Team 137 by Jim Harbaugh. Football talk and Predictions.

[SeattleLionsFan]

I think it's a mistake for both of em. They should get paid asap. Playing careers are short. And post playing careers are long. Plenty of time to finish the degree once NFL is done.

[froot loops]

I agree strike while the iron is hot.

[hack]

Agreed. Delighted to have them back, and it would really suck if they got hurt long-term or hurt their draft stock.

[Jeff Buchanan]

On the osu loss ......

M got blown out. BLOWN OUT in the Big House, now Harbaugh's house.

There were plenty of things, well chronicled by knowledgeable critics, that could have been done to prevent osu from running through the M defense like it was some kind of OOC cup cake .... which is exactly the way they looked.

Who is responsible for this loss with the most culpable entity being the defense? It's not Durkin. He clearly had his mind on other things and it is inconceivable that he hid his impending hire as Maryland's HC from his boss. And if he did what a f'ing example of disloyalty the kind that never serves you well and will come back to bite you in the ass.

Mattison? Nope.

The loss is on Harbaugh for not recognizing his DC had his mind elsewhere and not doing something about it.

Major fail and I'm still pissed off about it. Listening to all the melee mouthed excuses for not doing something about it just makes me side with Hannibal. You set your expectations low and you will get exactly what you aim for. Mediocrity.

Go ahead. Celebrate 9-3 with M's two losses to their primary rivals.

[hack]

Jimmy Mediocrity.

[The Oracle]

Jimmy Smallgame.

[Pasadena Blue]

I agree JH deserves most of the blame. He's a big boy he can handle it --- I think he learns from his mistakes. We'll see what happens next year.

[Jeff Buchanan]

I agree JH deserves most of the blame. He's a big boy he can handle it --- I think he learns from his mistakes. We'll see what happens next year.

We'd certainly hope for that but there may be only so much he can do. I was shocked by how vulnerable the M D was in the regular season to teams running the read option. It was way too easy for opponents to suck M's defensive front up with their aggressive tendencies running multiple defenders out of the play a few seconds after the snap and the mesh.

You have to have M's defensive coaches looking at film that revealed how vulnerable the M D was to that and then making some kind of adjustments. Never happened. That just smacks of the kind of arrogance that I've seen way too much of...... the kind of thinking where this scheme has an advantage and we're going to keep working the scheme not change it.

[Tslisher]

There was no DC on the face of this earth, that could have devised a way for this Michigan team to contain ohio, with the game they were playing. The problem was personnel, and Michigan's lack of it.

Ohio plays one game per year, and that is the Michigan game. That strategy worked in dealing with Michigan, but they underestimated the effort they would need to beat the other team from Michigan. Had they played MSU the way they played Michigan, they would have went on to Indy, and probably on to Dallas.

Instead, they'll have to wear their gold panties in Glendale, instead of Dallas.

I'd disagree - yes personnel was part of the problem, but the scheme didn't help at all. We've got some great corners - one all american. Put them on an island and bring the safeties up for run support. Better than getting gashed over and over again. I'm in the camp that says Durkin mailed it in, with a foot already 1/2 way out the door.

[WM Wolverine]

Durkin tried a scheme that obviously didn't work vs Indiana or Minnesota. Then he mixed in what looked like a 3-3-5 that didn't work either then mailed it in.

[hack]

Mailing it in doesn't sit right with me. We can't know, but it's not as if the prospect of becoming the HC of the Twerps came with any time commitments that week. You've got to assume that Durkin is a highly competitive guy, and not a complete all-about-me asshole to the extent that he would just screw Harbaugh, the guy he turned down other offers last season to join. I don't know that Durkin's a saint but I'm not sure it's fair to just assume he's that much of an jerk.

[drok]

I'm more inclined to say the coaching issues were incompetence as opposed to negligence.

[WM Wolverine]

The players were part of the mailing it in, I could toss out names though one of them is graduating and rarely impacted games but made a lot of tackles. Did Brian do a UFR for the Buckeyes?

[Jeff Buchanan]

...... I don't know that Durkin's a saint but I'm not sure it's fair to just assume he's that much of an jerk.

Not seeing anyone saying that. You are correct, we can't know what went down with Durkin and the Terps before the offer and his acceptance of it became public nor can we know if Durkin told Harbaugh he was looking around and considering offers.

Realistically though, his people had to be talking to their people weeks before we knew anything about it. You now this. HC hires don't go down in 24h from start to finish. Na?ve to think Durkin wasn't talking with Maryland's intermediaries.

I'm not sure if I were in Durkin's position, I would have told Harbaugh, "I'm looking." That's a tough call but in this profession, you create a hole like that on short notice and you not only fucked the organization you're leaving but you've probably fucked yourself over the long term. Bosses have long memories where I come from.

Another possible scenario, maybe more likely, is that Harbaugh knew about Durkin's intentions and put Mattison in charge with Durkin being given time to do what he needed to do to move on up. If you think about it long enough, I've seen that 3-3-5 look before from GMAT that was a variation from Durkin's base and I've seen it get crushed by the read option.

Following that game, for a lot reasons that go beyond a failed scheme, Harbaugh should have had heads rolling and the defensive coaching staff should have gotten jacked up big time. Injuries or not, lack of talent or not, something was dreadfully wrong on defense. osu should never have controlled that game like they did given M's 2015 defense overall and the lessons that should have been learned against IU and others running the read option.

Bottom line, whatever went down before and during the osu game it was an embarrassing cluster fuck. This is why I'll be studying what M's D does against UF. If M's D is not prepared for what UF is going to throw at them or fails to adjust to what they do throw at M, I'll be sorely disappointed in JH.

[Prime2]

Jimmy Mediocrity.

Is it too late to ship him back to the NFL where a 6-10M per year salary as an HC is waiting?

Less than a year ago, Jimmy LowExpectations had to show roughly 65 of Hoke's players the proper 3-point football stance on a cafeteria table.