Where Did Jim Harbaugh Go??
Disclaimer: To be completely clear, I think anyone even thinking about Jim Harbaugh's job status is beyond insane. He is our coach, and no one could be better than him. This is just a post with a small concern that I think is emotionally hindering this team and need to be solved.
In December 2014, when rebuilding our program from an absolutely catostrophic scenario, our interim Athletic Director Jim Hackett did the impossible and made IT H4PPEN.
What followed that was the reignition of our program by the wildest and gif-yiest head coach in College Football who attacked each day with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind, and certainly showed that every week on the sideline.
I could go on forever, you should get the point by now.
I don't know if you guys have noticed, but this version of Jim Harbaugh that we've known and loved has become almost non-existant this year. Instead, we find him pacing the sidelines, with a very stable amount of enthusiasm, not even close to enthusiasm unknown to mankind.
Michigan players have always (and sincerely) loved playing under such a coach, and I think that his activity on the sideline keeps a spark under the team and is a factor in their performance, as well as their positive opinion on him.
So where has he gone? Where is this Jim Harbaugh that we love? Where is the QB that guaranteed a win over OSU? Where is the coach who has a more honest and meaningful press conference, unlike his Hoke-like bland coachspeak we saw out of him last night? Where is his attacking of each day with an enthusiasm unkown to mankind?
I thought that this loss would be a breaking point and a huge wake-up call for him, where he realizes (and says) that this game was unacceptable, that at Michigan, you can't have such a losing record to your rivals. Followed by improvement back to the old, active, enthusistic sideline Harbaugh. Amazingly, we didn't see this. Instead, we heard the infamous "We're on to Cincinnati" approach.
Now, I've realized that he has still kept up his enthusiasm on the recruiting trail, and from what we've seen in practice, and that this seems to be strictly a sideline problem.
I have two ideas what the cause of this may be:
Number One: Tim Drevno needs to be on the sideline. Having a coaches in the press box decreases the ability to manage your team on a personal level. Our offense has sucked, and Drevno has been in the press box, our defense has flourished, and Don Brown has not only been on the sideline, but has looked more Harbaugh-like than Harbaugh has.
Number Two: Fear that the refs may call less favorably due to his antics. After the "technical in basketball" incident at OSU last year, I think he may have a fear that if he reacts too much to bad calls, the refs will tend to have calls go Michigan's way less.
Obviously, we have other problems that should be on our mind, and this isn't a direct factor to winning and losing games, but I think it does have an affect on how these guys play on the field, and if they show energy, passion, hope and care or not. With Don Brown pumping up the defense, they have stepped up, faced adversity, and delivered. With Harbaugh pacing the sideline and talking to Drevno up in the box, our offense has showed less emotion, and as a result, less success.
Has anyone else noticed this? Any thoughts? What needs to be done?
October 8th, 2017 at 6:49 PM ^
I like our defense- but I am not convinced it is as elite as folks make it out to be- we really havn't faced a good offense yet- OSU will be the test
October 8th, 2017 at 9:30 PM ^
October 9th, 2017 at 2:22 PM ^
He seems to love what he is doing at Michigan but won't the NFL come calling?
October 8th, 2017 at 4:34 PM ^
I am tryiing not to read to many of these kind of comments, but I couldn't resist this thread. All being a crybaby accomplishes is to make great material for schadenfreude seekers.
There are rare occasions in which a coach walks into a team that is ready to win championships. Michigan wasn't one of them. As far down as Michigan had gone, nobody has any right to expect anything out of this team until year four, and peak performance won't begin until year five.
Michigan is 24-7 under Harbaugh so far. Harbaugh has overachieved and raised expectations much higher than they should have been. They may take a step backwards this season due to all of the lossses. Basically, they lost almost all of the really good players Hoke left to the NFL and most of the ones he recruited are too young to compete for championships quite yet.
Be patient, enjoy whatever this team gives you and wait until the full Harbaugh magic can kick in. He has already done much more than most coaches would have done with the personnel he had, considering how poorly they had been developed.
Or, just whine and give opponents' fans something to laugh at. Whatever....
October 8th, 2017 at 4:56 PM ^
October 8th, 2017 at 5:05 PM ^
October 8th, 2017 at 5:16 PM ^
How do you feel about the team this year in relation to how you felt about the team in 2013?
October 8th, 2017 at 5:35 PM ^
October 8th, 2017 at 6:12 PM ^
I am happy with the first two years of Harbaugh despite the rival losses. Two 10 win seasons in a row, after what we went through, is totally fine. In fact, and I know saying this probably means I'm a minority, if we had 10-11 win seasons every year, that means we are an elite college football team. And if we are that year in and year out, that is totally good. M should be elite, but if we don't win the natty ever and still are elite--all good.
October 8th, 2017 at 9:24 PM ^
October 8th, 2017 at 8:00 PM ^
October 8th, 2017 at 10:54 PM ^
October 10th, 2017 at 10:03 AM ^
A win over Ohio State did not guarantee a playoff berth. It guaranteed a spot in the B1G Championship game, and we don't know if Michigan would've beaten Wisconsin again. Don't revise history.
October 8th, 2017 at 6:52 PM ^
"How has he overachieved? He has the same record that Hoke had through 31 games."
Given the massive recruiting advantages UM has over other college teams die to reputation, facilities, alumni ties, etc. I would say JH is just doing "average" with the great classes he has brought in- maybe below average
October 8th, 2017 at 5:14 PM ^
A+++
October 8th, 2017 at 5:29 PM ^
If two straight 3rd place finishes in the division is "overachieving" I'd hate to see what underachieving looks like.
That almost sounds like something an Indiana or Minnesota would say. We are overachieving by finishing 3rd place.
If opponent fans laugh about us coming down to reality regarding our coaching staff more power to them. We laugh, but at least Notre Dame has played for a national championship since Bill Clinton stopped being president.
October 8th, 2017 at 6:16 PM ^
I see this ridiculous criticism from Sparty fans all the time, so you know it has zero meaning. In college football where you finish in the division is nothing, where you finsh in the national rankings is everything. Take last year--third place divisional finish, still went to a NY6 bowl against a top team. If we would have beat FSU the season would have been a major success. As it was, it was a 10 win season--still an elite season. Third place is meaningless
October 8th, 2017 at 6:48 PM ^
Then why have conferences at all?
Fact is that conference championships are prestigious and to win a conference title you need to win the division first. But then again maybe I'm the only Michigan fan who is upset that we haven't won a big ten championship since 2004. Gotta love those non playoff NY6 bowl games and top 10 finishes...
October 8th, 2017 at 8:02 PM ^
and I'm not dismissing it. But I do think divisions, as opposed to conferences, are in fact meaningless constructs. I suppose conferences are too. It goes back to what your goals are--for me, my goals for Michigan are to be an elite team every year. So while of coiurse I want us to win NC's, if we don't and consistently are a 10 and 11 win team, that's elite, and that's ok by me.
October 8th, 2017 at 9:12 PM ^
Divisions aren't a meaningless construct, just a watered down one. Division and conference championships should and do mean something (and would mean more if the NC playoff included conference champions as AQs), because they are a fairly objective standard among teams from schools of some similarity.
October 8th, 2017 at 10:31 PM ^
Last year's results really weaken your assertion.
Who won the B1G championship? And then what happened? Sure, PSU went to a NY6 bowl, but that's it. The team that DIDN'T win the championship went into the NC playoff bracket. That right there undermines the meaningfulness of conference championships.
I don't agree with what happened, but it did.
October 9th, 2017 at 8:12 AM ^
As it was, it was a 10 win season--still an elite season.
FBS teams that won 10 games last year -
Alabama
Washington
Stanford
USC
Colorado
Clemson
Florida State
Virginia Tech
Ohio State
Penn State
Michigan
Wisconsin
Oklahoma
Oklahoma State
West Viriginia
South Florida
Temple
Tulsa
Boise State
Air Force
San Diego State
Western Michigan
Appalachian State
Troy
Old Dominion
Western Kentucky
20% of the teams in FBS won 10. Winning 10 games isn't elite.
October 9th, 2017 at 10:09 AM ^
only 15 of those teams above are playing major college football. So we are in the top 15 teams in football--very close to my definition of elite, which is top 10. If your final rankings every year are top ten, no one can say that's not elite
October 9th, 2017 at 11:51 AM ^
"If your final rankings every year are top ten, no one can say that's not elite"
I would say that is not elite - at least not without a championship or two thrown in there.
Over the last 5 years the elite teams are:
Alabama
Clemson
Ohio State
October 10th, 2017 at 10:06 AM ^
But there are only 64 P5 teams. So being in the top 25% of P5 isn't really as elite as you think.
The difference between a 10 win team and a 12 or 13 win team is massive.
October 8th, 2017 at 6:54 PM ^
"We laugh, but at least Notre Dame has played for a national championship since Bill Clinton stopped being president."
BillClinton isn't President anymore? When did this happen?
October 8th, 2017 at 7:07 PM ^
January 2001. Which is about 3 years after the last time Michigan played for a national championship.
October 8th, 2017 at 5:30 PM ^
This was a tough loss but the team never quit. The offense had a lot of issues: dropped balls, missed throws, missed blocks and so on, but I think Bo's words that are quoted at the game booming from the PA speakers.
"We are gonna to believe in each other, we are not gonna criticize each other, we're not going talk about each other, we're gonna encourage each other. And when we play as a team, when the old season is over, you and I know, it's gonna be Michigan again, Michigan."
Was Bo "guaranteeing" victory? No. Was guaranteeing a title or a championship? No. He was addressing the team after a disappointing loss. He wanted to encourage the team, keep up their morale, keep up their optimism and determination.
For people to think the team is in the same state the team was at three years into the previous regimen, is to only see the most superficial.
October 8th, 2017 at 6:57 PM ^
"This was a tough loss but the team never quit."
I've never understood this phrase. Unless ANY team walks off the field, it never quits. How would anybody know if a team is not trying? All the players? Some?
October 8th, 2017 at 10:34 PM ^
Watch the 2016 Citrus bowl, especially the second half. The UF defense basically quit. It was very evident in their body language.
October 8th, 2017 at 10:37 PM ^
October 8th, 2017 at 5:33 PM ^
October 8th, 2017 at 5:50 PM ^
October 8th, 2017 at 5:49 PM ^
Still think a big time seasoned offensive coordinator needs to be brought in. That's what this team will be missing in years to come if Drevno is still doing it. The talent will be there with experience on the offensive side of the ball. The defense will hold their own. This team is a National Champion with a good offense. No settling for the bullshit offense that just needs to manage the clock and be okay. Kick fucking ass on offense and throw the ball down field.
October 8th, 2017 at 6:12 PM ^
October 8th, 2017 at 7:00 PM ^
"He's not on the hot seat by any means, but there needs to be improvement this year and next year."
then it is, by definition, a warming seat.
October 8th, 2017 at 6:54 PM ^
It is not out of the realm of possibilty to expect more. This is F*^king MICHIGAN. We should expect more and quit with the be patient excuse. I think most people here have been patient, 10+ years is pretty patient. PED U had one foot in the grave and are now sitting pretty good. Chris Peterson and UW come outta nowhere and have passed us on the national level. So it is not like it is nothing new, it has been done. Exactly how much longer do we have to wait and how many more excuses do we have to make? There are young QB's doing well for other teams, true freshmen o-lineman holding their own, why not at Michigan. Harbaugh is a VERY GOOD coach no doubt and thats what is the most upsetting about this. His record against our rivals is horrible(Hoke level) and he is better than that. IMO Michigan should be waaay better than this. Looks like we are at the very least 2 years out from what we all expect. If after 2 years this is still the new normal then my patience will probably have reached its limit. So if that make me a crybaby so be it. I will take that, I am just trying not to be blinded by Homer Glasses.
October 8th, 2017 at 4:45 PM ^
October 8th, 2017 at 4:56 PM ^
I find people that can't understand the process that is required to create an effective offense pathetic.
The defense is obviously in very good hands. Creating a championship caliber O-Line takes recruitment and strength training. These things take years. All-American freshmen O-Linemen aren't a thing. It sucks that we aren't there yet, but we were in a godawful situation in relation to the O-Line before Harbaugh arrived.
This championship level defense is to be expected from here on out. The offense will materialize. People saying we aren't where they think we should be by now don't understand football.
October 8th, 2017 at 7:04 PM ^
we have great recruits, a great facility, experienced coahes- 3 years is not too long tto wait to expect a functional o-line
October 8th, 2017 at 10:48 PM ^
Yet we have D players starting in their first year and have created a top-10 D. You can argue offense takes more time to gel, which is true, but that doesn't explain the regression. What's not to understand about that? How great does the disparity have to be before we realize there's a coaching issue on the offensive side?
MSU didn't have better talent than M, and many of them are in their first year as a starter, yet they did well enough to win without turning the ball over an embarrassing number of times.
At some point it becomes clear that one segment of the team has clearly underachieved.
As another poster stated above, their are teams starting freshmen on offense (including QB) that have performed well in big games. Yet we have older players, in some cases, performing worse than before. The RBs, for example, keep missing blocks on pass pro, over and over, including a senior. How long before that's fixed? If there's something we're not understanding, I'd like to have a good explanation. So far I haven't seen one, but I'm open to it if someone can provide it.
October 8th, 2017 at 11:53 PM ^
October 8th, 2017 at 6:54 PM ^
Each team has a different personality. Like all great leaders, you adjust to the psyche of your team.
How that manifests in game planning, I don't know, but the O seems to be missing an element of taking advantage of what other teams give.
October 9th, 2017 at 10:14 AM ^
I tend to agree with you.
I was rather intrigued by a snippet from a Baumgardner article last week. He reported that they asked Jim (I think some time ago) about a photo from 2015 spring practice where Jim's head is in his hands as he sits on a bench. Jim said he remembered that moment perfectly because he was looking around and thinking they honestly might not win a game that year.
From that, and realizing that Jim has played and coached championship-level football, I think he KNOWS all too painfully how bad things are. He probably knew it going into the season. And he knows what the path forward looks like in outline, and he'll adjust as necessary to stay on course (including making roster and staff decisions).
October 8th, 2017 at 3:51 PM ^
You can look it up, but this year the NCAA has put an emphasis on cracking down on coaches who go on the field to argue with officials.
That or he is in negotiations to return to the NFL so his heart isn't in it anymore.
October 8th, 2017 at 3:55 PM ^
October 8th, 2017 at 4:03 PM ^
October 9th, 2017 at 2:26 PM ^
Has there been a penalty for it yet? I have not seen one.
October 8th, 2017 at 3:53 PM ^
Everything in society is what have you done for me lately, not what is your track record. I don’t have the answers.. I hope someone making 7mil does.
October 8th, 2017 at 3:57 PM ^
Next year as a rebuild? Explain.