OT (sort of): Interesting Takes from Harbaugh Introductory Press Conference
Didn’t see this posted anywhere. And I know, I know. He’s gone and moved on. However, I thought there were some interesting takes from his press conference with the Chargers, specifically his take on NIL, new hire Ben Herbert, and “conversations” with Sherrone after he left:
On where the Michigan program is at after his departure and with Sherrone Moore as the new head coach:
“Sherrone is the right man for the job. Nobody else would be … I mean, that’s the guy, and they got it right. I see they’re a top-five team right now, top-rated team. I think of it as one — Chargers and Michigan Wolverines like one team, and in a great place. In a great place.
“Much like when players leave the university to go onto the pros, there’s a passing of the baton that takes place. When you see [Michigan quarterback] J.J. [McCarthy] leave [for the NFL Draft], but then I see [juniors] Jayden Denegal, Alex Orji, that next day they’re on that field, they’re throwing with receivers. There’s an excitement there. Been enthralled in that as a player, when the quarterback ahead of me left or graduated. And it’s the same for coaches.
“Been talking to Sherrone Moore. I mean, the guy is on fire right now. He’s working hard.”
On if Jesse Minter and Ben Herbert are joining the Chargers:
Coaches like [Michigan defensive coordinator] Jesse Minter — he’s a tremendous coach. We’re going through a process right now. Ben Herbert, I can confirm that he’s going to be in charge, but the passing of the baton was there to Justin Tress — J. Tress. Hugged it out and right there in the middle of the weight room. In great hands. I’m always gonna be a loyal Wolverine.”
On if Jesse Minter and Jay Harbaugh will join the Chargers staff:
“Going through the process right now. Timeline … just gotta get it right. There are so many good coaches out there, and nobody I respect more than Jesse. Shining star as a coach. You know I’ve been with him [for two years at Michigan].
I want to talk to as many people as I can before we make the final hires. But he would be tremendous.
Jay is a great coach, a shining star, as well. We’ll let you know. We haven’t made the final decisions on the staff yet.”
Harbaugh on if NIL was overwhelming as a coach:
“I don’t look at the obstacles. Every job has its downside or challenge or adversity, but no, I have no complaint. People that complain, that’s a common plain — that word comes from ‘common-plain.’ They want to get you to agree with them. I’ve got no complaints. I’ve got no complaints. I love football, love coaching, and faith, family, football. This opportunity I just have tremendous gratitude for.”
On if Michigan could’ve done anything to keep him:
“Michigan was great. Michigan — have a great love for Michigan and great love for the NFL. And this opportunity and challenge is what I wanted.”
It was a quick line, but Jim states he has been in contact with Sherrone. Maybe a few select coaches within Schembechler Hall were told which assistants he would pluck earlier than reported. Could he potentially be giving Sherrone guidance on our next OC/DC? I’d like to believe this to be the case, especially if we don’t automatically promote from within. I think we all *crosses fingers* would hope in the future for a pipeline of up and coming assistants from the Chargers to replicate what was done with Ravens staff. IMO he alluded to this above saying he thinks of Michigan and the Chargers as “one team.”
Also, very interesting that he won’t commit to saying Minter and Jay are heading to Chargers but will comment that Herbert is. Obviously as reported they’re likely gone, it just seems that LA hasn’t officially announced the hires as of yet.
We’ll miss you coach. Onward.
February 2nd, 2024 at 9:56 AM ^
There’s no possibility of that.
February 2nd, 2024 at 7:48 AM ^
“I’m always gonna be a loyal Wolverine.”
So loyal that he’ll take the key assistants from the rookie coach he extols.
February 2nd, 2024 at 7:55 AM ^
February 2nd, 2024 at 9:05 AM ^
Give him a break.. someone took his toy away from him.
February 2nd, 2024 at 9:18 AM ^
To neg him is immature. It is true. He is no longer loyal to Michigan. Will he be a fond fan? Yes. He will never, ever do anything that benefits Michigan if it could benefit him. Never. For those who live in this land that he is some patriarch of the program are naive and clearly never paid attention to him. Would he sabotage Michigan with ill intent? No. Loyal? Not a chance beyond saying to someone that he does not need, Michigan is a great place. You could do well there.
February 2nd, 2024 at 9:45 AM ^
The definition of “loyalty” offered by some here is very narrow and shallow.
The University of Michigan is a massive institution with a gigantic alumni base. Loyalty to that institution simply is not and CANNOT be limited to only people who work for the University itself after they leave. Anyone who holds that position is a fool and is setting themselves up for pain and disappointment.
My dad was not disloyal to Michigan because he taught at a small college and then went into private practice as a psychologist after graduating from Michigan, and he was not disloyal for encouraging the personal and professional development for those around him just because he didn’t tell them to try to work for the University first. My mom is not disloyal for getting jobs at Ford and Boeing and a private social work practice after getting two grad degrees from Michigan, and her current husband (after my dad passed away) is not disloyal because he chose to use his history PhD to work in fields other than the untenured instructional positions available to him at Michigan.
Jim Harbaugh is a football coach and he focuses on the well being of those he coaches and employs and he’s good at it. And sometimes that well being means that those people go on to bigger and better things, even if it’s elsewhere. I would assert that Harbaugh’s willingness to teach and grow the players and coaches under him to achieve the best they can and be the best people they can be isn’t just not disloyal, but in fact a terrific expression of what makes Michigan different and superior to other athletic institutions.
Maybe I’m naive, but I would think that the mission of the University of Michigan is not to enrich and build itself as an institution, but to build people.
And if it is focused more on its internal well being than the well being of the people, even if it means they flourish somewhere other than under the University’s employment roles, maybe it has lost its way.
I continue to find the insistence some have that Jim Harbaugh and his staff be held to standards of institutional loyalty (“they should take less money and stunt their personal and professional growth because we’re Michigan! Also if they have two bad years like Juwan Howard has they should be fired”) that they would rightly resent if applied to themselves to be surprising, even shocking.
Addendum: do you want to work for someone or be mentored by someone who will stunt your growth or depress your professional prospects out of loyalty to a big business institution? I’d rather not. Well, Harbaugh’s willingness to build and encourage people in their growth is an instrumental part of what makes him successful and what has allowed him to build Michigan into what it is in the first place. Macdonald and Minter aren’t coming to revolutionize our defense if Harbaugh doesn’t have this mentality.
We don’t get a national title without this element of Harbaugh. Full stop.
February 2nd, 2024 at 9:59 AM ^
You're not entirely wrong from my point of view, but the flip side of this coin is the mentality that Harbaugh deserves no criticism for anything. That's as wrong as saying he's a horrible person for leaving. In general, Harbaugh is human and any implication otherwise because of what he did, either in terms of trophies, or in terms of his fallout, is wrong.
February 2nd, 2024 at 10:47 AM ^
I don't see any rational reason to criticize Harbaugh here.
-He stayed here nine years, a decently long tenure - and more than twice as long as any of his other stops.
-He won everything there is to win at Michigan - three Big Ten titles and a national championship.
-He did not leave for a rival college program (which would have rankled me) but a different level of football.
-He had the chance to win the one thing left missing on his résumé: a Super Bowl.
-He came off a year in which he was suspended twice on outrageous grounds, was targeted by both the NCAA and Big Ten, and even after all that, there was no guarantee he was out of the woods. He may have faced further penalty.
-Against these allegations, U-M was only willing to defend him to a degree, as evidenced by the facts that 1) we suspended him ourselves in September; 2) we ultimately dropped the TRO request and 3) were reluctant to offer him guarantees that he'd keep his job in relation to the two ongoing investigations.
-The assistants he's bringing to Los Angeles are ones that he hired to Ann Arbor. They were here because of him. Can you really fault him or them for wanting to keep their professional relationship going?
The "he promised us he'd not look at the NFL again" complaint is a bad-faith argument. A year ago no one could have expected our program to be investigated twice and Harbaugh suspended six games.
Moreover, at this time a year ago we could only dream of a national title.
The 2023 season was probably a game-changer for him, for a variety of reasons.
February 2nd, 2024 at 10:04 AM ^
I would be loyal to UM but I am not putting my own needs over loyalty for UM. I should not expect that from Harbaugh as well. Expecting that is not reasonable.
February 2nd, 2024 at 10:43 AM ^
being loyal != being the head coach forever
February 2nd, 2024 at 9:54 AM ^
If you're being honest and not just applying sainthood to Harbaugh, he's been anything but loyal or honest. Last year he said the words "This is the last time". What he didn't say was "This week" or "Today" because 11 months later, he left. I get the upside and all the good stuff that he brought. That doesn't change the fact that Harbaugh is selfish and greedy and human. He's allowed to be those because the market says he can. I'm ok with that. But this idea that "Harbaugh did what he said he would do" is patently wrong. He's not been honest with fans for the last few years. He's not been honest with to his players and those he recruited (Likely). He isn't loyal. He's a fan, but not loyal. He's not honorable. He's human. So stop trying to act like fans should only speak about him in revered words.
February 2nd, 2024 at 10:01 AM ^
Fans like you are undeserving of the great accomplishments Harbaugh brought to Michigan. I’m betting you wanted him fired three years ago. If you take a look in a mirror, you’ll see the selfish one.
February 2nd, 2024 at 10:46 AM ^
nice non sequitur. I'm not saying he shouldn't leave. I'm not saying the assistants shouldn't leave. I'm saying the idea that Harbaugh is this super good guy who is as purse as the freshly fallen snow and fans should only speak of him in such words is patently wrong. Harbaugh lied to the fans last year. Those are his words, not mine. I'm not putting words in his mouth and it's easily verifiable. He said "This is the last time". He also regularly said "I will coach here as long as they want me". I'm going to go on a limb and say the school still wants him. I understand coach-speak and non-answers. He did it amazingly well for the last 5 weeks since they won. So he obviously knows how to give non-answers. So don't tell me that he's just too naive. I didn't want him fired not because of who he was, but because I didn't know who you would replace him with. That doesn't mean he didn't make it tough. Stop acting like fans being any way shape or form critical of Harbaugh are less fans.
February 2nd, 2024 at 9:01 AM ^
It's REALLY hard not to feel that way. Have to remind myself that they are not indentured servants..they are employees who were free to stay if they wanted to. If Minter wants to go to the NFL he'd have other options. If Herbert wanted to stay he could have under his million-dollar-a-year contract. THEY could've said "Michigan needs me more". They didn't.
February 2nd, 2024 at 10:48 AM ^
Fair enough, but he was also still under contract at Michigan and we had every right as a university to put some faith in an expectation that he would at least stick around and not bail early even if all extension weren't hammered out. The fact that he left Michigan before his contract was up and took our best staff with him makes him fair game for criticism.
February 2nd, 2024 at 11:46 AM ^
Oh, I don't disagree with you at all...
I'm just talking about the idea of a head coach "taking" other coaches.
H.C. can ask, but it'd be nice if the other coaches would say "sorry, still under contract for 2 more years here"
Come to think of it, we should have a word for it other than contract. Everyone treats them like used tissue.
like a recruit who has just "committed" to his 3rd school..
"you keep using that word... I don't think it means what you think it means"
February 2nd, 2024 at 9:21 AM ^
As if those assistants have no agency in the matter.
February 2nd, 2024 at 9:34 AM ^
If Harbaugh is right that the next man up is ready and deserves their shot, then I have no complaints.
February 2nd, 2024 at 9:46 AM ^
I think Moore is 100% ready to be the man. I just don’t know if Harbaugh left the team in a position for Moore to be as successful as he could be. And maybe that isn’t Harbaugh’s job.
The timing of Harbaugh’s exit surely hurt getting a few quality additions through the portal…especially at QB where we look very thin. I think same on the coordinator level with so much confusion and who is retained and who will be hired.
But I don’t think this is Harbaugh’s job. If I left my current job for another I don’t think I would go out of my way to help find a replacement and make my old manager’s life easier. I would fulfill my job dutifully and with integrity and then move to the next job. I guess this is part of Moore’s journey and every new coach’s journey. You have to create your own way.
February 2nd, 2024 at 10:19 AM ^
I’d say both the candidates for QB are much better players than the Brandon Peters/John O’korns /Joe Milton’s of the world. I’d feel a lot better if we had kept Herbert. A paring with a young coach would’ve been ideal as he is a presence that moves the needles for recruits( see bair) and his thunderdome of a strength program tapped into every ounce of potential. I have no idea how the new guy will do but the loss of that presence is huge.
February 2nd, 2024 at 1:00 PM ^
If your level of comparison of a QB being competent is just being better than O’Korn, Peters or Milton than my goodness that is a low bar of measurement.
February 2nd, 2024 at 10:05 AM ^
Alternatively: "So loyal that he gives priority opportunities to fellow Michigan coaches who want to advance in their careers and try a new challenge."
Minter and Jay aren't being kidnapped by Jim. Selfishly discouraging coaches who feel they've accomplished their mission at Michigan from trying something else or actively impeding them from following their goals so they can stay here would be pretty un-cool of Michigan
February 2nd, 2024 at 10:11 AM ^
he’ll take the key assistants from the rookie coach he extols
I understand the sentiment as a Michigan fan, but we shouldn't forget that he was the one who hired these guys to Michigan in the first place. Herbert, Minter and Jay Harbaugh probably would have never come here under a different head coach.
In Minter's case specifically, he and Moore had effectively been professional peers, each coordinating one side of the ball. In situations like this, when one of two peer employees gets promoted, the other frequently moves on. It's an odd dynamic to have to suddenly take orders from a guy that previously had been on the same level as you.
February 2nd, 2024 at 7:49 AM ^
I have a sneaky feeling that Denegal or Orji will have a breakout season.
February 2nd, 2024 at 9:47 AM ^
By breakout do you mean “competent” or being a top 3’QB in the B10?
February 2nd, 2024 at 7:49 AM ^
He should immediately announce he is doing some football camps in Georgia, Alabama, Florida…
February 2nd, 2024 at 7:50 AM ^
The Minter thing does seem a little odd. I get that isn't a huge deal in the NFL to not have it done yet...but it makes me wonder if something else is going on. Not so much that he will be back at UM as it seems that ship has sailed but if he has any other suitors. Not everyone wants to move to LA, especially if you have options...
February 2nd, 2024 at 8:39 AM ^
People on this blog sure seem shocked that people — especially those with plenty of ambition and money — want to live in LA., which is a very nice place to live. Think of all the athletes and coaches who twist themselves in knots trying to get there. Anyone who attended the Rose Bowl understands the appeal of the place. I very much doubt Minter is saying he doesn’t want to be paid millions to live in Malibu.
February 2nd, 2024 at 8:48 AM ^
I've lived in quite a few big cities. Couldn't agree more with what you are saying. It's the one big city where the big city problems were acceptable to me because of the endless upside in many categories.
I totally get the attraction.
February 2nd, 2024 at 9:27 AM ^
Agreed. I went to law school at UCLA and family drew me back to MI, but I would definitely move back and retire in CA above anywhere else. It has its problems - just like anywhere, urban, suburban, or rural all have them - but for me, the upsides were worth it. I still probably prefer NYC, but as I get older, the allure of warm weather is too much.
February 2nd, 2024 at 11:17 AM ^
Avatar checks out...
February 2nd, 2024 at 9:34 AM ^
I would totally live in LA with that kind of money.
February 2nd, 2024 at 9:44 AM ^
I’ve lived in California (Bay Area) and spent plenty of time in San Diego/LA
you couldn’t pay me enough to live anywhere in Cali
if I was Bezos level wealthy, I’d live in Michigan
February 2nd, 2024 at 9:50 AM ^
I'm not shocked.
LA is literally one of the worst places I've ever been in the world as a place to live.
If the population of LA county was about 1 million, there was no smog, they installed some mass transit, completely replaced LAX with an airport that wasn't designed by an idiot, and actually had water - it might be ok.
February 2nd, 2024 at 10:48 AM ^
Millions in LA doesn’t go as far as millions in the rest of the country.
But if I were a multimillionaire I would definitely consider living out here. Just Googled some photos of the Pacific Coast the other day…beautiful.
February 2nd, 2024 at 12:09 PM ^
Many people want to live in LA... Good for them. I've spent time in SoCal and I personally would never want to live there, unless you paid me millions I couldn't make elsewhere. I know plenty of people who similar views. Minter might be one of them, or he might not. I think it's foolish to assume either way on where someone wants to live unless we have some kind of concrete evidence on the subject.
February 2nd, 2024 at 9:48 AM ^
Doesn’t seem odd to me. Minter is going to the NFL. I suppose he could be open to other offers, but it’s probably just sorting out contract stuff.
A lot of people are reading into this without a wide spread of data on how long these things actually take. What’s the normal time table for a staff to get together? It has barely been more than a week.
February 2nd, 2024 at 7:54 AM ^
I thought it was announced last week that Minter was going to the Chargers
February 2nd, 2024 at 9:34 AM ^
It was. By sources. And no one disputes it. Yet there’s been no formal or official acknowledgement.
February 2nd, 2024 at 8:01 AM ^
Going through the Chargers X feed and seeing all our favorite Harbaughisms in a completely different context just feels wrong.
February 2nd, 2024 at 8:10 AM ^
NFL fans, especially the few in the soccer town San Diego shares a stadium in now, won't take to them as well as we did.
February 2nd, 2024 at 8:18 AM ^
Chargers play in LA
February 2nd, 2024 at 11:19 AM ^
"...in the soccer town San Diego shares a stadium in now..."
I know where the Chargers play.
February 2nd, 2024 at 12:41 PM ^
Maybe I just misread your sentence
February 2nd, 2024 at 8:42 AM ^
Really going to miss Jim running things. It was always interesting. Truly think Michigan had a top 5 football coach walking the planet. Not many college programs can make that case. Plus all the great moments as a player.
I don't know him personally, but I have a feel for the thinking and dilemmas that went into this decision at this stage of his life. It is likely the one in his career where he feels a sense of loss amid the obvious business-driven nature of it.
February 2nd, 2024 at 9:05 AM ^
Thanks for the summarizing the interesting bits instead of just providing the link.
A+ post!
February 2nd, 2024 at 9:09 AM ^
Harbaugh has his style and, as many would say - it’s unique and reflects who he is.
Moore - in the media interviews I’ve seen him in - has a different style. And, Sherrone is carrying himself well.
I’m not “comparing” the two. Both have their on styles - and, I appreciate and support both of them.
February 2nd, 2024 at 9:09 AM ^
“I don’t look at the obstacles. Every job has its downside or challenge or adversity [...]"
So...yes it was a problem LOL.
Not that we didn't know that already but thought it was funny.
February 2nd, 2024 at 9:10 AM ^
Anyone else notice his refusal to answer the question if Michigan could have done anything to keep him?