Michigan's Jim Harbaugh has his staff, but can he fix offense's efficiency?

The situation is real simple.

Jim Harbaugh is three years through his Michigan tenure and his offense wasn't improving. Which means, at this point, nothing short of canning your entire offensive staff will appease the angry portion of Michigan's fan base.

So, hire who you want. Designate titles, tell us how everyone is doing a great job and how things are going to be just fine while you're at it. That's Harbaugh's prerogative. But he also understands results are the only thing people care about around here.

On Tuesday, Michigan announced Jim McElwain as its new wide receivers coach. Some people like the move. Others hate it. More demand further change, specifically with regard to who gets the title of "offensive coordinator."

But that's not the point. Harbaugh has made his staffing decisions. The names have never been the main question. That's always been something else.

What, exactly, are you going to do about the disorganized, disjointed operation U-M called an offense in 2017? And will these coaches be the group to fix it?

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In 2017, Michigan had three offensive coaches with the title "coordinator," all of whom reported to Harbaugh on Saturdays when it was time to send a play onto the field.

The result: Nine total touchdown passes, 36 sacks allowed, a No. 105 national ranking and a paltry 5.2 yards per play.

The knee-jerk fan reaction to blame offensive coordinator Tim Drevno for Michigan's play-calling is off-base and incorrect. Remember former passing game coordinator Jedd Fisch (another coach fans blamed for stuff, albeit before he left and became desirable again) and his explanation of how U-M calls plays under Harbaugh. And, by all accounts, how all of Harbaugh's staffs have run offense in games.

“It’s a situation where (all the offensive assistants) give great input (during the game), as far as our area, so to speak, as well as in the course of a game,” Fisch said in September 2015. “It’s a great dynamic, in that regard.

"(Coach Harbaugh has the final say) in everything we do."

To borrow a line from Harbaugh: If that works, you look like a genius. If it doesn't, people are furious. Last year it didn't. Now, it's time to reexamine how things operate.

Michigan now has an offensive coordinator/offensive line coach in Drevno who makes seven figures. An assistant head coach/passing game coordinator in Pep Hamilton who also makes seven figures. And McElwain, a supposed position coach with SEC head coaching experience.

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And Harbaugh, the final pass. That's a distinction he's earned and why Michigan pays him a fortune. Harbaugh, believe it or not, didn't forget how to scheme offense overnight. He's still considered a top offensive mind. But organization of approach hasn't been his calling card.

Does Harbaugh enter this critical 2018 season with the same concept? Will he have three (or more) assistant coaches coming up with plays in real time before he gives the final stamp of approval on every drive? Or will he cut down on some of those voices and lean heavily on one? Perhaps U-M plans on making further staff tweaks with regard to responsibility. But none of those were announced Tuesday.

Either way, when Michigan ran offense off a script last season, it wasn't all bad. Remember the first half against Ohio State, when U-M dialed up open play after open play and had the Buckeyes on their heels with John O'Korn and a bunch of freshmen?

Now, remember the second half against South Carolina, when the script was exhausted and Michigan's jumbled sideline sent the wrong personnel onto the field for a critical third-and-short that resulted in a crushing lost fumble?

What that means is Michigan's staff had time throughout the week to script together a small set of plays that they knew would hit, they had success. But you can't script an entire game. And when they had to ad-lib, in real time, they struggled. Whether that's a result of too many cooks in the kitchen or not is something for Harbaugh to decide.

The McElwain hire is interesting. He's an off-tree coach. He's never worked for Harbaugh and should bring a fresh perspective. A year ago, everyone on that staff (save for Greg Frey) was a Harbaugh disciple and echo chambers can develop quickly, intentional or not. He'll be in charge of skill development with this team's young receivers, something that was sorely missing a year ago.

Every player, as of today, has a position coach. Evaluation processes have to start. Those are important things.

But the approach has to be more focused now. Michigan tried to run multiple offenses with multiple coaches in charge last season, and it didn't work. Who wears the "offensive coordinator" badge here is irrelevant. This is, and always will be, Jim Harbaugh's offense.

It's Harbaugh's job to fix the offense. It's Harbaugh's job to organize it, streamline it and make sure his staff is developing and teaching at a high rate. It's Harbaugh's job to make it work. It's Harbaugh's program. He'll deserve the credit if it all works. He'll deserve the blame if it doesn't.

So, hire who you want.

Just don't expect any back-flips from fans until touchdowns consistently find their way onto a score board this fall.

Contact Nick Baumgardner: nbaumgardn@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @NickBaumgardner. Download our Wolverines Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!