Coaching search 2022 - Confirmed Interviews and Speculation

[YikesVikes]

The Minneapolis city council voted to get rid of the police force and the city burned because of wokeness. That might not dissuade any of those guys from coming here, LA and SF are much worse, but let's not pretend Minneapolis doesn't have serious issues because of the looneys in charge there.

So you're claiming that the city of Minneapolis has no police force right now?

Also, I'm pretty sure the city of Minneapolis is not a charred hulk.

And no place "burns because of wokeness". Things burn because they are set on fire. In the case of people doing that setting, those people are not "woke" - they are criminals. Don't insult my intelligence by suggesting only "woke" people can be criminal.

Every place has issues and every place has people with issues. In some places the issues are more apparent and more open to debate and discussion. In others, they are hidden away in rat-infested cellars where the people like to pretend they don't exist and therefore don't have to address them. The process of addressing issues can be messy and can result in some things that seem strange on the surface, but I am fairly certain that no area votes to rid itself of police if the police themselves are performing their jobs with integrity and accountability to the citizens (all of them) they are there to protect and serve.

"wokeness" is typically said by people who lack empathy. I know you have people that go overboard with thinking every single thing has to be equal but in reality most people are level headed. If most people would educate themselves, they will see why most police forces are filled with issues. Im not for disbanding the police but I do think it is possible to improve policing. Mental health issues should pair the police with a mental health professional. Things like that. Instead, we get police handling issues they have next to no training to handle. I think the statistic that 98% of police calls have no violence.

[halfgiz]

What kind of money do you think Harbaugh will want? Is already owing Zimmer his salary going to who they hire?

[J. Kapp 11]

You’re citing Vikings Territory?

I should start a Vikings website from my basement. Then people will cite me.

The author AJ Mansour is on KFAN radio, which carries the Twin Cities Vikings radio broadcast. So no different than Skornorth that you like to mention. Of course it is speculation which is what we are doing here as well. As I mentioned before it still may be possible that the Vikings are interested in Harbaugh, but people here seem to think he has or have an offer from the Vikings soon.

We do know, yes, that they had an "exploratory" discussion to gauge interest from both sides, but I have yet to see any evidence that it is anything more than that at this point. We know they have in person interviews scheduled with O'Connell, Morris, and Ryans, but nothing official with Harbaugh. They need to inform the NFL offices for these interviews, so when that happens I'll take it more seriously.

I don’t really care who the authors are. I care where they’re getting their information.

Mansour cites no sources here. He almost never does. Mackey and Zulgad do. I’m not going to repeat them. It’s a night-and-day difference. Mansour is purely speculating. Mackey and Zulgad always give you the names of their sources. They also speculate sometimes, but they tell you clearly when they do. Mansour lets you believe he’s got inside info.

A little aside here.

Sometimes I come off as a know-it-all. I’m sorry about that. Twenty years ago, I was a legitimate sports journalist for a medium sized daily newspaper. I know how this stuff works. In my day, you couldn’t publish speculation. You had to have two named sources, or the editor would make you eat the story until you did. Now you can publish just about any wild speculation you want. I work pretty hard to try to tell the difference. You’d think that my background would make it hard for me to know what’s real and what’s speculation, but the opposite is true. I see the different levels of credibility clearly.

It all comes down to access. If you’re not quoting people with access to the people who really know, then you’re not very credible. If you’re not quoting anybody at all, it’s not the slightest bit credible. It’s speculation.

Example: I used to cover the Iowa Cubs. I had access to everybody from the ballboys to the general manager. When I had information from my sources, you could bank on it being correct because it was coming directly from the horse’s mouth. Today when I analyze a story on the internet, the closer a source gets to THAT, the more I trust it.

Phil Mackey quoted Pro Football Talk (NBC), which quoted a close family friend of the Harbaughs (sorry, his name is escaping me … I listed it earlier). NBC wouldn’t make something like that up. So even though Mackey didn’t quote the family friend, he cited NBC, which did. That moves the information up the credibility ladder for me.

That’s why I generally value SKOR North’s reporting over that of Vikings Territory. VT speculates a lot and almost never names sources. Judd Zulgad at SKOR North is a journalist from my generation. All you have to do is listen to Zulgad for 5 minutes and you realize he won’t let anybody on the show speculate without calling it out. I trust somebody like that.

Hope that clears up my position.

FWIW, I’ve come to the opinion that I hope the Vikings hire Harbaugh. He’s a winner in the NFL (44-19-1) and he’s great with quarterbacks. That preaches to me.

Thanks.

[makila]

The Athletic:
-----
Vikings to fly in Michigan's Jim Harbaugh for in-person interview on Wednesday: Source

By Chad Graff and The Athletic Staff

January 31, 2022Updated 8:42 PM CST

The Vikings are flying Michigan's Jim Harbaugh to Minnesota on Wednesday for an in-person interview for their vacant head-coaching position, a source confirmed to The Athletic. The news comes two days after the team requested to interview Harbaugh, a request Michigan was informed of — a requirement within his contract with the Wolverines.

This makes Harbaugh a finalist for the job and the last of only four candidates expected to get an in-person interview, a source told The Athletic.

Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell's interview was completed Monday in L.A., while Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris is scheduled for later Monday in LA and Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is scheduled on Tuesday in Minnesota, the source adds.

Wednesday is also national signing day, although Michigan signed the majority of its players last month.

Harbaugh led the Wolverines to a 12-2 record this past season, a Big Ten title, a win over Ohio State for the first time in 10 years and the first College Football Playoff appearance in program history. Michigan fell to Georgia 34-11 in the Orange Bowl matchup.

The Athletic first reported that Harbaugh could be tempted to return to the NFL on Jan. 5, which was followed by news that Michigan has had productive conversations with Harbaugh on a new contract. A year ago, he signed a four-year contract extension to remain at Michigan through the 2025 season..

Harbaugh has prior NFL head-coaching experience, leading the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014 and taking them to the Super Bowl in 2013. Harbaugh took over the Michigan program in 2015 and boasts a record of 61-24 since.

(Photo: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
What does it mean that Harbaugh is being tied to another NFL team?

Nick Baumgardner, Detroit senior writer: Michigan has been aware of Harbaugh’s interest in the NFL cycle for several weeks now. Harbaugh has not ruled out a return to the NFL and while he continues to work and recruit on Michigan’s behalf, the school is also aware that Harbaugh is going to listen to NFL interest during this cycle. For Michigan, this ends when the 2022 NFL coaching carousel ends.
How could Harbaugh help the Vikings?

Chad Graff, Vikings beat writer: Throughout this coaching search, the Vikings have emphasized leadership and communication within the staff as they search for their next head coach. Harbaugh may check both boxes. He has a connection with new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who worked in research and development for the 49ers when Harbaugh was the coach there.

Of course, Harbaugh's 44-19-1 career record as an NFL coach doesn't hurt either for a Vikings franchise that has missed the playoffs the last two years.

[J. Kapp 11]

The Athletic:
-----
Vikings to fly in Michigan's Jim Harbaugh for in-person interview on Wednesday: Source

By Chad Graff and The Athletic Staff

January 31, 2022Updated 8:42 PM CST

The Vikings are flying Michigan's Jim Harbaugh to Minnesota on Wednesday for an in-person interview for their vacant head-coaching position, a source confirmed to The Athletic. The news comes two days after the team requested to interview Harbaugh, a request Michigan was informed of — a requirement within his contract with the Wolverines.

This makes Harbaugh a finalist for the job and the last of only four candidates expected to get an in-person interview, a source told The Athletic.

Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell's interview was completed Monday in L.A., while Rams defensive coordinator Raheem Morris is scheduled for later Monday in LA and Giants defensive coordinator Patrick Graham is scheduled on Tuesday in Minnesota, the source adds.

Wednesday is also national signing day, although Michigan signed the majority of its players last month.

Harbaugh led the Wolverines to a 12-2 record this past season, a Big Ten title, a win over Ohio State for the first time in 10 years and the first College Football Playoff appearance in program history. Michigan fell to Georgia 34-11 in the Orange Bowl matchup.

The Athletic first reported that Harbaugh could be tempted to return to the NFL on Jan. 5, which was followed by news that Michigan has had productive conversations with Harbaugh on a new contract. A year ago, he signed a four-year contract extension to remain at Michigan through the 2025 season..

Harbaugh has prior NFL head-coaching experience, leading the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014 and taking them to the Super Bowl in 2013. Harbaugh took over the Michigan program in 2015 and boasts a record of 61-24 since.

(Photo: Justin Casterline / Getty Images)
What does it mean that Harbaugh is being tied to another NFL team?

Nick Baumgardner, Detroit senior writer: Michigan has been aware of Harbaugh’s interest in the NFL cycle for several weeks now. Harbaugh has not ruled out a return to the NFL and while he continues to work and recruit on Michigan’s behalf, the school is also aware that Harbaugh is going to listen to NFL interest during this cycle. For Michigan, this ends when the 2022 NFL coaching carousel ends.
How could Harbaugh help the Vikings?

Chad Graff, Vikings beat writer: Throughout this coaching search, the Vikings have emphasized leadership and communication within the staff as they search for their next head coach. Harbaugh may check both boxes. He has a connection with new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, who worked in research and development for the 49ers when Harbaugh was the coach there.

Of course, Harbaugh's 44-19-1 career record as an NFL coach doesn't hurt either for a Vikings franchise that has missed the playoffs the last two years.

Speaking of credible sources … doesn’t get better than Chad Graff.

Thanks. This is big news.

[VikingsVictorious]

So you're claiming that the city of Minneapolis has no police force right now?

Also, I'm pretty sure the city of Minneapolis is not a charred hulk.

And no place "burns because of wokeness". Things burn because they are set on fire. In the case of people doing that setting, those people are not "woke" - they are criminals. Don't insult my intelligence by suggesting only "woke" people can be criminal.

Every place has issues and every place has people with issues. In some places the issues are more apparent and more open to debate and discussion. In others, they are hidden away in rat-infested cellars where the people like to pretend they don't exist and therefore don't have to address them. The process of addressing issues can be messy and can result in some things that seem strange on the surface, but I am fairly certain that no area votes to rid itself of police if the police themselves are performing their jobs with integrity and accountability to the citizens (all of them) they are there to protect and serve.

"wokeness" is typically said by people who lack empathy. I know you have people that go overboard with thinking every single thing has to be equal but in reality most people are level headed. If most people would educate themselves, they will see why most police forces are filled with issues. Im not for disbanding the police but I do think it is possible to improve policing. Mental health issues should pair the police with a mental health professional. Things like that. Instead, we get police handling issues they have next to no training to handle. I think the statistic that 98% of police calls have no violence.

As a mental health professional I think you are very accurate that the police need mental health first aid training so they don't escalate problems with persons with mental illness. I wish it was mandatory. However, I believe that the vast majority of police are trying to do good.

[4mnvikes1982]

Looks like Demico Ryan's decline to 2nd interview

[VikingsFan84]

Looks like Demico Ryan's decline to 2nd interview

Nooooooo!!! Why?

[allday1991]

Looks like Demico Ryan's decline to 2nd interview

Seen this as well, what could the possible reasoning be. These guys dream of being a HC and he turned it down. Why?

[Pondering Her Percy]

Looks like Demico Ryan's decline to 2nd interview

Nooooooo!!! Why?

Eventually wants to be a HC but wants to continue to develop under Shanahan. By the sounds of it, Ryans himself doesnt believe he is ready.

I'm fine with this though. Ryans and Graham are at the bottom of my finalist list.

I'm all for Harbaugh, O'Connell or Morris.

[Texas Vike]

[Pelissero] #49ers DC DeMeco Ryans declined a second interview with the #Vikings, per source, opting to further his development in San Francisco. So four remain in Minnesota’s head coaching search: #Rams OC Kevin O’Connell and DC Raheem Morris, #Giants DC Patrick Graham and Jim Harbaugh.

Looks like my intuition on Harbaugh coming Wednesday for an interview was right. Buckle up, we're probably going to get some news by later this week.

My preference is for O'Connell or Harbaugh.

[fiestavike]

[Pelissero] #49ers DC DeMeco Ryans declined a second interview with the #Vikings, per source, opting to further his development in San Francisco. So four remain in Minnesota’s head coaching search: #Rams OC Kevin O’Connell and DC Raheem Morris, #Giants DC Patrick Graham and Jim Harbaugh.

Looks like my intuition on Harbaugh coming Wednesday for an interview was right. Buckle up, we're probably going to get some news by later this week.

My preference is for O'Connell or Harbaugh.

Of that list, I'm for Harbaugh.

[Texas Vike]

This is poached from Reddit:

Jim Harbaugh notes from Michigan insider
First off here is the link to the article, if you are subscribed to any team on 247 you can read it. It goes into a bit more detail.

The insider’s name is Sam Webb and he is very tied in to Michigan, he is the publisher of the Michigan 247 board.

-Wednesday interview isn’t another step in the feeling out process, he is pursuing the job hard

-Staff at Michigan given a week off starting Wednesday

-He’s heard Harbaugh has made overtures with potential coaching staff targets

-If Harbaugh is offered the job several Michigan sources have said he’ll accept

-He spoke with an agent last night who told him about mutual interest between Harbaugh and Vikings last week and he said the buzz around the league is that Harbaugh is at the top of Adofo-Mensah’s list but still needs to be sold to others around the org because there’s some perception around the league that he can be tough to deal with

-If Harbaugh does a good job addressing the concerns of those in the org he will likely be offered job, if not he stays at Michigan

-Harbaugh significantly increased his use of analytics last season because of the new QB coach

-Contract extension is still on the table at Michigan which would be similar to Ryan Day’s contract at Ohio State

Edit to add the link mentioned: https://247sports.com/college/michigan/ ... 181954871/

[J. Kapp 11]

This is poached from Reddit:

Jim Harbaugh notes from Michigan insider
First off here is the link to the article, if you are subscribed to any team on 247 you can read it. It goes into a bit more detail.

The insider’s name is Sam Webb and he is very tied in to Michigan, he is the publisher of the Michigan 247 board.

-Wednesday interview isn’t another step in the feeling out process, he is pursuing the job hard

-Staff at Michigan given a week off starting Wednesday

-He’s heard Harbaugh has made overtures with potential coaching staff targets

-If Harbaugh is offered the job several Michigan sources have said he’ll accept

-He spoke with an agent last night who told him about mutual interest between Harbaugh and Vikings last week and he said the buzz around the league is that Harbaugh is at the top of Adofo-Mensah’s list but still needs to be sold to others around the org because there’s some perception around the league that he can be tough to deal with

-If Harbaugh does a good job addressing the concerns of those in the org he will likely be offered job, if not he stays at Michigan

-Harbaugh significantly increased his use of analytics last season because of the new QB coach

-Contract extension is still on the table at Michigan which would be similar to Ryan Day’s contract at Ohio State

Edit to add the link mentioned: https://247sports.com/college/michigan/ ... 181954871/

It’s strange how much I’ve come around on Harbaugh. Maybe it’s desperation, but I’m actually excited about this!

Can’t wait for today’s Purple Daily podcast. It’s Tuesday, which means Alex Boone day. Boone went to the Super Bowl with Harbaugh. I know he’s going to have a ton of insight.

[StanM]

Looks like Demico Ryan's decline to 2nd interview

Seen this as well, what could the possible reasoning be. These guys dream of being a HC and he turned it down. Why?

Maybe it’s as simple as deciding against spending winters in Minnesota. It’s not just the coach candidate. The whole family needs to be on board. Not saying it is but a lot of factors go into these personal decisions, same as any one of us thinking about accepting a position that requires relocating.