DB-It's not too Late
Ok every tackle Kris Frost makes in this game makes me want to cry. Press Conference on Monday is coming.
Welcome everyone I want to announce that the next coach of the Michigan Wolverines will be Rich Rodriguez. I am fully aware that this decision will be be ridiculed across the nation, but it is the correct choice. After doing a complete search of the available candidates it has become clear that Rich was the best man for the job and I am willing to stand up here before you and admit I made a mistake. Our fan base was fractured and I thought bringing in a man like Jim Harbaugh could unite the Michigan family. I have realized over the last couple of days that trying to unite this fan base is impossible. I struggled with the decision originally and I may have given into pressure just so we could have peace and move forward. This was a mistake.
This is not a 1 year decision Rich will be here for many years, for those of you not happy with the decision I want you to know that I don't really care. We are going to win and win big soon. To the former players and prominent alumni, I invite you to come view the program up close and see for yourself why this was the right move. If you are still not happy feel free to contact me and express your concerns and I will listen and consider them. For those of you who go public with your negative comments be prepared to not be welcomed back.
Rich will not take any questions as he is on the road talking to Hart, Lyons, Frost, Bryant and the rest of his recruiting class. He did want me to relay the message "fuck off" and please be aware you are no longer welcome. Fort Schembechler is back up and running and we've put up a new state of the art security system. You'll be made aware of our new defensive coordinator thru my blog, now get the fuck off my campus.
January 8th, 2011 at 2:49 PM ^
As a RR supporter I only wish this was true
January 8th, 2011 at 2:50 PM ^
a CEO and either totally stupid or completely arrogant person like our AD will never publically admit such a mistake
January 8th, 2011 at 5:41 PM ^
Rich Rodriguez is the best available coach in college football right now. His players adore him. He'd be absolutely perfect for the offensive personnel we have right now.
Now, there was an NCAA investigation of the program he was with last year. But in an extraordinary, almost unprecedented decision, the NCAA reversed itself on a charge that Rodriguez had not encouraged an atmosphere of compliance at that school. (I forget what school it was.) The most detailed press accounts now agree that it was all a lot of NCAA and media bullshit; a silly investigation. Even that school's AD, some guy named Brandon who used to be a corporate big shot, said so.
This guy Rodriguez would clearly be a steal for us right now. Anybody know where he's at now?
January 8th, 2011 at 5:49 PM ^
Where is RR? I think he's holding down the top spot in the Michigan record books for:
-Worst record in history
-Worst BigTen record in history
-Worst defense in history
He's gone and deserves to be gone. It's time to move on.
January 8th, 2011 at 2:52 PM ^
had me dreaming of what could have been.
January 8th, 2011 at 2:53 PM ^
He is a "Michigan Man" that the alumni so badly want. He does have 3 years experience at Michigan.
January 8th, 2011 at 2:53 PM ^
I said I wouldn't post again but I hope all you RR haters are happy. I can understand fans not seeing the big picture but wow Dave Brandon. Hope your all happy, cause I'm not I'm pissed as hell. More sad than anything. I thought he would see it, I held out hope until the very end. There is no reason to even explain what it is either.....if you have half a brain you can see what it is...
January 8th, 2011 at 2:53 PM ^
I keep thinking "What would be so bad about pulling a Stephen Ross and deciding to keep the HC after he's been fired?" (well, virtually fired in Sparano's case.)
January 8th, 2011 at 3:14 PM ^
It would lead to a very, very awkward next 12 months for all involved.
January 8th, 2011 at 2:54 PM ^
Well he is available after all.
January 8th, 2011 at 2:58 PM ^
I miss Dee so much, it gets pretty hard to watch him decommit from Michigan considering I've been waiting for him to come to here since his freshman year.
January 8th, 2011 at 3:13 PM ^
I miss Dee so much, it gets pretty hard to watch him decommit from Michigan considering I've been waiting for him to come to here since his freshman year.
This is a little obsessive.
January 8th, 2011 at 3:03 PM ^
January 8th, 2011 at 3:04 PM ^
How about instead of slamming DB, or RR, or JH, we instead just back our AD, and support 100% whichever coach he hires?
January 8th, 2011 at 3:19 PM ^
no thanks. he screwed up bad already and is accountable.
January 8th, 2011 at 3:23 PM ^
You don't know that. Auburn fans were convinced their AD screwed up two years ago. Give it a chance.
January 8th, 2011 at 3:31 PM ^
From the equation and Auburn is probably a three loss team. Let's see where that team is in two seasons.
January 8th, 2011 at 3:36 PM ^
So they'd be 10-3? That record sounds pretty good right now. Sure, it's anyone's guess where they'll be in two years, but you certainly can't conclude right now that he was a bad hire.
January 8th, 2011 at 3:43 PM ^
Remove Denard "Shoelace" Robinson and U-M probably has two (ND, IU), maybe three fewer wins.
Just sayin'.
January 8th, 2011 at 4:49 PM ^
But Michigan had Denard because of RR. That is the whole point, RR found talent and developed it on offense. And he was working on the other side of the ball also. Your arguement is invalid.
January 8th, 2011 at 5:28 PM ^
And he was working on the other side of the ball also.
Not very well, I'm afraid - which is a big reason why he's now gone.
January 8th, 2011 at 4:29 PM ^
NCAA is looking into Newton's finances again....Oregon wins by forefit?
January 8th, 2011 at 3:32 PM ^
and RR is not? You guys are fucking pathetic
January 8th, 2011 at 3:33 PM ^
DB is trying to clean up the mess BM made and there was no easy path forward. BM is at fault and let an embittered LC set the terms three years ago.
January 8th, 2011 at 3:32 PM ^
When executives in corporate or public industry screw up they are held accountable. DB has a chance to make this right but if we get Brady Hoke and lose an entire class he should rightly be criticized and put on a very short leash. Rewarding incompetence with unconditional support is not logical and given how DB treated RR I am guessing he would also agree with that sentiment
January 8th, 2011 at 3:38 PM ^
I will back our new coach 100%, no matter who it is. But I don't have to "back" the AD, who is not the football team, but is doing everything in his power to absolutely destroy it. It's hard to argue that Brandon has been anything but totally incompetent in his handling of the coaching search thus far.
January 8th, 2011 at 4:53 PM ^
As a fanbase, 100% support is really not something we're used to giving.
January 8th, 2011 at 5:44 PM ^
"...and support 100% whichever coach he hires?"
Some quotes require no commentary.
January 8th, 2011 at 3:16 PM ^
The ship has sailed. Pining over the guy like he's an ex-lover isn't going to help things any. There are a number of good coaches out there. Have faith that our AD can find one of them. Kelvin Grady, and the unnamed player who said a "weight had been lifted off [his] shoulders" are doing that.
January 8th, 2011 at 3:17 PM ^
Only if the team would have played better in the bowl game and of course the coaches wold of done a better job preparing the team for this game...then I think there was a chance that DB would have kept RR. The defensive disaster falls on RR, the buck stop at the head coach. Even if given another year our defense is so weak, we would be back at this same point next year! Now if we could have kept RR through 2012, then I would have been happy!
January 8th, 2011 at 3:17 PM ^
DB lost all my respect, if Harbaugh wasn't guaranteed why fire Rich?!!?!?
....smh
January 8th, 2011 at 3:26 PM ^
Ziff72 I agree wholeheartedly. Would just add that DB should say he has insisted on a real and true fix to the defense, solid new DC. Otherwise I love the post. Pretty much my sentiments. I am, after many, many years, seeing my respect for my UM diminish.
January 8th, 2011 at 3:29 PM ^
I feel like I'm the only person who would rather have Hoke than Rich Rod? IMO, Rich Rod had to go after our bowl game loss. He has no idea how to improve the defense, he's made multiple bad hires on the defensive staff, and no respectable DC would come into this situation anyway. Whenever he spends more time with the defense, it gets worse.
Don't get me wrong, this situation fucking blows and Hoke was near the bottom of my list. But I'd rather lose three recruits than have 1/3 of a football team
January 8th, 2011 at 3:34 PM ^
You a positing a false choice. We could have had Brady Hoke before DB's press conference on Wednesday, which would have at least given us a chance to land Frost, Lyons, etc. If DB runs an ineffective coach search process and we end up with Hoke anyways (sans recruits and players lost during this limbo period) DB has failed utterly
January 8th, 2011 at 3:38 PM ^
Any coach-search strategy that is geared toward saving one recruiting class is incredibly shortsighted.
January 8th, 2011 at 5:23 PM ^
I think the problem with the current delay is that DB knew RR was done long ago. If DB wanted to wait until after the bowl game, that was fine, but he should have had his ducks in a row. Lose out on Harbaugh...ok...who's next? He shouldn't be setting up a search days after the firing and letting all these coaches use the Michigan job for either leverage on their own contracts or an opportunity to snub Michigan.
Short sighted is the endless repetition of the notion that we need a "spread" coach. Pat Fitzgerald...yeah...he really kills it at NW. Let's give him a chance to hold his nose up at us. The Boise State coach...we think he'll be the answer, why? Long term thinking is thinking of the next coach (and possibly the coach after) many months ago. I personally think we'll be fine with Miles (although his NCAA issues concern me). I think we'll be fine with Hoke (assuming we line up top coordinators, including, possibly Loeffler as OC). If we're going to make a change of style (and why should we be married to RR's system of 3 years), we need to give the new coach a chance to get started on that rebuild without further delay.
January 8th, 2011 at 5:26 PM ^
I don't disagree with any of that. But given where we are now, I don't want him to make a panicked decision just to save the recruiting class. He should make one pretty soon, but if he needs an extra couple of days for whatever reason to make it, that's fine.
January 8th, 2011 at 5:48 PM ^
Fair. Maybe what bothers me the most is the recent hire of a search firm. This should have been lined up to coincide with the RR firing (at the latest). That's the most inexplicable of delays.
January 8th, 2011 at 6:13 PM ^
January 8th, 2011 at 3:39 PM ^
we could have had Hoke as soon as the clock read 00:00 at the Ohio State game. It seems like this mess is getting worse by the hour.
January 8th, 2011 at 3:44 PM ^
Perhaps, but imagine the shitstorm if Brandon had done that without going after Harbaugh first. It's a catch-22 for the guy. Let's just sit tight and wait to see what happens.
January 8th, 2011 at 3:35 PM ^
Yup, you're it. This team and program is in no way better than it was a week ago, it's a mess. RR should have been kept unless Harbaugh was ready to sign
January 8th, 2011 at 3:40 PM ^
I feel like I'm the only person who would rather have Hoke than Rich Rod?
Quite a few former players feel this way.
January 8th, 2011 at 4:55 PM ^
Yes, but find a current player who feels that way
January 8th, 2011 at 5:08 PM ^
How would they know anything about him? None of them have ever played for him.
January 8th, 2011 at 7:33 PM ^
Exactly.
My point is, old players shouldn't matter. While RR certainly made his own bed in this whole situation, Dhani Jones and the like mouthing off about how they'd "had enough" after two bad seasons certainly didn't help things along.
Listening to players who wore maize and blue clamoring for "the same old Michigan" is a good way to get dragged back into a coaching tree that won just as many games against OSU as RichRod did in their last 3 years.
January 8th, 2011 at 5:14 PM ^
He was out of line to tweet that.
January 8th, 2011 at 5:26 PM ^
Players will almost always prefer their current (or very recent) coach because that's the guy they know. The players will come to love the new coach, whoever he is.