The Dmac story?
Was able to get to AA on Friday and ran into a few people close to the team. Wanted to share what I was told, one of these guys played with coach in the mid 80's, and the other is the husband of one of the regents. First and foremost, they both said unless coach takes another job he will not get fired, but that coaching changes were most likely coming to the staff. They also said without hesitation that coach was close to a contract extension last winter, but the situation took a back seat to covid.
On Dmac - He was neck and neck with JM and doing very well. DM pulled himself out of practice and told the coaches he felt sick, although he didn't look sick, and was having a great week of practice. Apparently this ticked off coach and showed "a sign of weakness". Seemingly coach then tried to motivate DM to get after it and continue to practice and workout with his team. When DM told his parents about the way coach was handling him feeling sick they got extremely upset. As a family they decided to sleep on it for that weekend, the following Monday Mr. and Mrs. Mcc let the coaches know that DM was going to finish his scholastic year and transfer. It sounds like DM might go play for his father next season, while also looking at Nebraska, and West Coast schools.
The only thing I will add to this story is that 100% DM was QB1 at the practice I was able to watch last winter. I was puzzled when all the smoke started to come out about JM, and how he won the job. I do not believe this was the case any longer.
The program seems fractured. In another story, JH has lost almost all the support from previous players from the Detroit area. Almost all of them have been very vocal with their peers, high school coaches, and circle that JH is a dictator who plays favorites. I'm definitely missing some guys on this list but here are a few (LockDownLew, Dawson, Hill sr, Ambry, Bellville coach, DPJ, and others). in fact if you look at their tweets in the past 2 weeks, they have all taken shots at coach.
Need to hold onto our recruits for next year, sign some more, and beat Rutger.
Cheers
November 15th, 2020 at 8:25 AM ^
I used the quote because I think it sums up my feelings. I don’t think every word applies to Michigan, just the overall sentiment.
November 15th, 2020 at 8:30 AM ^
?- just couldn’t miss the chance to point out one of the people on the staff who has actually been excelling at their job.
November 15th, 2020 at 9:34 AM ^
Hope you're right about Abby. But I fear it's only a matter of time before we hear about a training table of pizza and beer.
November 15th, 2020 at 8:34 AM ^
agree. Then I’d like to see Harbaugh go full hit em up. Like the old days.
November 15th, 2020 at 8:55 AM ^
"Harbaugh has to adapt or his tenure here will die"
Is this a serious comment?
Dude, you are usually so negative (and I kind of like it, sometimes). This is beyond hilarious though. There is no change coming at the scale needed to turn this ship around. Your comments sound like the Captain of the Titanic saying "I think she's gonna float if we just give it a little more time..."
November 15th, 2020 at 9:01 AM ^
Harbaugh as captain of the Titanic would come about and ram the iceberg again to prove that the ship was stronger than the ice.
November 15th, 2020 at 9:19 PM ^
I believe that the current thinking is that IF the Titanic had rammed the iceberg, it would have stayed afloat. By trying to steer around the iceberg, the iceberg gashed open the sides of the ship causing the water tight compartments to fail.
November 16th, 2020 at 11:55 AM ^
This is true. The iceberg basically acted as a can opener and shredded the hull of the ship. Too many sections were flooded for it not to sink.
November 15th, 2020 at 9:41 AM ^
Swayze, I agree 100% with you. There is exactly zero chance Harbaugh would, could or has the ability to make the changes necessary personally and to his staff to turn the boat around.
To continue the Titanic analogy....the ship is already sinking and Harbaugh thinks he can will it back on the water. We all know how this is going to end. JH can be the dude playing the violin while the ship completely submerges....but the entire thing is going down and will not be salvageable by anyone named Jim Harbaugh.
November 15th, 2020 at 10:48 AM ^
If Captain Smith slows the ship down in an area known for icebergs the Titanic would not have hit the iceberg.
Titanic had time to avoid the iceberg.
November 15th, 2020 at 8:11 AM ^
How do you bring back anyone from this staff if this is true? What a joke.
November 15th, 2020 at 8:11 AM ^
there is a reason that JH has a short shelf life. he has poor people skills. an enthusiasm unknown to mankind can only paper that over for a while. weird guy. m's Michigan Man hubris will keep him long after they should. this decline will make RR seem like a small hill.
November 15th, 2020 at 8:21 AM ^
I was going to say that stories like this, if true of course, maybe help explain why even in places that Jim was exceeding expectations, there was some friction among he and either management, the players, etc. Even if he chose to leave those places for something else, the friction may have made that an easy choice. Then you get to UM, where he seems to be a natural fit and will think twice about leaving for so called greener pastures. And yet, we haven’t seen the same kind of overachieving and success. It’s why we all feel frustrated and trapped.
November 15th, 2020 at 8:53 AM ^
The guy is crazy. Literally. Disconnected from reality.
Anyone who excels that much and rises to the top of a profession, especially one like coaching football, must have a certain amount of crazy in them. But it's about balance. Harbaugh has no balance to his crazy. He's all crazy.
Didn't Brian say something like that he is himself AT MAXIMUM VOLUME all the time?
November 15th, 2020 at 9:50 AM ^
I was trying to explain this to my wife last night when she asked "What happened to Harbaugh?". There is really no explanation. He is the best of times and the worst of times all at the same time. Jim Harbaugh is the definition of "enigma". You're right, he is crazy...and right now that is not a good thing.
November 15th, 2020 at 10:04 AM ^
Unfortunately we've been getting an apathy unknown to mankind for the past 4 seasons.
November 15th, 2020 at 11:15 AM ^
Who’s got it better than us?
November 15th, 2020 at 2:46 PM ^
Damn near everybody!
November 15th, 2020 at 8:12 AM ^
When DM told his parents about the way coach was handling him feeling sick they got extremely upset. As a family they decided to sleep on it for that weekend, the following Monday Mr. and Mrs. Mcc let the coaches know that DM was going to finish his scholastic year and transfer.
After the Minnesota game I was drinking the coolaide. After the second poor showing I started to wonder if something fishy didn't happen to DMac. Not to throw dirt on poor Milton, but I knew DMac couldn't be worse than this.
First and foremost, they both said unless coach takes another job he will not get fired
If all that you say is true, I'm not sure why this is the case. If there were fans he'd be getting booed and I guarantee the stands would not be full for the next several games. Maybe JH is benefitting from the pandemic?
but that coaching changes were most likely coming to the staff.
Who do you fire though? Brown & Gattis are probably job one & two to look for replacements. Nua I can see as well with no development for Jeter, Hinton, Vilain, etc. to date. You'd think Zordich is on the hot seat, but he's been with JH his entire tenure and the back end problems seem more a function of Brown's system and lack of talent than Zordich's coaching, although I'm sure many would be happy with a recruiting upgrade. No way he's firing his son. Moore is our best recruiter. Warriner prior to this season seemed like one you'd want to keep. Shoop seems like there's something fishy going on so I'd guess he leaves on his own. McDaniels leaving would make sense with the QB struggles.
- Warriner - Stay
- Jay Harb - Stay
- Moore - Stay
- Zordich - 50/50
- Jean Mary - Haven't hears a peep
- McDaniels - Go
- Nua - Go
- Shoop - Go
- Brown - Go
- Gattis - Go
That's a lot of turnover. Ultimately you have to think the problem is our CEO.
November 15th, 2020 at 8:16 AM ^
Gattis is staying. His recruiting shops plus dealing with a new QB, OL, and WRs means he has more leeway than Brown.
Brown and the entire defensive staff has to go.
November 15th, 2020 at 8:23 AM ^
I tend to agree with this.
November 15th, 2020 at 8:21 AM ^
To be fair, I cannot imagine these two sources wouldn’t possibly change their tone after losing 49-11 to a team that hasn’t practiced at full strength for weeks. Things are far worse than these two sources could have possibly imagined when the conversation happened on Friday.
November 15th, 2020 at 8:54 AM ^
The one problem I have with Zordich is that he doesn't teach his CBs to look back and track the ball. That is why there are many slightly off target throws where the WR adjusts and our DBs don't where the ball is. In the Indiana game there were a couple of underthrown balls where the WRs came back, but our DBs were in better position but couldn't adjust in time. This is the main reason for the lack of interceptions.
Not to mention the penalties.
November 15th, 2020 at 11:14 AM ^
Seems like the DB's are always a step and a hald behind and trying to make up ground when they ball arrives. The reason they don't look back is likely die to their athletic deficiencies.
November 15th, 2020 at 5:55 PM ^
maybe he does and they just fall. like, it wouldn't surprise me at all if they try and gravity lol's at them smh.
November 15th, 2020 at 8:56 AM ^
Changing staff isn't going to change anything. The same thing will continue to happen - the constant is Harbaugh. The problem is always the thing that keeps happening - Harbaugh. Yeah, it's time for Brown to retire, and Nua can go with him. I wouldn't be opposed to keeping everyone else if Jim goes. Maybe Moore can go - the TE's universally suck.
The thing that hits most is that the two sources see a path to retaining the lone constant during all of the poor performances.
November 15th, 2020 at 8:56 AM ^
Bacon has been saying on Twitter as well that Harbaugh will only leave if it's on his terms. UMbig11 said this too.
At this point, I have to wonder why this is even the case? We know with Lloyd, he had this status at Michigan, for a variety of reasons. But there is nobody of any significance left (that I know of) who thinks Harbaugh should continue into the future. What does Warde have to lose by firing him?
November 15th, 2020 at 9:05 AM ^
His job. If the Regents are behind Harbaugh, they won't allow the firing. And they would certainly respond in kind if Manuel went rogue and announced something publicly.
November 15th, 2020 at 9:11 AM ^
Are the regents behind him? And why would they be at this point when they are elected officials?
November 15th, 2020 at 9:19 AM ^
Just basing on what Jermaine said from the Regent husband source - that he won't be fired. We can only hope that I'm wrong, or it changed after watching last nights train wreck...
November 15th, 2020 at 9:32 AM ^
I see.
Well if this story gets back to the regents, maybe it will change things. It has a Shane Morris concussion feel to it.
November 15th, 2020 at 11:09 AM ^
Lol.
We have a HUGE problem if the Regents are dipping down into the football program.
November 15th, 2020 at 11:25 AM ^
Are you serious? The regents don’t want a MSU-like situation.. If something goes down in athletics.. people protest at the regents meeting. You really think they want to be clueless? Stop thinking like a fan and think about this as an institution that doesn’t want to risk billions of dollars on the backs of 18-21 year olds..
November 15th, 2020 at 12:02 PM ^
MSU-like?
It would seem we might be aspiring to be like MSU at this point.
If the regents can exert enough pressure on the AD to retain a failed coach then, yes, we have a HUGE issue.
November 15th, 2020 at 9:36 AM ^
The same way the Regents were pressured to re-start the season - which they were, they must now be getting pressure to dump hairball.
If the DM story is true, in this day and age of player safety - vs. the Bo era of just get back out there AND during a pandemic, this itself is inexcusable!
November 15th, 2020 at 11:30 AM ^
Difference is it didn’t play out in national television. It will be DMacs word against Harbaugh. Who are the regents going to believe?
November 15th, 2020 at 10:39 AM ^
In normal circumstances I'm not sure I want Regents to be the primary decision-makers on whether to fire or retain coaches—they're politicians and/or business people. The decision should really be in the hands of the athletic director first and foremost.
The problem is that Manuel is a former teammate of Harbaugh and is undoubtedly loathe to fire him both for personal reasons and Harbaugh's historical connection to the program.
I think the only reason the Regents would seek to unilaterally involve themselves would be if they're getting dire responses from major UM and athletic department donors who are threatening to yank their dollars. In that case, they might force Manuel's hand.
If that's not happening—if the donors and boosters aren't raising a ruckus—it's hard for me to envision Manuel doing anything other than extending Harbaugh's contract.
Bo once said that the most important decision any athletic director at Michigan would ever make is who coaches the football team. That could be seen as a swipe at the other sports, but I think it simply reflects reality.
November 15th, 2020 at 11:20 AM ^
The regents are absolutely behind Harbaugh. Honestly, you guys think football is way more important than it really is to the administration.
November 15th, 2020 at 9:30 AM ^
What does Warde have to lose by firing him?
A multi-million dollar buyout for JH and the staff that the department can't afford right now.
November 15th, 2020 at 9:43 AM ^
What are his terms?
November 15th, 2020 at 11:16 AM ^
Warde has his job to lose. Warde is not firing Harbaugh.
November 15th, 2020 at 11:53 AM ^
Bacon has been saying on Twitter as well that Harbaugh will only leave if it's on his terms. UMbig11 said this too.
I think when 2021 rolls around, if the team keeps loosing home games, the fans will be booing, recruiting will fall apart, and the stadium will be empty. I guarantee that will make a difference in their perception and willingness to fire JH.
November 15th, 2020 at 8:18 AM ^
November 15th, 2020 at 8:25 AM ^
This. In all honesty, I’d be happy if we were just physical and could compete. Not really seeing that. If ohio has another game canceled and they feel that they need to make a “statement” against us, heaven help us. Heaven help us all.
November 15th, 2020 at 8:20 AM ^
This is my biggest problem with Michigan. Harbaugh is as bad as Hole, but because he played under Bo, he can lose the team, former players, and as many games as he wants.
November 15th, 2020 at 8:23 AM ^
Isaiah Hole? - he is good IMO
November 15th, 2020 at 8:23 AM ^
He isn’t as bad as Hoke. The guy has 48 games. He is better than Hoke but still isn’t good enough.
I don’t know if Michigan will ever be what it once was. It is Nebraska.
November 15th, 2020 at 8:38 AM ^
How can you say he's better than Hoke with what we put on the field last night...holy shit we just had our worst home loss since my dead grandma was a kid.
November 15th, 2020 at 9:23 AM ^
The second Harbaugh sent in the same play on 4th and 1 after Wisconsin called a TO was the day the transition to Hoke was complete
November 15th, 2020 at 9:43 AM ^
You have no idea if it was the same play. Just because it was the same formation does not suggest it was the same play.