Do not fire RR, but staff changes have to be made
Starting here..http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/hopson_jay00.html
LB have been a disaster ever since he arrived. Ezeh is getting worse, Mouton is not getting better, and it's killing the secondary to not have any reliability underneath.
I would also say a change needs to be made at special teams. Except for Zoltan, they've been consistently bad for 2 years.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:28 PM ^
Because yes, after noticing how fundamentally sound Penn St. and Iowa are on defense due to coaching stability for as long as all the current players have been in college, the best thing to do here would be to shuffle the coaching staff *again*.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:30 PM ^
So...keep Hopson?
November 7th, 2009 at 3:33 PM ^
consistency is important. In any case, as long as the HC makes the decision it is fine (unlike Zorn on the Redskins).
November 7th, 2009 at 3:42 PM ^
GERG has already inserted himself in the middle LB coaching, and also the safeties. You can book it that Hopson for sure, and maybe Gibson, are gone
November 7th, 2009 at 3:52 PM ^
if he is gone. he cost us two seasons. If he won't go, RR would go later.
November 7th, 2009 at 4:02 PM ^
Hopson has to go. The coaching staff is to blame for failing to develop players like Obi and Jonas. I don't buy the "bare cupboard" argument when people try to apply it to the linebackers - if Obi Ezeh went to Penn State or even Wisconsin he would be a much better player than he is today.
November 7th, 2009 at 11:03 PM ^
On what planet is Obi Ezeh supposed to be an awesome linebacker? He was a middling 3-star recruit and a running back in high school. He's only started at Michigan because, newsflash, there is nobody else to play ahead of him. When the coaching staff found a walk-on who isn't a complete disaster, they benched Ezeh. I think it is much more likely that this one particular player just isn't very good than it is that the position coach doesn't know what he's doing.
November 7th, 2009 at 11:14 PM ^
Maybe it's a combination of the two. Ezeh isn't well equipped to be playing LB and coach wants to be back in the deep south so he's distracted. He misses those days when you walk out of your front door and the sweat begins to drip, the iced tea being made in the late afternoon and the girls wearing little next to nothing. Or it's just Ezeh. Probably that.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:28 PM ^
I thought special teams were actually a strength today. Sure we missed that XP, but Zoltan kept us in the game by pinning them deep and we had consistently good starting field position with good returns. Really the worst black mark against our special teams is not expecting that onside kick, and you can't fault them for that, really.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:30 PM ^
Actually I can fault them for that and I do.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:31 PM ^
It was an atypical onside kick situation. Calm down; it's not why we lost the game.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:33 PM ^
They were really good today, except for our token punt fumble. Stonum looked great returning kicks, and when we did manage to return a punt, it was huge for us.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:28 PM ^
You need to just CCCAAAALLLLMMMM DDDDDOOOOWWWWNNN. I actually thought that fitzgerald did a pretty nice job today.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:30 PM ^
Not only did Fitzgerald impress, but when they put Mouton back in he gave up a TD run. I'm glad to see the team bench players who aren't playing well and giving other guys a chance.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:34 PM ^
i wish they'd do that with williams. how much worse could vlad be? hell, i couldn't be any worse. both safeties are beyond terrible. vlad deserves a shot just like fitz and leach did.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:48 PM ^
Kovacs is acceptably mediocre. Williams needs to be replaced. Kovacs does come up with some big plays, and has settled into a rhythm of one or two mistakes a game, whereas Williams makes 10-12.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:31 PM ^
I was happy to see him succeeding out there.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:30 PM ^
C. Magee made a ridiculously stupid play call when he went with the option. We were getting 4.9 a carry including the sacks. I don't care if we run it 80 percent of the time. It was working today and they kept passing. Tate had 24 attempts not including when he was sacked. If it's working then keep going with it.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:35 PM ^
I don't think firing Magee would do anything but harm us in the long run...but, the inability of the offense to attack the weak spots of opposing defenses week after week is getting really old, really fast.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:35 PM ^
The Oline has regressed since Molk went down. Huyge especially has been getting beat on the edge constantly and I really think the coaches have said it's basicly the end of the season so might as well stick with him.
Reality in my eyes is that the only 2 guys guranteed starting spots on the Oline next year are Molk and Schilling..I think a lot of young guys will get "huge" looks next year. You improve Oline play and everything else will fall into place!
November 7th, 2009 at 3:39 PM ^
Serious question....has any part of our team PROgressed as the year has gone on?
November 7th, 2009 at 3:49 PM ^
The Backs Who Run Fast...
and Roy Roundtree.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:55 PM ^
Those backs were already good, and so was Roundtree once he got a chance to play. RR's personnel decisions have been crap this year. All these late realizations that so and so is not doing his job, so in game 9 we put in the guy who should've been playing all year.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:31 PM ^
that hired these guys. the way this team comes out and shits the bed the 2nd half every week is on him as much as anyone else. after they get steamrolled the next 2 weeks, this team will have finished with 1 more win than last year. i refuse to recognize dsu as a win. 4-0 to no bowl. this has to fall on rodriguez. i never want to hear about how he is an offensive innovator again. we run the same shit qb draw every 3rd down. this offense is more predictable than any under carr.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:34 PM ^
To me it seems like it's not that RR isn't an "offensive innovator," but that he doesn't have enough of a supporting cast to trust the players with more complicated plays.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:32 PM ^
Tony Dungy as a defensive coordinator and it's not going to do any good next season. Brandon Graham is out the door next April to the draft, and Warren might jump ship as well. I think we're in real trouble next season personnel-wise, and I don't think there's any amount of coaching that can make up for that.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:35 PM ^
I'm not talking about coordinators. It's coaches that are responsible for teaching and improving the players. That definetly isn't happening with LB. This is Michigan. Linebackers aren't supposed to be a weakness!
I'm also not upset about the onside kick (OK maybe a little), but they haven't covered a punt well more than 2 or 3 times all year. Field position puts the D in trouble before they even get on the field.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:33 PM ^
Hopson needs to be let go. I don't really think Gerg is that good either. Doesn't he coach the secondary too? Just poor coaching all around.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:37 PM ^
Gibson I believe is Corners and Safeties....he isn't going anywhere though because he is RR's right hand man..not to mention Gibsons wife is smoking hot..!
November 7th, 2009 at 3:51 PM ^
Gerg is doing a decent job. It's not his fault his players aren't doing too well. He's got a lot on his plate, and needs people under him that can actually, you know, do their jobs.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:36 PM ^
There won't be any meaningful coaching changes made after this season. RR won't be fired, and he's basically stuck with his staff after making the DC change last year. Anything worse than a 7-5 finish next year, and RR is gone.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:40 PM ^
Nobody's getting fired. Might as well not bother. The team is so broken on a basic level that I don't know what new assistants can possibly do. Rodriguez will probably be gone by the end of the year next year anyways. If not next year, then 2011.
I have never been so disappointed in a coach as I have been with Rodriguez. I had huge hopes for him. This collapse in the program is just mind-boggling.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:38 PM ^
I won't be watching UM again until RR is gone. Notice, I did not say that I will no longer support UM. I just won't support RR any longer. This fiasco has snapped my last nerve.
November 7th, 2009 at 10:17 PM ^
just make sure ur not watching UM in big time games in a few years with RR at the helm(hopefully).
November 7th, 2009 at 3:40 PM ^
as a group.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:42 PM ^
RR needs to go is a little premature. Its so tough watching the change throughout the season though. Yes our defense has been bad all year but at a certain point shouldnt the system click and the LBs should be able to recognize when they're about to get burned? I know if I do something wrong my motivation for not doing it wrong again the next time is whatever consequences I get from doing it wrong. I think what the defense needs is some fear put into them, like of someone punching them in the dong. You f- up, you get a dong punch from ortmann.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:45 PM ^
I really think if RR feels the heat like he probably should after this season and I think position coaches will fall...
Hopson who it seems was talked into staying last year will be the first to go...
Gibson might be closer than we think though I do think that are safeties are really just that bad. Woolfolk I think has actually been decent at corner.
Fact is we are SLOW....not lifting or anhything can solve god given slowness and we are cursed with it.
But back on point Hopson/Gibson I think would be the 2 more likely guys to get the can!
November 7th, 2009 at 3:49 PM ^
Talk of firing coordinators at this point? Scapegoating, and we don't need that. If and/or when it's clear that someone needs to be fired, the ax will and should fall on the head coach. But firing Rodriguez at this point? Bad move. Nor should he be fired after the season. He should get another year, probably two. And I hope to Hell he turns the team around next year, regardless of youth, defensive weaknesses, etc. Because no matter how "bare" the cupboard was when RR arrived, it is now and will be HIS cupboard.
Now, an important point. That part of this blog that has tried to indiscriminately squelch all criticism of RR should stop and think. Criticism is legitimate. Carr got plenty of it on this blog. Only fair that RR's defenders take note, and learn to deal with it.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:53 PM ^
filet mignon if he's given rotten hamburger and wet charcoal to cook it with.
November 7th, 2009 at 3:54 PM ^
I thought Hopson was considered a flight risk anyway. If he wants to go let him go.
November 8th, 2009 at 12:35 AM ^
I couldn't agree more. If we're not firing Robinson, maybe we should be bringing in some new position assistants, at the very least.