John Harbaugh On Michigan: 'They'll Be Contending For The National Championship Shortly'
PHOENIX - Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh shares the high expectations Michigan fans have of his brother Jim, the new head coach for the Wolverines.
"I think it's warranted," John said at the NFL owners meetings Tuesday at the Arizona Biltmore. "He's a great football coach. He was a great player at Michigan, obviously. He was a great NFL player - underrated, I would say, and he underrates himself, probably, as a player. Great coach, great family man, I love him to death. I think he's going to be a great coach at Michigan, and there's no doubt in my mind that they'll be contending for the national championship shortly."
As for the fascination with Jim in Michigan, most recently because of his helping car accident victims after a dramatic wreck, John can only laugh.
"He did not save her, as he's pointed out many times," John said with a laugh. "That's how these myths grow, right? Epic, epic stories."
When John described the wreck and Jim's ensuing actions, as John heard them from his brother, the event did indeed sound like quite the epic experience.
"He said it was the most horrific wreck he'd ever seen," John said. "It was like NASCAR. The car was flying 50 to 100 yards, sideways and end-over-end. He said they got there, it didn't look very good for the people in the car, and he said he prayed, along with Jim Minick, his buddy, who he was with. He said God made a miracle happen, and the people were okay, not really even a scratch, so pretty amazing."
Everything Jim says publicly seems to turn into a topic in Michigan, and one of the recent examples was his announcement that Cracker Barrel is his favorite restaurant. That factoid alone evidently warranted an SI.com story. Thus, John joked Tuesday that, yes, he would be on board to join Jim in a Cracker Barrel commercial.
"I'd love to be," John said with a laugh. "I'm waiting for Cracker Barrel to call - and khakis, too. They haven't called."
