The Future Is All We Have
I am now an official member to the magnificent site, MGoBlog.com. I have been a frequent visitor ever since the nation-wide coaching search in December of '07 after Lloyd Carr resigned his position. I finally got off my rear and signed up after watching the collapse at Purdue. Enough pleasentries, it is time to delve into the meat.
First off, I want to point out that I am a huge supporter of RichRod. I think what he is trying to do at Michigan will pay off in the long run, and everything will fit into place within the next couple of years. But, there are some minor suggestions I want to bring up, some things I have been wondering for awhile now.
Rodriguez knew in December when he decided to accept the HC position at UM, that he was not going to have nearly the skill-players that he left at WVU, or the players he wanted to have to run his "spread offense." So, I'll ask you this. He knew very well that Threet and Sheridan both were incapable of running this offense the way he wanted it to be run; he should have realized that the first practice that the QBs would just not work. So why try? Why not bite the bullet, and for his inaugural season, run Michigan's power offense with the players he had. Utilize Minor and Grady in the backfield, and get some tosses out to Mathews and Hemingway and run Michigan's old fashioned offense. I don't think we would have seen much of an improvement, but with the way Minor has been playing the last few games, why hasn't he been seeing more action since the beginning? McGuffie is a good player, I'll give him that, but he cannot take the ball up the middle and expect to gain a whole lot of yards. He is a back that needs to get outside and use his explosiveness to beat the defenses. I think with Minor starting from the get-go, UM could have beaten Notre Dame, Toledo and maybe even Utah. But who knows.
Another quick question. Why would UM sign Rodriguez to a 6 year deal? Six years seems awfully long, especially the way this season has gone. 2 wins? And look at who we beat: Miami (OH) by 10 and Wisconsin, who is not nearly as good as anybody thought they'd be. This could easily have been an 0-9 season right now, if we wouldn't have pulled in out late in the game. My opinion (though probably wrong) is sign him for 3 years and see how he does, then if it doesn't work, go see what Les Miles is up to down in cajun country, and beg for him to return UM to glory. On the flip side, if he does fantastic after 3 years, then extend his contract. I have a hard time seeing the logic in this move, but that's why I don't hold Bill Martin's position.
Those are a few things I wanted to bring up, whether or not they have been mentioned on here before, I think they are some things that are deserved to be addressed. You may think I am a complete fool, but that is okay. I hope this can spark some discussions on here and find out what everyone else is thinking.
Don't you all miss John Cooper? I know I do. Beat OSU! In Rod I Trust.
November 4th, 2008 at 2:14 AM ^
November 4th, 2008 at 5:52 AM ^
November 4th, 2008 at 7:40 AM ^
November 4th, 2008 at 9:03 AM ^
IMO, he was happy there until the AD refused to give him money to pay his outstanding staff, meet reasonable demands for facilities upgrades, and do basic things to keep him happy. If the WVU athletic office was reasonably competent, he would have spent his career there. As a Michigan fan, I think we got really lucky catching him at the perfect moment where he was dissatisfied with his current job because of a boneheaded boss. I see no track record of job-jumping from him. If he gets an NFL HC offer (which means he's had great sustained success) then I will say goodbye and wish him well. Any other college seems like a lateral move at this point, and I don't see why he would want to leave unless UM was treating him unfairly.
You say that you are glad he left before you were put on probation? RR has no recruiting violations or bad history of any kind. The "destroyed records" were a joke--just another in a string of childish press moves by WVU. I think WVU fans need to get real and start getting upset with Pastilong rather than RR. He's the one that screwed you.
November 4th, 2008 at 10:30 AM ^
Pastilong gave Rodriguez everything he needed to win a national championship. All Rodriguez had to do is beat Pitt (I believe WVU was favored by 24) at home and then Ohio State in the BCS Bowl game which considering what the Mountaineers did to Oklahoma. What more did he want? I'd have to say that was doable, the reason WVU didn't win it's first national title is Rodriguez, not Pastilong. What was Rodriguez and most of his staff doing during the week leading up to the Pitt game? I'll tell you; they were making plans for a hasty departure. As for the destroyed records being a joke, not so. Rodriquez shredded boxes of documents before he left and only he and maybe some assistants know what was destroyed--maybe it was nothing of consequence, maybe it was. Do you honestly think all the great athletes that have signed on to WVU's football program over the past decade were legit? Do you believe that "Pacman" Jones and Chris Henry were student athletes? I don't blame any Michigan fans for being optimistic, Rodriguez is a damn good football coach but he is also a snake. I'm sure you have heard the story of the girl who rescues the frozen snake only to have the snake turn around and bite her the moment it thaws. The snake's excuse was "I'm a snake, what did you expect?"
I hope ya'll aren't expecting too much from the snake.
November 4th, 2008 at 10:37 AM ^
Pray tell, why are you on a Michigan blog if you are a WVU fan? To get in a few shots at the "snake"?
You stay classy, Morgantown!
November 6th, 2008 at 5:48 PM ^
I was just curious as to how the Wolverine fans were taking to their new coach. I see most are in denial, kind of like some people are after their dog gets hit by a school bus.
"Maybe he's just stunned." I understand.
Seriously, Michigan should have gone with an insider. Rodriguez doesn't see Michigan football as a sacred tradition. To him it's just a business and a bigger paycheck. As a lifelong fan of college football I have always respected Michigan, their traditions, the fierce loyalty of the fans and who in America doesn't know "Hail to the Victors" when they hear it?
There is no excuse for WVU losing to Pitt last year other than their coaching staff were seriously distracted. Rodriguez is a great coach and a genius for instituting the spread offense but as Michigan football fans, I'm sure you all know that it takes defensive coordinators a few years to catch up with a new offense and the spread will eventually go the way of the Wishbone. Does Rodriguez have another sure-fired offense up his sleeve?
How long untill Rodriguez starts blaming the school administration or the athletic department for the losing or has he already started that? Maybe if they give him just a little more money or better facilities the results will get better.
Ya'll need to have a little empathy for the WVU fan. Imagine if your coach, a native born son of Michigan and former Wolverine football player had your team on the brink of a national championship and quit a week before the Ohio State game in which Michigan is a heavy favorite at home. Think about how as a Michigan football fan you would feel.
Also, don't underestimate the power of a hillbilly mountain hex and remember the curse isn't directed at the Wolverine fans, just the coach. Maybe WVU and Michigan will meet in a bowl game someday. Wouldn't that be great? Of course it won't be this year but maybe next year, or the year after that.
November 6th, 2008 at 6:27 PM ^
November 6th, 2008 at 7:48 PM ^
November 4th, 2008 at 10:47 AM ^
November 4th, 2008 at 11:35 AM ^
November 4th, 2008 at 11:50 AM ^
November 5th, 2008 at 2:40 PM ^
I call BS on this story. Condoms in West Virginia? NO WAY.
November 4th, 2008 at 8:41 AM ^
We all share your pain. And at one point have asked the same questions.
I'll take a stab at "Biting the bullet." Overall not the best idea, in my opinion. As mentioned above, the transition is inevitable; therefore, the sooner the better. If the transition is this rough now, how much better would it be if we had done it next year? We'd have your Odoms, McGuffies etc., knowing/learning an offense that will become "legacy" once we convert to RR's offense. Would we have two series of practices, or just teach the new system from scratch (much like this year)? What would the format of practices be? Current Offense practice, and Future Offense practice? How time consuming and confusing would that be? It's important to get everyone to buy into the new system as early as possible- but especially the new players.
This may be a bad analogy but picture an organization going through a transitional phase of a new business/system process. Would you want to allow your new hires to use the legacy process/system or buy into and train immediately in the new system? How would you handle the current employees? Doesn't it make sense from a time and cost perspective to train them and have them buy into the new system as early as possible? (Disclaimer: This comment assumes that the RR offense is a better solution than the pro-style offense!)
I know all you hear is "be patient" but, but all we can do is be patient. Ann Arbor wasn't built over night.
November 4th, 2008 at 9:52 AM ^
November 4th, 2008 at 10:57 AM ^
November 5th, 2008 at 11:38 AM ^
Thank you. I figured some people would appreciate that.
Haha
Comments