Expect immediate improvement with Chargers signing Jim Harbaugh ...
- Thread starter howid
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cheapseats
EOG Master
Need talent on the field. He's a fresh beginning and nothing more.
railbird
EOG Master
11-0 ats at sandiego u
Sportsrmylife
EOG Master
He will have this team in the playoffs next year
Huge upgrade
Team won't hurt themselves like in the past
Afc west division title 1st year
Huge upgrade
Team won't hurt themselves like in the past
Afc west division title 1st year
Sportsrmylife
EOG Master
He has the credibility of being a winner at four different places
This locker room will do a 180 for him in terms of buying in
This locker room will do a 180 for him in terms of buying in
mrbowling300
EOG Dedicated
Wojo: Harbaugh won big here, and timed his exit well
Jim Harbaugh did everything he was hired to do at Michigan. He rebuilt the program, regained control of rivalries and restored the powerful brand. Nine years after returning to his alma mater, he heads back to the NFL, leaving behind a legacy that’s both remarkable and complex.
Three Big Ten championships. Three playoff appearances. A 15-0 record and an undisputed national championship. That’s what history will show and what Michigan fans will forever celebrate, as they should. The staggering success overwhelms one nagging inconvenience — he leaves behind some untidiness.
A return to the NFL was always possible, and it veered toward inevitable after Michigan beat Washington to capture the program’s first national title in 26 years. The Los Angeles Chargers made it official Wednesday, landing Harbaugh with a five-year deal. There was the standard amount of haggling and hand-wringing — with the Chargers and UM — but his ending here seemed oddly appropriate.
He won everything he came to win, and he has a solid successor lined up in Sherrone Moore. If he stayed, he was going to face significant challenges, from the NCAA, a beefed-up Big Ten and graduation losses. Michigan’s support, from the regents to president Santa Ono to AD Warde Manuel, was strong, but not limitless. They offered to make him the highest-paid college coach in America and reportedly enhanced other clauses in his contract.
Some will argue UM should’ve done more, but obviously, it couldn’t provide two things. It couldn’t quench his desire to win a Super Bowl, as his brother, John, has done and could do again this year. And the school couldn’t — or wouldn’t — guarantee he’d be able to coach free of scrutiny or serious NCAA sanctions.
In that sense, there’s probably relief on both sides. Harbaugh, 60, gets to take over an NFL team with a rising quarterback in Justin Herbert, and he doesn’t have to spend more time in the NCAA interrogation room. Michigan now can turn to Moore, who was 4-0 as the acting head coach during Harbaugh’s two suspensions last season. And if the NCAA’s problem with Michigan was mostly a problem with Harbaugh, how much more punishment can it actually deliver?
The NCAA didn’t necessarily run Harbaugh out of college football, but amid the chaos (some self-induced), I think he was ready to see himself out. He wasn’t directly implicated in the Connor Stalions’ sign-stealing scheme, but he was implicated in previous recruiting violations. He denied one of the charges, and the NCAA essentially called him a liar. From that point three years ago — after a 2-4 record in the COVID-19 season — Harbaugh was on a mission that was personal and professional, and he imbued his players with the same manic drive.
"My love for Michigan, playing there and coming back to coach there, leaves a lasting impact," Harbaugh said in a statement on the Chargers website. "I'll always be a loyal Wolverine.”
Broke the Buckeyes
He broke the Buckeyes with three straight beatings and tore apart the Big Ten, leaving with a 24-game conference winning streak. He criticized the NCAA’s revenue gluttony and pushed for more player rights. He attacked rule-breakers in the sport, and in the process, impetuously tested the boundaries, then was accused of crossing them.I imagine there are conflicted feelings in Ann Arbor today. Harbaugh’s annual NFL dance — three years running — was tiresome, although the program flourished in spite of it. The school certainly wasn’t pleased with the specter of NCAA sanctions, but an 89-25 overall record, 40-3 the past three seasons, has a way of calming concerns.
Michigan reportedly was still negotiating with Harbaugh up until the final hours.
“Jim has always been extremely upfront with his communication regarding NFL opportunities and has been helpful with this transition in leadership,” Manuel said. “We had a great conversation (Wednesday night) when he informed me of this decision to return to the NFL and offered his assistance in helping identify the needs for the program moving forward."
From a football standpoint, a competitive standpoint, a financial standpoint and a memory-making standpoint, I assume Harbaugh’s run at Michigan was well worth it for anyone involved. Those who worried about optics and fairness might not fully grasp the depth of that he did. A decade ago, UM was a place seemingly uncomfortable vying for college football’s biggest prizes. The sport was too messy, the cost too high.
Harbaugh was willing to pay the cost, and so was Michigan, and he’ll rank alongside Bo Schembechler, Lloyd Carr and others as a legendary figure. A complicated figure, sure, but these are far more complicated times.
Stellar four-year run
In 2014, after a stellar four-year run (44-19-1) with the San Francisco 49ers, Harbaugh was courted by former AD Jim Hackett, who launched what he called “Project Unicorn.” Harbaugh promised UM seven years and delivered nine, including the most dominant stretch in program history.As for what's here now: Moore, 37, is well-liked by players and highly respected as an offensive coordinator and line coach. He led the Wolverines to a victory at Penn State mere hours after learning Harbaugh’s suspension was upheld. His tearful post-game interview spoke to his passion, his connection to the players, and also to his youth.
Michigan loses a lot of offensive pieces, including its entire line, quarterback J.J. McCarthy and running back Blake Corum. It returns key members of what should be another strong defense. It’s a whole new world now with the expanded 18-team Big Ten and 12-team playoff, and the Wolverines will enter it without the same hubris and acclaim.
Harbaugh and his staff did a superb job developing players, and that will be hard to replicate. It’s clear the program needs to do more to boost recruiting and its NIL collectives, and it must try to retain as much of the coaching staff as possible.
Harbaugh built and rebuilt something spectacular and unprecedented at his alma mater. Unicorn-like, indeed. Whether he built something sustainable remains to be seen.
Bob.wojnowski@detroitnews.com
boston massacre
EOG Master
Heim
EOG Master
He wins but he's the most non-glib guy in interviews. You get nothing out of him but 'we have to play better'.....I don't know if it's by design or
other coaches do most of the work. I know one thing about him. Everywhere he goes his first priority is to upgrade both lines. Smart.
other coaches do most of the work. I know one thing about him. Everywhere he goes his first priority is to upgrade both lines. Smart.
FairWarning
Bells Beer Connoisseur
Chargers are $25-30 mil over the cap, will have to make some tough decisions.
Heim
EOG Master
If they can sucker somebody to take Keenan Allen they're almost there.