Coach Rodriguez' upcoming metamorphosis into a Michigan Man

I dont think they have much access anymore.  And most that do dont care to take advantage of it.  I believe that is how the whole Rosenberg smear job started, because Rich Rod cut the medias access and since Rosenberg went to UofM he felt he should be given more.

Thank you!

I am sick of this "Michigan Man" BS. I just want our coach to win football games. I do not give a fuck if he's a Michigan Man, which frickin meaningless anyway.

I like your idea that the time is coming when the majority of the M fan base accepts RR.  I agree that will come with sustained winning, and people seeing what his offense can do with high levels of talent. 

I hope you're right that it will come this year. I doubt it will occur on September 4th, though.  First, that's a tough matchup.  Second, even if we do well, the majority of M fans will discount the success as "it's just UCONN," probably without a lot of understanding that UCONN is a good team.

I think that moment will only come with 9 or more wins, probably only with a Big10 championship, and truly hit home only after a win over Tosu (think Bo 1969).  That will happen in the not too distant future. Unlikely this year, but possible next. 

I can't wait for Drew Sharp's article titled "Rich Rodriguez wins hearts of entire fan base, finally becoming the coach everyone thought he would be from the start."

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He'll write that if we win lots of games, right?

It is at this critical juncture, when Coach Rodriguez is considered for the first time, a true Michigan Man by the M faithful, traditionalists and modernists alike.

You can bet your last Loony that this is what he spends his waking hours trying to achieve...

 The team is light years...yes...light years ahead of last season. 

It would be just one light year ahead of last season though, right? I mean if a team could theoretically travel at the speed of light...

Best. User Gen-Content. Evrrrr.

I thought RR opened up The Fort compared to the Carr days.  Good thread though, the improvement of our QB's reads and ball security will mean moderate improvement.  Then add in continuity of the team and coaches by having another year together......whala! (sp?)

Great post my friend!  I'm in the same boat when talking about UCONN.  We have never had a chip on our shoulder like we do today.  UCONN has no clue what they are coming into, let alone the Reinauguration of the Big House.  RR will have this team focused like we've ever seen.

Redemption is going to taste sweet!!! 

...but to lose your best player (B. Graham), your best corner (Warren), your best LB (S. Brown), your top two RBs, and your most experienced/reliable WR (Mathews) -- not to mention your last six games against arguably beatable FBS competition -- and still assert that this team is "light years" ahead of last year?

Not sure I can jump on that wagon just yet.

Having said that, I remain cautiously optimistic (or perhaps just hopeful) that we'll finally see the RR "second-year bump" in the third year.  Unfortunately, prior comparisons on this blog and elsewhere have demonstrated a lack of similarity between U-M's returning personnel and those of the programs that RR previously inherited.

And having said that, I expect our QB play to be improved and more consistent this year, which will definitely help.  When your D can't stop anybody, a good O is probably your best D.

uconn want know what to do when it's 21-0 in the first quater, like gucci mane says it's over!!! man this guy is insane, we will win at least 9 games this year

Honestly, it isn't impossible that we go 6-6 this year. I think the phrase "it's hard to see Michigan doing BETTER than that" is complete BS, but I am wary to get excited these days. There's no point in calling stupid columnists wrong until we actually win 7 games.

I'm sorry, but this is not a diary.  If you want to post about this on a board topic, sure whatever, people will react, probably still get a laugh, life will go on.  This however, doesn't tell us anything new, it doesn't provide us great insite, it doesn't give statistical knowledge that could validate our thinking.  This isn't a reimagining of Donte's Inferno, which I don't even know belongs as a Diary, but FA is a mod so at least he has some validation and what he's writing is at least creative.  This is a prediction, and a not that well informed of one at that.  The critics won't change their mind at half time against U-Conn, the critics won't change their mind after this season, the critics are going to continue to be critics until winning becomes the norm for years.  Sure, a few people will say "see, told you so," but they said that after Western and ND last year.  I support RR, but this is just not a good diary and I'm tired of some of these poorly made "diaries" that are just predictions and rah-rah speeches.  Some how, some way, something needs to be defined to stop this from happening as much as it already does, and I think that means that people need to stay around these parts longer to understand the qualitiy of the real diaries is "light-years" beyond this, and that this doesn't belong.

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I claimed that Michigan fans should be able to gauge just how improved, or not, Greg Robinson's defense is by the end of the 1st quarter vs. UConn.  I believe this because the Huskies lost their best receivers last fall, and are going to be run-centric football team in 2010 with a good QB, a proven tailback, and a punishing, NFLesque offensive line.  UConn also has a very good DL and LB corps. Their defensive secondary, much like Michigan's, has really stunk in the past.

UConn 2010 is your prototypical "Wisconsin Lite".  They deserve a lot of respect after all the shit they went through last year as a football team.

If Michigan shuts down UConn's run effectively (and then scores 28 points as you say) then yeah, Michigan should be able to hold their own in the Big Ten against the run and gain bowl eligibility with ease.  Effective run defense (and scoring defense) are the key 20% of the Pareto principle for Big Ten football success that Michigan has to get right.  PSU and OSU have mastered this 20% the last 5 years and it's why they've been winning most of the B10 titles.  You don't need a great offense nor Charles Woodson and a great secondary to get to a bowl game. Just see Northwestern and MSU.

If Michigan can just slow down the run then they'd at least be better positioned than last year to upset a few teams including Iowa, MSU, PSU and maybe some others.

Sadly 6-6 is a definite possibility given what little we know about Michigan's fortune with injuries on offense, the poor team depth on defense, a completely inexperienced and unknown kicking game for 2010 and poor run/scoring defense up to this point.   

Personally I think fans should be "satisfied" this year with 7-5 plus a bowl win.  I know no one will be because "We're Michigan dammit!".  Seems to me most are closing their eyes to Michigan's schedule: 7 of Michigan's 12 opponents this year won their bowl games.  Last year Michigan also faced 7 bowl teams, but only 2 won their bowl games (ND and Iowa).   

the defense.  i don't doubt UM will put up 30+ pts per game in 2010 (barring serious QB injuries).  i just hope the D gives up less.  that's my biggest concern.

I don't consider 5-7 last year a miracle in any way. I was saying 6-6, but most people on MGoBlog were saying 7-8 wins. 5 wins was a disappointment, even if we hadn't started out 4-0. We should have beaten 2 out of MSU, Illinois, and Purdue.

I wish someone would finally write a "Captain's Log" including dramatic James T. Kirk pauses and inflections about the discovery of Denard Robinson and Craig "Death" Roh.

I hope the team does well and RR finally proves himself as a top notch coach. But this team is still awfully young without a proven defense. I would not be surprised if we only make it to 6-6 but as long as the team improves throughout the season , then I will be pleased that we are starting to rebuild back to UM standards. Injuries are a factor nobody can predict, so I'm hopeful the team stays relatively healthy.  As always, no matter the record, I will always enjoy another UM football season.  Here's hoping the team can win 9 or 10 games!!! It makes me think of that old Sammy Hagar song "High Hopes", hopefully they're not wasted!

Things I learned from this diary:

• We were almost 6-0 to start last season, which makes any prediction of less than six wins for this season preposterous.
• Somehow Ryan Mallett was not properly accounted for in Lynn Henning's prediction of 6-6 this season.
• We are light-years better than last year.  YES - light-years!
• Winning six games is easy!
• We will be ahead 28-0 on UConn at halftime.  WOOOOO!!! GO BLUE!!!
• This single half of football will, by itself, turn around Michigan's season - nay - the entire program.
• At halftime the ghost of Fritz Crisler will rise and enter the Michigan locker room and bestow "Michigan Man" on RR.
• The Pope himself will lead Michigan onto the field for the second half and all in the Big House will rise and unite.
• Finally: Michigan will have returned to form after just this one half of football.  The next 23 halves of football be damned!

I would also like to point out that in last year's season opener we led at halftime 31-0. 

I honestly will never understand how people get so bent out of shape about these season-is-months-away "here's how they'll finish!" articles.  Sports writers do this every single year, it's always 100% informed conjecture, and there's no way any of them are ever to be taken as anything more than "it's July, what else do we have to talk about?"  Yet, every year, some sports writer says he thinks Michigan won't be as good as the MGoCommunity thinks they will, and the meltdowns begin.

Someone says Michigan will finish 6-6, they're the biggest villain on earth.  Someone says Michigan will finish 9-3 or 10-2, they're the second coming.  And at the end of the day, none of us know anything until the games are actually played.  There's no reason to pile on Lynn Henning or any other writer who writes an article like this.

before we should be getting bent out of shape over 6-6 predictions.

After the last two seasons, dismissing out of hand the possibility that we might not get any further than 6-6 is substituting blind faith for proven performance. There are far many more unknowns with this team than established facts.

That doesn't mean we don't root for RR and the players and Michigan with every fiber of our being, and there's nothing wrong at all with being optimistic about our potential. That's the rub, though—we're having to rely on the alleged potential of far too many players, and on the ability of our coaching staff to realize and maximize that potential.

All that being said, Lynn Henning is still a massive tool.