I've been a Michigan fan for over thirty years now. I was originally born and raised in Ohio (2 hrs from dreaded Columbus) but now live in West Virginia (now 20 minutes from Morgantown). So you can imagine all the heckling, jeers, anti-Michigan/Rich Rod jokes, comments or anything negative about my beloved blue that I get. I have to be careful every time I travel to Morgantown in my Michigan hat and shirt. It's funy how people want to blame me or associate me with Rodriguez leaving WVU the way he did. In saying this, I have never witnessed such a downtrodden team in all the years I've watched Michigan football. I do remember the years when Earl Bruce seemed to own us but not on the consistency that Tressel does now. However, that being said I WILL NEVER GIVE UP ON THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN!!!! This by far has been one of the worst years but that's ok, I believe in the university, I believe in program, I believe in the prestige that is Michigan football. Michigan is bigger than the one man who has come in and radically changed the culture. Am I a big fan of Rich Rod? No, I'm not but I do believe he is a very good coach who has the ability to return Michigan to it's former prominence and dominance. Am I going to bash the current coaching staff and players for this seasons dismal failures? No, a new coaching staff with a radically different mindset and approach to the game will cause bumps in the road. I will admit, I did not expect a 3-9 season. I was one of the more optimistic people thinking Michigan would finish somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-4 or 7-5 for the season. I thought we had enough returning talent to overcome some of the learning curves his new system would entail. Being a former player and coach, I can definitely see that the defense played well in spurts but not nearly to the potential that they were capable of. I know some of the blame can go to the offensive struggles but not all can be attributed to them. Remember, this is year one in the transition period for Michigan. Next year I will personally set the bar higher because my expectations realize there will be a lot of returning talent especially at the skill positions. Quarterback again will be a concern because I think Forcier will be the eventual starter if he still comes to Michigan. I will always remain a Michigan Wolverine fan regardless the record, regardless the sport. My love for the University runs much deeper(and I'm not even a student or alum!). I've only been to one football game in my lifetime but that was enough. I got to experience the "Big House" and I loved every minute of it. I got to soak in all the tradition, all the fanfare, for one day I was in awe. I envy those of you who live there and go to games on a regular basis. I'm just a University of Michigan fan.