Dee Hart stats 12/3

Submitted by Maize and Blue… on

Since we still have a chance with him.  It appears if he's not going to enroll early out of concerns for who his coach would be that he's giving us every chance in the world.

Last night DP fell behind by 2 TDs but rallied to win 38-28.  Hart had 21 carries for 218 yards and 2 TDs.  Accounted for 324 total yards and had two TDs called back due to penalties.  On the negative side he lost two fumbles- too much on his mind maybe?

StephenRKass

December 4th, 2010 at 6:21 AM ^

DB fires RR & brings on Jimmy, we lose Dee and many more to boot. I think that Frost and Walls would be in this camp too.

I am convinced most of the current team is strongly loyal to RR, more so than they are loyal to Michigan. I also believe that many of the incoming recruits feel the same way. Harbaugh might fit at Michigan, but not with the current composition of our team. And this is not just about pro-scheme vs. spread. The style, the personality, of RR & his staff are very different than Harbaugh. Cut RR and bring on Harbaugh, I think one of the first casualties is Denard. While DB can't be held hostage, he isn't an idiot. If he knows that canning RR & bringing on Harbaugh would bring about significant numbers of transfers from the current team, as well as the loss of many commitments, would he be wise to pull that trigger? I think not.

There will be huge collateral damage in player personnel if there is a coaching change. And players are not interchangable parts. The loss in players would mean at least 4 more years of futility. As much as DB doesn't like it, his hands are tied significantly.

Communist Football

December 4th, 2010 at 7:12 AM ^

They contend that most of the key players, including Denard, would stay and that JH would be able to run a spread offense to adapt to the personnel. Personally I agree with you -- there will be significant disruption.
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<br>And, as has been pointed out in previous threads, if you're going to fire RR but keep his offense, what's the point of firing him, when you can simply overhaul the defensive staff instead?

Magnus

December 4th, 2010 at 7:28 AM ^

I'm also in the camp of people hoping the defensive staff gets overhauled, but one of my issues with Rodriguez is the deployment of his personnel.  Whether it's been him or Greg Robinson, it's ultimately Rodriguez's responsibility for guys playing out of position (Cam Gordon, Obi Ezeh, Craig Roh, etc.).  It's also Rodriguez's responsibility/fault that the 3-3-5 has been implemented with defensive coordinators who clearly aren't adept at running it.

I don't necessarily want Rodriguez fired.  But that's one of the issues that David Brandon needs to consider.  I said this on my blog post a few days ago, but if Brandon has to tell Rodriguez who to hire and what defense to run and not to screw it up . . . why doesn't David Brandon just coach the team himself?  It would have to be somewhat disconcerting to have a head coach who needs to be told what to do himself.

MWW6T7

December 4th, 2010 at 7:36 AM ^

I agree 100% but hopefully that wont be the case.  I think the hardest thing for RR to do is going be to clean house first and get rid of "his" staff of the defensive side of the ball.  Once that gets done and their are no more personal ties to the assistants I would hope that it would be run more like it should and he can hire the right person to come in and let that DC hire his own staff to fit his scheme.

mGrowOld

December 4th, 2010 at 8:27 AM ^

I agree with you that the D needs a complete overhaul but you're making the assumption RR doesn't see that himself and is not planning on the same thing, regardless of what DB mandates.  for all his faults in song selection he isn't stupid and HAS to see what the defensive shortcomings are doing to his own career.  The sticking point will probably be with the assistants as they've been RR's "boys" and he will probably have difficult time releasing them himself.  Not easy to fire your friends. 

 My guess (and boy is this an uneducated guess) would be that Rich is hoping to get Casteel and in doing so could retain his buddies as they are Jeff's buddies too.  If he can't then he will need to bring in a fresh, new DC (again) and let him be the bad guy when he cleans house.

Magnus

December 4th, 2010 at 8:45 AM ^

I agree with you that the D needs a complete overhaul but you're making the assumption RR doesn't see that himself and is not planning on the same thing, regardless of what DB mandates.

No offense, but this is not an assumption.  It is a fact.  Rodriguez proved back in 2008 that he didn't know how to handle his defensive staff when he castrated Scott Shafer and made the team switch to a 3-3-5 overnight.  He gave Shafer about 8 games before pulling the rug out from under him, and he gave Greg Robinson 12 games (the whole 2009 season) before doing the same.

If Rodriguez had any clue how to run a defense, Michigan wouldn't have reached the point where they gave up 39 points a game in the Big Ten.  That's a ridiculous statistic, and when the defense gets progressively worse over three years, there is ample evidence to believe that Rodriguez should coach his fancy, high-powered offense and leave the defense to someone capable of putting together a crew who can stop, in Gordon Gee's words, "The Little Sisters of the Poor" (i.e. UMass) from scoring 37 points.

TSimpson77

December 4th, 2010 at 12:35 PM ^

We couldn't have stopped my old high school team and we sucked. I think trust is an issue with RR. We either need Casteel(whom RR trusts) or a DC with some balls to say I don't know how to run the 3-3-5 but this is what has worked for me. We need a proven DC that can earn RR trust.

mGrowOld

December 4th, 2010 at 9:04 AM ^

I would respectfully note that when one's job is on the line as RR's is now the ability to make tough decisions goes up exponentially.  In 2008 and even 2009 Rich wasn't under the pressure he faces today.  And I believe that he was hoping (as we were all hoping) that year II of Gerg would lead to better results as the players became more comfortable under his leadership.  Obviously ramming a new set down Gerg's throat that he was unfamiliar with proved to be a disaster and I'll bet even RR wishes he could get a cosmic do-over on that one.

Either way I think we agree on the key points.  Gerg's gotta go and the assistants gotta go UNLESS Casteel is coming in.  And the new DC - whoever he is - gets to pick his own staff and run his own schemes.

StephenRKass

December 4th, 2010 at 8:29 AM ^

to support RR & all his staff blindly. One of the characteristics of a good coach is to accept and integrate constructive yet negative criticism. If RR can receive candid yet painful direction from DB, we will have the best of all possible worlds. How DB administers painful medicine, and how RR receives it, is actually the biggest issue I can see.

davidhm

December 4th, 2010 at 8:55 AM ^

assuming a coaching change is made, I would not be surprised to see both Tate and Denard transfer.  Considering neither have redshirted, they both could transfer, sit out and still have 2 years of eligibility.  I believe Devin would remain and would perform well.  While we wouldn't have a good two-deep at QB, the position would still be better than 2008.

Any other player defections, while they would hurt the program, would not rise to the level in which the QB position would be affected.    

Magnus

December 4th, 2010 at 9:20 AM ^

I highly doubt that both QBs would transfer.

If Rodriguez stays, maybe Forcier leaves for greener pastures.  Robinson would almost surely stay.

If Harbaugh comes, maybe Robinson leaves for another zone read option program.  Forcier would almost surely stay because he's a pocket passer more in the mold of what Harbaugh seems to want.

And I think Gardner stays either way, as well.

There might be other attrition that would come with a coaching change, but the QB position wouldn't be affected a great deal.

Dreisbach1817

December 4th, 2010 at 10:02 AM ^

If Harbaugh comes, Denard will be our starting QB in 2011.  I think he can play in Harbaugh's offense and could add a dimension which could make our offense electric. 

Denard is developing into a decent passer.  Obviously needs work on his accuracy and touch pass down the field.  But with his atheticism, Harbaugh would be crazy not to use his skills.

Magnus

December 4th, 2010 at 10:08 AM ^

Denard's passing skills have been overrated by Michigan fans this year.  He's rarely able to come off his first read before he tucks the ball and runs (or just throws it to his first read, anyway).  He doesn't really scramble and keep his eyes downfield.  Etc.

Has he improved as a passer?  Yes.

Would I want him running an offense that requires him to sit in the pocket and go through three or four reads?  Absolutely not.

I have no doubt that Harbaugh could employ him in some way, but that's not exactly a marriage made in Heaven.

Dreisbach1817

December 4th, 2010 at 10:16 AM ^

As a first year starter, there is much room for improvement.  I believe he can still be a strong and effective starter for Harbaugh.

But above all, Denard IS Michigan.  Would be a tragedy if he left.  Again, assuming it's Harbaugh, he would be smart to do everything possible to keep Denard, if nothing else but to maintain and develop that powerful recruiting presence in Florida.

Hendrix16

December 4th, 2010 at 9:46 AM ^

Tate is a college version of (Dare I?) Drew Brees and would fit well in to JH west coast/pro style offense. You could be correct about DR wanting to following RR if he was to lose his job. Then again JH has the charisma to pull big time recruits to Stanford so he might retain DR also.

I'm in the Pro RR Camp this was in no way shape or form an endorsement for JH to become the next HC at Michigan.

victors2000

December 4th, 2010 at 8:21 AM ^

around him. Even at West Virginia, I think most folks were sorry to see him go. The media and the perception of Coach Rodriguez is tilted to the drama, just like any other news story. What sticks out the most is the passionate folks, whether haters or supporters. The more flame, the better! No one wants to print feel good stories, unless they 'feel' real good and capture attention, like the ones involving cute little children and puppies and kittens.

The team is doing what it should be doing, sticking up for their coach. A Michigan 'Fabric' is already in place at Schembechler Hall, something has been built, and bringing in a new guy is going to tear that fabric apart.

MFanWM

December 4th, 2010 at 10:16 AM ^

I think that RR has made several poor choices regarding the importance of defense, not just sticking with his own staff/friends from WVU.  When he made the decision to part ways with Schafer after the first year, he did not appear to place a high priority on finding or deciding on a replacement for the defensive coordinator position.  If I remember the timeline correctly, GERG was named DC just before or after signing day which failed to help land potential impact recruits as no one knew what direction/style, etc. Michigan was going to use.

Unless he has been told otherwise, RR should have already made the decision on removal of GERG.  If RR is going to be retained this is another cement boot that Brandon is placing on RR that has the potential to kill opportunities not only with early enrollees, but prevent a realistic timeframe to find a replacement for the DC position.  If Michigan misses those commitments due to this waiting period and RR is forced to replace the defensive staff after the bowl.....there really is NO time to have a positive impact on recruiting unless you bring in someone on a Muschamp level or with significant recruiting ties to the players MI is already currently pursuing. 

If the new DC also gets to name their entire staff, it will literally cut the recruiting window to no more than 2 weeks after hiring and "deploying" with new position coaches.  If this is the plan, I hope RR has been laying the groundwork, although I am sure that is almost impossible with his current situation.  About the only type of coach I can think that might help in this position would be someone like Heater from FL with prior MI playing time and ties, who could ease factions, and also is the recruiting coordinator for FL recruiting the same talent pool of players that we are focused on currently.

I think failing to bring  in a DC quickly and set a precedent for the direction and identity of the defense two years ago has significantly impacted where things stand today.  RR has the capacity and ability to build a championship program, but does anyone have the patience to wait for him to build an identity/philosophy for defense?

Magnus

December 4th, 2010 at 10:20 AM ^

It's inevitable.

Any DC that Rodriguez would bring in would likely a) remain with his college team through bowl season or b) remain with his NFL team through the regular season.  So we just have to assume that any new DC will be hired after January 1st, even if Rodriguez is given a vote of confidence for the 2011 season before then.

We don't need a defensive philosophy in place just to recruit kids.  We need a defensive philosophy that will utilize our personnel to the best of their ability.

BondQuest

December 4th, 2010 at 10:32 AM ^

Just suppose he is thinking along the lines of;

1-He wants to know for sure who his head coach is going to be next year,

2-He is concerned David Brandon is causing problems for recruiting,

and, 3-Dee is trying to talk other recruits into coming to Michigan but finding they are hesitant to commit due to the questions of the head coaching situation.

 Might Dee be trying to do what he can to help himself and the program as best he sees he can? Might Dee Hart be trying to force DBs hand by threatening to decommit?

18 year olds are capable of making strange decisions. It would not surprise me t find out later that this was part of what is going on.

Maize and Blue…

December 4th, 2010 at 12:54 PM ^

Dee wants to be here if the circumstances fit.  He was planning on enrolling now he says he will probably wait.  In other words, he wants to play for Rich in an offense that is perfectly suited for his talents.  If RR is let go and goes to Miami I suspect Dee will end up there along with  DRob and a bunch of other extremely talented kids from Florida and our current pipeline will be toast.