Hanging Onto Brandon Gives Michigan the Best Chance At Harbaugh For Next Season--Sam Webb

directly stating that the best way to get Harbaugh was to keep Dave Brandon. He was just implying that the timeline would be difficult to fire both DB and BH, which makes sense to me.

The Superbowl is early Feb, right.

Maybe we do make a coaching change in February.  Yes yes yes, NSD and all that in early Feb, screws this year's class, etc.  But if you could choose (1) a guy whose first name begins with the letter J and a screwed up first class, or (2) someone else hred in December/early Jan ... really, you'd go for door #2?

I'm not saying, I'm jus' sayin', the timeline is fine if you're chasing a guy who is gainfully employed through January.

Obviously, I'm referring to Jon Gruden.

Neither does Brian.., see front page

If you're going to have someone new make the decision about a new coach, why not also let him do the evaluation of Hoke? Your timetable has Schlissel cutting the new guy off at the knees the day before he takes the job.

You say it's been done before--can you give an example? It's extremely unusual, out in the world, for a departing executive to be encouraged to make major personnel decisions on his way out the door, after his replacement has already been selected but before he's moved into the office. I don't know why an athletic department would run any differently and it certainly doesn't seem like something Schlissel would be likely to do.

AD job less attractive? If I was an AD candidate I'd be very happy at the prospect of having a top-notch coach already in place. It certainly sounds better than having to fire the current guy, serve on a search committee, negotiate with all sides, deal with the inevitable infghting and not know who you're going to wind up with. If you don't want to work with the new hire, then you don't take the job. Do we want someone who wouldn't hire JH?

Whether it's plausible whether Brandon could hire either Harbaugh, I don't know about that.

You mean Drew Sharp right? 

You say you value what Brian says and just a couple weeks ago Brian was quoted as saying Sam is as dialed in as anyone with Michigan.

IMO this is unlike Sam. The whole "gut feeling" type stuff was only about recruits before. He usually doesn't come out and say things like this.

Dave Shand- haven;t thought about him in a while. I wonder what his thoughts are re: football and the AD. He was always a straight shooter

...that they've obviously been watching what's going on in Ann Arbor, and are aware of Long's potential as candidate for replacing DB; they've said that the scuttlebutt down there is that he and his family are super happy in Fayetteville, that he is extremely well-liked and respected within the University community, and that the only position he'd potentially leave UofA for would be to replace Mike Slive as the head of the SEC.  

Now, again, that is nothing more than my friend's pro-razorback, SEC-biased view and his reading of various news outlets, blogs, etc., but still...

I personally still think our ADirectorship is a hugely desirable position within college athletics, and Long was (a) hired into the athletic department by Bo, and (b) an associate AD here for 11 years, but I think we should probably hold-off on convincing ourselves that he's already given his notice and is going to jump ship at the drop of a hat...

"Now why would I want to do that, Dave?"

"I can name eight million reasons, Jim."

Is there an MGoBlog diary or post or front page snippet that documents a first-hand eyewitness depiction of Brandon sitting in on those film sessions? Was he critiquing and drawing up new plays? What if DB just goes around as an informed AD sitting in on all his coaches' film sessions and practices from time to time? Again, I want him gone as much as the next guy for a multitude of other reasons, but this whole Dr. Evil-sits-in-on-Number Two's-film-sessions thing has taken on a life of its own. 

This seems to be the #1 "no way Harbaugh would work for Brandon" factor, too: That DB likes to sit in of film sessions. 

regarding Michigan as he sees them through his Sparty filter. He always puts things in a way to get people calling in, usually irate Michigan fans. Whether he's trying to be honest or not, I've never heard any evidence that he knows more about Michigan than the average MGoReader. .

because he has always referred to Sam Webb as  a shill.  I'm a huge fan of Sam, but maybe this is an instance of Valenti being validated.

any other coach out there would not want to come to UM because of DB. If the issue is DB sitting in the film room, then the coach can negotiate that one out.  He will have a 3-4 year contract and if he is successful, then he would not care if DB is the AD.  This rumor that DB cannot hire Harbaugh for personal reasons, is nonsense.

I bet most follks are friends with a lot of people who they would never want to have as their boss.  If anything, that sort of power dynamic could ruin a friendship, especially between two egos as inflated and self important as Brandon's and Harbaugh's.