What happened to Jim Harbaugh?
We can speak all we want about Shea fizzling out, the defense getting eviscerated, etc.
but what I’m wondering is where Jim Harbaugh - remember, the guy that almost won a Super Bowl - has gone.
i still remember the day he got hired, and this here blog was inundated with glee. It wasn’t just hype - Harbaugh had consistently won everywhere he went as a coach, and developed players like Andrew Luck, Colin Kaepernick, and - in his first year here - Jack Rud(d)ock. Never would we have expected him to admit, five years in especially, that he got “outcoached”, yet here we are.
Some coaches watch the game pass them by, but it seems like this stubbornness wouldn’t befall a coach so young. Perhaps others have evolved faster, and perhaps Harbaugh’s penchant for bolting after <=4 seasons at each stop was a harbinger to come.
Either way, I’m left here stunned at Harbaugh’s regression, and I don’t think I have many explanations for why it’s happening.
September 21st, 2019 at 9:30 PM ^
In addition to the potential reasons already stated, maybe he felt like being angry on a frequent basis wasn’t the best long term approach for his health, his relationship with his players, or being the role model he wants to be for his young kids. Now that my kids watch Michigan games with me, I know that I have made a conscious choice to be more positive. (I’m not always successful.)
September 21st, 2019 at 9:30 PM ^
Who knows if there’s anything wrong with Harbaugh, but for a guy who has a personal motto of “enthusiasm unknown to mankind,” that aspect seems to be missing. Many people point to 2016 OSU as the turning point and it really is hard to argue against that. All we as fans have to go on is his coaching demeanor on the sidelines and his press conferences. His sideline demeanor is reserved at best. His pressers are seriously not even worth watching. I feel bad for reporters who have to ask the guy questions. He gives as many non-answers as possible.
As an aside, I thought it was really funny in the presser after the game that he let slip that Charbonnet was indeed not healthy. A reporter asked him if Charbonnet was hurt, he said no and then said almost under his breath that he was limited. A reporter immediately tried to follow up on the comment and he shut it down.
Good thing we really fooled Wisconsin by making them think Charbonnet was healthy. I’m sure it really altered their game plan when we trotted Ben Mason out there in a non-goal line situation for his first carries of the year.
September 21st, 2019 at 9:40 PM ^
There really could be trouble for Jim Harbaugh if Charbaonnet's scoped knee was re-injured from having 33 carries.
September 21st, 2019 at 9:36 PM ^
I agree with the takes here based on medication. Harbs looks like he is being directly affected by something that's meant to taper of his uptempo aggressive mindset. I've seen people actively suppress themselves under those zolofts, buspars, seroquels, etc. They reacted differently to the things that normally made them laugh/cry/contemplate/love/feel and even consider as relevant. The couple guys that stopped taking them immediately told of how they felt imprisoned and unable to completely think. It's weird. I love this Team, UoM as an organization, and of course this MGO community. We need to go a different direction in 2021 if Harbs can't puzzle this shit together. We have analysts on the public spectrum scoping this program. Money and young careers are on the table if this isn't addressed.
September 21st, 2019 at 9:40 PM ^
Amplified pressure of being the expected “savior” of his alma mater.
I may be negged for making this comparison but here goes:
I’m currently the Home Supervisor of a program for 7-12 year old at-risk boys. I came into the position after having worked directly in the home for 4 years, leaving for a year and then returning in the head spot last winter, replacing my old boss.
I was good at my job when I was a direct care worker, and that’s the biggest reason I’m now in the position I’m in; and this was a goal and dream of mine. The pressure is immense, though. And it’s amplified because this is the home I started and grew up professionally in. I have no doubts that I’d sleep better at night if I was supervising another program in the organization.
There’s a lot more weighing on Harbaugh to succeed here than anywhere else he’s been. Both from outside expectations and from the pressure he’s feeling within his own head.
September 21st, 2019 at 10:00 PM ^
He's soft now. He's more concerned about brushing shoulders with the Obamas, and wondering where he can spend others money by taking his team to all of these various countries in the off-season. He lost that fire. He's too caught up with everything but football. Like making commercials for fabric softeners for Christ's sake... What happened to that spark in year one and two.. you know... the crazy Harbaugh that everyone loved. The temper tantrums on the sidelines... It's all gone. He is soft which is making his players as soft as fabric softeners.
Meanwhile, here is Brian Kelly going into SEC country and beating Georgia.
September 21st, 2019 at 10:29 PM ^
People post the gif of him clenching and rubbing his face in complete anguish all the time. I haven’t seen that man on the sideline since they gif was recorded.
September 21st, 2019 at 10:40 PM ^
Mad Hatter is spot on imo. On the Spectrum & needs meds nowadays for whatever reason ...& has affected him. Ever since he wore Woody glasses. What the fuck...fuck Woody.
Players see the garbage game plans & question why a guy making 7 mil a year is doing commercials & podcasts...& not studying opponent's film & coming up with a competent fucking game plan.
Players see a freshman RB run 33 times, mostly into a wall ...then get injured in a one vs ones scrimmage. ZC didn't need live tackling hits after that game.
72 & sunny vs Army ...he has this massive thick hoodie on, that is 40 temp rating. Meds affecting ...
September 21st, 2019 at 11:11 PM ^
That's one thing I've never understood about Harbaugh. No matter the temperature he's always wearing long sleeves. Early season game where it's 85/sunny and he's wearing a thick sweatshirt. Like, what the heck?
Hoke did the same thing but with short sleeves. It doesn't make any sense.
September 21st, 2019 at 10:46 PM ^
And I thought when he was hired - we would be competing with Bama by about right now.
September 21st, 2019 at 11:04 PM ^
I think Harbaugh was unlucky that the two years where we were good (2016, 2018), we had to play OSU at Columbus against an all-time great college football coach (yes Urban sold his soul to the devil in exchange for winning).
I think if he can win against OSU at home first, that would be a big hurdle his program will have overcome, and can give confidence that his team can do it away like they almost did in 2016.
Honestly, this season isn't over yet whatsoever. ND, MSU, and OSU are all at home. Win those three games, and even if we lose at Penn State or Indiana, it will be a successful season.
In fact, Harbaugh has only had one "bad" year, and that was 2017 with the crazy QB injuries. 2015 was above expectations considering we weren't even ranked preseason. 2016 was terrible bad luck. 2018 the losses were to two top-5 opponents on the road.
Harbaugh also hasn't had much QB continuity either. Ruddock was one season. Speight was a season and a half before he got injured. Shea is just now in his second season under Harbaugh, and they're introducing a new offense. Maybe you could argue he should stop with the transfers and develop his true freshmen recruits from the get-go, but that's another debate.
September 22nd, 2019 at 12:29 AM ^
If you all think things are bad now, what happens if Dantonio comes into our house and beats us again? Shit, this team is in disarray right now. This won't be fixed overnight. Our offense is HORRID and the defense is even worse!!!
September 22nd, 2019 at 9:32 AM ^
What about Iowa, Notre Dame, Maryland, Ohio St? Don't you have anything to say about those games?
September 22nd, 2019 at 9:28 AM ^
Josh Gattis and Shaun Nua have turned out to be bad hires. Pep Hamilton and Greg Frey were bad hires too. I'm not seeing good fingerprints of Ben McDaniels coaching in the QB play either. I am wondering what is going on with Jim Harbaugh since the 2016 Ohio St game. Why hasn't he vetted and hired only excellent coaches?
He did hire Ed Warinner. So I can't say everything has been wrong.
September 22nd, 2019 at 12:58 AM ^
I'm am going to try to say it in short here but...
Overall, Harbaugh's college football mind is living in a 10 year ago kind of state. He can't seem to get out of it.
He is still of the mindset that you go on the road and, conservatively play call ( and yes he has Off control people ), if he didn't, we would have been throwing downfield from the start.
The game has simply changed since Stanford.
So we need to be MUCH more aggressive on offense. Watch most other teams. They just go for it.
And when they have a successful play with MO, they hurry up and run another and usually it's very positive. I think Gattis wants to do this but JH is just so stubborn.
AND of course you can't fumble the shit all over the field fergodsakes!!!
September 22nd, 2019 at 8:27 AM ^
Harbaugh has always had talent around him before he got to Michigan. He had a terrible record at Stanford before Luck got there. Luck was ranked as the third rated pocket passer coming out of high school. If you want to say Harbaugh “developed” him go ahead.
Harbaugh then took over an 8-8 Niners team with very talented roster. At least 2, maybe 3 hall of famers on that team. Gore, Willis, Bowman, Crabtree, Davis, Justin Smith, Kaepernick, Staley and others that I can’t think of off the top of my head.
September 22nd, 2019 at 9:23 AM ^
The 49ers were horrible before he got there, and they became horrible again after he left.
September 22nd, 2019 at 9:41 AM ^
To me it seemed like he came in with a bloated ego that has directly lead to a series of bad decisions and yeah he certainly looks burned out now. 4 OC;'s in five years, 3 DC's in five years, 3 OL coaches in five years, etc. The inability to develop a QB, Head scratching recruiting at times. Not enough continuity to build anything substanial. You might be able to get away with that kind of turnover if you are already Alabama or Ohio St. but not when you are trying to build something.
September 22nd, 2019 at 11:03 AM ^
End of 2016 season broke him
September 22nd, 2019 at 12:42 PM ^
It's so perplexing because you'd think Harbaugh would be more motivated to win here than anywhere else he has been just based on his personality and how much Michigan means to him. But it seems like he's almost become complacent? I can't explain it, but is it at all possible Harbaugh bought into all the hype about himself? It seems like the easy explanation that this guy, who's had success everywhere finally starts to get hyped up as being one of the great coaches in all of football, starts getting endorsements, making commercials, and then cannot find success on the field. Out of all of his coaching stops, this was the first time heavy expectations were put on him to win. Maybe the expectations of having to win and being favored isn't as motivating as constantly being the underdog and proving people wrong. I mean everyone was saying that it wasn't a matter of if Harbaugh wins at Michigan, but when, and when the expectation from everyone is to win and compete for Championships, it might be harder to look at individual games and get as motivated for them, opposed to when you're the underdog and getting to show and prove analysts wrong. I really don't know how to explain it, this past loss to Wisc feels a lot different than OSU. The OSU loss was a snap back to reality, this loss feels almost like the beginning of the end, only, I have no idea where this program goes or who it turns to if Harbaugh isn't the guy. The OSU loss was anger (at least for me). This loss is just sad and confusing, which is not to say I'm not also mad about it.