German_Force » Jim Harbaugh has said he’s still going

to be the Michigan coach. And Nick Saban once said he’s not going to be the Alabama coach. So we know to never take prominent denials at face value.From anyone. Coaches routinely tell something other than the truth for strategic reasons White Curtis Martin Jerseys , and teams do, too. Harbaugh made his comments while recruiting, blaming the rumors about an NFL return on someone trying to throw a wrench in his efforts to attract to Ann Arbor the best possible unpaid players. Regardless of the motivation, the last thing he would have said at the time is, “Yep. Thinking about it. May do it.”That all changes once jobs officially become open and offers become something more than hypothetical. So with Harbaugh currently making $7 million per year in Michigan, what would it take to get him back to the pro game?Despite very real differences when it comes to player acquisition, the jobs are basically the same: High profile, high pressure, high-level football. So how much more than he currently makes would Harbaugh need to be offered to say yes?Would a doubling of his salary do it? That would put Harbaugh at $3 million more per year than Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, giving brand new meaning to “what’s your deal?”With no salary cap for coaches and with the Jets seemingly determined to get the most out of their budding franchise quarterback, $14 million per year would be more than reasonable for a guy who, like most NFL coaches, could have more of an impact on an NFL team than any player ever does.Sure, the Jets issued a statement attempting to return the toothpaste to the tube. And for good reason. If word gets out prematurely, multiple problems could develop. From compliance with the Rooney Rule if minority candidates believe Harbaugh is the guy to managing the P.R. complications that come from potentially not getting their top choice (and the New York media never letting them forget it) Curtis Martin Jerseys 2019 , the Jets can’t afford to acknowledge interest in Harbaugh until he has signed on the dotted line.“Todd Bowles is our Head Coach,” Jets CEO Christopher Johnson said Monday, not “will be our coach” or anything having any relevance beyond Sunday.聽“There is no truth to the report of our interest in Jim Harbaugh.鈥滷reudian slips rarely come in writing, but there’s something odd and intriguing about Johnson using the phrase “our interest.” It’s like me saying, there’s no truth to the report of a mechanical problem with my private jet. How can a possessive pronoun attach to something that doesn’t exist?It can’t. And in this case, interest isn’t non-existent. It’s real, no matter how loudly they deny it. Moving forward, what matters most is whether the interest becomes reciprocal. The New York Jets hoped to see two things from rookie quarterback Sam Donald in his return from missing three games with a right foot injury: health and progress.Mission accomplished, with a victory thrown in.Darnold, the third overall selection in this year’s draft, showed poise, creativity and, yes, some guts after getting dinged early in the 27-23 win at Buffalo on Sunday. He left for a short period in the first half, then returned to show the Jets (4-9) some of what they believe he will bring to a team seeking a franchise quarterback for decades.Running back Elijah McGuire scored on a fourth-and-goal run from the 1 with 1:17 remaining to cap a drive during which Darnold completed three of five passes for 52 yards. He showed his deft touch on a 37-yard pass to Robby Anderson White Joe Klecko Jerseys , who made an over-the-shoulder catch up the right sideline.“It was a good play (to Anderson),” coach Todd Bowles said Monday, when the players were off after snapping a five-game slide. “He had his eyes downfield the whole time. You won’t make a living doing that, but you got to be a football player at times, too. The play broke down and he was good at making the play when it broke down.”That wasn’t the only time Darnold showed some good stuff, as well as a little rust from the layoff.“I saw progress before he got hurt, but obviously with a win that helps everything,” Bowles said. “There’s still some things he’s got to work on. Also, we can’t have turnovers down there at the end of the field and give up points. But he came back and made some plays that didn’t faze him and that was good to see from a poise standpoint.”Darnold finished 16 of 24 for 170 yards with a 7-yard touchdown to Anderson and an interception. He entered the game with 14 picks, and chilly, often windy Orchard Park, New York, is not a fun place to play in December, particularly for a California guy.No matter. Darnold did just about everything the Jets could have sought down the stretch Sunday.“It’s great for his first game back,” Bowles said. “Obviously he was confident before the fourth quarter comeback. But it just helps him Joe Klecko Jerseys 2019 , it just helps him be himself a little more, which he’s comfortable with being anyway. But that’s really all it does for him.”Bowles might not be around for Darnold’s future development; few if any current NFL coaches are on a hotter seat. New York has had plenty of QBs who were supposed to be a building block, going back to 2000 and Chad Pennington, then Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith.Judging Darnold’s success will come in upcoming years, of course. For now, the Jets will settle for moving forward a bit.“We don’t think it was that difficult,” Bowles said of Darnold stepping back in. “He had two full weeks of practice. He looked good in practice and felt good. Once you start playing, you just go with the flow of the game and the game felt good to him, it seemed. He just played football.”NOTES: Bowles had no update on running back Isaiah Crowell, who left the Buffalo game in the second quarter with a shoulder injury. … The coach had high praise for his special teams units, particularly kick returner Andre Roberts. He had 86- and 51-yard returns. “You can’t say enough about the guy. He’s ready all the time, he’s durable, he’s tough and he gets nicked up and he keeps going. You just don’t notice him until he makes a play, but he does that every single day.”