Everything Jim Harbaugh said on Inside Michigan Football pre-Purdue
On the bye week
Productive week. Starting back Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday we were either practicing or working out and it was a good mix. Good mix of getting guys restored and also young guys developed. As far as the weekend, everybody was able to be a human being and enjoy their families and I did the same. Friday, Saturday was with them and Sunday was kind of a half day for me. Half day working and half day with the family.
On what goes on during a football-free weekend in the Harbaugh household
Sunday we had a really lovely time. Grilled some things on the grill. My parents came over and wife and kids and the folks, we watched the Ravens game. That was a fun experience. Watching the game with my mom and dad, it should be a reality show.
On how his mom watches a football game
She is so into it. Very vocal, she's like a coach. She's coaching. I'm like, is this the way it is when she is watching a Michigan game? My dad said yeah, exactly the way it is.
On whether his mom would be an offensive or defensive coordinator
She would be both. She would coordinate both sides and the special teams. She's so wise. Best piece of advice I think I've ever gotten as a player and a coach came from my mom, which is, "One day at a time, one game at a time, one play at a time."
On whether the team has been programmed to not look ahead and be impacted by the outside noise
No question about it. The team is, we've talked about it before, very locked in. Their apparent focus is always at the task at hand. Win the next game, get prepared, practice and then go execute. They're in a battle rhythm in that sense. That includes every team you play. You have respect for every team you play, this team coming up, Purdue, you never know when a team is just about to hit its stride and when they're going to realize their full potential. There's definitely definite signs when you're watching Purdue. The experience they have on defense, the playmaker they have at quarterback, two good backs. Outstanding receiver. Back to the experience on defense, it's well-coached and well-coordinated. We're going to be challenged. Especially in man-to-man coverage.
On a Ryan Walters-coached team
You're going to get challenged man-to-man. It's about 80% man-to-man coverage, the other 20% is a two-deep shell coverage. Again, letting the edge rushers go to work. They are outstanding. We saw this defense that Ryan, Coach Walters, was the defensive coordinator at Illinois last year and we all remember quite vividly, tough game.
On any young players standing out after the bye week
We had some scrimmaging, too, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Scrimmaged—about a 20 to 25 play scrimmage each of those days. If I was giving a game ball, which I hypothetically did, if I were to give a practice ball, a scrimmage ball, it would go to the two quarterbacks, Alex Orji and Jayden Denegal. Both had big days on both days.
On the value of playing time this season for Alex Orji and Jayden Denegal
It's been really valuable. Their approach has been phenomenal. You talk about getting better today than yesterday, better tomorrow than today, I think those two epitomize that.
On the quarterback efficiency this season
Points per drive, getting points on the board. Whether it's a field goal or a touchdown, Jack and the second offense has been very effective. They've had opportunities this past game midway through the third quarter they were in. Pretty much in every game we've played they've had a chance to get in and play. It's definitely—you can see the improvement from the beginning of the season from where we are from our two offenses.
On giving the team an extra day off
It wasn't just given. They had to earn it. They did their part of the deal. I don't know if a lot of the listeners remember this show, let's make a deal. Hey, if you do this, you will get the extra day off. They did. We got everything that I was looking for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and they earned that extra day off.
On any concern that the time off would lose rhythm
They were moving around pretty good. I thought where our team was, the restoration and we practiced, too, the ones and twos were practicing about an hour each day. We also did the development with the young guys. Keep that timing sharp, to keep where we wanted to have it, I thought it was a little bit of rust, maybe, that was knocked off pretty quick and I think as we go through the week it will as well. Moving around good. Getting some guys really healthy, too. Excited for what that looks like. Especially in the secondary, all season, at least somebody is working through something. To get everybody out there practicing and getting a full week of practice and going into the game, excited to see. Getting some other guys a chance to step up, next man up has been very effective, too. I think our depth and the health of the team is pretty high right now. Couldn't ask for much better going into this stretch in November.
On Halloween
We have our costumes. Out in Arborland, Halloween store popped up, that was good. Got the costumes. I'm going to be Maverick from Top Gun. My son Jack is going to be Maverick from Top Gun, too, it's one of the first box costumes I've had in my entire life. It's got the flight suit and the sunglasses in them and everything. That was it. I think that's the entirety of the costume. It was cool. Had a nice chat with a real nice lady that worked out there. In fact, got a real nice compliment on Zak Zinter and some of the boys, Keegs, Trevor Keegan, JD Johnson, Drake Nugent and a few others, showed me a picture of some of the guys that came in. Just raved about what gentleman they were and how polite they were. Signed some autographs and things. Always good to get those kind of reports from the guys out in the community.
On the offensive line growing together
I think it's been good. Really good. And getting better. The line play has been very good. Pass protection, the run blocking. Specifically, they play for each other just like the whole team. Really see it especially in that group, like you do in almost every team I've ever been on, that's a special bond there.
On Purdue's quarterback and skill positions
Quarterback extends plays, makes plays happen. Playmaker. Can really run well and can make plays. Especially they have a top receiver, No. 4, is an excellent player. Two really good running backs. One we faced last year. The offensive line, it's been a little bit in flux, they've had some injury issues there. You just never know when a team is just ready to gel and ready to hit it. That's why you play them one game at a time. Get ready to play and have respect there. The defensive side of the ball, that's a very experienced unit. Very well coached, very well coordinated. As I said before, two really good edge rushers.
On the Purdue edge rushers
Especially when they have two. Gotta pick your poison. You really can't double people in college football or pro football, our guys will be up for challenge and they will challenge them. As I said, they'll get in your face mano y mano. We're going to have to beat man coverage and block, tackle, gotta play good. Always comes down to that. We play well we're going to have a really good chance to win.
On Aidan Hutchinson on MNF
That's surprising, that's the first Monday night game of Aidan's career?
On his first MNF game
The first one I got in, pretty sure it was in Cleveland that's when I threw my first touchdown pass. I got into the game, I wasn't the starter. The first game I started on a Monday night was against the Rams in Anaheim. The first play of the game I threw an interception. Not the way you want to start a game.
On special teams
I think Tommy Doman is having a heckuva year. I think we're doing a pretty admirable job. It was good to see the kickoff coverage, some teams tried to take the ball out on us and we've done very good. Striving to be the best, striving to be the top. There's always room for improvement. I had a feeling, I don't know if we talked about it, I think we did, before the Michigan State game that really felt like we were going to get a punt return. Really felt like—last couple of games I think our punt return team is starting to come on. We've gotten a couple of good kick returns. Semaj Morgan has really surfaced game seven, talked about that with the freshman player. He's so strong. How many times have you heard it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog. He epitomizes that. Just love the way he's coming along. Coach Bellamy is doing a tremendous job with him. Keep building. Keep growing.
On Jay Harbaugh
He has done a great job. So proud of the job he's done. I think he will probably tell you, ask him about some of the dogs he's got in the fight, disciplined athletes with grit, some of the guys on our team, Joe Taylor comes to mind. Caden Kolesar, just so many guys, Christian Boivin has really come on as a real weapon, talked about Semaj and Tommy and James Turner doing a heckuva job. Wags and Tarr, both those guys. Every other guy, we've got starters that are playing in one phase, or two phases. Some of those core team guys that play in four phases. They put so much pride into it and effort. As you said, those can be the difference in the game You gotta win at least, in my opinion, two of the three phases to win a game. Offense being one, defense being the other and special teams. Sometimes that determines it.
On anyone on defense on the cusp of breaking out
Guys like Derrick Moore, Josaiah Stewart, both edge guys. The linebackers, I know they've broken out, but Junior Colson is playing his best football as a Michigan Wolverine. Michael Barrett, I put Ernest Hausmann in that category. The defense talked a little bit about the secondary, them being healthy and the depth that we have there is so encourgaing. Guys like Amorion Walker and Will Johnson and Mike Sainristil, what a tenacious warrior he's been. Played two or three games there not being all the way to where he could practice all week and still play in the game. He's so good when he's got a full week of practice under his belt. Kris Jenkins has been dominating. He had a week last week where he didn't have a full week of practice in either. Hoping that's going to be the case now this week. Kenneth Grant, I think everybody knows about Mason Graham and KG and what they've been able to do. Always striving to get better. I think you asked me one week what are you working on, even though you're good, it almost sounds like you're nitpicking to try and get better. You're always pointing out how you're trying to get better. You know as an offensive lineman, you could be playing good and lights out. There's always something. Hand placement, get off in the defensive line. Offensively, that precision. It's in a good place. I don't talk to these guys that's in a way that's critical and they don't take it that way. They want their coaches to keep coaching them and to push them. Our guys are great that way. They're very coachable and you explain it. Hey, I know this is going to sound like nitpicking here but I think you'd be mad at me if I didn't.
On Kalel Mullings being available this week
It's looking that way. It's trending that way. Highly likely. I don't guarantee anything.
On what it's like to get Mullings back
It's another weapon. He was really, really hitting his stride there when he had that pause. But back. Running and knocking the rust off as of today.
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