Daily Brews: O.J. Simpson believes Jim Harbaugh is the fix to one NFL team and 2019 is weird

Sometimes, you just need to laugh (or in this case, shake your head) and start the day. That’s how we’ll do things on a Tuesday here at MnB.

Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh is perpetually discussed as an NFL head coaching candidate despite people railing him for the job he’s doing in Ann Arbor. Well, you can add one more, um, prominent... name to the mix, this time in the form of O.J. Simpson, the former NFL running back and star of the hidden camera prank show Juiced.

Oh, yeah. This too.

“A lot of great college coaches don’t do well in the pros, Jimmy Johnson and Pete Carroll exception,” Simpson said in a video posted to Twitter. “But there’s a guy that was a good college coach that I think was better as a pro coach, and he’s right next door to you, Cleveland.

”His name is Jim Harbaugh, and I think he’s the elixir to all of your problems. I’m just saying.”

Harbaugh isn’t going anywhere and definitely isn’t going to the Cleveland Browns of all places. But we knew that already.

The year 2019 is so dang weird, you guys.

Josh Gattis ‘personally invested’ in development of offense

Harbaugh spoke to the media on Monday during his weekly press conference and was asked once more about how Josh Gattis is coming along during his first season as the team’s offensive coordinator. The praise continues to build from his head coach as the team improves.

“Doing really well. He works extremely hard at it,” Harbaugh said. “Watches every bit of tape that can be watched. He trusts the players. Players trust him. They have that same unconditional belief. I would say the same for the coaches. He believes he’s going to get his job done, players believe he’s going to get his job done.”

A reporter asked how personally invested Gattis will be considering reports were that a deal was all but done that he would wind up at Maryland as Mike Locksley’s offensive coordinator. Harbaugh was confused by that and said he has been on it from day one at Michigan and expects the same.

“I really felt he’s been personally invested every week. Spring practice number one, I can go back to...impressed with how personal it was to him that those practices were good. Same for training camp, same for games. He’s been 100-percent invested.

“I’d go back to every practice I’ve seen him in, every game. He’s been as invested as you can possibly be.”

The work seems to be paying off with Michigan starting to find an identity offensively and the game starting to flow a lot stronger.

Dax Hill hype intensifies

In our third Harbaugh-related story of the Brews today, more fuel for the fire that we desire on freshman safety Daxton Hill as his role continues to expand on Michigan’s defense.

“His mind for the game (stands out). He’s a really smart player,” Harbaugh said. “He understands beyond his years. A couple of plays stood out. The two fumble recoveries, he just knew. When he was 20 yards away, he could see the play developing in front of him. Most of the time with the ball on the ground and people are around, you’re 18 yards away, you don’t think you can get to there. He just knew to accelerate and went in like an arrow through snow to get the football and come up with the recovery.

“Felt like that was really impressive. Another throw to the boundary, away from our sideline, where he had good coverage. Just sensed the sideline and saw the pass was high, was just as smooth as he could be. Not holding or grabbing. He just saw it all and calculated all those things and let the pass be incomplete. Just so many examples of where he has a real intuition for the game.”

Hill has continued to work with the No. 1 defense at the nickel position and has been an integral part in the team’s improvement in slowing down the damage opposing offenses can do over the middle of the field.

Other Brews

• One last Harbaugh bit, as he has been named the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week. Not bad for someone who, as Paul Finebaum put it, you could put your finger on a random person in the phone book and come up with a better coach.
• Jordan Poole and Glenn Robinson III never played together at Michigan, but two former Wolverines received their chance to shine in the NBA. Both players were in the starting lineup for the Golden State Warriors. They combined for 25 points and were big in Golden State’s first win over the year by a score of 134-123 over the New Orleans Pelicans.
• For those that missed it, more big news on the recruiting trail for Michigan basketball with them making the final three for elite 2020 guard Moses Moody on Monday night.