A lot of people now suggesting Michigan is his “fallback” option, as one tweet put it — he’s actively looking into open positions.
A bit more context: word is he’s stalling on contract negotiations (my take: this would be mutual, and a win for both sides to save face, since he’s been a disaster at UM)
I think it’s a fascinating question about whether Harbaugh is just a bad college coach, or just bad?
Was Andrew Luck just holding him up at Stanford? Did he just fall into a fortuitous situation with the Niners, or did he help forge that Super Bowl team?
I don’t know. All I know is, he hasn’t come close to meeting his expectations upon his arrival in Ann Arbor. And it’s been embarrassing to watch some recalibrate expectations in his defense – citing his winning percentage over the likes of Maryland and Rutgers, for example.
As much as I think he’s a jackass, and as much as I’ve enjoyed watching the Michigan debacle (mostly because they treated him as a demigod, and were annoyingly cocky about it) I think it’s in his blood to be a good coach. He won at Stanford without Luck, I believe. And I don’t care what you inherit in the NFL, taking anyone to the Super Bowl is no small feat. Ask any Lions coach over the last 50 years. Maybe there was too much pressure at Michigan, or maybe he joined at the wrong time (Meyer and Dantonio were both at the top of their game, with programs at their peak, when Harbaugh showed up).
Either way, I’m intrigued if the Lions consider him.
I don’t want him - but that’s me
Harbaugh’s Michigan career has been truly mystifying. I really don’t understand how somebody can go from proven winner at every level to clueless buffoon, but I can’t really make excuses for him in Ann Arbor anymore.
Yes, his teams have wildly underperformed, yes, he’s totally failed to develop a QB. But the bigger indictment IMO is just how poorly run the team has become. The huge positional gaps are not anything surprising–they’re the result of glaring failures to perform the most basic parts of future planning and recruiting. For the last three years at least, he’s just seemed totally disorganized, rudderless, and even without COVID, heading in a straight line towards the mess he put on the field this year.
I don’t know what happened to Jim Harbaugh, but I wouldn’t hire him for anything at this point.
Harbaugh is a great coach but his personality is so damn grating that he’s got like a five year expiration date.
But in terms of trying to maximizing the “Stafford window” I truly do believe he’s the best option out there and I’ve felt that way forever.
Hire Harbaugh and you can be pretty sure of two
things:
1:) he’ll right the ship as quick as anyone possibly could
2:) things will end in a messy divorce 4-5 years
from now
Think JH signs his UM contract in next day or two, finalizing assistant deals now and will all be announced at same time.
Honestly - he reminds me of MP and we know how that went…
How so?
I’m better than you attitudes
Hopefully trending towards Chargers.
Not just you. He’s the most Lions-esque hire I could think of, and the one I really, really don’t want. Big name, past success… easy to justify… and almost certainly would be a disaster. His attitude is not what the organization needs. I don’t think we need to go back to Caldwell/Fontes levels of coach-player friendliness- in fact, I don’t think we should- but the next coach needs to have a better rapport with the players than MP.
Which is why I keep pounding the table about Bevell / he has that balance imho
Thinking if maybe frank riech type here
Maybe. Harbaugh has actually accomplished some things besides riding coattails.
Maybe he can sleep over on the floor of some FA’s house so they’ll sign with the Lions…
I wonder if he’s just getting whupped at recruiting. Certainly by Ohio State; debatably for several of those years by Penn State. And as for Michigan State, they get lower-star dawgs and coach 'em up. Michigan gets higher-star players who don’t seem to have that dawg in them.
If that’s what it is, it’s way less of a problem in the NFL.
Well played.
Thats how we got Nate Burleson and Vanden Bosch.
That was going to be my response.
It could very well be that his stint in the NFL ruined his ability to get the horses needed to compete at the collegiate level. And apologies to Michigan (not really tho) but Stanford is 10x the ■■■■■■■ school UM is.
I dunno. He’s a Super Bowl head coach, and was lured back to his alma matter for reasons I think we can all understand. Just didn’t go as planned. I’m not convinced he can’t have success in the NFL …
A slumber party? 
I know Schwartz was at KVB’s door with wine at 12:01am