Is Harbaugh too tough on injured players?
Richard Sherman is out with new quotes describing his unrelenting hatred for Harbaugh (for whom he played at Stanford). Key passage from 247 article:
Harbaugh felt Sherman, then a wide receiver, quit on his team after undergoing season-ending knee surgery in 2008, which made Stanford's star player distance himself from his coach. Sherman eventually moved to defense to be further away from Harbaugh and would reportedly prod him during practice.
We've seen a number of players transfer from the program (Aubrey Solomon comes to mind) with similar complaints. Rashan Gary's mom also complained about this. Could this be an issue with Harbaugh's old-school coaching style?
January 28th, 2020 at 3:39 PM ^
Yes he is.
Neg away.
January 28th, 2020 at 4:10 PM ^
Rub some dirt on it. Problem solved.
January 28th, 2020 at 4:44 PM ^
Pour some Tussin on it
January 28th, 2020 at 7:55 PM ^
Let that 'tussin get in there and work boy....
January 28th, 2020 at 11:44 PM ^
When you run out, put some water in it shake it up. Mo tussin!
January 28th, 2020 at 5:24 PM ^
Coach, I think I broke my leg!
Walk that shit off, son.
January 28th, 2020 at 8:00 PM ^
Put some butter on it and get back in there, you wuss!
January 28th, 2020 at 5:21 PM ^
No negs here. You get +1.
I'll go even farther. This issue of expecting players to go hard even when "hurt" -- not injured, of course, but hurt -- could be part of a larger issue with Harbaugh. For some reason, some players don't want to play for him, and some coaches don't want to coach for him. In addition, he clearly has issues motivating players for road environments.
For whatever reason, there is a lot of "circumstantial" - i.e. eye test - evidence for *something* going on. And this, if true, is one of the things keeping Michigan from being better.
I hope it all comes out someday, and I hope JUB writes about it.
January 28th, 2020 at 8:20 PM ^
You just need to set a spell on the pot. You'll be right as rain.
January 29th, 2020 at 1:37 AM ^
Small sample size...but a couple of Jim Harbaugh's Stanford players absolutely detest the man. I believe Doug Baldwin feels the same way as Richard Sherman.
January 29th, 2020 at 3:51 AM ^
Many years ago, I was at a business luncheon and our guest speaker was a guy who had played for Bo in the mid-70's. I was shocked to learn that he couldn't stand Schembechler. This guy loved his school, loved his team, and got a fair amount of playing time. He just wished he'd played for somebody else.
Another small sample size, but I would imagine that every coach has former players who aren't on their Christmas card list.
January 28th, 2020 at 3:41 PM ^
Yeah maybe if he’d take it easy on them they’d man up and beat OSU. He’s too mean!!! Or something.
This sounds a lot like some grown-ass men beefing when they could have just settled the matter privately. Or perhaps one of them keeping the beef alive for some reason.
Also it’s nearly goddamn impossible to work with 100+ young men each year in a high-stakes, pressure cooker and have everyone get along with everyone. For every Sherman and Solomon there’s as many and many more guys who stay, like Harbaugh, and have no complaints.
January 28th, 2020 at 3:42 PM ^
We've seen a number of players transfer from the program (Aubrey Solomon comes to mind) with similar complaints
Have we? (I'm not saying this to criticize, I don't remember offhand.)
January 28th, 2020 at 4:58 PM ^
It'll take me too long to dig up the links, but Aubrey and/or his parents complained on social media that Aubrey was being criticized by Mattison, Harbaugh, et al, for not being willing to play hurt. Rashan Gary's mom said similar things IIRC.
January 28th, 2020 at 6:43 PM ^
Unless there was another issue, Rashans mom’s comment was toward the fans/media. She quashed the rumor that Rashan was goin sit out for the season like bosa.
January 28th, 2020 at 8:10 PM ^
I think Rashan’s mom might’ve cared a tad too much what the media thinks. I remember she used to call in West Michigan local sports radio shows to argue with the hosts
January 29th, 2020 at 12:56 PM ^
I think we have seen a couple players transfer away due to our medical team NOT clearing them, only to be cleared again at other programs. Wasn't that the case with the CB, St-Juste? I want to say another defensive player, as well.
January 28th, 2020 at 3:42 PM ^
No, he isn’t.
Posbang away.
January 28th, 2020 at 3:42 PM ^
At some point, it's hard to argue that everyone saying the same thing is a case of "sour grapes." I don't know if he is too hard about it, but it's pretty clear that a decent number of injured players think he is - which is really all that matters.
Before anyone acts like Harbaugh's coaching is beyond reproach, remember that he had super scumbag DJ Durkin on staff for many years.
January 28th, 2020 at 3:56 PM ^
Harbaugh’s coaching is beyond reproach.
Posbang at will.
January 28th, 2020 at 4:19 PM ^
He was here for one year. No one knew Durkin was a scum bag until Maryland.
January 28th, 2020 at 5:47 PM ^
Apparently the players did. Jabrill came out and said he was a bully
January 28th, 2020 at 7:14 PM ^
He was on his staff previously at Stanford - you’d know that, if you weren’t a total dipshit Michigan homer.
January 28th, 2020 at 4:19 PM ^
"Before anyone acts like Harbaugh's coaching is beyond reproach, remember that he had super scumbag DJ Durkin on staff for many years."
Or you know, you could like actually try to know what the hell you're talking about. Durkin was here for exactly one season champ.
January 28th, 2020 at 4:32 PM ^
I think maybe he meant that Durkin was also at Stanford, 2007-2009, at which time Harbaugh was head coach. Durkin coached defensive ends and special teams. But I don't think a position coach would be easily able to do the awful things Durkin did at Maryland unless the whole leadership structure above him at Stanford was bad--which it wasn't.
January 28th, 2020 at 7:16 PM ^
He had worked with him previously, chump, I mean “champ” - nah, chump was the right call.
Being aggressively stupid, you might actually BE DJ.
January 28th, 2020 at 3:46 PM ^
Solomon left Michigan for a number of reasons and while I'm sure Harbaugh being tough is part of it, he didn't really light it up at Tennessee and that may be more of a player issue than a coaching one. As for Gary's comments, I thought the discussion was more about the fans questioning Gary's toughness and willingness to come back versus Harbaugh, but I didn't keep up on it that intensely.
I assume Harbaugh is a bit of an asshole to his players, and like most coaches doesn't mince words about guys who aren't playing. But Richard Sherman in particular seems to get in fights with lots of people, and him and Harbaugh not getting along doesn't strike me as particularly surprising even in the best of times.
January 28th, 2020 at 4:16 PM ^
I’ve never heard the reason(s) that Solomon left. Here’s my chance to ask, so please fill me in.
January 28th, 2020 at 4:56 PM ^
I've only heard rumors and will honestly admit that I don't keep on a lot of them, but it sounded like he was never THAT into Michigan (he of the "Fuck Michigan" video) and might have always regretted his decision a bit (hell, there were concerns after his freshman year he might have transferred, if memory serves me right). Then he got hurt, struggled to see the field, and I'm sure the coaches weren't the nicest to him. But I think a lot of it is a teenager unhappy that things aren't quite working out somewhere and believing he should try somewhere else, which is a totally reasonable thing to do. I just don't think Jim Harbaugh was needlessly hard on him about injuries because lots of guys do seem to come back and that's been one of the few complaints guys don't seem to voice when they leave.
January 28th, 2020 at 4:16 PM ^
Sherm was the same guy who said Baker Mayfield snubbed him pregame and went on and on about the dIsReSpEkT, then a video surfaced of Baker and him shaking hands, causing him to walk back his comments
January 28th, 2020 at 4:38 PM ^
I assume Harbaugh is a bit of an asshole to his players
Unless, of course, that player spends too much time on the golf course.
January 28th, 2020 at 6:16 PM ^
Yeah but he played with a hurt oblique so, clemency granted.
January 28th, 2020 at 9:36 PM ^
Richard Sherman in a beef with someone? Seems totally out of character.
January 28th, 2020 at 11:04 PM ^
Sherman's an interesting but controversial guy - and can be a real SOB at times.
Super smart, but thrives on beefs and slights, whether perceived or real.
He's feuded with tons of people, including Tom Brady and Calvin Johnson (Calvin Johnson FFS!).
January 28th, 2020 at 3:47 PM ^
Go fuck yourself troll. I'm sorry, maybe I was too harsh. Leave please.
January 28th, 2020 at 5:24 PM ^
I've been a registered user on MGoBlog since 2006. Probably before you were born, given the maturity of the above post.
January 28th, 2020 at 3:49 PM ^
There are people who don't particularly like Richard Sherman too, I'm not sure this really says much. Harbaugh does seem to have some trouble understanding the era of college football he is currently coaching in though.
January 28th, 2020 at 3:49 PM ^
Pretty sure I read an article on CBS Sports stating Sherman had annoyed a couple of coaches on Stanford's staff with his behavior, not just Harbaugh. Maybe this isn't a Harbaugh issue...
January 28th, 2020 at 3:55 PM ^
One of them is quoted in this article as well. Former Stanford DC Ron Lynn
Lynn later mentioned that Sherman was a "spring practice diva" who demanded the football at wideout and often caused disruptions within the team. "I’ve coached really good players who don’t act like that,” Lynn said
January 28th, 2020 at 3:51 PM ^
Could you link Rashan's mom complaining that Harbaugh was too tough on Rashan while he was injured? I don't recall that.
Solomon stopped going to practice and stopped going to class. Stop inventing false narratives.
January 28th, 2020 at 4:05 PM ^
From what I understand, Harbaugh wanted to process Sherman out of the program, wasn't his type of player. Sherman refused to transfer and took exception to it. In retrospect it probably made Sherman a better player.
January 28th, 2020 at 8:08 PM ^
Richard Sherman annoys the hell out of me. Just STFU and deposit your multi-million dollar paychecks. And stop bagging on the coach that helped you get to the league.
January 28th, 2020 at 3:54 PM ^
Depends on the player.
January 28th, 2020 at 3:54 PM ^
At this point I'm rooting for KC, almost exclusively because of Sherman
January 28th, 2020 at 3:57 PM ^
I think you meant James Hudson instead of Solomon. The rumor at the time was that Hudson was due to go into the game but he didn't participate in the last 2 practices of the week because he told the coaches he was hurt. No clue if he was or not. But Harbaugh had some rule about if you're too hurt to practice then you're too hurt to play. So instead Stueber came into the game after JBB got injured. This apparently started the rift between Hudson and Harbaugh. Is that the correct policy to have? Not sure, but you can at least see the logic behind it.
January 28th, 2020 at 4:24 PM ^
But Harbaugh had some rule about if you're too hurt to practice then you're too hurt to play
This is a pretty standard policy.
January 28th, 2020 at 4:48 PM ^
I would hope so, both for the success of the team, and the safety of the injured/uninjured (God I'm so confused) player.
*eyes rolling*
January 28th, 2020 at 9:13 PM ^
Yeah like I said it’s pretty logical. I could imagine some coaches being much more lenient than others. Especially with star players.
And I said “some rule” as in I don’t know the specifics of the situation and the exact amount you have to practice to satisfy Harbaugh. My whole comment is based on message board rumors.
January 28th, 2020 at 4:52 PM ^
Solomon was also suspended for continuously saying he was injured to not practice, but then also continuously not getting the proper treatment for the injuries he said he had.