Mailbag question: Question about a head coach

GBMW,

First let me say what a great job you do presenting the facts and answering the questions. Can you please explain to me why everyone thinks UM would never consider Jim Harbaugh for the position of head coach? Just think about it, he is a proven winner at Stanford, was an excellent NFL quarterback and a great former Michigan player. He understands Michigan football and most importantly the rivalries with ND, MSU and OSU. I know he spouted off about the academics, but is that the only reason he has become such an outsider?

Thanks!
Chris B.

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Thanks for the question and comments.

We think Coach Harbaugh should be considered if (and only if) Michigan needs a new head coach at some point in time. So everyone out in cyberspace, please understand, this is a response to answer a reasonable question that may some day be pertinent. This is not a grandstand for a coaching change.

In our opinion Coach Harbaugh is very qualified and would make an excellent candidate for almost any head coaching position. What we have come to realize is how political these hirings and the associated processes truly are. Egos get bruised and vendettas get carried over to the point where even though the page has been turned, some want to turn the page back and some want to skip the page and create a new one, even though the current page is still hot off of the press.

With the current UM administration, fan climate (the perception of Harbaugh), athletic department and academic workforce (who all got bashed to the point of near ludicrousy by Harbaugh), we see very little chance that Coach Harbaugh would be seriously considered. Coach Harbaugh may have even less interest in the position than Michigan has in him as a candidate. Do not hold fast the underlying assumption of many that Coach Harbaugh may want the job.

We guess sooner or later the people that make all the major decisions for Michigan are going to either have to swallow a little pride and ask coaches such as Harbaugh to come back home and save the program that their mentor Bo Schembechler created, or stick behind what UM has now and hope the current situation works itself out. When that time is, only the few at the highest level know.

People should not condemn a man for a couple of comments that had to do with the direction a school was pushing players regarding educational programs, because for the most part players (reality here everyone, not a value judgment) do not have the time to become a great student and a great athlete at a school like Michigan. There are exceptions.

Also, it is unwise for people to throw out rumors of what Harbaugh did back in school, or what happened twenty-years ago, clearly many people make mistakes and most of us are lucky enough that our embarrassing mistakes are not in the public eye.

Too bad! He is a great coach, fiery, passionate, and has that fire to be an excellent coach that recruits like hell (I mean look what he has been able to do at Stanford) and look at how he was able to turnaround that program that was left for dead before he arrived.

Harbaugh brings toughness and an attitude that says we are going to beat you down. Sooner or later fans, donors, alumni, etc., will grow weary (or at least we hope) of getting beat down on the football field and beat down by the media, and will seek higher expectations and real results. It almost seems like the expectations have become lowered to the point that program followers are just hoping for .500 anymore, so much for “Leaders and Best” and hello to mediocrity and the land of the bottom dwellers of the Big Ten Conference.

Let us hope Coach Harbaugh does not receive a couple of offers to coach at places where UM might have to go against him, such as a place like Notre Dame and tears it up, think about how bad that would be if one of our own takes it to us?

Thanks for stopping by Go Blue Michigan Wolverine
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Written by GBMW — CoachBt and ErocWolverine

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