Jim Harbaugh is known for his intensity on the field.
HARBAUGH DEAL: Wolverines $48 Million, 6 Year Deal Said Dicey
December 29, 2014
By: Dave Rogers
The buzz about Jim Harbaugh coaching football at the University of Michigan is not whether he will take the job but has turned to: how long will he stay?
Harbaugh's testy personality seems to be taking the glow out of reports the deal of $48 million for six years is likely.
"He's too toxic and unstable to ever be a long term coach at any level," croaked one critic in a pro football internet posting.
"An elite coach doesn't allow his team to quit and tank the season, completely misuse his burgeoning young talent at quarterback, burn bridges with everyone around him, and regress and implode so hard that they're struggling to not finish 7-9.
Kudos to the 49ers administrators for sticking to their guns and not relenting to this charlatan's demands he be paid more than Super Bowl winning coaches."
The following was posted on profootballsports.nbc.com:
"Joe Pequeno of CBS reports that a verbal agreement is in place between Harbaugh and Michigan. College football author and longtime Michigan insider John U. Bacon reports that the deal is done. And Dave Feldman of CSN Bay Area, a high school friend of Harbaugh's, reports that it will be officially announced on Tuesday."
According to reports, Harbaugh and Trent Baalke, general manager of the San Francisco 49ers, have been unable to get along, ditto for 49ers owner Jed York.
Several NFL teams are said to be interested in Harbaugh, and he is poised to talk to the Oakland Raiders. The U-M offer, however, is believed to be so good that Harbaugh will resist any enticement to stay in the pro ranks.
SBNation comments: "Rumors that Jim Harbaugh and the San Francisco 49ers were headed for a split began in earnest during the 2013 season. They seemed absurd then. Less so now, but we still don't know exactly why the split is happening. The worst thing Harbaugh did on the field was not win a Super Bowl with the 49ers. The next worst thing he did was let his team slide into a four-game losing streak this season, which could become five if San Francisco loses its season finale against the 11-4 Arizona Cardinals."
Supporters note that Harbaugh was a very successful coach at Stanford, so he is no newcomer to the college level. And, he is an icon in Ann Arbor, a terrific quarterback who made it from the Big House to to the Big Time.
They dismiss Harbaugh's prickly personality by pointing to Bo Schembechler, who was no shrinking violet himself.
Wolverine fans no doubt will forgive Harbaugh any peccadilloes if he is able to turn around the Maize and Blue and become a winner in the increasingly competitive Big 10.