On Monday, as Jim Harbaugh addressed the media for the first time since before the No. 2 Michigan football team’s bye week, there was very clearly one thing he didn’t want to talk about—the in-person sign-stealing scandal.
And there was also very clearly one thing he preferred to focus on — the benefits of the Wolverines’ bye week.
This all came to a head early in his press conference. When asked a question about whether the sign-stealing scandal would impact his legacy in Ann Arbor and his coaching legacy as a whole, Harbaugh pivoted by completely ignoring the question at first.
“The team is refreshed; I’m refreshed,” Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh said Monday. “Opportunity to spend time with the families after a pretty good week of practice last week… We’re just in an onward mode.”
While Harbaugh’s emphasis on the time off and recovery was partially motivated by a desire to dodge tough questions, it was also clear that the week off did have tangible benefits for the team on the field. Players’ approaches to mixing training, rest, and even weekend activities differed within the program.
In Harbaugh’s mind, that mixture was desirable, and in his practices, he emulated a balance of preparation and rejuvenation.
“Both at the same time,” Harbaugh said. “In fact, it was so good that we gave the guys one extra day from what was originally planned. Just the opportunity to get away from football and get with their families. Every guy did something (different), and some guys stayed and did treatment. (They did whatever they thought was best for them.”
For graduate transfer cornerback Josh Wallace, that looked like an emphasis on physical and mental rejuvenation—it came in the form of taking an international trip.
“I focused on rest,” Wallace said. “I went to Canada for the first time… I went shopping and just explored. I went to a Raptors game for the first time, then Eaton Mall Centre.”
And for senior wide receiver Roman Wilson, the time off was spent half on football—watching an extra film with the added time to prepare for Purdue—and the other half on his life outside of football, doing things like making and editing YouTube videos.
But while the mental aspect of the time off was captured in varying ways by different players, the commonality was the clear benefit the bye week had on their physical health and their ability to prevent injury.
“(I feel) definitely, definitely, great,” Wilson said, chuckling. “I mean, I’m not even the most physical person on the team or close to that. But you know, just from running a lot and being in the game, it puts a lot of stress on my legs, my back, and my ankles. Just being able to walk around and know that if I had to run right now, I could do it and I’d be fine definitely feels great.”
Coming off a longer than usual eight straight weeks without a break, the injury-prevention benefits apply not just for players like Wilson but for quarterback J.J. McCarthy, the linemen who get beat up on every play, and players up and down the roster.
And heading into the toughest portion of its season with marquee matchups against No. 9 Penn State and No. 3 Ohio State in the next four weeks, the Wolverines are going to need their key contributors healthy. A late bye week that gave Michigan a chance to heal and prevent future injury is key.
The effects of the rejuvenation were clearly on Michigan’s mind Monday. So much so that it was exclusively what Harbaugh hoped to focus on.
