In the NFL, new hire college head coaches often have difficulty adapting to the pro game for whatever reason. Whether it be the recruiting and talent disparity of college football or dealing with millionaire athletes, college head coaches have generally struggled when they move to the pro level. One reason people predict success at the NFL level for Stanford football head coach Jim Harbaugh is the fact that his brother John Harbaugh has been successful with the Baltimore Ravens. It’s the idea that coaching and the game of football is in the Harbaugh genes.
Whether that’s true or not, it shouldn’t be surprising that John weighed in on the possibility of his brother Jim coming to the NFL. John seemed to think Jim was inclined to stick with Stanford, but he wouldn’t rule out the possibility of an NFL team making a hard push for Jim. Yet even he isn’t totally sure what will happen:
“I have no idea what he’s going to do,” Harbaugh said. "We do talk about it all the time. He’s having a baby, he’s not, Sarah’s having a baby, in four or five days, and they’ve got the bowl game, so he’s just swimming right now. So, he’s not even thinking about it right now.
“I think he wants to stay at Stanford, I think he’d love to stay there, but then again, you just have to see what happens. He’s not the kind of guy that’s going to make any kind of commitment until he’s ready to make a commitment. I think his commitment right now is having a baby and winning the Orange Bowl. So, we’ll see what happens.”
Over the next two weeks as Stanford prepares for the Orange Bowl, I’d imagine we’ll get little comments like this from a variety of sources. However, once the Orange Bowl is complete, it will most definitely be game on. I’d imagine the first questions about taking a new job will come as soon as the post-game press conference. Really the first one will probably come from the sideline reporter as soon as the game is over. January will likely prove to be a crazy time in the Harbaugh household no matter what decision he makes.
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