I've got nothing left

I feel the exact same way. But I think regardless of which direction we go, we'll get better little by little. I think RR/JH can both improve this program, and it certainly won't take another 3 years.

Reading the posts tonight...we're turning into Notre Dame.  I can't imagine a worse fate, but it's happening before our eyes.

Our offense produces a lot of points despite our defense giving up 14-play, 6+ minute drives every time.  With even a marginal improvement on defense, this offense will put up outrageous stats next year.  There will be some defensive improvmenent simply because all of the freshmen will no longer be freshmen and because Woolfolk will return, and perhaps we will get a new DC.  Next year still looks good, even though the last three games have been disappointing.  We have to keep RR, and Brandon needs to open the checkbook to bring in the best DC money can buy.

Notre Dame's coaches would come in, go 9-3, write a book, have great recruiting classes, and then implode gloriously for a year or two. Then, when those great recruiting classes got to be juniors/Seniors, the new coach would be hired, go 9-3, write a book, have great recruiting classes, and then implode gloriously... you see the pattern.

We, on the other hand, had a ROUGH transition, with the 2006 & 2007 recruiting classes be worth next to nothing (with killers like MM & BG aside). Each year we HAVE improved. This year we have the #2 offense in the country, after looking like the lollipop guild for two years. Now, our defense is feeling the effects of the 2006/2007 fiasco + losing 6 DBs in the offseason. We have some players/recruits coming in, we have some YOUNG talent on the team who should be redshirting in any situation that is normal.

IF we keep RR, we will have a great chance of having a successful season next year (we were 1-2 stops from having 7 wins), with some serious success available in 2012 when this young defensive backfield are all Junior 3 year starters, and we have a Senior Denard @ QB (backed up by RS Soph Gardner), Senior Lewan at LT, sophomore D. Hart... etc. If we switch coaches right now, we will most likely have a number of players leave (which we can't afford), we will lose a recruiting class, and dig ourselves into a deeper hole then we are already in... which would make us Notre Dame. Look at O'Brien at NC State. It is 3-4 years to start getting some wins, and he didn't inherit a serious player lacking situation.

When you are going through Hell, keep on moving. There are lights at the end of the tunnel. They are just farther away then any of us would like.

If I knew beforehand we would have zero turnovers against Penn State  -  I would have bet everything I own that we would win.  This Penn State team just isn't very good ... but we are fucking horrible.  DR's arm must still be bad because he never went deep ... and if PSU had any cornerbacks they would have tacked on 2 pick 6's.

WTF are we doing letting the clock run out in the first half on a 4th and 2 at the 50 (there was 45 secs. left)  -  but then going for it on a 4th and 8 fromour own 30 with nearly 5 minutes left in the game ??? 

Also note to RR  -  never, never, never EVER run the I formation (see first series)  -  with the spread offense ... this may work in a zero defense league such as the Big East, but it will not work in the Big Ten.  Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth ?

I know it was painful game for all Michigan fans ... but for those of us at the game ... well it was bewilderling.  At breakfast the room was filled with us despondant U of M fans.  When the talk is about ND or MSU to make us feel better ... we have REAL problems.

I am sooo tired of having my tailgate be the best thing about football  ...  the way it is for Indiana football (which btw is the ONLY team we can beat) and thy don't give a shit about football.

Go Blue !

We are not Notre Dame, we are more along the lines of Indiana.  We can clean up in the non-conference and then we get exposed (and stomped) in B10 play.  I guess the last two matchups with Indiana actually were the most indicative of where this team was last year and remains today.  Those games were so close it almost looked like Michigan was playing themselves: Big Offense, No Defense.

I have been trying to imagine scenarios where RR is safe as coach and I think it takes at least two more wins unless the single win were against OSU.  I can imagine us losing to Purdue after last year's debacle, though I see us winning that game.  Does Purdue plus a victory over Illinois keep RR?  That would be a maybe at best at this point.  

At this point I want RR to stay, but mostly because I think Michigan gives coaches every opportunity to prove themselves and that is a good thing.  It may be the reason another coach will want to step in should RR not work out.  Harbaugh, though I loathe how he threw Michigan under the bus on the recruiting trail, admittedly is a nice option to have out there, but I don't think he is going to leave Stanford to go anywhere else while Michigan is still an obvious near-term opportunity.

No question in my mind at this point though, this team better on offense and worse on defense and in total the equivalent to the 2009 team.  The defense is more Mindf***ed with each progressive thrashing, the DBs are playing more tentative than ever after being shuffled and GERG is not instilling confidence or even leading them.  Martin getting hurt took away the only thing making this defense remotely capable, and they are just a big bag of suck at this point.  Rabble Rabble Rabble...

Taking the long view, this experiment is all but over.  RR is 4-16 in the Big 10, and I don't see how this will work out.  Denard Robinson sure is fun to watch though, we've got that going for us.

It's hard to say, let a lone do, but just hang in there. All the pain will pay off.

With or without a coaching change, defensively the cupboard is still bare. How is that possible after 3 years? Is it because guys we've recruited/admitted didn't pan out? Is it because they left? We may have a lot of young talent, but how talented are they? Without Martin, Royster has a monster night and we let a green QB gain confidence with every minute of play. Joe Pa and staff were humane by not tacking on more points. Zook and Tiller won't be as kind.

As much as I still think it is a matter of having patience (which I  admit I have very little of this morning), I am still hoping that David Brandon made a phone call last night asking Jim if he was ready to come home.

Even if we are replacing our coach in the offseason. The good thing about the makeup of our team is that we are young and the majority of those guys will be back new coach or not. Our schedule next year is fairly kind and should yield 8-12 wins. The big ten will not be as strong next year (save Nebraska) and I firmly believe Dave Brandon, should he fire Rodriguez, sees the holes. Losing recruits is a big deal but it is not like our class is loaded with top ranked guys. A new coach will bring his recruits in and we should be fine because we are not going to bring in a no-name guy who can't recruit. Our future successes (next year and the following) will be determined by the guys on the team now, not the guys we will be signing this year. I would hate to see Rodriguez fired for a number of reason but with the right hire we will be back next year, we have the talent, it is just not fully developed yet.

I also want to strike others when these losses aren't taken as bitterly as they should be. Unfortunately, I acted on this impulse last night. I was booked on assault and battery. I explained to the sergeant how much of my happiness and self worth is tied up into the results of the UM football game each weekend. He let me go with a warning - "Get a life" he said.