Michigan Needs The Man They Hired Now More Than Ever

Can Jim Harbaugh return to his roots and rejuvenate a Wolverines team that looks dead at 1-2?

It was rumored that Jim Harbaugh once gave a pregame speech to his 2007 team at Stanford, during which he told the players that he wanted to play so badly that he wanted their blood on him if they bled during the game. The Stanford players took this as little more than hyperbole. However, when right tackle Chris Marinelli ran off the field during the game and showed Harbaugh his arm (which had been cut during the drive), the Stanford players found out just how serious Jim Harbaugh was.

Harbaugh, a man of his word, the ultimate competitor, did exactly what he said he was going to do. He (Harbaugh) rubbed his hand across Marinelli’s arm, then spread the blood all over his own face like war paint.

“(Harbaugh is) standing on the sideline with the offensive line, really jacked up, screaming, yelling, jumping around with blood smeared on his face,” said Chase Beeler, one of the team’s offensive linemen.

That is just one of the many examples of Jim Harbaugh being the ultimate competitor.

From his playing days to his coaching days, Jim Harbaugh’s energy was fuel for those around him. Whether you were on the same sideline or the opposing sideline, Jim Harbaugh was going to make his presence known one way or another. Harbaugh’s early coaching days in Ann Arbor were no different. In his first season at the helm, Harbaugh would often explode with emotion on the sideline, usually at the expense of a referee who happened to be within the closest proximity.

In his very first game as head coach, Harbaugh (for lack of a better phrase) lost his mind on the sideline after Michigan was flagged for roughing the kicker. He demanded the head referee meet him on the sideline, then proceeded to reenact the play before unleashing his rage. With the brim of his Schembechler-esque Block M hat nearly covering his eyes, Harbaugh continued to make his displeasure known. I was in the stadium that day and can tell you that his emotion on the sideline carried over into the stands. You could literally feel the electricity of Jim Harbaugh among the 110,000+ in the stands at that moment and the fans loved every minute of it.

When the Wolverines went to Happy Valley that same year, Harbaugh took exception to a pass interference call against Jabrill Peppers. Once again, Harbaugh exploded on the sideline. He marched down the field screaming at the nearest official, ripping off his headset and his jacket in a fit of rage. Whether you loved it or hated it, Harbaugh’s sideline antics (and energy) permeated throughout the 100,000+ crowd in Beaver Stadium that afternoon.

We would continue to see that emotion spilling over in spectacular fashion during his second year in Ann Arbor as well, culminating in Columbus as the No. 3 Wolverines battled the No. 2 Buckeyes for a shot at the Big Ten Championship game and a spot in the College Football Playoff. With the Wolverines leading by a score of 17-7 and time running out in the third quarter, Michigan was called for a defensive offsides penalty giving the Buckeyes a fresh set of downs. Harbaugh threw his play sheet, removed his headset and tossed it to the ground in a fit of rage. The rage from Harbaugh would earn him a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct and move the Buckeyes within five yards of the end zone.

Following the double overtime loss to the Buckeyes that day, Jim Harbaugh wasn’t quite finished making his thoughts known. Whether it was the discrepancies in pass interference calls or the infamous spot, Harbaugh didn’t shy away from voicing his displeasure in the officiating crew during his postgame press conference. “I’m bitterly disappointed with the officiating”, Harbaugh said in disgust. “Can’t make that anymore clear”. His postgame comments would later earn him a public reprimanding from the Big Ten and a $10,000 fine for the school.

There are rumors as to why Jim Harbaugh seems different these days – suggestions that he was asked to tone down his sideline antics by the powers that be in Ann Arbor, the suggestion that the 2016 Ohio State game broke his spirit, or the suggestion that he’s simply lost his edge (and maybe more). The reality is that there may be more than a sliver of truth to all of those rumors.

Regardless of what caused it, Michigan needs the old Jim Harbaugh now more than ever. In a year where players are battling the uncertainty of a global pandemic and competing within empty stadiums, having an energetic force like Jim Harbaugh on your sideline could very well be the difference maker the Wolverines are still searching for entering week four of the 2020 season.

The Wolverines need the man they hired. They need Captain Comeback. They need the blood smearing, cleat wearing, sideline jacket ripping, ultimate competitor back on their sideline. That is the guy that Michigan hired, that is the guy that Michigan fans will defend to the death and that is the only guy who has any shot of getting this program back to where it's expected to be.