honestly? I think they're trying to will the controversy into existence. They know that Harbaugh is a good-to-great coach who has achieved a lot in his playing and coaching career, and fully has it within him to break this program through to the highest level. So they want to generate discontent among the fanbase, they want us to run him off, and then they'll use it as exhibit A about how Michigan football fans are entitled and our expectations are unrealistic and that's why we'll never see a return to glory days.
August 27th, 2019 at 6:55 AM ^
Meh.
He's a casual fan at best, and casual fans don't have a clue what's actually going on. Even if he's crazy about another team, he doesn't pay much attention to the ins and outs of Ann Arbor like we do. As much as we like to think that Michigan is everyone's "rival", and they are; but most people look no further than the record against OSU and no B1G championships and that's it.
Finebaum? He's paid to be a dick, so he is. No one asked him to look like one too, but that's just how committed he is to his craft.
August 27th, 2019 at 7:33 AM ^
Good article. In Michigan football's days wandering in the wilderness, I wanted us to return to being part of the national conversation. Now that Harbaugh has rebuilt the program and got fans and pettifoggers talking about UM, I'd be happy for more BUT I'm also glad we're winning again.
Thanks, PeteM, for posting.
August 27th, 2019 at 8:01 AM ^
Thank you for the new word (pettifogger) - I had no idea! A visit to Wiki/Merriam-Webster is always a fun trip...
August 27th, 2019 at 7:43 AM ^
I don’t know that Saban or Urban, even Dabo could have done any better. It took Dabo and Saban years to build their machine and Urban was handed the keys to Tressels Ferrari. It’s not as if Tressel got complacent or planned on leaving OSU anytime soon. Yes I’m pissed we haven’t beat OSU but I for one want no one else coaching our team and I would feel very at ease with JH mentoring my own son.
August 27th, 2019 at 8:25 AM ^
They wouldn't have. Nobody questions Swinney because Clemson has never had Michigan's name recognition or history. He's allowed his, what, 7-9 years, of program buying, er building, because of that. Everyone expected Clemson to just 'Clemson' - and they did for years with a free pass. Clemson lost a LOT of 2016 and 2017 Michigan-OSU type matchups, and the national press chuckled it off. Michigan loses one and Harbaugh is overrated and on a hot seat. Whatever...
Even I under-estimated the rebuilding job that JH has had to do here. The lack of depth within the program... I had no idea it was that bad! But here we are, 5 years in now, and we can clearly see how bad it was, and how its been built back up. There isn't a point of view of Harbaugh's entire reign in Ann Arbor that will make me want to replace him. Not a single one.
(Well, short of a situation like *SU or Baylor... But I legit cannot see that happening with Harbaugh in town.)
August 27th, 2019 at 9:00 AM ^
There isn't a point of view of Harbaugh's entire reign in Ann Arbor that will make me want to replace him. Not a single one.
Anyone suggesting that Harbaugh should be on the hot seat and dismissed after this season if he falls short of expectations must provide the bigger, better option at Head Coach or just shut the fuck up. Should that be a board rule for this season? Let's make it a rule....
Michigan has seven, SEVEN, games on it's schedule against pre-season Top 25 teams (nevermind that Army is polling just outside of that at 27th). Meanwhile, lazy writers will sing the praises of Clemson and Alabama who have 2 and 3 games, respectively, on their schedule against Top 25 competition; and, of course, that doesn't even account for the fact, as Harbaugh has noted, that "it's hard to beat the cheaters".
August 27th, 2019 at 9:05 AM ^
The very fact that Harbaugh has forced his critics to resort to a very demanding yardstick to measure his success is a success of sorts.
August 27th, 2019 at 9:10 AM ^
The whole three 10-win seasons in four years is a much bigger deal than outsiders realize. Like the article says this is the first time in 20 years Michigan has done that. Hell, Michigan had only had four 10-win seasons total in the 15 years prior to Harbaugh. To have a chance at 10-win seasons in four of his first five years is a feat Michigan hasn't accomplished since 1976-1980 under Bo.
The reality of the seven years prior to Harbaugh is lost on anyone outside the Michigan fanbase. Yes, the season's success is measured against beating OSU and Harbaugh hasn't gotten that done and it makes for great clickbait for guys like Finebaum. Very few programs have been able to rattle off 10+ win seasons year after year; OSU, Alabama, Clemson and OU.
Beating OSU is something Harbaugh has to do, and he will get multiple wins in his career, but while it has been disappointing not beating those assholes the the south not many teams have managed to beat Urban Meyer, and OSU in general this century. OSU has won 10+ games in 15 of the last 17 years, one of which was the Fickell interim year. Urban Meyer only lost 9 games, total, in his 7 year tenure at OSU. NINE games, that's it. No one has had any consistent success against him there.
Harbaugh came here with a lot of 'our savior is here' vibe, and I was one of those people. But the idea that Michigan would fire a coach that is poised (I can't see this team with more than 3 total losses including the bowl) to get his fourth 10-win season in five years when that hasn't been seen in almost 40 years is just absurd. But even though we can see what Michigan football has been since 1997 the rest of the world seems to equate the hype with OSU and Alabama type result expectations. And when those results don't come they think it's a failure, and yes not beating OSU is a failure in itself, but Michigan was a once proud program that fell on some damn hard times and it's taken a bit longer to rebuild it into a national power.
So, no Harbaugh hasn't beaten OSU, yet, but if the trajectory he's been on since he arrived isn't the most promising we've seen in 20 years then I don't know what to tell the outsiders.
August 27th, 2019 at 11:49 AM ^
Greats points. 3 ten wins seasons in a 4-year hasn't been the norm since the 70s. And I would argue that the Big 10 is significantly tougher now than it was in '76-80 when it was basically Michigan and Ohio State along with an occasional good year from a team in the rest of the conference.
August 27th, 2019 at 9:15 AM ^
This one’s make or break for Harbaugh, right?
Even living in SE Michigan, in the home metropolitan region of the University Of Michigan, I hear this question or some version of it, and sometimes even from people inside the Michigan fanbase. The answer is "no" with a "and the job is his in perpetuity insofar as Warde Manuel seems to be concerned". I'll get flack for this, but I did not get the impression at the presser on 12/30/14 that greatness was coming now, but that it was a project and one that might be years in the making. At the time, having just been through seven seasons of tediously awful football for the most part, I was fine with that personally.
August 27th, 2019 at 9:23 AM ^
Harbaugh isn't the first Michigan HC to have had trouble early in his tenure with a legendary conference rival.
The established conference power for most of the 1930s was Minnesota under Minnesota alum Bernie Bierman; he started coaching the Gophers in '32, clinched a conference championship tie with eventual NC Michigan in 1933, and in 1934 won the first of his five national titles. Minnesota won additional conference championships in '35, '37, '38, '40, and '41, with four more NCs in '35-'36 and '40-'41. It was a record of dominance every bit the equal of what Urban Meyer achieved at OSU.
Fritz Crisler came to Michigan in 1938, and lost his first five games against Minnesota. It wasn't until 1943—when Bierman was in the Marines and Minnesota was coached by longtime Bierman assistant George Hauser—that Crisler was able to notch his first victory against the Gophers. He never lost again to Minnesota, reeling off four more victories through his final season in '47.
Bierman returned to Minnesota in '45 and coached through the 1950 season, but by then his magic had disappeared and he was never able to beat Michigan in his second stint helming the Gophers.
August 27th, 2019 at 9:58 AM ^
I do appreciate the perspective provided by the support for Harbaugh. Some things take time, particularly in a highly competitive environment. As we saw with Beilein. A bit of luck helps too, and avoidance of injuries to crucial players.
Regardless of what the football gods decree, it feels good to have the potential to do well. Let us (cautiously?) enjoy the experience.
May the stars align.
Go Blue!
August 27th, 2019 at 10:57 AM ^
yeah. I get tired of the narrative, but it doesn't bother me that much.
'Harbaugh is mediocre!' coupled with 'HE's going back to the NFL!'
and (even from some fans)
'If he doesn't beat OSU this year its done' and/or 'I'm so disappointed!'.
Newsflash to all who were blackout drunk '07 to '14. We sucked. Badly. Recruiting was a bit of a mess. Our schemes and talent development sucked. We just sucked. MSU slapped us down every chance they got. We were 31-20 under Hoke with an incredibly lucky '11 and and the trend was downward.
I think that we'll continue moving upward. I really do. But it's going to be a hard slog because it's a hard job. I think Harbaugh is the best coach for that. I see no evidence that there is any coach out there, whom we can get, who can do a better job.
So even if this is the ceiling, It's oceans better than what we had, and I'm going to enjoy it.
August 27th, 2019 at 11:21 AM ^
I keep telling everyone that asks me if Coach Harbaugh is done if he doesn't win against Ohio, or win the B1G championship. But I ask them who do you get to replace him? I am not willing to give up 10 win seasons to go through what this program has seen the last 10 years. I don't want to see 7-5 or 5-7 seasons ever again, even if that means not beating Ohio consistently for now. It's frustrating, but we need to let him continue to build. It's still happening. Patience. Even for me, at the end of the season I was frustrated with how it ended. The changes have been made. The recruiting is gonna catch up. Ohio is in a great position, but they won't be for long as Michigan will be on top again- we are right at the edge. Save for a couple of bad calls, misfortunes, etc., (except for last years Ohio game), Michigan is right there. Excited to see the changes made for the season. Go Blue!
August 27th, 2019 at 11:27 AM ^
I think it's worth taking a look at how much time it has taken Dabo Swinney to rebuild the program at Clemson, and put them in a place where they're annual national championship contenders.
Starting with his first full season, in 2009 (he took over halfway through 2008):
2009 Clemson: 9–5 (6–2) 1st (Atlantic) - lost to rivals Georgia Tech (twice!) and South Carolina, NR
2010 Clemson: 6–7 (4–4) T–4th (Atlantic) - lost to rivals FSU and South Carolina, #24 Coaches, AP NR
2011 Clemson: 10–4 (6–2) 1st (Atlantic) - lost to rival South Carolina, #22 AP, Coaches
2012 Clemson: 11–2 (7–1) T–1st (Atlantic) - lost to rivals FSU and South Carolina, #11 AP, #9 Coaches
2013 Clemson: 11–2 (7–1) 2nd (Atlantic) - lost to rivals FSU and South Carolina, #8 AP, #7 Coaches
2014 Clemson: 10–3 (6–2) 2nd (Atlantic) - lost to rivals FSU and Georgia Tech, #15 AP, Coaches
2015 Clemson: 14–1 (8–0) 1st (Atlantic) - beat all rivals, #2 CFP
2016 Clemson: 14–1 (7–1) T–1st (Atlantic) - beat all rivals, #1 CFP
2017 Clemson: 12–2 (7–1) 1st (Atlantic) - beat all rivals, #4 CFP
2018 Clemson: 15–0 (8–0) 1st (Atlantic) - beat all rivals, #1 CFP
I don't think this is an apples:oranges comparison, either, considering the tradition and history of the program, and the state of the program for the decade prior. Michigan's program looked a lot more like Clemson's than what Urban Meyer was taking over at OSU. It took Clemson six years to beat their main rival and get that monkey off their backs, but steadily the recruiting classes improved, the system became culture, and they had that break-through moment.
August 27th, 2019 at 11:48 AM ^
The past is water under the bridge that we have no control over. The real question is about the future and specifically the 2019 team. Can it take a step forward and win the B1G East & B1G title? That’s the place to focus right now. Year 5 of JH has us with a new O coordinator and an actual Sr. QB with about 1.75 years of experience (1 for us, about 0.75 for Ole Miss). Who gives a rats rear end what various sport writers or pundits think or say? The proof is in the games. Go Blue!
August 27th, 2019 at 12:05 PM ^
I am hearing a lot of concerned rumblings going into this season and I think I get it and maybe even empathize a tiny bit - Harbaugh has had some excellent teams and three really good seasons out of four, but just couldn't get that one play that delivers the win that makes a good season great. And so people are feeling like after all these missed opportunities, the other shoe is now going to drop, and some true disasters might strike. And THAT is what makes the first two games look scary to some.
On one hand I dismiss it. For all the shortcomings in certain other games, if there's one thing Harbaugh has always done it's take care of business. With Carr, an Appalachian State was always lurking, because narrow escapes, or sometimes even losses, against overmatched teams were far too frequent. Even at home. With Harbaugh, especially at home, teams that should leave with asses stinging, pretty much do.
But at the same time, I get it. I get why people fear a disaster could be coming. I don't think it will, but I understand the fear.
August 27th, 2019 at 12:16 PM ^
It certainly doesn't help some people's anxiety that the one overmatched team that did walk out with the L but not an ass-kicking was a service academy and, oh...look.
August 27th, 2019 at 1:04 PM ^
Harbaugh getting 10 wins when 2 of those games are against Rutgers and Maryland are severly overrated.
Go look at some of the mediocre 8 and 9 win seasons Mo and Carr had and youd see the OC schedule was alot tougher and the Big Ten alot less diluted.
Oh and they usually beat Ohio those years too.
Honestly im not going to make excuses for Harbaugh going 2-7 against rivals, 1-3 in Bowl Games and not winning a Big Ten title..
Sorry! Higher expectations then that.
August 27th, 2019 at 1:50 PM ^
I see a coach on the hotseat, all the things I’ve heard is he’s more of a general manager this year and has given up the reins on both the offensive side of the ball and defensive. If he can’t beat OSU this year we don’t need him.
August 27th, 2019 at 4:35 PM ^
A good leader knows how to delegate and get the most out of his subordinates. Over 4 years our offense has never been lights out and the talent is there. So, he handed the keys over to Gattis. He's still very involved with coaching the team, especially QB's and the team absolutely needs a rudder.
Can you name an available coach you'd like to replace him with if we don't beat OSU this year?