The Harbaugh Rule

Yesterday's events brought about a mix of reactions. On one hand, I was pissed that the NCAA committee had taken away the Satellite Camps. I was irritated that they coddled to the almighty SEC/ACC whiners and did what they (the SEC/ACC conferences) couldn't do, stop them. I would've loved to have been a fly on the wall during the hearing to see how this was lobbied by the SEC/ACC delegates to the other members of the NCAA committee to get their vote. I was saddened for the opportunities that are now taken away from underprivileged players to experience coaches and programs that they would never be able to afford to visit.   I was humbled to know that Michigan is once again in the spotlight for positive reasons, and I was proud that a new rule had to be passed to try to slow the Harbaugh train.

I have lost all faith that was left in the NCAA.  The University of North Carolina has been academically corrupt for 20+ years, and the NCAA has yet to do anything about that.  Penn St. harbored one of the biggest child sexual predators, they had their punishment handed down, then rescinded.  Michigan was punished for 15 minutes per week of extra stretching, and now this. What. A. Joke.

Satellite camps are not new to the college football world, but no one knew about them until Harbaugh did some last year.  Washington State University has been doing them for a couple years and no one batted an eye. Afterall, it is Washington State and they weren't going after the four and five star recruits from across the country. But, when Michigan does it and goes into sacred SEC territory, all of the sudden it's like ISIS is taking over an elementary school.  Nick Saban and his cronies whined, cried, and complained enough that the NCAA finally said, "Okay Nicky, we'll stop them for you so you don't have to work harder." The biggest joke of it all is that one of the chief complaints is that it wasn't good for the student-athletes.  Since when has the SEC followed rules and given a damn about student-athletes?!  They are viewed as nothing but money making toys in their plot to get richer.  What. A. Joke.

No one can deny that the top reason for Michigan's satellite camps is to promote Michigan, the football program, and the coaches.  Everyone knows that is the primary role of these camps. Secondary to that, satellite camps gave players that can't afford to travel all over the country taking visits, an opportunity to learn about Michigan.  It also gave them a chance to have their high school coaches learn from some of the best in the biz.  It was, and always has been, all about football. Helping kids become better players, coaches become better coaches, and Michigan a chance to say "Hey, if you're smart enough and good enough, here's what we can offer you."  What is wrong with that? Someone please give me a credible answer, because I've yet to read one. From anyone.

Having a coach that isn't afraid, and actually thrives on, thinking outside the box, puts Michigan in the spotlight.  Let's be honest, Michigan has always been in the spotlight, even during the dreaded 3-9 season of Rich Rod's first year at the helm.  Being in the spotlight is nothing new to Michigan, However, these last 10 years it has been mostly for negative reasons.  Now that the tide's are turning (see what I did there), there is a new sheriff in town, and everyone's in a panic.  No one can predict what Harbaugh is going to do next.  When he comes out saying he's doing satellite camps all over the country, everyone is up in arms about it and trying to stop him.  In reality, behind closed doors, they're thinking "How in the hell did we not think of this first?  We gotta stop him before he makes us look worse than we already do." Then Harbaugh decides to do the "The Arial Assault", where he brings in quarterbacks and coaches, from all over the country, from the NCAA and NFL. And again, people are saying "Why in the hell didn't WE do that?!" Next he decides to take his football team and staff to IMG in Florida for Spring Break practice and, well, you get the point.  If this was Purdue going to Arizona for Spring Break, there wouldn't have been a word about it.  But, because it's Harbaugh and Michigan, suddenly you can't turn on sports talk radio and not hear about it.  Here's the thing about Harbaugh that I've learned in the past 15 months he's been the coach....he's innovative, quirky, highly, highly, intelligent and doesn't give a flying f$#k what other people think about him. He loves football and I. Love. Him.

~Go Blue
Bekki

Pick 6 things about Harbaugh that make me smirk:
1. His strong Catholic faith
2. His love of Michigan
3. His passion for football
4. His outside the box thinking
5. His smirk
6. His unpredictability