CHICAGO — Picture a coach who can walk to the podium at Big Ten Media Days on Tuesday in a hat and pullover.
Is that vision anybody other than Michigan's Jim Harbaugh? This time, Harbaugh faced questions about a team with just five returning starters, last year's late-season losses, social media, the team's trip to Rome and various other combustible quirks that make him the only coach who can walk to the podium in a hat and pullover without facing full-scale ridicule. Harbaugh does it because he can do it.
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That's just Jim, and nothing changes. Despite heavy roster turnover, you shouldn't expect anything to change on the field heading into his third season with the Wolverines. He's the only coach who could bark signals in the hallway — "Blue 80! Blue 80!" — and it's business as usual.
Why would the expectations change on any front?
"Do you want a high five in the locker room after the game or do you want to feel how you feel after losing a ball game?" Harbaugh asked rhetorically at Big Ten Media Days. "Use that as motivation. Let's strap on the iron jock, work like crazy and get the job done."
Here's the force-fed narrative: Michigan lost all that talent to the NFL, Harbaugh hasn't finished better than third in the Big Ten East, and another loss to Ohio State could lead to unrest in Ann Arbor heading into Harbaugh's fourth year.
Here's the story that could unfold instead: Harbaugh isn't lowering the bar, and the Wolverines still have a loaded defensive line second-year defensive coordinator Don Brown can work. Michigan is more than just a third wheel in the Big Ten East Division race, and there are two things that help Harbaugh make the leap from phenomenon to phenomenal.
Beat the Buckeyes. Win the Big Ten.
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Why can't that happen this year? Harbaugh's task is to try and do that with his young roster, and it's foolish to think he'll back down from that challenge. It's actually easier to believe Michigan will be 10-win good and back in the mix than in for a catastrophic dropoff.
Why? Harbaugh unapologetically embraces the challenge.
"That's fun to coach, and they're talented too," Harbaugh said of his players. "Let's not deviate from that. Young and untalented? Bad. Young and talented? Good. It's a good thing."
The third year on this ride won't be much different than the first two, which produced back-to-back 10-win seasons and a trip to the Orange Bowl. The Wolverines assembled back-to-back top-10 recruiting classes, and that created an opportunity for playing time on both sides.
It's the same opportunity Harbaugh took advantage of as a player in 1984. Make that leap from freshman to sophomore.
"I'll give you a personal example, when the starting quarterback of Michigan graduated, Steve Smith graduated, aha, this is my opportunity and this is a chance and I gotta take advantage of that," Harbaugh said. "I see that for a lot of our guys."
A few more personnel additions, too. Michigan has a new passing game coordinator in Pep Hamilton, offensive line coach in Greg Frey, director of recruiting in Matt Dudek and director of player personnel in Sean Magee. Harbaugh's constantly moving personnel parts with the intent to make the program better off the field.
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The social media phenomenon, the one where Harbaugh has 1.94 million followers and a YouTube channel, is a device that allows him to laugh more during the day. He'll show a video to his wife Sarah every once in a while. It seems like every Harbaugh action has a much bigger viral reaction. How much of a difference has it made for the program?
"I don't think I'm the best person to answer that question," Harbaugh said. "I don't know for sure. Communication has been good; enhanced communication. I feel like I know more things that are going on."
Harbaugh won't elaborate on much on those other things being talked about. He updated the automated responses for those questions:
The late-season losses? "Reflect often on the mistakes made and making darn sure they don't happen again."
The roster battles to come? "Every player has the license and the ability to do it."
How do they get there? "Put more of our heart into each and every one of those ball games."
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The players hear that. There's a fine line between the team's less-publicized 10 wins by 34.6 points per game and three well-chronicled losses by a combined five points. Defensive tackle Maurice Hurst said the strength coaches have been tougher this offseason. It's about getting a young-and-talented roster ready to play Florida at Jerry World on Sept. 2.
"You realize there are so many small plays that could change the outcome of your entire season and you realize you have to change something to make those plays go in your favor," Hurst said. "Coach Harbaugh has been telling us, ‘You have to do a little bit more.' We didn't do enough to get in the playoff last year."
Michigan might not do enough this year either. The Wolverines also could strap on that iron jock and try to get back to 10 wins — or maybe something more. If it doesn't happen this year, then the force-fed narratives will heat up heading into Year 4. Will the honeymoon turn into hysteria in Ann Arbor?
It's too early to think about that, and Harbaugh is a long way from those questions even if he's in the early stages of a sequel to Rome.
"Next year we're planning a trip right now to Paris," Harbaugh said. "And Normandy next spring."
Of course they are. Picture any other coach who can say that and make it happen.
That's just Jim, and nothing changes.
