Wolverines laud Harbaugh for setting a new tone

Chicago — Now, looking back, with a new coach and a new staff in place, and the Michigan players about eight months removed from their 5-7 season last fall, the Wolverines admit that something was amiss within the program last season.

They lost both rivalry games, to Michigan State and Ohio State, were swept by Big Ten newcomers Rutgers and Maryland, they failed to reach a bowl game and their coach, Brady Hoke, was fired after four seasons.

“Something was missing, of course, because that’s why we weren’t winning,” linebacker James Ross III said Friday at the Big Ten media days.

Michigan frequently has been described by outsiders looking in as having a “Country Club atmosphere” last season, and the players as being less accountable and more entitled. There was, some said, a lack of toughness that kept them from finishing in the fourth quarter.

“I’ve definitely heard that a lot, the Country Club mentality,” receiver Jehu Chesson said Friday. “I still haven’t wrapped my mind around exactly what that is, but what I’d say and how I’d describe it, there was a lot of complacency.”

How did that manifest in the program?

“We do what we think is expected to do — it’s not wrong, but it’s not enough,” Chesson said. “It’s not the Michigan standard, because the Michigan standard is higher than any other school. The Michigan standard isn’t just we run 10 gassers, the Michigan standard is we run 15, so that’s where I’m getting at when I say complacency.”

Ross said the players last season stopped holding each other accountable. Since Jim Harbaugh’s arrival as head coach, though, Ross said there’s been a noticeable difference in the way teammates talk to one another and there is a difference in how high the bar has been set.

“You would see a guy messing up (last season) and you won’t say anything about it and he would think that’s acceptable,” Ross said. “That’s the way the culture was, just kind of worry about yourself and don’t worry about the team. and that’s changed since coach Harbaugh has been prevalent in the program.

“Now, everybody is holding each other accountable. We expect so much from certain guys, if you don’t produce we’re going to call you out on it, but not in a negative way. Last year, when we called somebody out, it was negative, it was bashing, but now it’s, ‘Come on, you’ve got to pick it up, we need you on the team and we need you to produce.’ I feel like that’s the difference.”

Harbaugh arrived at the start of the year and hasn’t stopped.

His spring practices were four hours and at the end, for the players who participated in every minute, they received a long-sleeve T-shirt that reads “I played 60 Hours of Michigan Football” on the back, and a perfect-attendance certificate.

“Which was pretty cool,” linebacker Joe Bolden said.

Bolden marvels at the media fascination with Harbaugh, who easily drew the largest crowds at the two-day Big Ten media kickoff. It seems his every move, his every tweet, his pants of choice are dissected, and Harbaugh, who isn’t exactly the most outgoing in his dealings with the media, has become a focal point not only in Ann Arbor but across the country since leaving the NFL for his alma mater.

“It’s awesome. It’s different. It’s new,” Bolden said. “It gets everybody talking. I don’t know what the big deal is. Everybody’s talking about his khakis, (but) it’s just a pair of pants. The guy wakes up and puts pants on just like everybody else does.”

While Bolden says he’s fielded more than a few questions about Harbaugh, he hasn’t tired of talking about him.

“You’re going to get the same answer, but I don’t get tired of answering it,” he said. “I’d rather have a coach that’s outgoing, that loves to talk, he’s got his own personality and what other people think doesn’t matter.”

What matters is that the atmosphere has changed, and without playing a game, the Wolverines feel a different vibe. Harbaugh wears his black cleats to practice and does pushups with the team, and is as hands-on as needed in practices.

“We haven’t even played a game yet, but he gets the best out of guys,” Bolden said. “If you don’t want to be there, then you’ll leave, it’s as simple as that. Coach Harbaugh has clear expectations, clear goals, and if you’re not motivated and you’re not on the same train, you’re going to be left behind.”

Looking back at last season, Ross said the team didn’t lack toughness. The Wolverines couldn’t coordinate enough to win, and players drifted into their own zones and stopped working together as a team.

With Harbaugh he said they’re working to look for that piece that brings everything together.

“It’s our job to find that this season,” Ross said, “and I feel like we’re on the right path of doing so.”

achengelis@detroitnews.com

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