Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh has made the rounds on the “talk show” circuit this week and been asked many tough questions. He responded to them honestly, but the answers everyone was looking for will come over the next several weeks.
Michigan’s 35-14 beatdown at Wisconsin featured inconsistent offensive line play, stupid penalties, minimal defense and terrible (again) offense. There’s enough talent on this team to have been competitive with the Badgers, and Harbaugh knows it.
“Unacceptable, and it starts with being self-critical,” he said on 97.1 The Ticket Tuesday morning. “Looking at all the ways I can be better, need to be better … it’s everything. It’s coaches; it’s players. We’re determined to get it fixed, and it started right after the ball game.
“In terms of coaching, if you’re beaten in a scheme type of manner, I take responsibility for that. Defense, if the fits aren’t right, if we didn’t tackle right and that led to a big play, which happened, I take that personally. I feel like that’s my responsibility in terms of scheme, tackling, technique — and it’s the same offensively.
"If we’re being out-physicaled and not protecting the quarterback and running back like we should; if someone doesn’t know what to do on a play, a mental error, it’s something I need to see and make sure to run again, run again and get perfected during the week.”
And there were plenty. There were moments Wisconsin was just more physical than Michigan, especially its offensive line compared to U-M’s defensive line. That was expected.
What wasn’t — guys missing fits on defense, blowing blocking assignments up front, allowing several hits on the quarterback and, at the end, a few guys quitting on plays.
“That’s unacceptable to be out-physicaled, to have a team that hustled more than we do. Players have to take responsibility for that," Harbaugh said. "Make sure the players are playing that will give you that all-out effort, put you in position to be physical and win at the line of scrimmage.
“We have two [requirements] … be physical, and hustle. That’s hustling at all times, constant hustle. That’s getting guys in there who are going to do it for 60, 70, 80 plays. We’ve got to make sure we’re coaching that. If it’s not done right, do it again. That kind of mindset.”
As for the so-called tougher questions …
Harbaugh has seemed numb on the sidelines at times. Fans on Twitter, media members and several others have wondered aloud where the ‘fire and brimstone,’ get-in-Pete-Carroll’s-face, ‘What’s your deal?’ guy has been, and Harbaugh was asked about it.
“No. I don’t feel more mellow,” he said.
End of discussion.
Asked about the quarterbacks, especially Shea Patterson (who has been hit quite a bit and hasn’t gotten much help from his receivers at times, but has also missed a number of throws), Harbaugh noted: “I think Shea’s good; a really good player, because he is. We’ve got to give him the protection, the time a quarterback needs. That’s on all of us; that’s on coaching staff, on the offensive line, receivers getting open, tight ends, as well. Just like I think our backs are good. They need space, holes, room to run.
“That would be my answer to those who don’t think Shea is a good quarterback. He is.”
He’s got several games left to prove it, too. Quarterbacks are often only as good as their offensive lines, and that’s where it starts. There were a lot of good things (believe it or not) they did evident on film, too, and we know they’ve got it in them. They’ve done it before.
It all starts at the top, though, and the guy who was brought in to make Michigan great again.
“They played a really good football game, did the things you have to do to win a game, in a manner that was better than us,” Harbaugh said in crediting Wisconsin. “Without taking away from them, I’m just saying I’m determined to get it fixed.
"It is unacceptable, and it will get fixed.”
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