Jim Harbaugh Explains The 'Michigan Method' During Media Availability
Camp battles are a regular thing in football. There are guys who are pushing to start and others who are trying to hold down the starting job. But it's the coach's job to pick who the best player is for the position and who will start for their football team.
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh does this on a yearly basis, and most notably, last year Harbaugh had to choose between Cade McNamara and J.J. McCarthy to start at quarterback. So what Harbaugh did was he let McNamara start game one and McCarthy started game two. After McCarthy lit it up against Hawaii, Harbaugh named McCarthy the starter and the rest is history.
Harbaugh calls this theory the 'Michigan Method'. He explained on Tuesday during media availability, there are a few positions that may enter game one or two before a permanent starter is decided. But Harbaugh specifically talked about the offensive tackles. There are four tackles that he believes are starter worthy. Those four will play it out during the rest of camp and maybe the first couple of games. In other words, it's the Michigan Method.
"No, I definitely think you're gonna see the Michigan Method in play at the offensive tackle," said Harbaugh. "There's four -- there's two starters on the left, there's two starters on the right, there's four starting tackles that we have. And it'll go through camp. I envision starting two tackles one game -- first game -- and two tackles the second game. I see that happening at Edge, could be the case at center, probably will be the case at corner. Those would be the main ones but it's just that close. It's just that good really you know, four starting tackles."
Harbaugh went more in-depth on the tackle battle. Karsen Barnhart and LaDarius Henderson are battling to start at left tackle, while Myles Hinton and Trente Jones are fighting for the right tackle job.
"Karsen, LaDarius [Henderson] had been at the left tackle and Myles Hinton and Trente [Jones] [at right tackle]," Harbaugh said. "We've given the same amount of starter reps as backup reps. And we're interchanging guys...They're playing at a super, super high starter level. And predict it'll go into the first and second game to find out exactly who the starters will be."
But the real question is, how did Harbaugh come up with the Michigan Method? The head coach read about it.
Harbaugh plans on starting the best players, regardless of class or rank.
"I read that another team was doing that for the quarterbacks," Harbaugh admitted. "Michigan method. I liked it. I liked the way that sounded. So that's the Michigan method. The who plays -- who gets to start the best players. How do you know the best player is? Probably the best. So define what the Michigan method is? That would define it well. At those certain positions quarterback last year, not this year, tackle this year, center, corner, Edge it's so close. And there's multiple guys that are starters. Practice may define it over 29 days, but it may not. Have to find the separation in the game to find out who the best player is. Because they would play the best."
