12-01-2014, 09:25 AM
Harbaugh was good for what Harbaugh is good at: being a startup CEO. Those are the guys with the ideas, the guys who can get investors on board. They're not always good at running established companies. In fact, the only startup CEO that I know who was a success at an established company was Steve Jobs. Most companies need something different once the company has established itself. Harbaugh's "enthusiasm unknown to mankind" was necessary to get players, recruits, and to some degree, even fans, to believe that Stanford could be a great team.
What I don't like is the revisionist history of Harbaugh as the impeccable play caller, as the man who could do no wrong. Do we really need a coach who's going to flirt with every college and pro opening that becomes available, sending fans, recruits, and players into a tizzy? Do we really need the constant fear that our team will sink into the constant cycle of a few somewhat good years, followed by some awful rebuilding years?
What I don't like is the revisionist history of Harbaugh as the impeccable play caller, as the man who could do no wrong. Do we really need a coach who's going to flirt with every college and pro opening that becomes available, sending fans, recruits, and players into a tizzy? Do we really need the constant fear that our team will sink into the constant cycle of a few somewhat good years, followed by some awful rebuilding years?