Michigan Football, 2021 Season

[Hannibal]

Well, they're going to start 4-0. If they finish 5-7 that would be, ummm, not a good finish to the season. No way that happens.

We will win two B1G games at the absolute best.

Harbaugh is the rock bottom worst coach in the conference and he's basically coaching a recreational team at this point.

[Jeff Buchanan]

We're certainly all in the speculating mode about any conversations inside Schembechler Hall involving Manuel, Harbaugh, influential donors and whatever former players have on the program with regard to plans and goals going forward. Given circumstances, its as much of a restart or the absolute need for it, as I can recall. Past transitions were within a well established culture that IMO wasn't all that great and each new coach or new coordinator, every new player stepping up to play almost seemed held back by it. The collective effort sucked and culminated in the 2-4, COVID abbreviated 2020 season that was as much a reflection of a failed football culture as it was a failing Jim Harbaugh.

As noteworthy program events transpire, we can just read the tea leaves. Program movers have to know getting recruiting going is key to program success mid to long term. But, short term, player development has to take a front seat. Along with that comes instilling, for lack of better terms, mojo or intensity - I know what that means to me but it's the thing Mike talked about involving a reset of program culture. What M used to look and play like, admittedly in fits and starts, up until the decade of despair, has to be reborn.

This kind of thing is a difficult undertaking in any organization but there is no question, it starts at the top with qualified and able leadership. That leadership involves who that single person is at the top as much as the technical aspect, organizational skills, of turning goals and strategies into performance. One guy, at the top can't do that alone. It takes an ability of that top guy to articulate overarching approaches consistently reinforcing them along the way to achieve ends motivating and guiding the people that will actually do the transformational work on the ground. I know how this works. I've seen it. I've experienced it. Most of you here have as well.

That brings us to the person, Harbaugh, who he is and whether he is capable of the leadership required to right the Michigan football ship. I'm not entirely confident he's the guy. In fact, I'm not confident at all if the last three seasons where JH was seemingly disinterested as "Rome burned," apparently detached, are an indicator of his likelihood of success in managing a turnaround. The COVID crisis is going to interfere but great leaders like Lincoln, Churchill and FDR didn't let the crises they faced stop them from making things right.

[Hannibal]

If Michigan were a competently run program, Harbaugh would have been fired no later than the MSU loss.

Manuel should go too. His stupid Harbaugh mulligan is going to blow up in his face this year. What an embarrassment.

[Jeff Buchanan]

If Michigan were a competently run program, Harbaugh would have been fired no later than the MSU loss.

Manuel should go too. His stupid Harbaugh mulligan is going to blow up in his face this year. What an embarrassment.

I can't disagree with this. But the horses are just taking their positions in the gate - the race hasn't even begun yet. The money is certainly being laid on Harbaugh to lose but I'm willing to see how the first furlong goes. I just haven't put as much money on JH losing than you have. I'm pretty sure of that.

[lineygoblue]

10-2 seems most likely. Maybe 11-1.

You are on drugs.

[Jeff Buchanan]

Also from mgoboards

Shaun Nua, M's D-line coach, is returning but in what capacity wasn't specified in the ESPN report. There's no question that Harbaugh is retooling M's defense. It is really a mystery what happened in 2020 with Don Brown. Michigan's defense in 2020 fell to 95th nationally in points allowed, 96th in pass yards allowed and 89th in total yards allowed.

That Brown got almost immediately hired as DC by another P5 team (Arizona) indicates his rep as a good DC remains. I wonder if he had a blow-up with JH? That wouldn't surprise me and if it started out mildly with Brown and Harbaugh escalated it, that would be completely in keeping with what we know about Jim's personality.

It would be nice if the problems we saw v. MSU and PSU in C-19 2020 were over some in-fighting among coaches with coaches taking sides and could be traced to that and that alone. Players aren't going to be motivated when coaches aren't. Clearly the whole team wasn't.

[iam416]

It's not really a mystery in any sense. Don Brown recruited badly. He coached a scheme that depended on having uber-talented CBs and at least playable DTs. The reason they finished as high as they did in defensive ratings it that they Covid'd out of 3 games, 2 of which would have been bloodbaths. In reality, the defense they had was probably closer to 115.

They were a terrible, terrible defense last year. Terrible.

[Hannibal]

Brown will have success at his next stop. He wasn't the problem. Harbaugh is the problem. Any coach will look bad under him. He sucks.

Also, our '17 defensive class was ridiculous. But it suffered tons of attrition and that killed us this year. We lost two Top 100 guys out of that class that could have played DT this year (Hudson and Solomon). We also lost our stellar linebackers from that class and we lost our best CB from our '18 class. (I hate to say I told you so, but I told you guys that '18 class was a catastrophe)

[Jeff Buchanan]

It's not really a mystery in any sense. Don Brown recruited badly. He coached a scheme that depended on having uber-talented CBs and at least playable DTs. The reason they finished as high as they did in defensive ratings it that they Covid'd out of 3 games, 2 of which would have been bloodbaths. In reality, the defense they had was probably closer to 115.

They were a terrible, terrible defense last year. Terrible.

I don't disagree with the scheme not fitting the talent level as reason for the drop-off but common ........ you said it: " They were a terrible, terrible defense last year. Terrible." The players that took the field v. Minnesota didn't play like the ones that took the field v. MSU a week later or in the last two games they played. Something was going on.

And you are right. If they had played all their COVID shortened schedule they would not have had more than 2 wins. JH had lost the team and they didn't give a shit. Something was behind that beyond the skill levels of players and coaches.

[WingsFan]

[lineygoblue]

Mattison was a fine coach.

Too bad he did what he did, just so he could win a few football games, and poke Harbaugh in the eye in the process.

I wish him a happy and healthy retirement.

[WingsFan]

Warinner out, former player and West Bloofield coach 39 year old Ron Bellany in.

Edwards??

This has turned into old Hollywood and women, 40 years old and you're done

[WingsFan]

Moore name Co-OC and DL coach, this is getting crazy?

[lineygoblue]

With all the departures and replacements its sounding like there had to be a major blowup within the coaching staff. What's going on is more than just the yearly adjusting of the staff. There's routine departures every year, but this is a sweeping change. It won't do any good, but that appears to be what's happening.

[Jeff Buchanan]

OK, fine, Warriner goes to the NFL. I can see that. It happens. But Ron Bellamy to coach the OL. WTF.

...... and yep, something big happened among the coaching staff after Minnesota.

Crazy shit.