Harbaugh, a maniacal genius or....
A friend of mine believes with all his heart that Harbaugh is pulling a 'rope a dope' and purposefully restraining the offense in an effort to throw the book at Ohio State in November.
I'm not sure if his theory is insane, confused, delusional, or brilliant. It is worth noting that this person is quite intelligent and a medical doctor. So, he at least holds the requisite I.Q. to be reasonably successful.
No better place to hash it out though, right?
October 9th, 2019 at 12:06 PM ^
Your friend is stupid. As is this thread.
October 9th, 2019 at 4:19 PM ^
This has to be some sort of upvote record that’s not a “Welcome: newborn” thread right?
October 9th, 2019 at 7:19 PM ^
WD created his own logo. I think it was like 2015. Someone called him out, there was like 250 upvotes then.
Then Carlos Spicyweiner posted a burning house gif right after Michael Weber committed (then subsequently decommitted)
Those were the GOATS
October 9th, 2019 at 5:15 PM ^
Can't believe the subject. Some people honestly believe he's laying low for OSU ? Lose a couple of more like he did to Wisky and well, do I have to go any farther. And he was walking the tightrope with Iowa - at the Big House. Yeah, lay low in Happy Valley at the white out and tell me how that works out. Forget OSU, he better start being concerned about MSU, ND, and especially PSU. Can't believe how some still think Harbaugh is the 2nd coming of Bo - not even close.
October 9th, 2019 at 6:53 PM ^
I stayed in a Holiday Inn Express last night.
October 9th, 2019 at 9:04 PM ^
@150ish Fetid Nut troll accounts ...good to know.
October 9th, 2019 at 9:15 PM ^
The moms need a little help, imho. We need an automated feature, when a post or comment gets 50 or more downvotes it gets deleted, and the user goes in time out to think about what they've done.
October 9th, 2019 at 12:08 PM ^
I would like to think it was the last of your 4 choices. But increasingly the evidence is that Harbaugh is not that good of a game manager. I began to think this with his horrible management of the now infamous problematic punt in the MSU game and continues to terrible clock management - the lastest example being the end of the first half Iowa game.
October 9th, 2019 at 12:19 PM ^
Don't disagree with the overall point, but I do question using the MSU punt game as an example. I recall we ran the clock down as much as possible, and there wasn't an alternative to punting. What would you have done differently, aside from reminding the punter what he should do if the worst possible thing were to happen on the snap?
October 9th, 2019 at 12:26 PM ^
Should have done what his brother did in Baltimore: have offensive line blatantly hold the defense to prevent them from crossing the line and have the punter run around till the clock runs out, then kneel. If the defense accepts the penalty all you have to do is kneel to win, and if they decline the penalties the game ends. That game had like 10 seconds, all reasonable to believe that we could have tried this tactic out. Obviously the D would have to hold the line back and the punter have awareness to just shank it if the defense breaks through, however it'd be a great tactic if deployed properly.
October 9th, 2019 at 12:42 PM ^
You mean what his brother did A YEAR LATER? You think maybe that happened because of the MSU game...?
October 9th, 2019 at 1:02 PM ^
That would not have worked at all, with 10 seconds left on our 40 up 2. Do your really think our punter can evade a free rusher for 10 seconds without taking a safety? We were blocking 10 v 11.
Like, the move in that situation is to punt the ball. You're wildly overthinking it.
October 9th, 2019 at 1:19 PM ^
Also, the officials are within their rights to blow the play dead if the offense isn't making an attempt to advance the ball.
There are plenty of reasons to question Harbaugh's game theory acumen. That wasn't really one of them.
October 9th, 2019 at 3:08 PM ^
Just a reminder - our punter dropped the ball....which is about as, percentage-wise, rare as rarest things go. From that exact moment, that game and all of its moving parts goes from Head Coach to player - the punter should have just smothered the ball or whacked it as far to the sideline/forward as he could but who actually trains for that.
October 10th, 2019 at 11:54 AM ^
As I recall, the punter was from Australia and didn't know that you could fall on the ball.
October 9th, 2019 at 12:27 PM ^
I will confess to have never intentionally watched a reply of "the punt". However I am told that Michigan had "gunners" despite MSU having no return man. The time management before the point was poor. IIRC, M ran 3 straight off tackle plays. If they ran to the wide side boundary they likely never would have even needed a 4th down play.
October 9th, 2019 at 12:42 PM ^
I would put that more on the special teams coordinator, John Baxter. Yes, Harbaugh is the head coach and ultimately responsible for the program, but having the best formation for the situation was specifically Baxter's job. Incidentally he was gone after the season (to USC), whether that was coincidental or not.
October 10th, 2019 at 11:40 AM ^
Exactly three predictable runs into the teeth of the defense was pretty bad playcalling, followed by having gunner line up on the punt.
October 10th, 2019 at 12:34 PM ^
Those three runs ate up over 1:30 and brought the clock down to 10 seconds. I think that's very defensible.
October 11th, 2019 at 9:34 AM ^
If the 3 previous runs each ran off an extra 2.5 seconds minimum as "keep-away" runs, running to the outside at a minimum, instead of straight up the middle, how would that have changed the game management of 4th down?
I think that is the point...Michigan ran off closer to the "minimum" amount of time on runs instead of the "maximum".
You get to a certain point and you may not even punt on 4th down because if 2 seconds or less available, you may just keep it and run again.
Yes, always issue with potential fumbles running crazier plays, but these guys can put two arms on the ball for 3 plays to make it effectively nil.
It is just one example...there are several.
October 9th, 2019 at 1:00 PM ^
Once you realized that MSU was bringing all 11 and you had gunners lined up wide, I'd have been screaming my head off to take a delay of game. "DON'T SNAP IT". Run out to the numbers, do anything possible to get a chance to reset. Then call a max protect punt and have the kicker boot it out of bounce. Then put the defense on the field to defend a Hail Mary / Hook and Lateral type play.
October 9th, 2019 at 4:30 PM ^
The punter would have to kick that thing preeetty hard for it to run out of bounce..
October 9th, 2019 at 1:26 PM ^
Michigan had a guy covering no one on that play, if we had any attention to detail we should have known that could have ended poorly. 
October 9th, 2019 at 1:38 PM ^
Perfect example of why Harbaugh and his staff have not, and are not, even average in critical moments and decision management.
October 9th, 2019 at 2:06 PM ^
The real shit thing about that is that we had a dedicated actual special teams coach (Baxter), who should probably keep track of stuff like that.
October 9th, 2019 at 2:56 PM ^
I don't like using a regular punt formation (max-protect or not) in that situation at all. Line up in the shotgun and have the QB do a pooch kick.
Or just go for it. Even if you get stuffed, MSU is only going to have enough time to run one play.
October 9th, 2019 at 3:05 PM ^
You remember the Colorado game in 1994, right? Giving the offense one play from your own side of the field is much worse than trying to punt the ball away.
October 9th, 2019 at 3:16 PM ^
I remember it, but I also remember lots of failed Hail Mary attempts in the 25 years since then.
The ball was on MSU's side of the 50 (look at the photo) and it was 4th and 2. We had just gained eight yards on the previous three plays, so there was a decent chance we'd convert. Even if not, I'd take my chances with one play on defense.
Or you pooch it. I just don't like a 15-yard snap in that situation.
October 9th, 2019 at 4:55 PM ^
Paging PeptoBismol... paging PeptoBismol.. hahahaha. Sorry, couldn't help it, man.
October 9th, 2019 at 4:18 PM ^
Ran a max protect or attempted to convert the 4th down. Anything is preferable to what was actually run. 2 gunners when Dantonio is sending the house. Awful
October 9th, 2019 at 5:54 PM ^
Put peppers in the shotgun, snapped the fucking ball to him, told him to run the far side of field until time ran out.
October 9th, 2019 at 10:17 PM ^
Actually, we did not run the clock down as much as possible. I recall distinctly that we ran Deveon straight up the middle for no gain which tool 2 seconds each play, which made absolutely no sense. Give the ball to Jabrill and have him run around for 5-10 seconds and the punt never happens because the clock runs out. I thought this before we even punted. It was like how is there still time on the clock? It was inconceivable that there was still time on the clock. Go back and watch.
October 9th, 2019 at 12:53 PM ^
The end of the 1st half of Iowa was pathetic!!! They wasted a full 24 seconds and then finally had to call a timeout. That could have easily been 3 additional plays!!!
October 9th, 2019 at 1:17 PM ^
Yup. It was like Harbaugh just wanted to get to the half but there was plenty of time to run a couple more plays. No killer instinct. Just run out the game clock and go home mentality
October 9th, 2019 at 3:52 PM ^
In addition to the other comments, there also should have been a personal foul for roughing the snapper. Can't blame that on Harbaugh either. Just bad luck.
October 9th, 2019 at 12:10 PM ^
He hasn't even been able to resist pulling out all of his trick packages against out of conference punching bags the first chance he gets.
October 9th, 2019 at 12:41 PM ^
OP's team Brilliant would just believe these failed trick plays were "setting up" even more successful counters, and are "using up prep time for DCs." OP's "friend" is in the place opposite of BPONE which must be the Bright Light of Delusional Enthusiasm. Both places are dark and terrible.
October 9th, 2019 at 3:27 PM ^
Bright Light of Delusional Enthusiasm?
Don't you mean:.
Ascendant
Sphere of
Sacred
Hope
Or
Lysergic
Enlightenment
October 9th, 2019 at 3:30 PM ^
Just pointing out that that acronym is BLODE which sounds... well, I'm just gonna leave it there.
October 9th, 2019 at 12:11 PM ^
Being a doctor means they are good at being a doctor. It doesn't mean they understand what goes into being a CFB coach. I highly doubt JH is willing to drop games against previous opponents in order to surprise OSU. Maybe he's holding stuff out for OSU, but that still wouldn't explain the lack of cohesion on offense and poor play by numerous positions.
October 9th, 2019 at 12:19 PM ^
Yes. I don't understand the logic behind "this person is very smart and accomplished in this particular field, therefore they are an insightful commentator on all things."
This happens in a lot of areas outside of football, obviously, which is where it is more irksome.
But anyways, OP, your friend is delusional. Delusional is the answer.
October 9th, 2019 at 12:23 PM ^
Yea, I hate that idea as well. I'm an engineer, and I'm knowledgeable in my domain of software, but if you ask me to explain the intricate details of shading a B-gap in 4-3 coverage, well sorry, I'm not able to do that. I mostly see large planetoid humans intent on wrecking eachother fly around the field at speeds I could never imagine.
October 9th, 2019 at 12:37 PM ^
Lemma: A nullspace is defined for the extrapolation of the ability of someone who is an expert on a given field to an orthogonal or even near perfect projection space.
Really, Don Brown would be equivalent to a PhD in physics but he would be a terrible manager (ala Harbaugh). The latter would be more akin to a jack of all trade type of person.
October 9th, 2019 at 12:58 PM ^
I don't understand the logic behind "this person is very smart and accomplished in this particular field, therefore they are an insightful commentator on all things.
Agreed...this always drives me crazy when people say "my doctor said..." in regards to exercise or nutrition without considering I have a graduate degree in exercise science yet their doctor has no courses in their MD program in exercise or nutrition.
October 9th, 2019 at 1:04 PM ^
Where it's super annoying is politics, when we start having brilliant directors or surgeons weigh in on policy matters that they know next to nothing about. But, no politics!
October 9th, 2019 at 1:27 PM ^
gee doc, i would've thought you might be partial to another of your ilk opining on JH's mental faculties. user name...not checking out.
October 9th, 2019 at 5:12 PM ^
Nobody said that. That is YOUR misunderstanding of what I said. I simply stated that he was accomplished enough to have the necessary I.Q. of a reasonable person. I never said that because he is a Dr. that he knows everything, you said that.
October 9th, 2019 at 5:34 PM ^
The point is that his IQ or knowledge in his area of expertise is irrelevant to a topic that he is not an expert on. Very smart people can have very stupid opinions.
October 9th, 2019 at 10:13 PM ^
Totally correct. Dr. Secretary (sic) Ben Carson is a perfect example of this phenomenon.