Motor City Sports Sports in Detroit and beyond

If not Harbaugh, who?

Reports are coming out by people I trust - namely, Mike Rosenberg - that Jim Harbaugh probably isn't coming to Michigan. To me, that makes a lot of sense. Harbaugh's got a great run going at Stanford, especially if Andrew Luck comes back, and he's got unlimited support. After taking a  non-powerhouse school from 1-11 to 12-1, no one in Palo Alto is going to blame him for a hiccup or two.

Harbaugh's also going to have several NFL options, and they also make more sense than Michigan. Harbaugh is an NFL guy at heart, he coaches a pro-style system and his brother has already proven that the family can handle that level of coaching.

So, Mr. Brandon, what's Plan B?

The first possibility is one that many people seem to have forgotten - Rich Rodriguez is technically still the coach at Michigan, and they could actually keep him. Say what you want about the man, but you have to give him some credit for the unbelievable improvement in Denard Robinson. Before the season, I wasn't the only person that thought starting Robinson over Tate Forcier was a huge mistake. I had seen Robinson struggle to throw simple passes in 2009, and never imagined he'd be able to take this kind of step forward in one year. That doesn't happen without RichRod and his offensive staff.

Unfortunately, that's about the end of the list for his positives. His defense is a disaster, he can't find a competent kicker and, no matter what you think of the severity of the violations, he's the first Michigan football coach to get hit with the major-violations tag. He's also struggled to keep players - I'm sure Wolverines fans will love watching Ryan Mallett and Justin Boren in the Sugar Bowl.

And, most importantly, Rodriguez has lost the support of the fanbase. In college sports, especially football, that's a huge factor. In the NFL, teams with angry fans still make money, thanks to the TV deals. In college, the boosters provide a lot of income for the athletics program and the rest of the school.

So I don't think you can keep him. By the time I post this, he might be gone.

So no Harbaugh and no Rodriguez. Who is left?

There's one important factor to keep in mind here - Denard Robinson. You don't have to bring in a coach that runs the spread - with Denard's health, you probably shouldn't - but you do need someone who can work with his unique abilities. Otherwise, Wolverines fans might end up watching Robinson against Devin Gardner in a BCS matchup in a couple years.

The obvious solution would be to bring in a defensive-minded coach, but I don't think that's important. You want someone who is going to focus their efforts on one side of the ball, and put the other side in the hands of an outstanding coordinator. Remember the Greatest NFL Game Ever? No, not the Chargers-Dolphins overtime game that was the greatest game in NFL history, but the Colts-Giants game that the NFL has deemed to be the best? If you know the name of the Giants coach - Jim Lee Howell - you are a true NFL fanatic. Howell didn't coach either side - he let his two coordinators handle it. You can do that when you've got Vince Lombardi as your offensive coordinator and Tom Landry as your defensive coordinator.

Because of Denard Robinson's situation, I think Michigan needs to hire an offensive-minded coach that can work with him, and bring in a strong defensive coordinator. A kicker would also be nice.

Of course, I have a candidate in mind. For the coaching job, that is. Someone else has to find the kicker.

There's a highly regarded NFL coordinator that would be the perfect head coach for Denard Robinson. He's proven that this season by taking another quarterback known for his running over his passing and turning him into a serious MVP candidate. He's also got some head-coaching experience, and while it didn't go well, first shots often don't. People forget that Bill Belichick got run out of Cleveland, and the Patriots were thought to be crazy when they hired him. Like Belichick, my guy has gone back to assistant coaching, and has had several years to learn from his mistakes, all while working for one of the more successful franchises in the NFL

My candidate also has ties to the area, although not directly to Michigan, and is good enough to be seriously considered for NFL head-coaching jobs. ESPN: The Magazine even did a statistical survey that says this man is the best bet to succeed of any current NFL assistant.

There's only one slight problem.

It's Marty Mornhinweg.

Yes, I know. He's not exactly popular in Michigan, and I agree that his tenure with the Lions was a debacle of the first order. I've said repeatedly that, in my 21 years working for AP, he's the third-worst pro coach I've covered, behind Luis Pujols and Rod Marinelli. I still believe that. He was awful. He wasn't nearly ready to be a head coach, but Matt Millen couldn't see that.

I don't think he would be awful now. He's gotten the experience that he didn't have when the Lions hired him, and he's been very successful in Philadelphia. Andy Reid has his detractors, but he's got a pretty good coaching record, and Mornhinweg has been watching him operate for the last eight years.

He also instantly solves any problem with the franchise player. You don't think Denard Robinson would love to play for the guy that turned Michael Vick from a joke into one of the most dangerous players in the NFL? A guy who also happened to be Brett Favre's quarterback coach the only year he ever won a Super Bowl?

Given the resources that Michigan can provide, I think Mornhinweg could put together a devastating college offense. Team him up with a top-quality defensive coordinator, and the Wolverines could quickly return to the top of a pretty weak Big Tenwelve Conference.

This post isn't a joke. There's no "just kidding" at the end. I really think this would work.

Do I think it will happen? No. I think the backlash from Mornhinweg's disaster with the Lions would make it impossible - the fanbase would go nuts. Instead, he'll end up coaching an NFL team and doing a lot better than anyone expects.

It's too bad. It would be a fun story, seeing Marty Mornhinweg redeeming himself by taking Michigan back to the Rose Bowl.