Jim Harbaugh -- The Mechanist Takes Over -- Part IV

GBMWolverine Michigan Football TidbitsPosted at 7:00am — 3/1/2015

Michigan Wolverine Football: Jim Harbaugh — The Mechanist Takes Over — Part IV

Series Finale Part IV of IV

Every journey Jim Harbaugh has undertaken has exhibited near instant improvement. The observers of Michigan football need to understand and acknowledge this process. There must be acknowledgement that the current coaching personnel and their proven success become Michigan’s best chance for long-term success; just let the machine work and stand back and watch. There already has been acknowledgement that Coach Harbaugh has assembled an impressive coaching machine that was put together with purpose and not through any random action.

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Jim Harbaugh has the continued luxury of working with first choices as assistants, not choices made because no one else was available. He also knows how these staff members function as a machine unit and has confidence they can mold players into a functional, improving unit as demonstrated by past successes. The mechanist does not deal with the random; instead precision of plan and formation of product drives the purpose and actions of mechanists.

A running game coordinator, linked with a passing game coordinator, is an example of forming a mechanist staff. Hiring three guys that can successfully produce tight ends is an acknowledgement of the importance of this part within the function of the machine. The machine is striving for balance, but acknowledges a pure starting point: the sound running game.

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The defensive staff has impressive years of NFL playing and coaching experience. But of greater significance is clear evidence of player development and recognized success of the overall units they coached. Mechanistic types dominate the typical NFL franchise, for example, Bill Belichick, countered by an occasional appearance of successful organicists, perhaps, Pete Carroll or Chip Kelly being the best current examples. It was once thought by some that the organicists would overwhelm the mechanists and put them into the land of the dinosaurs. But mechanists have an ability to persevere and eventually retool their machine thinking to counter the evolutionary types.

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As spring finally approaches, and assuming no ice cap remains on the surface of Michigan stadium, the first public view of the retooling effort will be unveiled at the Spring Game. For now, think positive and remember, retooling needs new dies and casts, produced by skilled mold makers. The mold makers validate a prediction of future success if the raw essential materials are obtained.

So, two somewhat overwhelming tasks now face the new staff, (1) retool the parts from what remains into a functional new machine (presented in previous sections) and (2) secure new parts that can quickly be molded and fit into the program. That, of course, is the role of recruiting.

And so is the worldview of the mechanist.

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Written by GBMWolverine Staff — Doc4Blu

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