**** Michigan Football ****

[ChambersWI]

Countess played really well as a true freshman and has been a shadow of that since blowing out his knee prior to the start of his sophomore season. I really am not looking forward to going to East Lansing. I never, ever thought I would say that.

He did okay in zone coverage last year and got a lot of INTs thing is all of our other cos need to play in man to man.

I think the d is playing well enough for MSU but the offense may cost us the game

 

[MD]

He did okay in zone coverage last year and got a lot of INTs thing is all of our other cos need to play in man to man.

I think the d is playing well enough for MSU but the offense may cost us the game

I really have to wonder just how bad Morris and Bellamy are if they can't unseat Gardner. They really need to focus on finding a guy that is capable of running that offense. Speight was top nationally if I recall correctly 5 when he committed. I'm hoping that he develops quickly because that is a real issue.

 

[ChambersWI]

Board of Regents meeting to discuss David Brandon's future, Warde Manuel (UCONN AD and former Michigan Player), Brad Bates (BC AD and Former Michigan Player), and Jeff Long (Arkansas AD and former Michigan Staff Member) have been contacted to gauge their interest in replacing them.

Manuel and Bates were guys a lot of alumni wanted back when Brandon took over but several older members of Michigan's Board felt that they needed more experience (Both were only at Buffalo and Miami Ohio respectively). But the old regime also had a history of naming Businessmen the AD (and in a way based on how far in the red the athletic department was in the 90's I could understand)

 

[MD]

Where is the info coming from? I find it hard to believe they would contact candidates with Brandon still in the chair unless there is a planned resignation. Good news if accurate.

 

[ChambersWI]

Where is the info coming from? I find it hard to believe they would contact candidates with Brandon still in the chair unless there is a planned resignation. Good news if accurate.

Bacon and Hanson reported it. It's also on GBW. But the rumors are that Brandon is already negotiating a buyout as well.

 

[ChambersWI]

From Brian at MGoBlog

ALL RIGHT, PEOPLE. We are probably embarking on a coaching search in the near future and also probably embarking on an AD search in the near future. When these things happen I get buckets of insider information from provenances both dubious and legit, and at some point they cross the threshold where I think they're useful to relate.

When I do this I want things to be supported by multiple people, or people I've heard from before and were accurate. I've learned over the years that when you get in these situations a lot of people stridently believe things that turn out to be wrong, so keep that in mind; I strive to be precise with my language to give people the right impression of how strongly these opinions are held.

So…

Jim%20Harbaugh%20&%20Pete%20Carroll[1]

ON JIM HARBAUGH. There are plenty of media reports suggesting that Harbaugh won't be with the 49ers next year; I've heard similar things. I've also heard that people within the 49ers organization think that maybe Harbaugh isn't an NFL guy, long term, and that Harbaugh is also coming to this realization as the guys in his locker room start getting more and more ornery. Michigan is not a far-fetched destination according to them.

ON DAVE BRANDON. I mentioned this on twitter and should clarify. There is the Big Ballers Meeting and then a Meeting With A Lot Of Big Ballers And Some Smaller Ballers And Some People Who Do Nice Stuff For The University. I got a report from the latter, in which Schlissel sat down for a Q&A session that was moderated by Stephen Ross. Nothing said was definitive, but almost all of the side chatter centered on how Brandon wasn't going to make it and Ross didn't seem like he was going to throw a hissy fit if a change was made. Even in this context away from the madding crowd the first issue addressed was the AD; Schlissel reiterated his point about a culture change; there seemed to be big baller chatter about who might be next.

Now: these people are not universally omniscient. There was chatter that things might go down last Tuesday. Obviously they did not. Don't take that as gospel.

ON THE COMBINATION OF HARBAUGH AND BRANDON. Never say never but I've heard from guys who know Harbaugh who say that Jim working for Dave is highly unlikely to happen. I do not have signed affidavits, but… yeah. As chatter goes this drumbeat is intense.

ON HOKE SURVIVING. This is likely to become moot this weekend, but serious people are asserting that he's not dead yet and could get by with a 7-5 record that includes a win over MSU or OSU, or even that 6-6 might be enough.

I don't think this is the case, as the powers that be know that season tickets are on a knife edge now and bringing Hoke back could see significant drops. It's impossible to know anything about Hoke's status given the uncertainty about the top of the department; the information being discussed is going to point strongly to a change no matter who is in charge.

jeff-long-at-bobby-petrino-news-conference[1]

ON AD CANDIDATES. Amongst the obvious Michigan Man candidates I would peg the pecking order as

Jeff Long (Arkansas)
Brad Bates (BC)
Warde Manuel (UConn)
Joe Parker (Texas Tech's associate AD)
There's a bigger gap between 2 and 3 than between 1 and 2 or 3 and 4. Michigan may go off the board, of course, but Long in particular seems to have the respect of the AD community—he's the CoFoPoff chair—and made a stunning hire of Bret Bielema after the Petrino situation blew up in his face.

Also worth noting that he handled the PR of that disaster as well as can be expected. Bates and Manuel have not had to face similar crises yet.

ON JABRILL PEPPERS. This is not certain otherwise Michigan would have announced it but I've gotten several seemingly independent sources asserting that Peppers isn't going to play again this year. Michigan just threw him on top of the depth chart at nickel and punt return, so I don't know… I just wouldn't be surprised if he didn't play this weekend.

ON LLOYD CARR. Lloyd Carr is a civilian. He is neither involved nor wants to be involved in the day-to-day of the athletic department, and if you have a conspiracy theory involving him it is ridiculous and you should just drop it.

 

[MD]

Well perhaps Harbaugh is not out of the question. If he is actually realizing that, like Saban, he is better suited for the college kids than Ann Arbor is where he will wind up. Jim would definitely be the top dog and unify the program which Michigan has missed since Bo passed. He would inherit a talented roster and would be able to get the most out of Shane or Speight. Not to mention recruiting would not suffer in the least. . Who wouldn't want to play for a successful NFL coach or the guy that developed Andrew Luck?

As for Hoke surviving, I seriously doubt it. The game against Sparty is going to be ugly and should be more than enough to end his tenure. Last I checked Michigan was a 16.5 underdog. Never thought I would see that.

 

[ChambersWI]

again, and I'll say this till I'm blue in the face. The defense is good enough to win any game (only bad game they had was Rutgers). The offense has to do something though.

And again, only way I see Hoke surviving is if he goes undefeated the rest of the way.

 

[MD]

Devin Gardner is the 3d worst QB in FBS. Only his back ups are worse.

 

[MD]

Nice job Brady. Record is 3-4 down 14-3 and you decide to be conservative. Slow and steady right?

 

[ChambersWI]

Yeah at this point I just ask Lloyd Carr to take over for the rest of the season. Nuss has been absolutely awful and tm Gardner regrescion under him is frightening

 

[ChambersWI]

From Chris Balas

Michigan's latest loss has many questioning where the Wolverines will turn if the ship isn't righted soon. Here's some of what we know is true, including some facts and opinion -
First off, Nov. 13 is a big day. One of the boards that report to the A.D. will be meeting with President Mark Schlissel, who has the authority to make hirings and firings. Athletic director David Brandon will be the subject, and he does have his supporters.
Schlissel is setting meetings with several - and we mean several - people to address the issues within the athletic department and try to get a clear picture of what's going on. Comparing notes Saturday in the press box with many of those following this saga closely (one in particular we trust and who has been covering this as well as anyone), it's clear nobody knows for certain what Schlissel will do.
The timeline is critical here. If there's going to be a coaching change (and yes, this season constitutes a complete collapse, Saturday's pregame stake in the ground incident ironically being another stake in the program's heart), they need to have the guy in place to make that hire, whether it's Brandon or somebody else.
So we move on to the elephant in the room - that no "big name" coach will come work for Brandon.
The one big name everyone talks about is Jim Harbaugh (or John Harbaugh potentially). This is one that has spread quickly, and as of now, at least, it's true. Harbaugh would never say it publicly out of respect for Brady Hoke - Hoke coached for his father, Jack, at Western Michigan, and Jack and John, particularly, love Hoke - but he is seriously interested in U-M as his next potential destination, with one caveat: that he's not back in San Francisco next year. Despite all that's being said publicly, this is still a possibility, and a very real one.
Harbaugh, too, seems to change his mind every couple of days. It's who he is. We spoke with him personally the summer heading into his last year with Stanford (and Rich Rodriguez' last year with Michigan) for an article on the 25th anniversary of the 1985 team for the Football Preview. He wanted to see U-M succeed, but he also made it clear he wanted to coach at Michigan. He even called from a mountaintop in Peru (where he was building houses for Habitat for Humanity) to speak with us.
When Michigan went through its coaching search, Harbaugh committed twice. Those who wanted to blame someone blamed Brandon, asking, "Was Jim ever officially offered the job?" And that was semantics.
When asked about it, Harbaugh admitted it was a tough decision for him. He had so many options. He had become the hottest coach in football, and that San Francisco wanted him (he didn't even have to move) and gave him a chance to win at the highest level made it the most attractive option. But make no mistake - there were some who didn't like Brandon who were in his ear.
If there's a 'rift' between Brandon and Harbaugh, it wouldn't be hard to see why.
Brandon, of course, hired Brady Hoke, who was always a strong candidate. He won almost everyone over after his first press conference (Desmond Howard, all former alums). He got it. He won over just about everyone else after his first year, an overachieving 11-2 season. How we got here (a blowout loss to MSU in year four) is another story for another day, but those on the Michigan State side we spoke with in the press box yesterday say the MSU coaches - who recruited many of U-M's current players - cite the lack of player development both on the field and in the weight room as two damning indictments.
And they hope it's status quo in the department next year, because they feel it's toxic. And they know toxic, having gone through it before.
But if it comes down to it, would a big name coach work under David Brandon? Some believe it would take someone like Brandon to convince the board they need to spend money to do it, and it's ridiculous to think nobody would accept a big deal. Schlissel has made it clear that commercialism isn't the department's goal, but donors, etc. have been with him, too, to let him know how important the health of the football program is to the University. But again, unless there is relationship mending there - and let's be honest, money talks - it won't be a Harbaugh.
And as one huge donor said recently, "would Brandon even take a chance to go that route again?" And if you don't believe it, throw a party for some of those big donors, have a drink with them and sit back and enjoy. These are the people who know the truth and are kept in the loop.
Some peg it as a 30 percent chance Harbaugh would end up in Ann Arbor with the right people in place. Opinion here - if there's an opening (and there are a few who still believe Hoke will be here next year, wondering if Schlissel understands and appreciates the sense of urgency given recruiting, etc.), it should be a three-man list of Jim Harbaugh, Jim Harbaugh and Jim Harbaugh. That's what it's going to take to get Michigan football back where it needs to be as quickly as possible, even if he is a bit - well, unpredictable.
And he's interested. Oakland is another possibility, but it seems less likely. Miami would be (donor Stephen Ross owns the Dolphins), but the franchise seems to be headed in the right direction and there might not be an opening.
Yes, Harbaugh has a family to consider, too. His parents would love to see him back in the Midwest. His wife will also have a say, however, and it's true she might balk at the move (though we don't necessarily think it's a deal breaker).
Any other names being thrown out as potential replacements - well, that's all speculation at this point until the A.D. situation is resolved, and until there's an opening, really. We should know more in the middle of the month where that's headed

 

[MD]

I really think they need to move on from Brandon now. He has done a very good job of bringing revenue to the university but anything short or removing both he and Brady will result is lingering doubt at the first sign of trouble. It's really nothing different than gutting an NFL franchise and rebuilding.

In this case the next coach will inherit a very good roster and the AD a good revenue stream.

 

[ChambersWI]

Well Mr. Ross (who has been a big supporter of Brandon) has come out and said he will not get involved with the AD decision so Brandon lost his biggest supporter in terms of boosters

 

[MD]

I'm pretty certain Brandon will go and wouldn't be surprised if they are trying to negotiate a buyout. But what's puzzling is that it sounds as if Hoke still has supporters and its unsettling not knowing how much weight those supporters hold. This article Sam wrote about the possibility existing that there will only be one firing has me wondering what or who is lurking in the background influencing a thought process like this.