Jim Harbaugh: next coach of the Seahawks?
Let's assume you are a Michigan fan and Jim Harbaugh has certainly had his issues lately and could bolt back to the NFL. Pete Carroll is going to retire eventually. Does Harbaugh replacing Carroll make sense to you? Why or why not?
Gee, thanks for outing me. In a word, nope. Not to be ageist, I mean, I'm older than he is - but Harbaugh will be 60 before he comes back to the sidelines and coaches the Wolverines in a bowl game. If Pete retires after this season, at best I see Harbaugh as a stop-gap solution to the next coach. He has a similar "rah-rah" style for which Pete is often derided, but we all see how many players not named Earl Thomas come back to the Seahawks to either play or confer after their careers.
As a short-term solution, I can see the value in getting Harbaugh. He's intense, he gets buy-in for his system, and he trusts his players. Moreover, he believes in his players and gets them to believe in themselves. Sounds like a coach we all know. It's not like he washed out of the NFL, either. He was 44-19-1 with the Niners. As soon as he had an 8-8 season, the organization had enough of the head-butting with him and cut him loose. Yes, he's opinionated. San Francisco didn't like that and went in the tank for four years to show how smart they were. Harbaugh would be a top choice for a few NFL teams.
But I'd much prefer Seattle get a younger coach with an eye on the long term. Plus, while there's no evidence that Harbaugh directed or even knew about the sign-stealing at Michigan, he should have known. How exactly do your coaches get such detailed information on other teams and you don't realize it's happening? That bothers me, and it bothers me a lot. In-game, of course, every team tries to figure out the other team's signs. But the NCAA has banned in-person advance scouting for decades. No, I don't think Harbaugh knew about it. But he should have. So thanks, but no thanks.