Just finished watching this on Amazon Prime Video:
https://smile.amazon.com/Faith-Family-Football/dp/B07B9THXH5/
It's a pretty cool look inside the Wolverines 2017 season. They go inside meeting rooms, practices, games, etc.
My biggest takeaway is that Jim Harbaugh seems totally out of touch with his players, and they don't seem to know how to handle him. They all seem to love their position coaches, but everytime you see a one-on-one with a player and Harbaugh, it's cringingly awkward. And Harbaugh's speeches in front of the team are awkward, stilted, and frankly, don't make a lot of sense.
Anyone else watch it? Am I off base?
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I'm resisting the strong urge to watch it... it's a principle thing, don't really want to give them the revenue, but I'm sure I'll break down at some point and watch it. What you said doesn't surprise me at all, Harbaugh's an image guy first and foremost, and X's and O's come in second.
Having watched them play, this could not possibly be more evident.
UMich is all about the flavoring without the meat. They are trying to make it seem like they are this great place to come play for, you get all the nice perks, and the coach is a character. Hey, you even get to travel to places like Italy and Paris to do summer workouts as a team.
But then once it turns to fall, they get their asses handed to them from anyone with a pulse. Its a shame they canceled our series, but its also telling that they did. They act like a classic internet bully. All talk until the other guy sizes them up.
I haven't watched the show yet, and I'm sure Harbaugh is a weirdo, but I still think he can coach. He turned around a Stanford program that arguably in worse shape than UVA, he won at the NFL level (although his players allegedly found him annoying), he'll get Michigan turned around eventually. Last year was his toughest year from a rebuilding vs. expectations perspective. Most sensible people expected an 8 win season for them in 2017. It's the fan base that is out of touch.
Harbaugh is a con artist. He hops around every 4-5 years when teams start to question if he's actually a good coach and then inexplicably gets more money at his next stop. At some point I hope people catch on. This is a guy that is touted as a QB whisperer, outside of Andrew Luck who was a can't miss prospect who exactly has he done a successful job coaching?
It's unquestionable that Stanford and the 49ers had a complete turn around with him at the helm. How or why is up for discussion, but he turned around two basement programs.
To emphasize this, Stanford went 1-11 the season before Harbaugh took over, hadn't beaten a ranked team in over 5 years, hadn't been to a bowl game in 8 years, hadn't won a bowl game in 13 years. In his 3rd year there, he had them 12-1.
You can't tell me this guy can't coach.
They are still riding that wave. They are consistently a top 3 team in the PAC
If he can coach isn't the question. The question is has he lost his mind!
Basement really? They had won the PAC before he got there, he didn't win it in his time. He also had a single great year there and jumped ship.
I think this is about as close to the basement as you can get. Stanford last won the PAC in 1999, 8 years before Harbaugh got there. And it's worth mentioning that they went 8-4 that year with a loss to 3-7 San Jose State. Sure, maybe he jumped ship quick, but he turned around a program. That's no small feat.
Yes he turned them around he didn't build them or take them out of the basement.
If 1-11 isn't the basement, I don't know what is. Sure - he didn't build the program from the ground up, but he fixed a lot of structural issues in his time there.
still a catch
Yep. Not sure how they robbed us on that one. Not that I'm bitter or anything.
I've watched this too long. I'm still amazed how that was overturned. At worst, the call on the field should have stood.
Sounds like they have a "Good Cop" "Bad Cop" system. The position coaches are the "Good Cops" and Harbaugh is the "Bad Cop". Better play well, or the "Bad Cop" will get you!
It's not so much that he's a bad cop. More that he just doesn't know how to talk to kids. Not really yelling or screaming. Just saying stuff and getting vacant looks back.
Still more effective than the Time Cop system
I give this clown two more years. He is gonna fly off to some NFL job where he doesn't have to deal with the players. Problem is he is going to have a stable of talent that will attract a lot of quality coaches.
They cancelled our series in football.
They're dead to me, and I will not watch their propaganda.
And let's not forget, it was a catch
Yeah, I haven't.
Yeah, but I want a
So they have chosen the nothing route I see.
I tried to watch this, got through about ten minutes, and just couldn't continue. I don't care how cool the behind-the-scenes stuff is, or how crazy the coach is, it's fucking Michigan. As much as I love this stuff, I just don't care about them.
Started the Cowboys version last night. Holy crap do they have some nice facilities!
Yea, it's really impressive. I believe the indoor facility is/will be used by local high schools as their home field. This is only one area of a really large mixed-use master plan.
The Jaguars owner had talked about similar usage of the team's practice fields at one point. Dunno if anything has come of it yet.
The one takeaway I had from watching was that Harbaugh looks like he's aged 15 years from when he took over Michigan three years ago. He's only 54, but he looks like a broken down grandpa.