Thoughts on your team from a State fan -- Neg away
A few thoughts I'd like to share regarding both the game and the team:
- Denard: the man. The guy is a beast out there and what's even more impressive is his maturity. Personally, I wasn't a huge fan of Tate forcier because it seemed like all of the fame and attention somewhat went to his head. Denard is different. Much different. He will be accomplishing great things in the winged helmet in the future (maybe even this year). Even if you go through the realm of RCMB, there are posts showing him praise.
-Defense: Young. I don't know if it's an issue of not knowing the schemes, or a lack of talent, but the good news for you guys is that this group will grow together and be hungry together. Undergoing a system change is difficult (trust me, state fans know what it's like to go from spread to conventional). Next year will be a critical year to see what this defense can do.
-Rich: In all honesty, I believe the hiring of RichRod by Michigan may have been the biggest break that MSU could ask for. I don't say that in a snarky way or in vain. Just stating my honest opinion. I think he is an offensive wizard and his system is very complex and can be dangerous. I don't think he's a very good Xs and Os coach when it comes to the fundamentals (i.e. time management at the end of the half today). But, I think the main coaching flaw for Rich is that he puts a whole heck of a lot of stake in one player. At WVU, it was Pat White. They were 1 game away from a BCS championship game and what happens? White gets injured in the 4th, and they lose to a 4-win Pittsburgh team. This year, MSU stacks the box and stops Denard, and the offense sputters. Bottom line: When I was in undergrad and Lloyd was running the show, guys like Edwin Baker, Le'Veon Bell and heck even the 2-star Kirk Cousins would have without a doubt been considering Michigan before even thinking about State.
Those are my thoughts. Feel free to neg away.
P.S. anybody see Bielema running up the score on Minn late in the 4th while being up big? Class-less. I'm happy to say that neither of our coaches would do that in a game.
October 9th, 2010 at 11:48 PM ^
ok...now go away
October 9th, 2010 at 11:50 PM ^
1/2 are going to agree with you and 1/2 arent re RR. personally, i think the RR experiment is dead in the water, but thats not a popular opinion around here.
October 10th, 2010 at 12:07 AM ^
You realize that before today we were undefeated.
October 10th, 2010 at 12:12 AM ^
and after today we're going to finish with a winning record. but regardless, i dont see how going 6-6 or 7-5 with wins only against the bottom of the big10 will get it done in year 3. especially when our previous worst record was 7-5 and 5-3 in conference play....
October 10th, 2010 at 12:19 AM ^
This isn't the finished product.
October 10th, 2010 at 10:23 AM ^
For how many years is this excuse still valid?
Honest question.
October 10th, 2010 at 10:39 AM ^
an entire recruiting class goes through the program.
October 10th, 2010 at 1:47 PM ^
made up of upperclassmen
October 10th, 2010 at 3:16 PM ^
That might be never.
October 10th, 2010 at 2:08 PM ^
5 years deep. Obviously, if the team became uncompetitive I'd be fine with canning him before, but so long as we're making progress I think we should reserve judgment until 5 years in.
October 10th, 2010 at 12:22 AM ^
2008 was a complete waste of time and shouldn't count against any artificial coach clock.
October 10th, 2010 at 12:29 AM ^
October 10th, 2010 at 2:27 AM ^
You should probably stop speaking for everyone else.
October 15th, 2010 at 1:34 PM ^
It's amusing that the idea to "not count" 2008 only came up once we started sucking in 2009. Before then, it was all about 2010. Now it's all about 2013 or 2014.
October 10th, 2010 at 10:01 AM ^
no, but you speak for the mouth breathing Valenti/Foster listening and FREEP readers
October 10th, 2010 at 2:49 PM ^
I would really haved loved to hear your opinion about RichRod before the MSU game. It is always easy to make your ridiculous statement after watching a disappointing game for UofM in all aspects, but you are beginning to sound like the OSU fans I live by.
This team is still 5-1, and they have a chance and time to make a lot of progress before season's end. Take a deep breath buddy.
October 10th, 2010 at 1:30 AM ^
eh, maybe not, but if we were to lose out from here, Rich is gone, and deservedly so, IMO, 'finished product' or not.
That's not happening, though. we'll get to a bowl of some type, and move on with the extra practice time and try to get some momentum heading into 2011.
October 10th, 2010 at 12:26 AM ^
If you're an AD, you don't just fire or retain a guy based on how his record stacks up. You make the decision based on what you can project the future record to be like if he's retained or fired. If final record turns out to be 7-5, yeah, that wouldn't be great by our historical standards. But it would be a two-game improvement over last year, and with the large majority of our starters coming back, gaining another year of experience, further improvement in 2011 is likely. Right now the trend is positive If it doesn't continue positively (and we haven't returned to the elite), then you make a change.
October 10th, 2010 at 12:33 AM ^
October 10th, 2010 at 1:03 AM ^
And Kirk Ferentz's Big Ten record was horrendous after three years, too. When you start off poorly, it's going to be a drag on your overall record. The overall trend the program is going in is more important.
October 10th, 2010 at 3:28 AM ^
October 10th, 2010 at 3:57 AM ^
Yeah, they were. Hayden Fry was there. He did pretty well.
October 10th, 2010 at 9:55 AM ^
Expectations were low for him.
October 10th, 2010 at 10:33 AM ^
Iowa's season records the last four years of Hayden Fry:
9-3, 7-5, 3-8, 1-10. And if you want to go back a few years before that, there's some 5-7's and 6-6's in there, too.
Hayden Fry was a great coach, but I don't think you remember just how bad they were by the end of his run, and how badly a lot of that fan base wanted the old man out. He skated by on some downright terrible teams merely on the fact that he was a living legend.
Quite plainly, there is little comparison between the situation Kirk Ferentz inherited at Iowa and Michigan. Iowa hadn't won a conference title in 8 years, was coming off some horrendous seasons and a couple others that were saved by Tim Dwight, and aside from a few great seasons in the 80's and 90's, has always been essentially a middle of the road program until Ferentz. They're not Michigan.
October 10th, 2010 at 11:13 AM ^
No, the 1-10 year was Ferentz's first season.
October 10th, 2010 at 11:16 AM ^
Whoops, read the season results table wrong. My bad.
I stand corrected.
October 10th, 2010 at 11:21 AM ^
More to the point, the 3-8 season the year before was caused by an ungodly number of injuries (akin to PU this year). There were no indications that the Iowa program would flatline. They had Rose Bowl expectations in '96 and '97 and were expected to go to a bowl in '98 before the injuries. Ferentz was widely blamed for "destroying" the program and was regularly booed at home his first three years. It wasn't until the 2002 Orange Bowl season that they finally accepted him.
October 10th, 2010 at 12:24 PM ^
You can't be judged for what you do with somebody else's players trying to fit into your system. Until RR's first recruiting class graduates and the team is composed of all people he recruited, it's all up in the air.
October 10th, 2010 at 1:57 AM ^
A 7-5 or 8-4 Rich Rod team will bring better recruits than that of a 7-5 or 8-4 Lloyd team
October 10th, 2010 at 3:57 AM ^
Is that a joke? Carr was an unreal recruiter, and RR's defenses are historically subpar. How many defensive NFLers can you name that came out of WVU?
1. Pacman Jones,
2. um...
October 10th, 2010 at 3:59 AM ^
I think it would make more sense to compare them each to their historical rates. West Virginia doesn't exactly attract the same talent that Michigan does.
Also, you forgot Ryan Mundy, interestingly enough.
October 10th, 2010 at 4:08 AM ^
I'm a lifelong Steelers fan from Pittsburgh, and I didn't even think of him. +1 for being on the ball, but he hasn't played a meaningful non-special teams snap in his career. And he was originally recruited and signed by Lloyd Carr, then transferred to RR's defense. So that's another (sucky) NFL player that Carr got to Michigan.
October 11th, 2010 at 6:00 AM ^
I don't think he was going to be an NFL player at Michigan, though.
October 10th, 2010 at 10:13 AM ^
RR put West Virginia on the map. Carr is a good man, but the country club lifestyle itself and the name Michigan would have automatically landed its fair share of talent.
How many kids prior to RR would have been excited about playing at WV?
October 10th, 2010 at 10:41 AM ^
No, Don Nehlen put West Virginia on the map.
October 10th, 2010 at 10:03 AM ^
Lloyd's 2007 class blows this argument out of the water...
October 10th, 2010 at 10:23 AM ^
I've heard on several occassions that Lloyd Carr wasn't even leaving AA for recruiting visits during his last 3 years as HC. A gentleman associated with Michigan athletics actually told me this with a great deal of certainty yesterday morning on the golf course. (I don't know this to be 100% true, but seems to be a common belief). I'm not knocking on Lloyd, but I certainly have my doubts about his commitment to the recruiting process during his final years as HC. It's obvious that we are still dealing with some of the effects of that now.
Something has to be said for having 2-3 down years and still bringing in the recruits that we are. I like RRod, but want to see the team succeed. I think it is crystal clear that he knows how to recruit, sells and represents Michigan well, and the players like/respect him. How this year pans out and next year are the true indicators for me. I want a coach that will build a winning program, not just produce a winning season. I want to see his recruits when they are matured and experienced...THAT is the sign of a good coach.
GO BLUE!
October 10th, 2010 at 10:47 AM ^
"I've heard on several occassions that Lloyd Carr wasn't even leaving AA for recruiting visits during his last 3 years as HC."
That is absolutely and totally false.
October 10th, 2010 at 11:07 AM ^
really, I have also heard the same rumors from the people I know associated with the athletic department.
October 10th, 2010 at 11:10 AM ^
Nope. I know it probably fits into the narrative people want to think about the last few years of Lloyd Carr, and it's a nice, juicy rumor, but it's not true.
For Joe Paterno, on the other hand, it would be true. The last recruit he visited was Pryor, and that was the first in quite some time.
October 10th, 2010 at 11:33 AM ^
All of my sources says it is true. Lloyd basically through in the towel. He didn't have the energy required for the HC of Michigan. Hence, everything fell off recruiting, discipline, and development.
I put the last two seasons and the D on lloyd.
October 10th, 2010 at 12:22 PM ^
Your "sources" are mere hearsay. A drunk tailgater on the golf course does not reliable source material make.
October 10th, 2010 at 1:50 PM ^
The guy who told me this was playing golf at a different golf course in town 8 hours before the game, was 100% sober, and close friends with Dave Brandon. I'm not claiming his comments as gospel fact, but for you to dismiss his comments based on your incorrect assumption is wrong.
October 10th, 2010 at 3:42 PM ^
So... More hearsay from guys on golf courses.
Consider me skeptical.
October 10th, 2010 at 4:09 PM ^
goes both ways buddy
October 10th, 2010 at 8:34 PM ^
Dude's also older than dirt, so I think he should get a break on recruiting trips. If you're getting recruited by PSU it has to be understood that Joe Pa is a legend and a great coach, but he's not going to be hands-on in all facets of the program.
October 10th, 2010 at 11:33 AM ^
Michigan recruited Michigan until we started losing to APPY STATE, as much as I might hate MSU they are not APPY STATE. We are starting the remnants of the last years of Lloyd and be honest he had slipped bad. We are all right getting better and will be double digits next year without changing. Lloyd needs to step up admit his petulence is very unBolike,my own new word, he owes all he is to The University of Michigan not the other way around
October 10th, 2010 at 8:31 PM ^
First, totally different types of recruits for each coach. But in all fairness, I would give Carr the edge (at least in terms of guru* ratings). But when all is said and done, it doesn't matter what types of recruits are brought in, it matters what happens once they get there. And that's the crossroads we stand at now.
October 10th, 2010 at 12:20 AM ^
it's not like an RR coached team is going to loss it's last 7 games in Big Ten play. That's ridiculous. We're going to the Rose Bowl.
October 12th, 2010 at 1:48 PM ^
who is state going to lose to?