Today's "Will He Stay Or Go?" Tea Leaves
Ian Rapoport just posted an interview segment where he mentioned 3 finalists for the Vikings HC job, none of which were named Jim Harbaugh. He mentioned Jim at the very end, but it doesn't seem like an offer from the Vikings is forthcoming at the very least.
If that's the case, and assuming that Miami doesn't offer (not a safe assumption IMO), it looks like Jim is coming back.
Of course, all of this could change on a dime, but for now the tea leaves seem to be pointing in the direction of a 2022 return.
January 31st, 2022 at 1:26 PM ^
How is a Michigan program that just made the CFP and has momentum for the first time in five years in a worse position to win than the Miami Dolphins? These are just excuses that people make because they can’t accept that Harbaugh would rather coach in the NFL than college. If we take off the maize and blue glasses, then this seems pretty clear: an NFL coach goes back to college for a few seasons, has a big year that gives him some traction with NFL openings, and then leaves for the NFL.
We can make a bunch of excuses to persevere the heroic narrative that Jim loves Michigan dearly and he just wants to win but those dastardly admins just won’t let him. Or we can look at the evidence and come to the conclusion that he wants the NFL. He might want NIL and transfer stuff too; he surely wants to win where ever he ends up. But he’s leaving because he wants to back into the league.
January 31st, 2022 at 1:34 PM ^
Simple. There’s a ton of parity in the NFL. The difference between first and last in the NFL really isn’t all that much. The Bengals just went from picking #1 overall to playing in the Super Bowl in a matter of two seasons. The playing field is level across the board in the NFL.
Now for us, despite having a great season and making the CFP, we are nowhere near winning one. We saw against Georgia what a true contender looks like. We saw that we did not belong in that conversation. And we either don’t have the ability or the institutional desire to do what has to be done to get to that level.
January 31st, 2022 at 1:44 PM ^
and yet we have the Detroit Lions just tagging along
January 31st, 2022 at 3:39 PM ^
Lions aren’t a real NFL team FYI. They are a Ford entertainment outlet/investment. Winning isn’t part of the plan.
January 31st, 2022 at 5:03 PM ^
Thank you Jonny for making the comment so I didn't have to- NFL has parity- much more so than NCAA football-
January 31st, 2022 at 5:26 PM ^
There is, of course, more parity in the NFL than the NCAA, because there are more teams in the NCAA and many of them are awful. But Michigan is still in the “haves” portion of the NCAA. They aren’t a Cincinnati or something: they’ve had a few recent seasons with a shot at the playoffs if they beat OSU. Michigan has more talent than all but one or two teams they play each year (three if they make the title game). The lack of parity largely helps Michigan win.
Yes, Michigan is at a distinct talent disadvantage relative to OSU, Bama, and Georgia. The Dolphins are at a distinct talent disadvantage to Kansas City, the LA Rams, the Packers, and the Buffalo Bills. There disparity may not be as pronounced between Michigan and Georgia, but it’s present in a lot more games in the NFL. Plus, he just hammered an OSU program that recruits at a national championship level, so he’s shown that he can do that.
Sure the Bengals turned it around with a generational quarterback. Miami absolutely doesn’t have that, whatever one thinks of Tua. The NFL is coming off a decade where the Patriots were in like every Super Bowl, so I’m not sure there is as much variance in the NFL as people think.
January 31st, 2022 at 12:02 PM ^
FFS, we ridicule Frames for toying with PSU every other year for a new contract, this is a lot worse imho.
So every year when other coaches and teams negative recruit against us about our head coach leaving any year, they are right as it is fucking true!!!
January 31st, 2022 at 12:55 PM ^
Frames gets a lot of grief around here, but not so much for off season flirtations to secure extensions/raises, as he does for sad field goals, idiotic play calling and horrible clock management.
January 31st, 2022 at 2:35 PM ^
He seems like a genuinely shitty person too
January 31st, 2022 at 2:43 PM ^
speaking of which, how are you doing scooter?
January 31st, 2022 at 4:04 PM ^
Not if your wife or gf is hot. Frames is all in if she's hot.
January 31st, 2022 at 12:05 PM ^
I'm just glad the AD is bombarding me with email reminders to renew season tickets. are they naive enough to think people aren't paying attention to this?
January 31st, 2022 at 12:05 PM ^
my tea leaves are this: it seems like he wants to go. End on a high note. Reality that beating the best of the best in college is too much about recruiting and not enough about coaching. Knowing he's a better coach than people like Saban (compare their NFL records) but knowing it would be almost impossible to compete with Saban year in year out given recruiting.
But, like most things on here, this is just some BS I made up.
January 31st, 2022 at 3:43 PM ^
I've read a lot less logical BS about Harbaugh in the past few weeks.
January 31st, 2022 at 12:06 PM ^
I'm confused...pretty sure I'm not alone.
Regardless, either way, I'm intrigued by the possibilities.
January 31st, 2022 at 12:11 PM ^
Who fucking cares anymore? Dude did the same thing after the 2020 season and held Michigan over the barrel while he waited to see if any NFL teams came calling. He’s going to do this every year. The university isn’t helping much either. Get rid of the “Harvard of the Mid-West” bullshit. We don’t have an NIL program, we can’t get kids to transfer here because of admissions. It’s a lose-lose situation for each side unless the university changes its policies. Harbaugh clearly wants to coach in the NFL again so why drag it out?
January 31st, 2022 at 12:17 PM ^
Not sure Michigan was over any barrel last year. More like Harbaugh was given the reduction in pay.
January 31st, 2022 at 12:54 PM ^
With his performance in the last 7 years against ranked teams and his November record he should take a damn pay cut. He wins one big ten championship and he thinks he's a god or something.
January 31st, 2022 at 4:09 PM ^
If your employer told you they were cutting your pay in half, I bet you’d “hold them over the barrel.”
January 31st, 2022 at 12:19 PM ^
At least it's not about the money.
January 31st, 2022 at 12:22 PM ^
Harbaugh marches to the beat of his own drum. In the end, he will remain at Michigan.
January 31st, 2022 at 1:23 PM ^
well, he is no Mel Tucker.......
thankfully
January 31st, 2022 at 4:06 PM ^
I thought his name was Merv Tucker.
January 31st, 2022 at 12:20 PM ^
How much control of the Dolphin's franchise would Steven Ross be willing to hand over to one person? Except for the Vikings, no other owners have bothered to bring him in for an interview after speaking with his agent. I just don't see Jim Harbaugh leaving at this point. I doubt even Ross will give him what he needs to take an NFL job.
January 31st, 2022 at 1:36 PM ^
The Vikings didnt bring him in for an interview, they gave him a phone call. And Harbaugh doesn’t have an agent.
January 31st, 2022 at 12:23 PM ^
I think he stays.
January 31st, 2022 at 12:28 PM ^
I think he goes.
January 31st, 2022 at 1:27 PM ^
He thinks he’ll stay!!!
January 31st, 2022 at 1:28 PM ^
I think splunge.
He might go. He might not. But I'm not being indecisive.
January 31st, 2022 at 1:35 PM ^
don't get cute sopwith. isn't it true when you were confronted with being lazy and ignorant your response was, "i don't know and i don't care"?
January 31st, 2022 at 1:37 PM ^
If that wasn't my response it really should have been.
January 31st, 2022 at 12:24 PM ^
Day 314. Still no one knows anything because Harbaugh isn't talking to anyone. People on twitter continue to try to fill the void with 'coulds' and 'ifs'
January 31st, 2022 at 12:47 PM ^
The Harbaugh of the gaps.
January 31st, 2022 at 3:41 PM ^
Unfortunately science can not come to our rescue and fill in the gaps.
January 31st, 2022 at 12:40 PM ^
I believe this all hinges on the Vikings. If the Vikings hire DeMarco (Who I believe they will do), then Ross does not offer (as he promised) and JH stays at Michigan
January 31st, 2022 at 12:47 PM ^
Before this weekend I was 80-20 in favor of he stays, now it's 80-20 the other way. He wants to go to the NFL, if a team offers him a job he's taking it.
He did interview for Minny, that's not some rumor.
January 31st, 2022 at 1:29 PM ^
Well, so far I have only heard rumors. The NFL requires that any interview be submitted to the NFL and as of now that paperwork has not been filed by any team.
January 31st, 2022 at 2:06 PM ^
He didn’t interview for Minny. Minny got permission from Warde to call Jim. That’s it so far. Jim was in Ann Arbor hosting recruits when the interview allegedly took place.
January 31st, 2022 at 2:14 PM ^
It was reported as a conversation that took place by phone. If you want to say it wasn’t an interview that’s fine. It’s still two legitimately interested parties talking to each other with the whole idea being to see if JH should be the next coach of a particular team that isn’t Michigan.
January 31st, 2022 at 3:53 PM ^
two legitimately interested parties
Based on Minnesota deciding to give him a phone call? They can’t call him and Jim say he’s not interested? Hell, Minnesota calling him doesn’t even mean they’re legitimately interested. Lots of people get phone calls for jobs that never advance past the preliminary phone call for various reasons.
January 31st, 2022 at 9:27 PM ^
They’re flying him out for a full in person interview tomorrow.
January 31st, 2022 at 12:47 PM ^
Before this weekend I was 80-20 in favor of he stays, now it's 80-20 the other way. He wants to go to the NFL, if a team offers him a job he's taking it.
He did interview for Minny, that's not some rumor.
January 31st, 2022 at 2:35 PM ^
That's actually some rumor. Did JH or the Vikings confirm an interview?
January 31st, 2022 at 3:17 PM ^
does the double post now mean its 160-40 he's leaving?
January 31st, 2022 at 4:09 PM ^
Math can be hard.
January 31st, 2022 at 12:50 PM ^
If he wants the NFL, them make it an easy decision for him and fire his ass. Tired of this every off season. McDonald and Gattis won the big ten this year, not mediocre Jim Harbaugh.
YOU ARENT WORTH 10M A YEAR JIM!
January 31st, 2022 at 3:07 PM ^
Jim Harbaugh does not control what the media writes about. Jim Harbaugh does not control how much of the media you consume. Jim Harbaugh hired MACDONALD and Gattis. Jim Harbaugh has won everywhere he does. Jim Harbaugh is worth 10M a year.
January 31st, 2022 at 1:12 PM ^
So, he's going
January 31st, 2022 at 1:23 PM ^
The one fact that is absolutely undeniable: Jim Harbaugh is currently under contract to be the Head Football Coach at the University of Michigan