I'm very torn right now as a lifelong Michigan Fan. I really do enjoy the NFL but the passion I have for Michigan Football is un-match by any NFL team and its not even close. Case in point, I would've never paid what I did for tickets for the National Championship to watch any other sport or team. Not for The Masters, not for the Super Bowl, nothing. I really didn't even consider going to the NCAA Final 4's when Michigan Basketball played. Michigan Basketball is great, but they are not Michigan Football. It's just different and I assume many of you have similar feelings.
That is why I'm confused and twisted right now. Being the head coach at Michigan is not a job, its a destination and right now its the best job in college football. Harbaugh had over taken Saban (with his retirement) as the best coach in college football and now he is gone. He was approaching legendary status at Michigan, Bo status, Fitz status, and now he is gone. He just won a National Championship this month and now he is gone. I know he has been Michigan's head coach for 9 years but why does it feel like a hit and run?
I'm grateful to Jimmy for turning our program around and getting it to the summit. I really am but I clearly don't agree with or understand his passion to win a Super Bowl. Being the 49'ers coach and being so close and then so far, I would think he would understand that winning that game is a mix of skill and luck. You are always a QB broken finger away from a losing record. Your always a bad loss away from the hot seat. Bill Belichick is no longer the Patriots coach and he has had 1 team interview him. I would take the legendary status and the stability of Ann Arbor any day over that. That is me and I'm clearly not Jimmy.
So now we move on. Next Man up. I have a ton of respect for what Sherrone has accomplished at Michigan. He has done an incredible job with the offensive line and the entire offense. He deserves to be a head coach, no doubt.
My concern is, you don't learn how to be a head coach as the Michigan head coach. I know he was the head coach for 4 Saturday's this past season but Harbaugh was still doing the day to day during the week. That experience helps, but its not like he has run an entire program for years. We have seen even head coaches with experience come in a flame out quickly. RR and Hoke are good examples. West Virginia and Ball State/SDSU did not prepare them for the bright lights of Michigan. My concern is even an OC at Michigan will need a ton of runway to lead this program effectively.
I like Sherrone but he is not Jimmy.
So its really hard to net out everything I'm feeling. So in true Big House Blog fashion, I'm going to bullet point out everything:
- Happy for Harbaugh and thankful for everything he has done at Michigan.
- Pissed off at Harbaugh for taking this team to the summit then immediately leaving.
- Will be really pissed off at Harbaugh if he pillages this staff by taking Minter, Herbert, and others.
- Happy for Sherrone as he deserves this opportunity
- Worried this program is going to take many steps back as he learns how to be a great head coach.
- Worried that Michigan is going to lose a number of key coaches, players to the portal, and recruits.
- I thought the scripted reactions from Warde and Santa were interesting last night. Warde's was carefully written and gave Jimmy a ton of respect. I thought Santa's sounded a bit pissed and that they did all they could do and it wasn't enough for Harbaugh to jump to an NFL team that didn't make the playoffs.
- Feel a little betrayed by Jimmy as he said, he was no longer going to pursue the NFL and would be at Michigan as long as they would have him after the Vikings situation.
- Why did Jimmy take both suspensions last year if he really wanted another shot at the NFL? At least one of them was optional. (of course he didn't know Michigan was winning the NC).
- Again, Sherrone is a really good choice, but not having any other options for a team that won the NC 3 weeks ago is a real problem.
- Word is that Michigan didn't give in on Jimmy's contract demands until the 11th hour on Wednesday, when it was too late. Warde and/or Santa was playing chicken and lost. That is a terrible strategy.
- If I hear the name Brian Kelly again, I will throw up.
- Michigan next year, will be coming in as defending NC with a new QB, new head coach, new OC, and maybe a bunch of other roles depending on who Jimmy takes. The key to Alabama's long run was the man at top didn't change just his staff did.
35 comments:
Good post. I'm with you - happy for the NC, pissed at Jim. I think he has some real internal battles on where it's best to win, etc. I hope he doesn't realize how much damage he's done (mostly with how he's done this), bc if he does but doesn't care,then he's a bit odder than I thought.
I actually think Sherrone is the best hire today - maybe not later, but is today. The one thing this program needs now is continuity. And Sherrone provides that.
No matter what, we are going to have a down year (even if JH stayed). I suspect we might be in the wilderness for a couple seasons until shit gets figured out.
I assume Minter is gone, but really hope Herbert stays. Minter was short term anyway, but Herbert could/should be long term. Taking fucking Jay Harbaugh for all I care. Never liked him.
Sharrone is a good man, and a good assistant coach. Ton of respect for him. But would you get into a car being driven by someone that has never driven a car before?
There are definitely mixed emotions. But, if the NFL and winning the Super Bowl is his dream, well, he brought me my dream so let him pursue his. I also agree that he could have stayed and established a Saban-esque empire, but, who knows if that is possible is this age of NIL? Even Saban had enough. I would have loved him to stay, but I can't begrudge him this pursuit. Minter was going to the NFL at some point anyway, likely when Macdonald gets a HC job. I'm just bummed that we probably lost the Ravens pipeline of defensive wizards.
Sherrone proved his sideline meddle against two of the best teams in the country. He was clutch. But he never handled the day-to-day, but he learned from the best. I feel ok with Sherrone continuing the tradition and I'm a little excited to see what he will bring to recruiting. I heard he will be more aggressive. We shall see.
And I TOTALLY agree with you on Brian Kelly. We built of this great culture and then would bring in Kelly?! Absolutely not.
Think the car driving analogy is wrong/off.
Regardless, he's not been a head coach. Yes. But, he is a huge part of why the culture at Michigan is what it is. I think losing him would do far more damage than promoting him. And, I think his ceiling is super high.
When/where has Brian Kelly actually won shit for real? A good season at ND, but otherwise he's a dud.
JDawg- good post. I agree on most points. However, Brian Kelly is a winner. Yes, he's a dick, no doubt. But he knows the Midwest. He started out at Grand Valley, then Central. He knows this area like the back of his hand. Brady Hoke was a super nice guy and it was a disaster. So does it matter? Would you take a nice guy that's a loser, or a jerk that's a winner? Pete Carroll is a duche too and look at his record.
Michigan will barely miss a step as long as the following happens.
Absolutes that need to happen:
*Moore is the HC
*Minter stays at DC (big raise)
*Herbert stays as S&C (big raise)
*Campbell to OC ---- he was OC at ODU
*Newsome to OLine Coach
*Clink stays
*Elston stays
These things would be good if they happen:
*Add a LB coach that can recruit
*Jay Harbaugh stays
* Hart stays
One interesting note on the Minter front, Vic Fangio left the Dolphins yesterday. He was Harbaugh's DC at 2 previous stops in his career. HOPEFULLY Fangio gets hired as his DC again.
Fun Facts: Michigan is losing 6 OL to the pros & they still project to have the best OLine in the Big Ten next year even with the other teams joining. That's crazy if you think about it.
The culture here at Michigan is WINNING. If you stop winning you have no culture. A lot of people thought Harbaugh was a jerk. People thought Bo and Woody were Aholes at times. So don't give me this crap about "Awww, we need a good guy as coach." This isn't Kindergarten. If Michigan goes .500 for the next 4 years you'll be ready to hang Sharrone by his balls. Give me a proven winner, I don't care who he is.
Sherrone isn't a proven winner? I think he is, and it take culture to build a winning team. So not sure your point.
Kelly's ND record is 92-40. His LSU record is 20-7. That's a winning record you'd be happy with?
As I wrote, the upside of Sherrone is better than his downside, in my opinion. But, if you're trying to say you want an a-hole who will win, then who is that? Bc it sure isn't Kelly.
I'd interview Pete Carroll. I'd interview P.J. Fleck. Fleck also knows the Midwest. Knows how to recruit. Knows how to build a staff. Has established relationships with high school coaches. Head coaches don't just stand on the sidelines and call plays like it was Madden Football. There's A LOT to it.
I'd call Nick Saban and see if he has any gas left in his tank to make another run at a Championship. Start at the top and work your way down. Don't start at the bottom up.
Carroll like 80yrs and is not coming back to College, let alone Michigan.
Fleck's record: Western Mich 30-22; Minn 50-34. That's a proven winner?
It seems very probable that they are hiring Sherrone, so obv we will see how it all works. You may well be right that he's not experienced enough. But, I think it's worth the risk. Also believe you're weirdly underemphasizing his value and success - Madden Football? No problem if you don't like the guy, but it's really hard to say he hasn't been successful.
Time will tell, and I certainly don't have a crystal ball. But, he has been and is my #1 choice (...getting a call now from UofM Board asking my opinion, be right back).
IMHO, Jim was not coming back unless he struck out with the NFL and we'd be right back here next year. I'm glad its over. For many that have embraced the Bo Schembechler "Michigan Man" mantra, Sherrone Moore is the epitome of a Michigan Man and I know I'll get some hate, but Jim not so much. Put this way guys, if Bo was still around and the UofM AD, you think he'd of put up with Jim's NFL BS? Bo would of showed him the door and said he wanted a football coach that wanted to be here. Remember Bo turned down millions to coach Texas A&M
Brady Pete Carroll? Really? A 72 year old man who wanted the Chargers gig too! Get out of here with that.
GoBlu there's a really good chance the next coach no matter who it is will fail. It's just how football works. There's no guarantee DeBoer is going to succeed at Bama. In fact, I know Bama fans that don't expect much. It's always and uphill battle when you replace a legendary coach. What Moore gives you is continuity. That is almost as important as anything else in college football. You start replacing the whole staff, and you're going to see a ton of attrition. So yeah I'm on board with you, lets see what Moore can do!
Sharrone Moore is a good offensive line coach. You know who else was a good offensive line coach? Brady Hoke.
I'd interview Tony Dungey, another guy with state of Michigan ties. I'd interview McElwain, another with Michigan roots. Like I said, I prefer an established winner. Schools that break in new head coaches are Ball St., Connecticut, and Eastern Middle Tennessee St. Not Michigan.
Let's get this clear. The chain is now broken. Jimmy's taking all the important assistants with him, so a whole new staff is coming in. There will be no consistency.
Brady shows how little you actually know about football. First Brady Hoke was a DL coach, not OL. 2nd, Moore is an outstanding OC, something Jim was not. Jim's strengths were building staffs. When Jim's teams scuffled here at Michigan its cause his coordinators were average or below. When he had top notch coordinators, Stanford, SF, and the last few years at Michigan, his teams excel. you're a name guy. You don't know anything about college coaches, you just know names. Its why you threw out Carroll who's old as dirt and Fleck who's been irrelevant for the past several years.
Fleck and Kelly are not proven winners - that’s a fact based on their records.
Carroll, Saban and Dungy are not serious suggestions.
Again, Brady's acumen at zero! From what I've heard, yes it' expected he'll take Minter, but Minter was going back to the NFL sooner rather than later. Whether it be with Jim, or John cause Mike MacDonald is going to get a HC job in the NFL eventually. MacDonald's stock is that high. The other guy on the staff is his son, Jay, which I always thought he was kind of a weak link on the staff. As far as OC, the name Greg Roman keeps coming up, who was John's OC at Baltimore and Jim's at SF. Is a Mike Hart leaving Michigan to be a RB coach in the NFL or will he stay on as Moore's OC? Time will tell. Still think Sherrone Moore gives you the best hope of keeping things together and not having a complete turnover and a 6-6 year next season. Please enlighten us on what coach Michigan is going to go get? Please limit to guys that aren't collecting social security and have been relevant in the past 3 years! I wanted Jedd Fisch, but alas Washington had an opening and he's off the board. Rumor has it Brian Kelly wants the job, he's always wanted the job, but those in power have never wanted him and his baggage.
Hahahahahaha. Tony Dungy, another octogenarian. Again, another name, but hasn't coached in decades and has no desire to do so. Ask ASU how Herm Edwards worked out or Illinois on how Lovie Smith worked out. Sorry no NFL retreads for me. Guys that either weren't successful or haven't coached football in years. McElwain, yeah he was such a success at Florida and his offense at CMU is offensive. He runs an offense circa 1940.
Chowman- You are an ignorant twit. I've coached football. I met Michigan staff. You live in your mom's basement typing on all the websites, coming in with hot takes. Lmao And I suppose you think Sharrone Moore has been the one drawing up this offense for Michigan the last 7 years, eh? The mastermind behind this offense is now coaching the Los Angeles Chargers. If you couldnt figure that out, then you really are a dumbass.
Chowman- Any other smart ass comments? Ya, I didn't think so.
Chowman, What amazes me about Brady2017, after reading his comments, is how confident his stupidity is.
Thom- post some intelligent thoughts in here. We'll wait.....
Sorry Thom, did I hurt your boyfriend Chowman's feelings? Lol
Let this be a lesson. If you can't discuss things respectfully in here, just keep your mouth shut. I don't put up with hateful people in the real world, and I don't put up with them in the computer world.
Brady2017....without freedom of speech we wouldn't know what an idiot you are. You prove it every time you try to post something and continue to fail. What a jerk.
PS.. Best of luck trying to grow up, hope you make it someday
I have always found that when a discussion turns to name calling that person is out of analytical ammunition...
Brady, you wrote " So don't give me this crap about "Awww, we need a good guy as coach." This isn't Kindergarten". That's not particularly respectful. The tone of this chain was quite respectful until you started that new vibe.
I've maintained a positive tone and provided factual responses to you. But you've not replied to any of mine, instead you called Thom someone's boyfriend and said Chow lives in a basement. That's respectful?
Jim Harbaugh is such a special person. He’s the only person in history that wins a natty and less than a month later people are happy he’s gone. What a strange circumstance. Only at Michigan does this happen. However we move on with respect and dignity. We move on supporting for as long as we can the new face of Michigan football whoever that ends up being. Being a Michigan football fan is full of frustration and struggle full of almost had it moments & just missed opportunities, but through it all we know those who stay will be champions 2023 proved that & sometime in the near or distant future Michigan will prove that again. Go Blue & stay classy Wolverines.
Hard to see JH leave, but I don't think he left college football, I think college football left him. This game has become cancerous with inept leadership at the top. Saban can make all the excuses he wants but he left because this game changed. The NIL, like it or not, has leveled the playing field in some respects and Saban liked a playing field tilted in his direction. Having said that, the NIL is wasn't supposed to be a $uckeye U buying players, it was supposed to allow players to get part of the revenue. Going after JH for some of the stupidity that they went for, just testified to him that the game was out of control. Don't blame him. You get married and you make vows until death do you part. If your wife starts cheating on, the marriage is over. The NCAA started cheating on Jimmy.....marriage over.
According to reports Sharrone Moore has been promoted however that cannot be announced for 7 days due to university rules requiring a 7 days notice of job openings.
Sources tell me that Bill Parcells, Jimmy Johnson, and Bill Belichek have all reached out to Warde Manual.
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