Today's potentially meaningless quote - Harbaugh on whether he wants to be back in 2023: "Have I not showed that? I love Michigan. I love the team. I love everybody (there)."
This is after declining to answer questions about the NFL or ongoing contract negotiations. The source is MLive beat writer Aaron McMann:
When I asked if he wanted to be back at Michigan, not just expects to be, he said: "Have I not showed that? I love Michigan. I love the team. I love everybody (there)." https://t.co/zbE6XUsOTZ
— Aaron McMann (@AaronMcMann) January 13, 2023
January 13th, 2023 at 7:36 PM ^
Good suggestion for sure.
Also, it looks like Jim has won the negotiation, which makes me happy. Now is the time to take the win. No need to run up the score. You are going to play these guys again.
January 13th, 2023 at 3:02 PM ^
Harbaugh has to be an epic interviewee. A little bit of Jim Ignatowski.
January 13th, 2023 at 3:04 PM ^
^ nailed it ^
January 13th, 2023 at 3:03 PM ^
How to respond to a question with a shit-ton of words that initially sound like an answer but on further review are decidedly not one.
Newspeak Jim.
January 13th, 2023 at 3:05 PM ^
"Have I not showed that?
January 13th, 2023 at 3:07 PM ^
Are you not entertained by this? Me, I'd prefer going back to sleep and alerted when it's all over.
If you need assurances the man wants to be here in order to believe he loves the team he assembled, is responsible for and manages 365 days of the year and which has won 25 of its last 28 games the last two years with all of its players thanking him for their Michigan experience whether coming or going, then it doesn't really matter what he says publicly. Which explains his comment to MLive. Yeah, he's all in, until he's not.
He's done what was asked of him. Now, it's time to show him the money if Michigan really wants to keep this unrequieted lovefest going.
January 13th, 2023 at 6:31 PM ^
Is it about showing him the money, or is it about showing the commitment to the program to make it even more successful: including facilities, facilitating transfers and NIL, assistant and staff salaries and conditions, etc.?
I honestly don't know, but if it is the former it's somewhat understandable, but if it's the latter, I am all for it.
But yeah, I feel about this like I feel about recruiting: wake me when it's all wrapped up and show us who we've got and let's get on with football.
January 14th, 2023 at 12:32 AM ^
Yeah, everyone keeps talking about "it's about showing him love (through money)." I feel like it's more about NIL and having his back vs NCAA.
January 13th, 2023 at 3:09 PM ^
I know my wife appreciates it when I "show love" by talking to other women about leaving my current marriage and starting a new one.
January 13th, 2023 at 3:23 PM ^
Sometimes you just have to let your wife know you're a valuable commodity, so she appreciates you more.
January 13th, 2023 at 4:59 PM ^
That's why they invented holidays like Valentines Day and Mothers Day. If you really loved me, you'd do more than compliment my meatloaf.
January 13th, 2023 at 3:19 PM ^
Says it all
January 13th, 2023 at 3:22 PM ^
I support everyone who supports me supporting this post.
January 14th, 2023 at 10:21 AM ^
"You watch your @$$."
January 14th, 2023 at 12:05 AM ^
Suppor-sedly!
January 13th, 2023 at 3:22 PM ^
that's a little tongue in cheek. cmon jimmy... you havent *shown* that 24/7. I get that youre annoyed by shit, but if you truly love everyone and everything... we wouldnt be in this hell's waiting room.
that said.. what in the holy F is taking so long. its really telling that santa and Warde did NOT go through the past 20 years of hell with those of us that did.. because anyone who watched that, would not HESITATE to get this done ASAP
January 13th, 2023 at 3:37 PM ^
Why does everyone assume that management is the only one responsible for getting it done? People are acting like Harbaugh is a child and they are refusing to feed him.
January 13th, 2023 at 4:05 PM ^
I make that assumption because Harbaugh has most of the leverage in the situation. He is one of the best active coaches, and any replacement is more likely than not to be a downgrade.
He is underpaid compared to his peers and so is his staff. Since Nick Saban isn't walking through that door, the smart move in my opinion is to give the man basically whatever he wants within reason.
The fact that Santa is involved in the situation at all leads me to believe that there is an impasse between the AD and coach. The AD is easily replaceable, Jim is not.
January 13th, 2023 at 4:28 PM ^
Listen, if JH wants 2 million more a year, then fine. He was largely overpaid for the first 6 years of his tenure. He’s had two phenomenal years, so now his salary is catching back up to his performance. He isn’t grossly underpaid when you take into account his whole tenure but I agree the needle is up so he deserves to be top 5 in salary.
I also think that most of you are overestimating his leverage. He had more leverage when he was mentioned for the Denver job. Now it’s fairly clear that the NFL music is winding down and Jim isn’t going to have a chair. He’s not a great fit for a lot of schools and only a handful of schools will pay him 10+ million a year. Jim was made to coach Michigan.
January 13th, 2023 at 6:51 PM ^
Devil's Advocate here:
It's possible that any AD feels he is in the position of protecting all the other athletic programs at the school, which is somewhat precarious because it is largely football revenues that support that. While not exactly a zero-sum game (as a championship means more revenue to go around), resources are still limited, and the department's goal is to be successful across a wide spectrum of sports, though football clearly comes first.
January 13th, 2023 at 7:11 PM ^
He isn't underpaid. If anything, he was overpaid for years.
January 14th, 2023 at 9:18 AM ^
He earned his money year 1 when the team went 10-3 and Michigan became relevant again. Year 2 Michigan was one of the best teams in the country and belonged in the playoffs . Year 4, they were a game from the playoffs and were one of the best teams.
January 13th, 2023 at 3:25 PM ^
But you never know what the future holds
January 13th, 2023 at 3:27 PM ^
don't ask a question that you don't know the answer to. the answer, for many, is no, Jim, you haven't actually showed that fully. If you loved Michigan as much as you say you do, then we wouldn't exactly be in this situation now, would we?
January 13th, 2023 at 3:31 PM ^
No Jim. You haven't showed that. Or at least you haven't showed that you love Michigan more than you love the NFL.
January 13th, 2023 at 3:45 PM ^
This is getting old. From all sides
January 13th, 2023 at 3:51 PM ^
I'm choosing to take this quote as another frustrated shot at Warde, but I also have no clue the context or tone
January 13th, 2023 at 4:43 PM ^
One possible outcome is this short-term instability results in Harbaugh basically negotiating a lifetime contract--several years with a high salary and a huge buyout, which also satisfies his other demands (NIL, assistant salary pool, etc). And, with 2 years in a row where he either wasn't desired enough by the NFL or didn't really want to leave, it could squash this annual event once and for all.
In the long term, this could be a good thing even though it's a bit opaque, and frustrating in the short term.
January 13th, 2023 at 7:13 PM ^
He isn't getting a lifetime contract. And he shouldn't. Nobody should.
January 13th, 2023 at 4:54 PM ^
Hey Jim: How about saying...I'm totally done with the NFL, my place is here in Ann Arbor and I will remain as Head Coach for many years to some; book it!
January 13th, 2023 at 5:37 PM ^
I love you honey but did you see those girls in bikinis on the beach.
January 13th, 2023 at 6:23 PM ^
It would be a lot of fun to see this kind of speculation about men, women and their respective spouses.
"So, John U. Bacon, is he gonna leave his wife for that really beautiful paralegal he met at a seminar?"
"Hard to say, but I think it's just a matter of time."
"She's awfully attractive."
"Let's see his wife's offer."
"She's mismanaging the offer, and complicating things with incentives and stuff."
"What do you know?"
"Nothing, really."
"Then STFU."
January 13th, 2023 at 6:23 PM ^
Once again Jim didn’t directly answer a direct question
January 13th, 2023 at 6:54 PM ^
So fucking what. He shouldn't until it's a done deal.
January 13th, 2023 at 11:27 PM ^
Til what is a done deal?
January 14th, 2023 at 12:07 AM ^
The Deal, the Deal, the Deal! Follow along. Sheesh.
January 13th, 2023 at 7:28 PM ^
Can we stop talking about this?
We know the game being played right now
We know the players involved in the game
There is nothing we can do about it.
Everyone has the right to advocate for better pay when they are a better worker
This is how the system is set up to give a coach leverage for a better contract
This coach gave up a huge chunk of salary to stay on and to build a better program
He wants it back now that he has overdelivered 2-years in a row.
Say what you want about losing in the semis, we've spent 20-years playing Kohler Toilet bowls
We all still have assholes -- I mean opinions.
January 13th, 2023 at 10:41 PM ^
Coach would not be here if he did not want to be imo. A former Super Bowl coach, AFC player of the year who has had success everywhere he coached has options. I believe him and take him at his word about Michigan.
January 13th, 2023 at 10:52 PM ^
Judge a man by his actions like the public Denver interview. Not a lot of college coaches so publicly leverage their university into a deal… that said the top guys didn’t have to. He deserves the deal but it did not have to get this public. I 80% put this on Warde for not locking him up earlier and getting in his craw, but JH has not shown that he loves UM in 2023. Imagine telling your wife:
”I love you honey, and I fully intend to stay with you but NO man knows the future!”
January 13th, 2023 at 11:45 PM ^
Can we run this through a yoga translator so it is clear here on earth?
January 14th, 2023 at 12:12 AM ^
I picture his response in Matthew McConaughey's voice from the Lincoln commercials. At least Jim Carrey's version.
January 14th, 2023 at 8:49 AM ^
We will see if any NFL team hires Harbaugh. Otherwise, he will be back in the family for at least the next year.
January 14th, 2023 at 11:31 AM ^
Jim's a funny guy. I'm going to try this approach with my wife. Honey how many women do I have to sleep with to show you how much I love you? How many!
January 14th, 2023 at 11:43 AM ^
I predict the answer is one.
January 14th, 2023 at 3:59 PM ^
The other twist is that Jim has an agent. That can be good or bad. I seem to remember a baseball player's agent reading the situation really wrong. The ball club let the player walk. Player got no contract with anyone. End of career.
January 16th, 2023 at 8:11 AM ^
Michigan was unable to capitalize on TWO College National Football Playoffs in a row because of Harbaugh's dalliance with the NFL...So...???