[ad_1]
Jim Harbaugh’s Story: From MU Ball Picker to Michigan Football Coach
Jim Harbaugh’s connection to Michigan’s football program dates back to the 1970s. Here is a brief look at an impressive football career.
Tyler J. Davis, Des Moines Register
INDIANAPOLIS – Here’s what Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh said on the podium Thursday afternoon in the first of two scheduled Big Ten Media Days appearances:
On new staff:
“So there have been a number of new hires on the coaching staff. The thing I think they all have in common, that they know about football, the experience, the teachers that they are, and the other thing is just how they came together – confidence. When I’m sitting in the defensive room and Mike Macdonald, our coordinator, is speaking, there are comments from Coach (Steve Clinkscale) and George Helow and Shaun Nua, the dialogue going on in the room is really great. Coach (Ron) Bellamy has also contributed a lot. No one is afraid to speak up, no one is afraid to voice their opinion, it hurts itself, I love it. There are great analysts. Doug Mallory, Coach (Ryan) Osborn, Joe Staab, it’s a great venue. Dylan (Roney) and Steve. It’s almost like a melee is going on. Ideas fuse and express themselves. It’s a fun and exciting piece. You can tell there is confidence in the room. Guys can speak their mind and be heard. They fight and they get a good result. It has been great.
BIG TEN RANKS: Where does Michigan football and Michigan State football stand?
FOLLOWING: Maurice Linguist’s short stint with Michigan still impressive for MAC players
“And I see the same thing offensively too. Common question: Josh Gattis is entering his third year as offensive coordinator, and what I notice most in this room is the confidence he has in these coaches on the side. offensive ball… The same kind of fluid dialogue, looking at the tape, the diagram, you put ideas, that same kind of energy, that same kind of confidence is there. Sherrone Moore coaching the offensive line. Jay Harbaugh, Mike Hart. All respected, all valued, doing a tremendous job. Matt Weiss has been a great quarterback coach and also Steve Casula, attacking analyst, I love him, I love what he brings. Kyle DeVan, what he brings. ‘Being in these meetings, offensively and defensively, and seeing the interactions, the dialogue, the trust, exceeded my hopes and expectations. “
On the quarterfinals competition:
“You mention some of the great qualities you need as a quarterback. Being able to move the team, being able to put the ball, put points on the board, drive, good at 11v11 football. Improve everyone around you. These are the things you look for in a quarterback and someone in charge. A leader in the field when the offensive is on. This quarterback is the straw that stirs the drink. Right now, Cade McNamara has done a tremendous job. He played a few games last year and did really well. I did the spring practice and it was exceptional. This is our # 1 quarterback entering fall camp. You talk about taking the leadership reins, that’s something he’s done. He’s been that guy throughout the spring and summer training cycle. By example and also by training other guys with him. He is a passionate competitor. He has this gene. He has to win, he has to do his best at all times.
“And then JJ McCarthy has some of those same qualities and did a great job in spring training. He fights. He has the athletic ability and the talent of the arms to do it. But Cade McNamara doesn’t let him in. take off. It’s probably the best thing for our team and for JJ and for all of us. That’s where we are, as I see it, in quarterback. Dan Villari is a great and very good athlete who has improved his throwing mechanics and his precision, his speed. Getting to the point where he can also do all the throws efficiently. And I also want to see him contribute on special teams, too. Get up on the field. Help everyone’s team. the possible ways. The obvious example This is what Taysom Hill was able to do. Maybe every football team is looking for this and I think we have it in a guy like Dan Villari who can be a quarterback double threat and contribute to Special Teams. Alan Bowm year, in transfer, had a good summer cycle. I have heard good t hinges. I like his energy. I like the confidence he has, the experience he has. He played in a lot of football matches. A tough guy and excited to see him compete when we start training camp. That’s about where we are at quarterback.
About the hiring of Mike Macdonald as the Defensive Coordinator:
“I hadn’t dated Mike much, except the times I was in Baltimore and visited. My brother John was like, ‘Yeah, that’s the guy I would hire. That would probably be our. next defensive coordinator here in Baltimore after Wink (Martindale). ‘ What he liked about him, what he told me, is that he is really smart, he was downstairs in the Ravens when they changed their defense and invented their defense and their scheme. . Very detailed. Very good teacher. So had a lot of recommendations from a lot of people I really trust in football. I have worked with and know extremely well. Guys I love. like a brother.
“All of that being said, it was from John, I even asked him, ‘John, it’s pretty awesome that you recommend someone you think so much about and who’s on your staff. He said, ‘I really love Michigan football and I really love you, I want both to be successful.’ Then I started talking to Mike throughout the interview process and the manager. Sportsman Warde (Manuel) was also involved, and we really felt that Mike was awesome and what we were looking for. Since this hire it has worked even better than I had expected and hoped for. Excellent for pretty much coaching. all positions in defense. Very good communicator, very good installer, very good on the pitch, very good at identifying player traits, where they can be plugged in, and then moved so that an offense cannot say: ‘ Aidan Hutchinson is going to be there. ‘ He could be there, he could be there, he could be there, all options are open. And then, like I said, just the way he involved all the defensive staff, the confidence that they built. in a very short time, the way they communicate, it has been better than I expected. “
On Aidan Hutchinson:
“Kwity (Paye) is a graduate, he plays here in Indianapolis. So proud of him. He’s a guy, all good things matter. He’s also Aidan Hutchinson in the same way. A real football player, a real football player, he’s a 267 pound fat guy who can move; move sideways, forward, backward, move low, move fast. He has tremendous strength, acceleration, mass. And a great desire for ‘be good and have good teammates.
You talk about leadership, attracting other guys, holding yourself accountable, other guys responsible. He’s the kind of player that as a coach you lean forward to tell yourself he’s one of my absolute favorite guys I’ve coached. And for all the right reasons. It does whatever you want it to do. He gets the best marks. Win the most rewards. Excels in sports. He’s a really good guy. And a big family. Honor his father and he also establishes his own heritage. That’s all A-plus plus. “
Beating the State of Ohio:
“Well, I’m here in front of you, as enthusiastic and excited as ever, I’m still, even more, having to do. Win the championship, beat Ohio. Your hometown there. Our rivals Michigan State. Everyone. This is what we want to do. And we’ll do it or die trying. My daughter, this summer we were going up, we were climbing – Sarah, Addie and I were going up a mountain. I don’t know how high he was. We probably took 15,000 steps to get there. We are approaching the top and she says, “We have to get to the top, daddy. We have to reach the top. You’re right, we are. She has this gene in her, and I was damn happy to see it. I have this gene in me. … We must reach the top.
Contact Orion Sang at [email protected]. Follow him on twitter @orion_sang. Learn more about the Michigan Wolverines and sign up for our Wolverines newsletter. Ta Free Press has launched a new digital subscription model. Here’s how you can access our most exclusive Michigan Wolverines content.
[ad_2]
Source link