profitgoblue

January 4th, 2011 at 7:18 AM ^

Ahhhh, I remember the days of being awake at 4am voluntarily. . . Now I'm only up at that time if I hear profitgoblue jr. on the monitor saying "daaaaaaaaddy" in his room. Like a bolt of lightning I'm up, running into the shower thinking it's time to wake up. Good times.

Joined: 09/01/2009

MGoPoints: 19559

RowoneEndzone

January 4th, 2011 at 8:31 AM ^

Oh Lord, RowoneEndzone Jr. will be born in about 2 weeks.  Thanks for the pep talk.  But in about 3 more years we will have 3 generations sitting in Section 35 Row 1.  That is a day I really look forward to.

Joined: 09/27/2008

MGoPoints: 3693

kevin holt

January 4th, 2011 at 5:18 AM ^

that they got the story from the same source or from beginning in the freep. Admittedly, I haven't read either, but the freep is obviously not against starting shit that will look negative on us.

Also, +1 for 4AM linkage, and I'm pretty sure freep links automatically go to the print version, you don't have to do any extra work.

Joined: 03/16/2010

MGoPoints: 17447

Thorin

January 4th, 2011 at 4:42 AM ^

Article suggests he would stay at Stanford which goes against everything else we know. Could be that the emotion of the Orange Bowl win may have changed his thinking though.

Edit: Rivals link says he's leaning toward the 49ers.

Joined: 04/07/2009

MGoPoints: 15161

mrjblock24

January 4th, 2011 at 4:54 AM ^

Now I think we have to keep Rich Rod, unless we can get a guy like Meyer, Stoops, etc. I know I'm in the minority, but think about it.

1.) You give Rodriguez two years, I mean publically announce it that he will be back for 2011 & 2012 (of course barring total collapse next year). That would give him the stability to go out and hire a top notch DC, and also let him finish out Denard's career. We return 19 starters next year, and only lose 13-15 seniors the following season. No way we win less than 8 next year, and we could legitimately win 10.

2.) Best case scenario, the skies clear, it all works out and Rodriguez stays for another 10-15 years. Worst case scenario, Rodriguez hovers around the 7-9 win mark the next two seasons, the fanbase continues to be restless and he gets let go. In the meantime we'll all know by then if Brady Hoke is a legit candidate or not, and Jim Harbaugh would have scratched his NFL itch and could potentially make a return to college coaching his alma mater. Who knows, maybe even Meyer hasn't returned by then and would jump at the chance to take over a spread system.

I think it's too risky at this point to hire a guy like Hoke. I think we all have to admit that our best chance at having a big season next year is with Rodriguez at the helm.

Joined: 09/26/2009

MGoPoints: 778

friendlyNeighb…

January 4th, 2011 at 7:41 AM ^

wouldn't all the negative momentum be crushing at this point?

many on this board have commented on how the local media and public perception of rich rod have hurt the team. given that those memes have been amplified and repeated constantly the last couple weeks isn't that going to make it extremely hard for him to turn it around? if your plan is to fire your coach after 3 seasons, what miracles would he have to work to be retained for a 4th?

what top flight d coordinator is going to want to sign up for a ship that is likely to be sunk after next season? and, obviously as much as recruiting has been harmed this year, what about next year? given that a sizable chunk of kids commit even before the first game, rich rod isn't going to have any on-field opportunity to turnaround the negative narrative.

Joined: 04/17/2010

MGoPoints: 143

Blue in Yarmouth

January 4th, 2011 at 8:17 AM ^

but did you read his post or give up after he said RR should be retained?

He said retained and publicly given 2 years by the AD.

Honestly, change for the sake of change isn't always a good idea. I will be honest and say that up until the bowl game I was one of the people who have been solidly behind RR since he arrived (I was even a fan of his before he came) and a vocal supporter of him being retained another year.

Following the bowl game I did a lot of quiet reflection on the past three seasons. I am not one to rush out in an emotional s=tate and make rash decisions, so the time I took to reflect gave me a chance to really analyse what has transpired.

What I cam up with wasn't pretty. There was still alot of promise going forward and all of the reason for the teams struggles to this point still exist, but there was one issue that I couldn't explain away: Why have we never improved during the season?

Each year we have shown improvement, there isn't any question about that, but during the seasons, we never seem any better at the end then we were at the beginning. Look at Auburn. At the beginning of the year they looked like they would be lucky to win 7 games, but every wek they got better and are now playing for the national championship.

We make the same mistakes we did at the beginning of the year from tackiling, to poor zones, can't play man to man, to not containing, QB making bad reads, Wr's dropping balls, fumbles gallore, can't kick field goals, can't return kickoffs and on and on and on.

My point is from the beginning of this season, this team hasn't seem to get any better in any visible way, and that has got to be on the coaches, and for that reason I got used to the idea (and even began to like it) of JH coming to UM for the first time since all this talk started.

Now, after I finally came to that, it looks like JH may not be coming after all and many people are freaking outy about plan B. I don't know if DB has a plan B but my plan B would likely be in agreement with the guy above who says give RR another two years with a top notch DC and staff to take over our defense.

I just think if JH isn't coming, leave the HC the same and bring on a new defensive staff. That's MHE anyway.

Joined: 02/18/2009

MGoPoints: 6522

wolverine1987

January 4th, 2011 at 9:30 AM ^

Agree totally with the lack of in season improvement. The other thing that occurred to me thinking about Harbaugh--remember when Stanford upset SC a few years back with a terrible team? In three years of this staff, we have never beat anyone that we were not supposed to beat. Wisconsin in '08 is an arguable exception. But with Denard in place, even with Tate last year, many teams that are outmanned talent wise still manage the upset, even in the midst of bad seasons. We don't do that. Every team we play that is superior looks superior, and vastly so, when we play them. When have we rose up in the face of those odds, even once, overcome them and pulled off a big win against a better team? Never. And when we lose, we lose just like we've lost to all the other teams--same mistakes, same execution problems. I'm forced to conclude that this coaching staff is not up to the challenge. But despite that, I agree that if JH isn't coming, let's keep RR and see if I'm wrong.

Joined: 07/07/2008

MGoPoints: 18065

bringthewood

January 4th, 2011 at 9:48 AM ^

I don't want Hoke or someone with no track record of success.  As much as RR has sucked he does have a track record of success.  I'm concerned that all of the negativity could make next year a disaster but so could a coaching change.

I'm not in favor of Harbaugh as I think he would jump to the NFL in 3-4 years.  If we could really get a great plan B, maybe Pat Fitzgerald then I am okay.  If we keep RR I really think we do need to make a statement to keep him 5 years.

Joined: 09/07/2009

MGoPoints: 5552

M-Dog

January 4th, 2011 at 9:13 AM ^

we need to make a public iron-clad comittment that he is our coach for at least the remainder of his contract.  NO EXCEPTIONS.  We can not survive merely extending this "Is he gone?" circus into next year. 

We desperately need stability, and it starts with DB.  If this means that after each and every game DB has to release a public statement that we will be honoring RR's full contract, then so be it.  None of this twisting in the wind each year until the end of the bowls during peak recruiting season.

Joined: 07/06/2008

MGoPoints: 256996

snoopblue

January 4th, 2011 at 4:55 AM ^

I don't know what to believe. If the emotion of the win would make him want to stay at Stanford, he would have said something after the game or at the press conference. It's how we've come to know Harbaugh. Instead, he dodged the issue, made it about the teams' performance and the game. Maybe this is all a ploy to create conflicting reports and end the Michigan speculation so it creates a larger buzz when he actually does take the job. Do I sound crazy? This isn't good for me.

Joined: 11/11/2009

MGoPoints: 2126

snoopblue

January 4th, 2011 at 5:10 AM ^

maybe its time someone posts a diary in defense of brady hoke because he seems to have a bad wrap. I watched some of SDSU's highlights and they look pretty solid. Is Scott Loeffler an option?

Joined: 11/11/2009

MGoPoints: 2126

coachclen

January 4th, 2011 at 6:44 AM ^

of CC threads, but I am a little surprised at the reaction to Hoke. I mean, I know he is not a sexy name...."the hot" prospect (though several teams with vacancies did inquire about him).

 

BUT.... how many games as a head coach did Gary Moeller win before UM? Uh...zero? What about Lloyd Carr? Uh....same story. Yes, they were promoted from "within the family" but they had no head coaching experience. Those hires seem to work out well. 

Hoke has won at both schools he has commanded, has recruiting ties to the midwest (which people seem to underestimate) and now the west coast.... he has been a part of a National Championship team.... he has the power tor bring back some people connected to the university, like Mr. Loeffler and he is a defensive minded coach....

To say things like "I'm not going to watch Michigan if they hire Hoke" which somone said yesterday... seems irrational. He may not be choice A...but IMHO he is a solid pick.

Joined: 10/13/2010

MGoPoints: 1119

Coach D

January 4th, 2011 at 5:15 AM ^

It seems pretty clear, that Harbaugh does want to do both (Michigan and the NFL).  So if he comes to Michigan now, he will assuredly leave withn 3-5 years to to go the NFL.  Or he gambles on doing it the other way.  Obviously taking the 49ers job now would be the least disruption to his family.  

I think in JH's perfect world, he coaches in the NFL 5-8 seasons, he wins a Super Bowl or two, and then the M job opens up again, and he lives out his coaching career in Ann Arbor

Joined: 08/28/2008

MGoPoints: 13