Tinker,

Call me crazy about Harbaugh, but look at this gem posted today at MGoBlog.com...

So… yeah, Jim Harbaugh turned down overtures from the Raiders and Bills. Unless Mike Garrett is insane he also shot down USC before they went with Kiffin. (Other people Garrett called before placing his bets on Hello Kiffin: Chan Gailey, Shamwow Vince, myself, and the skeleton of a paleolithic deer.) Meanwhile around these parts, Rich Rodriguez is going to be under serious pressure to get to a bowl and have a winning record.

I have a Sporting Blog take on these developments, but in short: turning down the Raiders job merely means you have the will to live; turning down a functional, if somewhat moribund, Bills franchise kind of implies you're sticking around to see what opens up in the next couple years. If Rodriguez doesn't make it—which seems like a 50-50 proposition nowadays—there are going to be some hellacious internet fights about the forgivability of Harbaugh's shots at Michigan's academics.

I know I have forgiven him. #4 is the man that will restore the Big Ten crown in Ann Arbor.

Webfire,

did you notice the cbs piece in the Stanford locker room before their bowl game? Coach Harbaugh was giving the usual pre-game speech, but he did tell the players that they had dreamed of being in that position all their lives and that they had the opportunity to be the " CONQUERING HEROES!" Freudian slip? I hope because I love everything that he represents about football and about the University of Michigan tradition. New AD Dave Brandon doesn't hurt either.

bduq37 wrote: I know I have forgiven him. #4 is the man that will restore the Big Ten crown in Ann Arbor.

Webfire,

did you notice the cbs piece in the Stanford locker room before their bowl game? Coach Harbaugh was giving the usual pre-game speech, but he did tell the players that they had dreamed of being in that position all their lives and that they had the opportunity to be the " CONQUERING HEROES!" Freudian slip? I hope because I love everything that he represents about football and about the University of Michigan tradition. New AD Dave Brandon doesn't hurt either.

Now you are making some good sense!

After being a fan for 25+ years, I can attest that there is and has been a sense of loss since Bo died. I believe that it becomes more evident as the losses pile up and the old-school yet classy, Big Ten style of football that Jim Tressel has been so criticized over, has again come out on top. RR just happened to inherit a program at a horrible time in the history of Michigan football. Bo's death has exponentially affected the football family at UM and even Urban Meyer wouldn't have been the solution to the storm that engulfed Ann Arbor that night Bo met Woody once again...just not the right fit, you know?

For most of us Michigan fans, we were convinced that Bo's philosophies were as tired and worn as he was and we needed a change so badly, especially after Lloyd let us down against the "other" Mountaineers. So, we hastily chose a coach to try and mask the fact that this change will somehow make it easier for us to accept the fact that we lost THE Michigan Man. I, myself, was under the delusion that we were bringing the Big Ten into the 21st century because we are the innovators and leaders that would force the Big Ten to follow suit. I dropped the ball on that one. The Big Ten is the Big Ten. Tradition is Tradition. Bo is Bo. Woody is Woody. There's no way any of us will ever forget that thankfully, for us Michigan fans, to the botched experiment in Ann Arbor the last two years.

RR, I'm sure if given enough time, could probably bring Michigan back to the competitive ranks of the Big Ten. He's a good coach. He's just in the wrong place because competitiveness isn't good enough at Michigan. We do not boast that we are conquering heroes, the leaders and best, and champions of the west for shits and giggles. We mean every word of it.

Perhaps Coach Harbaugh was thinking the same this bowl season.

Good post bdug, I agree, the Big 10 is the Big 10 and Michigans experiment into the spread goes against everything UM has stood for. I am just glad that there are a couple UM fans to recognize it.

bduq37 wrote: After being a fan for 25+ years, I can attest that there is and has been a sense of loss since Bo died. I believe that it becomes more evident as the losses pile up and the old-school yet classy, Big Ten style of football that Jim Tressel has been so criticized over, has again come out on top. RR just happened to inherit a program at a horrible time in the history of Michigan football. Bo's death has exponentially affected the football family at UM and even Urban Meyer wouldn't have been the solution to the storm that engulfed Ann Arbor that night Bo met Woody once again...just not the right fit, you know?

For most of us Michigan fans, we were convinced that Bo's philosophies were as tired and worn as he was and we needed a change so badly, especially after Lloyd let us down against the "other" Mountaineers. So, we hastily chose a coach to try and mask the fact that this change will somehow make it easier for us to accept the fact that we lost THE Michigan Man. I, myself, was under the delusion that we were bringing the Big Ten into the 21st century because we are the innovators and leaders that would force the Big Ten to follow suit. I dropped the ball on that one. The Big Ten is the Big Ten. Tradition is Tradition. Bo is Bo. Woody is Woody. There's no way any of us will ever forget that thankfully, for us Michigan fans, to the botched experiment in Ann Arbor the last two years.

RR, I'm sure if given enough time, could probably bring Michigan back to the competitive ranks of the Big Ten. He's a good coach. He's just in the wrong place because competitiveness isn't good enough at Michigan. We do not boast that we are conquering heroes, the leaders and best, and champions of the west for shits and giggles. We mean every word of it.

Perhaps Coach Harbaugh was thinking the same this bowl season.

Preach it, man! Preach it!

LJ wrote:

Tinkertrain wrote:

So when in 2011 or 2012 when Michigan is challenging for the big 10 title and beating ohio state you'll be around so I can say haha right?

I'll bet you $25 that UM doesn't beat OSU in 2011 then double or nothin for 2012

So you gonna man up and take my bet or are you just trying to incite a riot with OSU fans?

If he doesn't I will

insuranceguy wrote: ^^^ You do realize the great RR is 37-38 without Pat White as his Qb. That means your head coach is only good when he has a qb to run his system which has been once in his head coaching career. Great coaches must adapt to the talent they have not try to force there system on the kids. Michigan should never I repeat never be 3-9 ,5-7 and hoping for 6-6. If they are thats crap coaching. If JT came into TOSU and went 3-9 and 5-7 year 3 would not have happened. RR has taken Michigan backwards and I fear they will go the route Nebraska did and have a hard time rekindling the winning tradition. I hope I'm wrong. Michigan needs to be a power in the BIg Ten. Michigan needed to be a power football team. I think the Big Ten as a whole proved that this bowl season. TOSU,PSU and Iowa all had pretty good years and none ran a spread or anything like that. For the most part they played traditional Big 10 football. It still works and will continue to work. The spread option is a fade just like the west coast offense ,the wishbone etc. The only offense that has never gone away is the power I. Michigan needs to get back to that if they want sustained success.

Yes, great coaches adapt to there talent. Strangely enough RR had said this when he was interviewed during the Capital One bowl game in the broadcast. Then Ryan Mallet leaves and Justin Boren and so on and so forth. Him being a hard head about getting "his guys" is not going to win him over with the Michigan faithful.

Mallet left before they even had their first practice, as mentioned before he was gone as soon as they hired RR. Not his fault mallet didnt wan't to play in a spread. Boren was willing to give it a shot untill RR wanted him to lose 20lbs, not a good idea for a OL trying to make it to the NFL but also not a good idea for OL to be over weight in a spread system

Sorry been working alot and yes i'll be around.

A couple thing's here.

1. Jim Harabaugh seems to have some kind of magical affect to the mindless michigan masses. " Oh that jimmy he'll come save us!!!" If you think we're struggling now wait untill you bring in Harbaugh and he attempts to run a pro-style offense using Rich Rod's recruits! We dont have a pro style qb, we dont have pro style RB's and our linemen are almost incapable of running a pro style system. Bottom line if you get rid of Rich Rod and bring in Jim your looking at 4-5 year minimum before Michigan can even begin to consider being a national power again.

2. Harbaugh is still persona non grotta to the powers that be in Michigan. This man trashed his alma mater in the press and has had a few "off the field incidents" as well with reguards to michigan. What he's done will not be forgiven easily and imo should never be forgiven. Coach Carr had it right when he called Jim " arrogant" "self serving" and "elitist". If you think Rich Rod behaves badly on the sideline turn on a Stanfrod game and watch Jim for awhile! He's a foul mouthed raving lunatic on the sideline.

Also fyi Michigan fans....... Bo liked Rich Rod and liked what he was doing with the spread.

Tinkertrain wrote: Sorry been working alot and yes i'll be around.

So are you e-shaking on this bet or not?

Tinkertrain wrote: Sorry been working alot and yes i'll be around.

A couple thing's here.

1. Jim Harabaugh seems to have some kind of magical affect to the mindless michigan masses. " Oh that jimmy he'll come save us!!!" If you think we're struggling now wait untill you bring in Harbaugh and he attempts to run a pro-style offense using Rich Rod's recruits! We dont have a pro style qb, we dont have pro style RB's and our linemen are almost incapable of running a pro style system. Bottom line if you get rid of Rich Rod and bring in Jim your looking at 4-5 year minimum before Michigan can even begin to consider being a national power again.

2. Harbaugh is still persona non grotta to the powers that be in Michigan. This man trashed his alma mater in the press and has had a few "off the field incidents" as well with reguards to michigan. What he's done will not be forgiven easily and imo should never be forgiven. Coach Carr had it right when he called Jim " arrogant" "self serving" and "elitist". If you think Rich Rod behaves badly on the sideline turn on a Stanfrod game and watch Jim for awhile! He's a foul mouthed raving lunatic on the sideline.

Also fyi Michigan fans....... Bo liked Rich Rod and liked what he was doing with the spread.

As long as he was doin it in West By God... As a Buckeye I'd hate to see Harbaugh come back. He'd probably turn the mess around in short order.

Tinkertrain wrote: 2. Harbaugh is still persona non grotta to the powers that be in Michigan.

Really? What powers that be have you talked to?

Tinkertrain wrote: Sorry been working alot and yes i'll be around.

A couple thing's here.

1. Jim Harabaugh seems to have some kind of magical affect to the mindless michigan masses. " Oh that jimmy he'll come save us!!!" If you think we're struggling now wait untill you bring in Harbaugh and he attempts to run a pro-style offense using Rich Rod's recruits! We dont have a pro style qb, we dont have pro style RB's and our linemen are almost incapable of running a pro style system. Bottom line if you get rid of Rich Rod and bring in Jim your looking at 4-5 year minimum before Michigan can even begin to consider being a national power again.

2. Harbaugh is still persona non grotta to the powers that be in Michigan. This man trashed his alma mater in the press and has had a few "off the field incidents" as well with reguards to michigan. What he's done will not be forgiven easily and imo should never be forgiven. Coach Carr had it right when he called Jim " arrogant" "self serving" and "elitist". If you think Rich Rod behaves badly on the sideline turn on a Stanfrod game and watch Jim for awhile! He's a foul mouthed raving lunatic on the sideline.

Also fyi Michigan fans....... Bo liked Rich Rod and liked what he was doing with the spread.

Yeah, but at the time, RR wasn't destroying the program that Bo just spent 40 yrs building.

The plan actualy was to destroy the program that bo built and turn it into something new and improved . Just didn't expect the first couple of season to be so rough.

Dan,

I bought into to it too, but there is just something missing that even the most higly touted, 5 star recruit can't bring, unless he is a speciman like Toby Gerhart.

Can't judge him after just 1 season of even having a chance of putting something together. (First year there was no hope no matter the coach IMO) If there is no bowl this season then I'll be the first one on here calling for his head. You gotta give the guy a chance

Michigan will be better in 2010 than they were in 2009, I have no doubt about that, but---without a dominant defense which they will not have, they will continue to struggle against the better Big Ten schools., OSU, Iowa, Wisconsin, Penn State.

bduq37

I just want to make sure you understand something here...... BO IS DEAD! I get so tired of people saying " well Bo would have" HE IS DEAD! The longer Michigan fan's hold onto that legacy for dear life the longer it's going to take to fix Michigan football. I also suspect that if BO were alive today he'd be irate over the factions and the media driven witch hunt that Rich Rod has had to endure and that has taken such a large tole on Michigan.

Bo Schembechler was a great man who did wonderfull things for Michigan but those people holding onto his memory and legacy are hindering Michigan in the here and now.

Bo is Michigan and anyone who denies or wants to forget what he has done for UM seriously needs to think about how much of a UM fan you are. Bo will never be forgotten no matter how much the new regime wants people to move on.

bduq37 wrote: Bo will never be forgotten no matter how much the new regime wants people to move on.

And allowing the Ghost of Bo Schembechler to control Michigan from beyond the grave is the correct thing to do? People need to accept that Bo is gone and realize that while it's ok to honor and respect the man and what he did. Michigan cannot allow the " what would bo do" thinking to control the program in the here and now. Time's have changed, the players have changed and the game has changed. Let Bo rest in peace instead of constantly dragging up him and using him as an anchor on the Michigan program.

As a Buckeye fan looking in at the Michigan program, Michigan does need to move on from the Bo era but much as OSU did during the Cooper years they can't forget the values and traditions that Bo established at Michigan and they can't forget what it means to be a Michigan man. Cooper didn't understand what Ohio State football meant to the people of the state and I'm not sure RR does either. Ohio State was fortunate enough to land a coach who did undertand the traditions and the Michigan rivalry and Buckeye football is as strong as under Woody. As I've said many times the Big Ten needs Michigan to be great, is RR the man to lead them back, I would say that he has one more year to prove that he is. But the Michigan/OSU rivalry will never be greater than it was during the 10 year war between Bo and Woody.

The Big 10 hasn't changed. But if you want to continue to go the way of Northwestern and Illinois, go ahead.

Fact of the matter is, Michigan is late to the party when it comes to how effective the run & shoot triple option spread read gun & run offense is going to be. Teams have seen it enough to defend it well enough to win games. Couple that with the run & shoot triple option spread read gun & run offenses innability to translate to the NFL, and failure to allure big name recruits because of it, Michigan is looking straight down both barrels.

Don't worry bdug, we'll keep Bo's memory alive for you at Ohio State 'till the rest are willing to want his legacy remembered for what it was and is.

It's sad that OSU fans recognize it, but escapes most of the Michigan fans. Thanks, I'm glad and respect the tradition of OSU as well.