Dennis Dodd is...
an asshole. Another "sports journalist" who reads a headline (which is incorrect) and spins it in to something that it is not.
Seriously, this guy should not have a job:
http://dennis-dodd.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/6270202/16812925…
August 26th, 2009 at 7:25 AM ^
them there's fighting words baldy, oh wait, so am I :(. Anyhow, we have what 10 days now until we see where we are at. I am keg standing the kool-aid at this point, I think the sports world is in for a rude awakening writing off our boys.
August 26th, 2009 at 10:58 AM ^
I second the fighting words comment. I read that and my blood started boiling. I watched the Western vs Central game last year live. The qb hiller is good, but last year every other play was to the same reciver whom I belive graduated. They couldn't beat central without lefevour. Also they were stopped several times by a pitiful CMU defense. Dennis Dodd is an ignorant slut. I hope he admits he is an idiot and overly underestimated our coaches and our athletes after sept. 5th. HAIL TO THE VICTORS!!!!
August 26th, 2009 at 11:03 AM ^
+1 for using the phrase "overly underestimated." that's good talkin'!
August 26th, 2009 at 11:14 AM ^
+1 for the Point/Counterpoint reference.
August 28th, 2009 at 1:58 AM ^
Ahhh, the good ol' days when SNL was cutting-edge and hilarious.
August 26th, 2009 at 7:30 AM ^
The unfortunate thing is, there's no way to make these guys eat their stupid, stupid words. When guys like Dodd see how wrong (and unwilling to educate themselves) they were, they'll just pretend like they knew it all along.
SPORTSWRITERS OF AMERICA! Last season was ONE season, in the midst of a transition between two highly disparate coaches. It was ONE season removed from dismantling FLORIDA in a Bowl Game. Shut your holes.
August 26th, 2009 at 7:50 AM ^
his level of "analysis" is absolutely typical of the vast majority of allegedly "professional journalists" working in all fields today in this country. The idea of digging beyond the headlines written by other sportswriters simply never occurs to him. That would constitute something Brian would call "work."
The only thing that will shut guys like Dodd up is winning games.
August 26th, 2009 at 8:19 AM ^
To thoughtful commentary and accurate reporting.
First, WRT Nebraska: OK, Nebraska had a thirty-year run that featured five NC's, playing in two other de facto NC games, and (even if mistakenly) playing for a BCS championship against Miami in 2001. But for Nebraska, a school in the middle of nowhere with NO recruiting base accomplishing that much is te bigger story. Dodd chooses to ignore that fact. The Huskers enjoyed generational success and some of it came as the Big Eight was falling to pieces--Oklahoma didn't even present a significant challenge in the last days of that conference. Their problems stem from the Big 12 forming, killing the Oklahoma rivalry, the rise of other schools such as Missouri, Kansas, and for a moment, Colorado and K-State. And I guess he missed their bowl win last year over Clemson.
WRT Michigan, as others have said, RR never said he'd start or play all three QB's. Just that it would be "neat" if you had three guys you could do that with. I'm not so sure there aren't 105 other D1 coaches who feel that way.
And what, exactly, does "Didn't you used to be Michigan" mean? Big, humiliating losses? Spending the last half-decade being Ohio State's bitch? Routinely losing bowl games? yearly records of 9-3 or 8-4 (wow!)?
So what if Michigan "groomed" big dropback passers who then (wih the exception of exacly ONE) turned into journeymen NFL players who managed nice mements, big paychex, and mostly not to embarrass themslves? Did that equate to multiple NC's and dominating bowl wins, and years and years of Top-five finishes?
Nope.
It seems as if the perception of UM football was a bit overblown by the Cooper Years at OSU. However, many seem to overlook the fact that a lot of the wins over OSU during that time SAVED UM's season while shooting OSU from national championships. I submit that UM was absolutely NOT a better program overall (except 97-99), Tressel came in, put a fence around Ohio, and the rest is history.
Something had to be done. Fortunately, Greg Schiano had a brainfart and Rodriguez, most likely the best candidate out there when UM needed to hire someone, became available.
Oh yeah, no one wanted 3-9. No one wanted Nick Sheridan and Steven Threet to be thrust into positions they were not ready for. No one wanted 25 or so players to leave prematurely. But more importanly, NO ONE (outside the UM fan base) chooses to see that UM had a precarious hold on its position near the top of the college football world that this perfect storm exposed.
It's called "rebuilding"--and you don't always have to go through a decade of sub-par seasons to find yourself in that position. Now there appears to be almost a plethora of QB's here who can direct Rich Rod's offense, and one off-handed remark about how much fun it is is being used to question him yet again.
But oh well, that's what things have come to, and articles like this are worth 80,000 clicks onto your blog everytime, all the time.
August 26th, 2009 at 8:59 AM ^
Good points, all of them. I've long felt the same way about the Cooper years and the perception of Michigan being a better program than OSU back then. As you said, except for 97-99, OSU was better. Better record, seasons at the top of the polls, etc. Michigan somehow had their number and could beat them at the end, but often it was a season-saving game for Michigan.
August 26th, 2009 at 9:20 AM ^
Actually, we can toss tha one outta there, as OSU beat UM 31-16 that year and won the Sugar Bowl. Ouch.
August 26th, 2009 at 10:10 AM ^
That 1998 OSU team was a surprising MSU loss away from a national championship.
August 26th, 2009 at 10:18 AM ^
Strengthens the overall point.
August 26th, 2009 at 12:23 PM ^
Actually, Michigan was the better program than OSU overall during the Cooper years. The fact that we upset them 3 times when they were undefeated has clouded people's judgment.
Cooper was at OSU for 13 years and Michigan won 8 Big Ten championships during those 13 years. 5 of them were outright conference championships. We played in 5 Rose Bowls winning 3 of them.
Cooper's teams won 3 Big Ten championships, none of which were outright. UM was the better team from 1988-1992, 1997, 1999-2000.
If you give OSU those 3 games in 1993, 1995 and 1996 where they were supposed to be us, Cooper's record would have been 5-7-1 against us. If his 95 team got the conference crown, OSU would trail us 8-4 in championships instead of 8-3.
We played spoiler only 3 times in a 13 year span. It wasn't as often as people think.
August 26th, 2009 at 12:30 PM ^
Thank you.
August 26th, 2009 at 1:14 PM ^
Totally cosign here.
I noticed the comment in KOB/TBS's comment. He brings that line of thought up a lot and even though several of us have tried to correct the record, as he sees it, yet he still clings to that meme.
Thanks for dropping in some facts!
August 26th, 2009 at 3:00 PM ^
why did you not find your way to this site much sooner than you did? You must have gotten sick of only having Poole1Dan to argue with on youtube ha.
August 26th, 2009 at 3:59 PM ^
Nah. I never argued with him. He's always busy arguing with everyone else and I don't want to get involved. Never in my life have I seen someone argue with 95% of their own fan base like he does.
August 28th, 2009 at 11:59 AM ^
that hates Martavious Odoms, even more than he hates his own pathetic life of arguing with strangers on youtube?
August 26th, 2009 at 7:36 PM ^
EDIT: WolverineHistorian beat me to the punch.
August 26th, 2009 at 8:46 AM ^
I want to read his stuff to see how full of it he is, but I've made the decision not to click on the link to avoid giving him the hits and attention.
Dennis Dodd is also the guy who reported that Jim Harbaugh told him that someone on the USC staff told him that Pete Carroll was going to the pros after 2007. Even though JH said it and then refused to back down, it's just not quality journalism to go around printing unfalsifiable rumors coaches talk about in their offices. That's a reporter just trawling for headlines.
August 26th, 2009 at 8:53 AM ^
That man is a ritard.
August 26th, 2009 at 9:00 AM ^
.......Douche-Nozzle.
August 28th, 2009 at 10:24 AM ^
That's a Chrisgocomment/WLA word that made its way over here.
August 28th, 2009 at 2:48 PM ^
Actually the first I heard that term was from the resident Buckeye, Pouge.
August 28th, 2009 at 9:11 PM ^
Thanks, Debbie Downer.
August 26th, 2009 at 9:38 AM ^
How's that bartending license coming along?
August 26th, 2009 at 9:58 AM ^
I just need to call in to get an appointment for my certification... is there a bank of payphones around here anywhere?
August 26th, 2009 at 10:14 AM ^
That man is a ritard.
+1 shot of jaeger (on a rooftop).
August 26th, 2009 at 10:15 AM ^
I accept your gift and welcome you to my wolfpack. We have become a pack of two.
August 26th, 2009 at 9:33 AM ^
"Please don't argue that point because you will be wrong." Stick it where the sun don't shine, Mr. Dodd. QB may be the only position that WMU has an advantage over Michigan. May... We have untested talent at the QB position, where as WMU has a proven QB.
When you lose to Rice 38-14 and lose three of your top four receivers, you have questions on offense. One might even be able to "argue that point".
August 26th, 2009 at 10:13 AM ^
Tim Hiller is a very good quarterback. He threw for almost 4,000 yards last season with 36 touchdowns. Western Michigan definitely has the advantage at quarterback. As far as the other positions go, I agree that Michigan is probably an all-around better offensive team. We will see in two Saturdays
August 26th, 2009 at 12:32 PM ^
You also have to look at the number of pass attempts vs. runs. The ratio was very pass heavy.
August 26th, 2009 at 2:12 PM ^
They did have an 1000 yd rusher too...
August 26th, 2009 at 3:54 PM ^
So, because Hiller made a lot of throws, he isn't better than our true freshman? If I told you his TD-Int ratio was 36-10, would you believe he is a good quarterback? Michigan does not have a quarterback as good as Tim Hiller on the team
August 28th, 2009 at 10:27 AM ^
I did not say that Hiller is not a good QB, or that ours are great, or whatever. I was just trying to put it (his yardage # that is being thrown around so much) in some context.
August 28th, 2009 at 10:34 AM ^
Fair enough. But 3700 yards is a lot of anything in any offense. I doubt Tate or Denard are capable of getting 3700 yards of total offense as true freshman, but I guess some disagree with me
August 28th, 2009 at 10:35 AM ^
I don't disagree w/ that.
August 26th, 2009 at 1:26 PM ^
We still don't know whose offense is better, despite Hiller's good stats last season. The reason is simple - quality of opponents. He may or may not be effective against a higher level of (admittedly, raw) talent that Michigan possesses. We just don't know yet.
August 26th, 2009 at 2:33 PM ^
Well, Western did manage to beat Toledo last year...
August 27th, 2009 at 12:01 AM ^
that Western's offense last year was better than Michigan's offense last year. The argument would be much more sound if the debate was about last year's teams.
August 26th, 2009 at 3:58 PM ^
Yes, the reason is simple: it is because Hiller is a good quarterback. Our freshman are not as good as Hiller, who is a redshirt senior who threw for almost 4000 yards last season. Plenty of good quarterbacks have played against weaker competition, that doesn't mean they aren't good quarterbacks
August 26th, 2009 at 9:10 PM ^
The competition defines the stats. To take your argument to the extreme, imagine Hiller was a 4000 yard passer that killed everyone in D2 or whatever. Now imagine he is going up against Florida or USC or something. Is he still automatically a good quarterback? No, the higher level of talent may (or may not) shred them and cause his stats to plummet.
Or, to put it another way, could Denard or Tate sub for Hiller as Western's QB and put up similar stats? Nobody really knows until they hit the field.
August 26th, 2009 at 10:48 PM ^
You cannot use a ridiculous hypothetical to prove your point. Hiller plays in division 1, something that Tate and Denard have never actually done. Plus, he has put up extremely good statistics in those division 1 games. While the MAC may not be the Big Ten, you are crazy if you think that Hiller, who is a fifth year senior, wouldn't still have success if he played against the Big Ten. The guy is a good quarterback with a lot of experience. I am not comparing him to Colt McCoy. I am saying that he is absolutely, unquestionably better than any of Michigan's quarterbacks at this point in time. The competition does not make him a good quarterback. He is one.
August 26th, 2009 at 10:29 AM ^
Obvioulsy, I agree with everyone hear. Its very shortsighted and lazy. All it takes is two seconds to look their Rodriguez's comments and figure out what he's really saying.
But, then he cant use those funny quips he has already built around the issue, like "three QBs then is gene splicing!"
Alert Larry Freaking David that he has some serious company in the comedy writing department.
But, whats lamer, is his usage of the "Didnt you used to be . . . " Schtick.
Years ago, the Sporting News mag had what was one of the funniest columns out there called "Caught on the Fly" and that was his go to line. Once a column, he dropped a "Didnt you used to be" line in there.
Its just weak to see that line played out in this format.
August 26th, 2009 at 11:14 AM ^
Until we are able prove otherwise on the field, Dodd is correct about Western having a better offense than we do.
We were awful last year. We have no idea how our offense will perform come September the 5th. This really isn't all that hard to understand.......
August 26th, 2009 at 12:41 PM ^
A Dr. Tobias Fuehnke look alike.
August 26th, 2009 at 12:55 PM ^
What an a-hole.
August 26th, 2009 at 2:09 PM ^
argue that point because you will be wrong."
Is that a professional sports journalist or an 8 year old defending his statement that his favorite team is better than yours? What an ass goblin.
August 27th, 2009 at 3:41 AM ^
While I think that Dodd has a point...I'm not thrilled with the 3 QB idea that RR is contemplating...I do think he's selling our offense short & he will be "eating his words" on September 5th. Yes, Western Michigan has a great offense & a senior QB but it sounds as if he doesn't think we have a chance...and we're playing at the Big House!!
Dodd seems to be on the same page as Andre Ware of ESPN...two butt-heads who don't think much of our beloved Big Blue...but we will make them look like ass-holes by the season's end!!