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Sorry, Jim Harbaugh, But You’ve Been Out-Crazied This Day

Oct 28, 2009, 9:00 PM UTC

â†µâ†µAs I scan the internet in search of tasty bits to bring the reader, Iâ†µcome across many ridiculous things that people say to the media.â†µSpouting filthy lies to someone who sticks a microphone in your face isâ†µone of the nation’s greatest traditions, but rarely in my travels have Iâ†µfound two statements on the same day as patently ridiculous as the two Iâ†µjust stumbled across. â†µ

â†µâ†µDoor No. 1 is courtesy of excitable Stanford head coach Jim Harbaugh: â†µ

â†µâ†µâ‡¥Never one to sell his own players short, Stanford coach Jimâ†µâ‡¥Harbaugh called redshirt freshman Andrew Luckâ†µâ‡¥“the best quarterback in the country” Tuesday. ...â†µâ‡¥“They’re playing like you’d want juniors and seniors to beâ†µâ‡¥playing,” he said, adding, “I think Andrew is the bestâ†µâ‡¥quarterback in the country. I’ve not seen a better one.”â†µâ‡¥
â†µâ‡¥
â†µâ‡¥Asked specifically if he felt Luck was superior to Florida’sâ†µâ‡¥Tim Tebow, the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, or Texas’â†µâ‡¥Colt McCoy, Harbaugh repeated, “I have not seen aâ†µâ‡¥better quarterback out there.”â†µâ†µâ†µLuck’s been pretty good but is only 18th in passer efficiency, behindâ†µa bunch of who-dat non-BCS guys but also Tebow, Tony Pike, Jacoryâ†µHarris, Christian Ponder, Zac Robinson, Bill Stull and Jimmy Clausen.â†µAlso, Stanford’s schedule is heavily backloaded, with Oregon, USC, Cal,â†µand Notre Dame yet to go. So ... no. This is false. Redshirt freshmanâ†µAndrew Luck is not the best quarterback in the country or anything closeâ†µto it. It’s not the craziest thing Harbaugh’s ever said -- he onceâ†µchallenged Pete Carroll to an underwater lightsaber duel, I think -- but itâ†µis false.â†µ

â†µ

â†µIt's not 10% as false as this thing fromâ†µMinnesota athletic director Joel Maturi:â†µ

â†µâ†µâ‡¥“In the end, when you’re the head football coach at theâ†µâ‡¥University of Minnesota, you have to win,” Maturi said.â†µâ†µâ†µActually: in the end, when you’re the head football coach at theâ†µUniversity of Minnesota, you have to lose lots and get fired. Unlessâ†µyou’re Glen Mason, in which case you manage three seasons of eight orâ†µmore wins -- the only such seasons at Minnesota since 1967 -- and Joel Maturiâ†µfires you anyway and replaces you with a man with motivationalâ†µTourrette’s who’s never even been a coordinator. â†µ

â†µâ†µMaturi then follows this up with a further gem:â†µ

â†µâ†µâ‡¥“I’m going to be patient with a first-time collegiate headâ†µâ‡¥coach. It might be to the chagrin of some, but at the same time Iâ†µâ‡¥believe I know the learning curve. I do believe that he is a better headâ†µâ‡¥coach today than he was yesterday.”â†µâ†µâ†µThe chagrin might come with the whole “learning curve”â†µbit. The “Iâ†µlike turtles” kid had as much experience. â†µ

â†µâ†µSo, yeah: sorry, Harbaugh, but you have been bested this day in pureâ†µunadulterated lunacy. I suggest you challenge him to an underwaterâ†µlightsaber duel to right this injustice. â†µ

â†µ

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.

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