Pat Forde: "Feels like the beginning of the end for Jim Harbaugh"

[Judge Smails]

https://sports.yahoo.com/michigans-opening-dud-feels-like-beginning-end-jim-harbaugh-051509925.html

After the latest offensive debacle — another Harbaughcle, if you will — the Wolverines have their first four-game losing streak since the Rich Rodriguez Era and the 2009 season. Nobody in maize and blue has ever wanted to put Harbaugh and Rich-Rod in the same sentence, yet here we are.

You might have thought Brady Hoke Era was bad, and you’d be right — but at least Hoke never lost four in a row. Harbaugh now has.

As it stands right now, Harbaugh is too big for his khaki britches. Huge salary, lots of posturing, dwindling returns. Take spring practice to Rome and satellite camps to Florida; have sleepovers with recruits; withhold rosters and depth charts like they’re classified state department documents; do all that and you’d better back it up on the field.

Instead, Harbaugh is leaking credibility.

 

[Judge Smails]

Wojo: Wolverines weren't ready for Irish, and that's on Harbaugh

South Bend, Ind. — Clunk, clunk, clunk. Michigan went on the road again in search of an identity, in pursuit of a big-game turnaround. Instead, another clunker, another night when the Wolverines wavered in the heat.

Jim Harbaugh’s team didn’t look ready. Don Brown’s defense looked crazed and confused. Michigan hung around after an awful start, but that’s not good enough, not nearly good enough in Harbaugh’s fourth season. Notre Dame outplayed and outsmarted Michigan in a tedious 24-17 victory Saturday night, in which the Fighting Irish made the big plays and the Wolverines made the big mistakes.

It was supposed to be different with a new quarterback, a beefed-up offensive line and an experienced defense. But in an effort to alter negative perceptions about themselves, the Wolverines actually reiterated them, unable to run the ball, unable to block with any consistency, unable to beat a quality team in a hostile setting.

 

[psuro]

Harbaugh has shown he can take his team anywhere at any time except Indianapolis Indiana in early December.

 

[Judge Smails]

Michigan football hasn't improved and it is Jim Harbaugh's fault

This, obviously, is on Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. His preparation failed. His changes have yet to work. And Michigan isn't new and improved. It looked beaten and broken for most of the game, until a late push in the fourth quarter.

“It’s not the end,” Harbaugh said. “It’s the beginning for us.”

Actually, it felt like a continuation.

“I didn’t feel they dominated us,” Michigan captain Chase Winovich said. “They made plays.”

Meanwhile, Michigan didn’t.

That’s the story of this team in the Harbaugh era.

 

[Nitt1300]

 

[Judge Smails]

Michigan, Jim Harbaugh going nowhere fast as old problems resurface at Notre Dame

Harbaugh will be under immense pressure that could border on toxic if the No. 14 Wolverines don't use Big Ten play to win a few rivalry games and make up for a 24-17 loss to No. 12 Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., on Saturday.

The second take will come to fruition if Michigan doesn't change course from where it's going to something more substantial before a pivotal conference run. Keep in mind that Ohio State is the only team to lose a nonconference game and win a national championship in the College Football Playoff era, which the Buckeyes pulled off in 2014.

Michigan did not play anywhere near that level under Harbaugh, but to be fair, it hasn't played at that level on the road since 2006 when it beat Notre Dame 47-21 in South Bend. That's the last time Michigan defeated a ranked opponent on the road, and it's also the last time it wasn't going to be good.

Ever since the follow-up loss to Appalachian State in 2007, the program has spent a decade and change in a constant state of going to be something. Going to be better. Going to be different. Going to be like it used to be. The program has been going nowhere in that time.

 

[Chickenman Testa]

Shea Patterson most of the night:

 

[Judge Smails]

Michigan's Jim Harbaugh all hype until he wins a big one

One of these days Jim Harbaugh is going to win at the end of the game, on a national stage, against a ranked opponent, on the road.

Or, maybe one of these days he won’t.

Until he does, he’ll remain more hype than anything else.

At this point, how can you argue otherwise?

On Saturday night in South Bend, against No. 11 Notre Dame, Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines looked unprepared and overamped, unable to create running room for its backs or a reliable pocket for its promising new quarterback — Shea Patterson — in a 24-17 loss at Notre Dame Stadium.

And that’s got to change.

As do the penalties and the personal fouls and the disjointedness that looked like they carried over from last year.

 

[AWS1022]

Michigan now 0-16 on the road against ranked opponents since 2006....it’s important to be consistent and overhyped every year.

 

[Player2BNamedL8r]

My favorite line from above...

After the latest offensive debacle — another Harbaughcle, if you will

 

[Chickenman Testa]

My favorite line from above...

After the latest offensive debacle — another Harbaughcle, if you will

Yup. I think the Judge will add that to his repertoire

 

[nitanee123]

Maybe it’s just me, but my hatred is directed at the putrid fan base and not the coach itself. Same goes for O$U and Texas. I have nothing against Harbaugh.

My order of hatred goes something like this:
Group 1: Emmert, Louanna Simon, and PSU board that fired JoePa, and the media that piled on.
Group 2: Narduzzi and fans of Pitt, Michigan, tO$U, and Texas.
Group 3: Freeh and David Jones

This is somewhat fluid and I can be convinced of adding some people and moving others.

 

[rmem]

Maybe it’s just me, but my hatred is directed at the putrid fan base and not the coach itself. Same goes for O$U and Texas. I have nothing against Harbaugh.

My order of hatred goes something like this:
Group 1: Emmert, Louanna Simon, and PSU board that fired JoePa, and the media that piled on.
Group 2: Narduzzi and fans of Pitt, Michigan, tO$U, and Texas.
Group 3: Freeh and David Jones

This is somewhat fluid and I can be convinced of adding some people and moving others.

Your list has a glaring omission, and that is Mike McQueary.

 

[CJF_Said_The_Great_Joe_Paterno]

Maybe it’s just me, but my hatred is directed at the putrid fan base and not the coach itself. Same goes for O$U and Texas. I have nothing against Harbaugh.

My order of hatred goes something like this:
Group 1: Emmert, Louanna Simon, and PSU board that fired JoePa, and the media that piled on.
Group 2: Narduzzi and fans of Pitt, Michigan, tO$U, and Texas.
Group 3: Freeh and David Jones

This is somewhat fluid and I can be convinced of adding some people and moving others.

No corrupt POS Tom Corbutt on the list (and his Merry Gaggle of Corrupt Govt Employees)....interesting.

 

[Bob78]

While I delight in Michigan and Harbaugh floundering, I am not sure I want them to fire his ass.... chances are they will eventually bring in the next Franklin. It is still considered a top-tier job, despite their largely 'meh' track record over the past 70 years and my disagreement with that rating. It will draw all kinds of interesting applicants. I'd rather continue to deal with Harbaugh and his level of coaching talent and public strangeness. It only helps us in the longer run, imo, to keep him.

 

[nitanee123]

No corrupt POS Tom Corbutt on the list (and his Merry Gaggle of Corrupt Govt Employees)....interesting.

Nothing interesting about it. Corbett was on the board by virtue of being the governor (unless I am mistaken). Correct me if I’m wrong.

Also my list is not exhaustive and I’m sure some.

 

[83wuzme]

It’s definitely the end of the beginning.

 

[NittPicker]

All booger, no kleenex.

 

[odshowtime]

Michigan fans waking up with a losing record and a 4 game losing streak.

 

[Ceasar]

One problem Harbaugh has is the ridiculous extent to which they are overrated. Case in point, Jed D picking them to play for the NC, so many pundits yesterday picking them to beat ND because of Patterson, Dave Revsine asking Don Brown if this is the greatest defense he has ever seen.... ridiculous!
Michigan is a good solid football team but no more. In the BT east, a good solid football team will probably lose 4 games. This hype does nothing more than cause people to think they are underachieving when in reality, this is who they are. Average QB, average OL, average backs, at least 2 really big time players on D in Bush and Gary, a solid secondary but no more...
By the way, I have not been a huge fan of Winovich but last night he was dominant. IMO UM is going to struggle with teams that can throw the ball. Wimbush is awful and he burned them several times. PSU's OL will be under a lot of pressure to hold up against UM; if they can do so I would expect PSU to take care of business.
Also, McCaffery looked very poised when he came into the game and I will not be shocked if he ends up as the starting QB. Patterson seems like a guy who can be very good if you let him freelance, sort of like a Johnny Manziel. Not sure he is going to thrive in Harbaugh's system.
But, they play Western Michigan on Saturday in AA, they will probably put 60 points on the board and the hype will resume....

 

[bwifan]

Former Michigan WR Braylon Edwards on twitter last night called Michigan football and coaching staff "trash" and "predictable"... He deleted the tweets this morning ... Drum beats are growing for firing ol' Jimmah

 

[Custerdome]

Maybe it’s just me, but my hatred is directed at the putrid fan base and not the coach itself. Same goes for O$U and Texas. I have nothing against Harbaugh.

My order of hatred goes something like this:
Group 1: Emmert, Louanna Simon, and PSU board that fired JoePa, and the media that piled on.
Group 2: Narduzzi and fans of Pitt, Michigan, tO$U, and Texas.
Group 3: Freeh and David Jones

This is somewhat fluid and I can be convinced of adding some people and moving others.

It's not just you, but what does any of that have to do with Michigan and Harbaugh? Put the 2011 pills back in the medicine cabinet for today, it's a celebration, Michigan lost!

 

[Ranger Dan]

I love that line and it fits perfectly with Harbaugh. That said, I hope he’s coach for life at Michigan!

 

[AWS1022]

One problem Harbaugh has is the ridiculous extent to which they are overrated. Case in point, Jed D picking them to play for the NC, so many pundits yesterday picking them to beat ND because of Patterson, Dave Revsine asking Don Brown if this is the greatest defense he has ever seen.... ridiculous!
Michigan is a good solid football team but no more. In the BT east, a good solid football team will probably lose 4 games. This hype does nothing more than cause people to think they are underachieving when in reality, this is who they are. Average QB, average OL, average backs, at least 2 really big time players on D in Bush and Gary, a solid secondary but no more...
By the way, I have not been a huge fan of Winovich but last night he was dominant. IMO UM is going to struggle with teams that can throw the ball. Wimbush is awful and he burned them several times. PSU's OL will be under a lot of pressure to hold up against UM; if they can do so I would expect PSU to take care of business.
Also, McCaffery looked very poised when he came into the game and I will not be shocked if he ends up as the starting QB. Patterson seems like a guy who can be very good if you let him freelance, sort of like a Johnny Manziel. Not sure he is going to thrive in Harbaugh's system.
But, they play Western Michigan on Saturday in AA, they will probably put 60 points on the board and the hype will resume....

And don’t worry, if they lose four or five games this year, the hype will start all over again next year.

 

[AvalonJohn]

And for those that don't understand, this is why OSU was willing to fall on the sword for Urban. There are plenty of Jim Harbaugh's in college football, but not many Urban Myers. He was never going to be fired, OSU only had to make it look like they cared about domestic violence, and that's exactly what they did. Penn State was the blueprint of what not to do ......

 

[Nitt1300]

While I delight in Michigan and Harbaugh floundering, I am not sure I want them to fire his ass.... chances are they will eventually bring in the next Franklin. It is still considered a top-tier job, despite their largely 'meh' track record over the past 70 years and my disagreement with that rating. It will draw all kinds of interesting applicants. I'd rather continue to deal with Harbaugh and his level of coaching talent and public strangeness. It only helps us in the longer run, imo, to keep him.

agree, and I wish Michigan and it's fans nothing but misery- but you have to figure they will wake up and get rid of him sooner rather than later

 

[nitanee123]

It's not just you, but what does any of that have to do with Michigan and Harbaugh? Put the 2011 pills back in the medicine cabinet for today, it's a celebration, Michigan lost!

My point is that I don’t take delight in Harbaughs misery. (I do, however, love watching the UM faithful wallow in their mediocrity with no sign of a return to glory.)

 

[AWS1022]

With only one game down - and so much that can change between now and the end of the month - it would seem that UMich could reasonably see anything from 7-5 to 11-1 (OK, 11-1 may be a bit of a stretch, let’s say 10-2).

7-5? I could see UMich giving serious thought to a change, and if they didn’t, I could see their recruiting class falling in the crapper (which, along with their crapper class from this year, would really set them up for a fall)

10-2 or 11-1 ? Jimmah goes from Goat to Hero in 3.5 seconds

And even if it’s 7-5, next year they start the season in the top 10 or 15 with one of the best defenses in the country (according to the pundits). It’s how it goes every year.

 

[psuro]

I love the smell of a Wolverine defeat in the morning.

 

[marshall23]

Rumors of his demise may be greatly exaggerated.

 

[Judge Smails]

Mazzy

September 2nd, 2018 at 11:07 AM ^

I honestly think some of that apathy is already here.

I work at UofM, and that last year under Hoke for "staff appreciation" they sold football tickets at a discounted rate to us. It was that game that Morris fainted on field. They never offered anything but gymnastic tickets to staff prior to that, at least in my 13 years there. We all knew it was because they couldn't fill the stadium.

This year they are again offering football tickets. They are $20 more than they were under Hoke but they are for a conference game and Harbaugh is far more hyped (and still loved) than Hoke at the time. They again can't sell these tickets so they are passing them off as a perk to us to salvage their own image on TV.

 

[nittany119]

Your list has a glaring omission, and that is Mike McQueary.

What, no Delaney?

 

[Judge Smails]

MgoBrian

https://mgoblog.com/content/black-pit-negative-expectations

Nobody got into this to fight about the level of doomed we are every 3-4 years, never beat anyone of consequence, etc.

But I don't want to do it again. I've done this three times before, once per coaching era this blog has seen the end of, and I've done all the stuff already: preaching patience, gallows humor, being legitimately angry, calling for various heads, writing about mattresses. I don't really feel like doing it all over again. I don't care to evaluate the precise moment at which a person should be fired, or to point out that people are being ridiculous for wanting a person to be fired, or to create big lists of the next person to get fired. Neither do I want to sagely counsel the fanbase from the Tower Of Reasonability. This is not content it feels worthwhile to produce.

On Winovich’s ridiculous 2 steps and spear the quarterback in the back, which he also did in the Penn State game.

His roughing the passer call was weak at best



MISCELLANEOUS
Don't make me think about Hoke. Michigan's fourth quarter in this game was mostly spent down two touchdowns and mostly spent without any urgency whatsoever. The inability to get plays off with more than ten seconds on the playclock with under eight minutes left in the game is extremely disturbing and, yes, Hoke-ish. It speaks to a lack of organization.

 

[Uh Clem]

Thank you for the link to the article. As a dyed in the wool Penn Stater I thoroughly enjoyed reading of Michigan’s troubles. Schadenfreude, I suppose.

 

[JeffClear]

While I delight in Michigan and Harbaugh floundering, I am not sure I want them to fire his ass.... chances are they will eventually bring in the next Franklin. It is still considered a top-tier job, despite their largely 'meh' track record over the past 70 years and my disagreement with that rating. It will draw all kinds of interesting applicants. I'd rather continue to deal with Harbaugh and his level of coaching talent and public strangeness. It only helps us in the longer run, imo, to keep him.

Harbaugh’s contract pays him roughly $7 million a year until Dec. 2021. That’s a lot of salary to swallow if they fire him before then.

 

[Psychedelic_MackDaddy]

This, to me, is Jim Harbaugh...

He's the Meeechigan equivalent of Ohio States John Cooper.

 

[Judge Smails]

 

[SUPERTODD]

Michigan lost to a mobile, athletic quarterback who struggles at the forward pass. They are lucky they don’t have any other teams on their schedule with athletic quarterbacks. Oh wait... never mind.

 

[marisa45]

Crap........I'll need a new sig pic.

I hope he stays forever, dude is definitely on the "spectrum".

 

[ericstratton-rushchairman]

I love that line and it fits perfectly with Harbaugh. That said, I hope he’s coach for life at Michigan!

We use that line all the time down here in Texas... and I completely agree with you. I hope he stays around for a long long time. I have seen middle school flag football teams with more creative offensive schemes than what he rolled out against ND.