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  • Coach's Corner: Harbaugh’s Things To Do List

    Posted at 8:00am — 12/31/2014

    The transmission of the Michigan football program has been changed. It is safe to state that Michigan has replaced a smooth transmission, one with a low end passing gear, to a noisy turbo-charged model that hopefully does not entail more than normal maintenance. There is joy in the nation. But more than anyone else Jim Harbaugh knows he has obstacles to overcome, and although the clock is friendly any clock has limits before expiration. As of now the watch is made of gold.

    So, what are the tasks that by collection are somewhat daunting?

    The first and primary task is to secure a coaching staff. Harbaugh knows the type of coach that will fit the mission. He also knows the candidates. How many of his preferred choices he obtains we may never know. He may have to wait a week or two for responses or permission to inquire.

    Harbaugh is an experienced Head Coach who has identified strengths. He can maintain order, develop intensity, produce physical football, improve a running game, and win. Harbaugh has had the advantage of growing up in a very successful football family. He had the privilege and advantage of learning life lessons under one of the very best of all time- the beloved Bo. Harbaugh had the advantage of playing in the NFL, where players and coaches see higher-level strategy and understand the cruelties of failure. This last comment was not meant to reflect on the final 8-8 season at San Francisco.

    To return to academic times, a well-used phrase from the hallowed halls applies: a condition may be necessary but not sufficient. A coach of Harbaugh’s nature is likely necessary for Michigan to succeed, but his mere presence alone is clearly insufficient for improving the program to past levels of success.

    And so, this article deals with the extra conditions that will be needed for Michigan to advance. The journey’s start was presented above in the vital task of staff selection. It seems intuitive that Harbaugh will select assistants that possess one or more of the following characteristics:

    (1) Harbaugh is familiar with the coach; he wants no surprises;
    (2) the applicant has clear evidence of player development, the loophole of recent Michigan problems;
    (3) any applicant needs to be extremely competitive and possess a brutal desire to succeed;
    (4) any applicant will need to accept working at an intensity level of Harbaugh and his mentor; an applicant will need to be very strong on talent identification and salesmanship, and
    (5) finally an applicant will need to demonstrate a high technical level of football that is necessary for superior game planning, film breakdown, and taking charge of a position group.

    Whomever comes to town, Harbaugh will need to have on staff the best offensive line coach he can find, one that identifies mistakes, puts in the best options for his talent, the highest level of technique and is past relentless in demanding improvement. His motto should be “Soon you will improve or you will leave.” Brutal, but this group of well spoken and intelligent, nice kids will endure some culture shock, most will understand and appreciate it, most. Competition must be daily and severe.

    Harbaugh is smart enough to understand there are limitations within the offensive personnel. As such, does he hire a coordinator that best fits what is now on campus or just forget what is on campus and hire exactly what he wants? The answer is choice two, no doubt, the players will have to adjust, Harbaugh and staff cannot and will not wait. He can use his personnel well, but his success is because he molds and is not an organicist who becomes an alchemist.

    There is much work to be done in the defensive backfield. The next defensive backfield coach(es) will need to quickly change bad habits and get what can be procured from this group. Peppers will make a coach look smart, but the defensive linemen must adapt more than a mere motto (earn the right to rush four) to make a defensive back’s life more tolerable by creating some havoc.

    The coach that takes over the defensive line has potential. This unit could show dramatic improvement next year. It will need to be much more physical. That is where the strength and conditioning question comes into play. There is no preconceived idea of how Coach Harbaugh will approach Michigan’s situation.

    Harbaugh’s second task will involve recruiting. He will need to make quick decisions on who to send out to hold the commits and which decommits to visit and further woe. There will be some new potential commits, perhaps from far outside the area. Harbaugh will need to set up his local recruiting network. Coach Hoke had this going until the losses mounted and this task should be somewhat easy to accomplish. It is never too early for 2016 recruiting, but that may have to move to the back burner.

    Harbaugh’s third task is critical; he will need to create an instant atmosphere among the returning players, his assistants will be involved. The prediction here is that the players will quickly figure it out and accept the program going forward. There will not really be a choice. Coach Hoke left with brief and well-wishing comments, there is no animosity to overcome, no division.

    Harbaugh is a formist, his first thoughts turn to time-honored foundations and non-negotiable beliefs. He is also a clear mechanist; this will help in building the machine. He is a parts person, one who can mold. Harbaugh will be the first to admit Bo was the ultimate formist and a grinding mechanist, so grinding that some parts were disposed of, but parts that stayed would be champions.

    Harbaugh and his staff have to be master orchestrators during spring practice. Every spring practice season is important, but 2015 takes on increased magnitude; new schemes, new coaches, new pressure, increased competition level, and loyalty to a cause must be established, if not polished into a final product.

    Harbaugh has already established one task. By his mere presence he has infused excitement and established a persona, perhaps, somewhat like Arnold Palmer. This can only help and good luck to negative recruiters trying to beat up Harbaugh.

    Harbaugh is the conductor of the choo-choo and new track is being built. And so on to football.

    Written by GBMWolverine Message Board Staff — Doc4Blu

    Go Blue — Wear Maize!


    Twitter: @ErocWolverine
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