Everything Jim Harbaugh said on Inside Michigan Football pre-Bowling Green
On son Jack's game
We were pretty good, we had a three-man crew. We handled our business. The chains were never brought out. We got a win, the Ann Arbor Saints. Great to see us get a win. We lost a couple tough ones early. One they scored with seven seconds left the week before this. We were victorious. This great player, Evan, one of Jack's buddies, I know him pretty well and he's been over the house a bunch of times. Just watching him get better and better each week. It's great. Bill Martin's grandson, he's out there playing too. Number three. We're doing a nice job in the secondary and Jack's doing good, playing quarterback MIKE linebacker and some tight end. Just a lot of fun. To see them get the win, and our coaches do a great job. You could see the team getting better each week. Kids are having fun. You know, you coach the youth football, it was fun. All they ask me to do is to get the Gatorade one week. It's kind of an interesting story. My wife and I were supposed to get the snacks and the Gatorade last week because it was a Friday game. She told me on Tuesday and I was like, yeah, I can do that. I can get that. So, long story short, you could probably see where this is going. I did not remember. She did not remind me and we go to the game and there's nothing. I take full responsibility. So fast-forward, we're at the game. We have water, the kids have water. Every kid has got their own water bottles at these sports these days. She said you gotta go get water and you need snacks. They already had some snacks and they had a little tent for some shade. When I played, we never had any snacks. Water, a little times they discouraged water when I was a kid. My counterpoint was, it was an 11 a.m. game on a Friday, I said, they just ate breakfast about an hour ago. In about 45 minutes they're going to have lunch, do they really need snacks? I don't think they need snacks. Then they had a counterpoint and I had a counterpoint which was, have you ever heard the phrase that an army travels best on an empty stomach? No, they had not heard that. Long story short, Sarah's off to the closest gas station and got as many possible Gatorade's she could get. God bless her.
On Michigan's improvement from week one to week two
The passing game is just lights out. J.J. McCarthy, a phenomenal game. The accuracy is off the charts. He's so locked in. In practice, he's seeing everything. It's really slowed down for him. Making pro throws from the pocket. Get the guys a runner's ball that is moving on a crossing route or a dig route. J.J., we'd like it six inches in front of his front number. Darn, if he doesn't put it six inches right in front of the front number and the throw to Roman, which must've been in the air for 30-35 yards, hits him six inches in front of the front number, never broke stride and he's up the sideline. Our receivers are doing a great job catching the balls. Our tight ends, a big improvement out of our tight ends. They had a tremendous game. Not just Colston Loveland, it was A.J. Barner and Max Bredeson who had great games. The offensive line, again, another week without a sack. J.J. moving in the pocket, he had a couple of runs that were great. Now he's got to get out of bounds, that's the thing we're coaching him. We need him to get out of bounds and not take some of those shots. The damage he's doing when he keeps his eyes downfield, those are going for big chunks and for touchdowns. Really excited about Tyler Morris, three big catches all on third down. On and on. The defense, again, it was another lights-out performance. I want to have the number one front seven in all of football, want to have the best team as well. Our whole front seven could've got a game ball. Anybody that participated in the front seven had a tremendous game on defense. Special teams was good. Overall, really good. It was a great game to learn from. New guys playing in different spots. A lot of different people playing in different areas. We had the three penalties, not good, but a ton of different things to teach off of. MAs, missed assignments and things we could really improve. I'm ecstatic, really, that we could be playing as good as we're playing and still have this many things to coach and keep improving on.
On the sweet spot between the run and pass and whether the run game is an area of improvement
We want to see the run game clicking at the same precision that the pass game is, of course. We look at the productive runs, the efficient runs, we call them. That's three yards a run, I like four yards a run. I call that an efficient run, between four and nine yards. 10 plus would be an explosive run. The non-efficient run is something that's less than three yards or minus yards or getting stopped on fourth down. Efficient to non-efficient. 8 explosive, 8 efficient runs, 18 were either non-efficient and the big two non-efficient was a TFL and a stop on fourth down. A big point of emphasis for us. We have to block better on the perimeter. We had some instances where we didn't get the safety blocked. We want to do a better job there. Coach Bellamy relayed if you don't get the block you don't get the rock. That's been around Michigan since he was playing receiver. Full confidence that Coach Bellamy is going to get our receivers blocking. We had some good blocks, Roman Wilson even had a pancake in the game. Backs, still a few, maybe one or two cuts a game that we're not making that our backs can make to be more efficient. Offensively, it's like one guy doesn't quite get the sustain and control the block or wall the block off or keep their man from getting around the block and getting the arm tackle. The classic one guy here, one guy there. It takes all 11. There's one guy with the ball and the other 10 are blockers. That's where the emphasis is. Planning, we're looking at the ways that we plan and put ourselves in the best possible position. We're capable of it, right? That's what it comes down to. We're capable of having the run game really hum. Like last year, no different last year than this year, we were talking about how good the running game was and where is the pass. This time last year, I knew what we were capable of in the passing game. I knew when we needed it and knew it was going to be effective and it was. Feel the same way about the running game right now. I know what we're capable of in the running game and going to keep working on it and honing it. I know it's going to be there when we need it. Hope it's this week.
On whether he's comfortable with the starting five of the offensive line
Ecstatic. Really 10 starters in the offensive line and all have stayed healthy. They're all playing at a high level. The four tackles are all playing like starting tackles. Same in the guards. Zinter and Keegan are playing extremely well. Drake Nugent, he's playing the best. Crippen, he's at starter level. Just Nugent is really playing good football. Gio, Persi, Gentry, all those guys are really good players. It's great to have that kind of depth. Staying strong and staying healthy. No sacks.
On his memories of 9/11
9/11, 2001, I was in Coronado, California. I was not on a football team at the time. I was on the street, as they say, and there won't be another five weeks before I got signed by the Panthers. Just waking up and seemed like it was 8, 9 in the morning. Maybe earlier. West Coast time, can't remember. Hey, you gotta come out here and see this. Sure enough, plane into the building and then the second one and then the buildings came down. Just horrific. Horrific day. There's not a 9/11 that doesn't go by that you don't think about it. Adam Schefter, somebody who wrote a book about his wife's first husband who died in the building. We did that on our trip this summer, our team trip. Went to 9/11 and showed our players who weren't born at that time. Showed them some of that history. Just a day that equates with Pearl Harbor. I wasn't born when Pearl Harbor happened. To read and watch some of the movies, that's our Pearl Harbor. To remember, too, to live it, to see how our country rallied and responded. We were the team we're supposed to be. I wish we would have that without having a moment. Here we are again, a lot of times we're not the team we should be as a people, as a country. That's another thing I'm just reminded of every 9/11.
On the five sacks in the first game and whether it was a point of emphasis
Yeah there was a lot of fire zone in this game. That created a lot of pressure and resulted in the five sacks. As good as that way, which was great, like I said, anbody in our front seven from KG to Mason Graham. tremendous games. DMoore, McGregor had a great game. Great to give McGregor a game ball and same with Jaylen Harrell, he was a real starter for us. A real ignitor in the game. Everybody on the front seven played really good. Cam Goode, bunch of the guys were balling. Also, the coverage was pretty tight. For a fire zone, it's not like man, it's not like match zone. That's harder to cover. I thought guys like Keshaun Harris played extremely well. Mike Sainristil, Mike B, all guys that were playing their zone and reacting quick and making tackles when the ball was able to be thrown. Quinten Johnson is playing really good football, Keon Sabb is playing really good. We got guys out right now. Will Johnson has been out. He got in for a series and we hope we can keep amping that up as we go. Rod Moore hasn't really played and Amorion Walker has been out, Makari Paige, too. Those guys that are in there playing right now are really playing at starter level and that's good. You look in the second half, it's a secondary of freshman. DJ Waller had a really good game. Cam Calhoun and Jyaire Hill, Hillman is going to be a really good player. You can really see that Coach Clink does a tremendous job with the secondary. Things have really changed around here defensively since Steve Clinkscale came here. Tremendous job coaching, guys are leaders back there. You can see the development taking place and you see the game, OK, good players being development. Very strong in the secondary. That stood out to me. We're getting pressure and a lot of it was because we were so much fire zone. The coverage usually there is some holes in the backend but our guys were closing them up fast.
On Bowling Green
Just what I see on the tape. Scott's done a great job there, the whole staff has. They've really turned that program around. Outstanding to watch on offense and the way that they develop their players. Pass concepts, we need to be taking some of their ideas with their pass concepts. They're outstanding. Their run games are a lot like ours. Gap scheme and well-coached. They've done a tremendous job with unprecedented circumstances. You go to rebuild a team, you're able to build a team but the MAC, guys will go in the portal if they're good. It's unprecedented times I would imagine to build a team these days. They've done a tremendous job. Scott's a great guy, been friends with him for always. Erik Campbell since we were teammates. Ton of respect for Steve Morrison, those are great guys and really great coaches.
On Bowling Green in the Harbaugh household
They met at BG in class. You have to get my dad to tell the story. All the stories, you've just been hearing them forever. There's a great picture in my dad's basement. My dad sitting on the bench, wearing his number 13 and my mom is doing a cheer, she's part of the cheerleading squad and she's right behind my dad. That's how you guys met? My dad, yeah, I was on the bench and mom was cheerleading. They met in an English class. Unbelievable, they've been married 62 years I think? 63 coming up this year? Amazing couple, soulmates, it's just a tremendous example of everything. My dad is a great storyteller, so is my mom. A lot of the stories are about BG and my dad's football friends. The stories about Doyt Perry and our family is like legend. Doyt is right up there with Woody and Bo Schembechler for my dad and all the stories and the lore. Some of his best stories are about BG and Doyt Perry. If there was a vacation and we're driving to Crestline Ohio or Cleveland Ohio where my mom is from, my dad is from Crestline, we'd always go by Bowling Green and whether you're going to Crestline, Bowling Green is on the right hand side as you're driving. We stop, we all look over and look at it. Singing Ay Ziggy Zumba. When you're coming back home to Ann Arbor then it's on the left side of the car, there it is. Look at it. Once or twice. I remember it fully. Being around practice there, in 1969 when they had the 100 on the side of the helmet. There was a time when I first went to Stanford and we didn't have a fight song. Stanford doesn't have a fight song, they have the rock song, it's all right now. Which is really good and they kind of play that but it's kind of a pseudo-fight song at Stanford. There was a year or two in there when I brought the Ay Ziggy Zumba, I commandeered it and brought it to Stanford. It didn't really take hold, they're not still singing it. It didn't really last the whole four years I was there. But I tried it.
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