As speculation mounts about Jim Harbaugh’s future, here is a
brief primer to help fans understand what they’re reading and
why.
DETROIT
As speculation mounts about Jim Harbaugh’s future, here is a brief primer to help fans understand what they’re reading and why.
1. Don’t believe reports that Harbaugh-to-Michigan broke down over the weekend. It isn’t true.
2. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported over the weekend that new Broncos executive John Elway has targeted Harbaugh to be his coach. But I highly doubt Harbaugh will end up in Denver.
He would be working for an inexperienced football executive (Elway) who is way more popular with ownership and the fan base than Harbaugh is. That would limit Harbaugh’s power, and nobody knows if Elway knows what he is doing.
Plus Harbaugh is a molder of quarterbacks. Denver has Tim Tebow, but that makes it LESS likely Harbaugh goes to Denver — he wouldn’t get to choose his own guy, and many NFL people are skeptical about Tebow’s viability as an NFL quarterback. So I would be shocked if he ends up in Denver. This means…
3. It almost certainly will come down to Michigan and the San Francisco 49ers. I think Harbaugh would have some interest in the Carolina Panthers — he could take his Stanford quarterback, Andrew Luck, with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. But Carolina has not shown much interest in hiring Harbaugh.
The 49ers, meanwhile, have made it clear Harbaugh is their guy. They see him as not only a great coach but a guy who can change the image of the team and help the franchise get a new stadium.
4. This is really important: You will hear reports that Harbaugh “really wants to coach in the NFL” or “has his heart set on Michigan.” These reports aren’t inaccurate. They are incomplete.
He is choosing between two dreams right now, and there are a lot of factors at play. Naturally, when he talks to NFL people, they might get the impression he wants the NFL; and when he talks to Michigan folks, they will get the impression he wants Michigan. He wants both, but he can’t have both. At least not right now.
5. Michigan has one big advantage. Thirty-two franchises hold the allure of coaching in the NFL. A few of those jobs are open every year. There is only one job at Michigan, and Harbaugh might never get another shot at it. If he turns down U-M, Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon might plausibly hire a guy who will stay 20 years.
That is why I won’t count out Michigan until I see Harbaugh put on a 49ers hat at a news conference.
— Column by Michael Rosenberg, Detroit Free Press
