9/10/22 Michigan 59 Hawaii 10
9/12/22 Week 3 Press Conference
9/17/22 UConn @ Michigan
Harbaugh:
I have a lot of appreciation for the team and the way they played. We visualize, we talked about how we wanted to approach the week and what we wanted our team to look like. In terms of the commitment to fight, being locked in toughness, the hustle the execution, playing smart, playing fast, and the love of the game, the love of competition, love for teammates. I mean, that’s awesome stuff and it’s stuff that you can’t fake, or manufacture. It’s work driven, and heart driven and team did that all week. All week of practice, and really brought it to life Saturday night, so proud of Team 143 and thought it was visible, both in person and from the tape and didn’t let any distraction come in the way of that.
Q:
Jim, you said that JJ had nearly a flawless performance…How do you find the things that you need him to work on when you do have him going out and playing so well?
Harbaugh:
Just go about it day-by-day and practice-by-practice, play-by-play.
Q:
Roman Wilson had had couple of big plays for you in the first two games can you talk a little bit about how he’s developed over the last year?
Harbaugh:
It’s been it’s been super visible, right? I mean, you can see it in the way, everything. His focus, his physicality really jumps out. He’s gotten very strong. He’s gotten faster for a guy that’s already really fast. But just every level his his game is locked in. And you know, very, very good. I’m in total agreement with you, it’s been it’s been visible in all areas, taking it to a new level. Very much an ascending player for a player that was already playing at a high level.
We embrace the fact that we have two really good quarterbacks. You’d love for your fan base to be able to do that.
Jim Harbaugh on the fan reaction Cade McNamara
Q:
Jim, do you have any update to the potential injury for Donovan Edwards?
Harbaugh:
No, I don’t. I don’t have an update. We’re working through something and he’s working through something.
Q:
You compared this quarterback situation which you had in San Francisco in 2012? I think it was, what did you learn from that experience dealing with two quarterbacks like that that might help?
Harbaugh:
Yeah, well, I broke my own rule of comparing something. So that that comparison was really only only applicable and only comparable, in the way that I compared it, which was they’re two really good quarterbacks, and Colin Kaepernick and Alex Smith. And once again, two really good quarterbacks in JJ McCarthy and Cade McNamara.
Q:
Jim, with a couple of your assistants, Jay and Ron, they’ve now coached on both sides of the ball, can you just kind of share your philosophy on that and how much it helps them as coaches to know both sides of the ball? And it seems kind of rare to have coaches bounce back, back and forth?
Harbaugh:
It’s really good from the standpoint of, if you’re defensive coach, you really need to know how an offense would be attacking a defense. And if you’re an offensive coach, you really need to understand how a defense is defending that same offense.
That works both ways the value to that coach and the value to the unit to have a unit of defensive coaches who got a coach that was on the offensive side of the ball, who knows how offenses wants to attack scheme by scheme, play by play adds that value to the defense. Same with Ron being on the offense. I mean, there’s a lot of meetings I mean, practically everyone where this is what they’re trying to do. This is why they’re playing that leverage. And it’s extremely helpful, it’s really good for the coach, same as it is for a player.
I’ve found that the linebacker who knows how blockers trying to attack him, and then vice versa or Dominick Giudice, who, you know, spent a better part of a year being a defensive end and defensive tackle, now playing guard and center. I’ve never seen a guy transition so quick, I know he played it in high school, but he also had that time on task, those reps of understanding how to defend something and what’s the other side’s trying to do and how they’re trying to attack you. So just multiple and in ways that it’s helpful.
Q:
Jim, your quarterbacks took a couple of sacks on Saturday, how much would you like to see pass protection improve the offensive line?
Harbaugh:
We had some leakage. We talked to the guys… it was an individual thing where, “I wish I had had that one back coach,” I know what you mean. I’ve been there and so I think I attribute it to that. We’ll keep working on that.
Q:
There were boos heard at Michigan Stadium, what’s your reaction to that? I mean, do you feel like that reaction is appropriate given the situation?
Harbaugh:
I do, the coaches do, our players do- they embrace the fact that we have two really good quarterbacks. You’d love for your fan base to be able to do that. I don’t expect you to do that, but or if you do, or don’t, it’s irrelevant. The main thing is, it’s a big edge for our team to have two really good quarterbacks and, and we as a team embrace that. So outside of that, it would be irrelevant.
Q:
Jim, what you’ve seen from Grant Newsome for two games he’s been an on field coach. I know you’ve watched him go from the player to grad assistant and now to here and what you’ve seen that from him so far?
Harbaugh:
He’s checked every box from the moment he stepped on campus. And in every way as a player, as a worker, respected by all his teammates, and respected by all his coaches, he respects everybody on campus and within the team. Anybody with whom he comes in contact with he has a positive effect on, literally everybody and then transitioning into student assistant and then graduate assistant and now coach, continues to check every single box doing a great job communicating, do a great job coaching.
He had his one of his finest hours last last Monday a week ago in our opportunity scrimmage, where we have the players who didn’t play much in the game or played a single amount of digits amount of plays ten or last, you know, they get to be developed, they get to be coached, they get to be to play in scrimmage, etc. And Grant called the plays for the offense. It’s the first time our offense has ever- you got 10 minutes it’s a 10 minute scrimmage- so the offense went from the 25 yard line to score then turned around from the 25 yard line scored again. And we’re down to about a minute 43 seconds on the running clock and knocked out another first time before that the time ran out. So practice ball went to Grant Newsome and and he was able to check another box, so he just it just continues on with numbing repetition, the way he checks the boxes,
Q:
Alan Bowman got extended snaps, in the first game it was David Warren, is it the sense that he stepped into that number three spot or just an opportunity to get in some snaps?
Harbaugh:
We wanted Alan to get those snaps in the first game and then Davis to get some in second game, just played out exactly, wanted to get each of them snaps and Davis got extended snaps, did very well I thought, was able to execute at a really good level and I was proud of the way he played, proud of the way Alan played when he got to action as well.
I could go through a list of guys that I just really pleased with how they played, you know, the hustle, the execution, just how much it meant to them not distracted with extended amount of playing time. You know, both in the offensive line, the running back position, tight end position, the wide receiver position, the D line, linebackers, secondary.
That last half, we we talked about 0-0 and it was it was 17 to 14, you know, coming down to the end of the game, it took a goal line stand for us to to win that half. So it was a great learning experience for so many. And I thought they acquitted many, many guys acquitted themselves well.
Q:
Curious about the vision for Amorion Walker, if he’s trying to figure out if he’s offense or defense or is the plan to be a true two way guy?
Harbaugh:
Yeah, the vision there is he’s got special, unique abilities in terms of athleticism. And that’s something that he wants to do and something that he is smart enough to do, to be a two way player. And you saw that play out on on Saturday night. And he had extended snaps on on defense and, and I thought he did really well. So I think he’s got a bright future. Right now being a two way player.
Q:
What role did Matt Weiss have in designing some of the quarterback run elements that you use now that, did he bring some ideas from Baltimore that you’re using?
Harbaugh:
Yes, yes. He did. He brought some of those ideas and they’re good ones.
Q:
Was that stuff that you had been doing before, maybe or some just completely new stuff that he brought in?
Harbaugh:
I’d say one new thing, in particular and that’s particularly the play you saw Alex Orji score on in game one. A lot of the things were the exact things, same things we we’re doing in San Francisco and here. We had the quarterbacks that could run well, like Dylan McCaffrey and Shea Patterson. And so yeah, some combination.
Q:
Jim, first two games, obviously, there’s a lot of shuffling the depth chart for a lot of guys in as you enter the end of the out of conference schedule, against UConn. Do you think it’s going to be a lot more shuffling this week? Or do you expect there to be more settled- you know, these guys are in a play all four quarters?
Harbaugh:
It’s unknowable standing here on Monday to know that.
Q:
Jim, you mentioned Kenneth Grant kind of emerging in camp, what does was it take for freshmen to kind of earn the trust and get get in their freshman.
Harbaugh:
Play good, really know what their, what their assignment is, what heir alignment is, what the technique is, I mean, just doing their job. And being physically and mentally capable of doing that. He’s done that Kenneth Grant, his plays were in the 3os. He’s coming along really well. There’s a pretty big group of freshmen that are showing that they’re capable of doing that, it bodes well for our team.
Edits made for clarity.
