A former wvu football player perspective of Coach Rod... I think some might find this Interesting

Submitted by fab5 on

http://couchfiresports.com/archives/4886

"Michigan players, fans, and alumni need to stop crying like a bunch of babies and turn on the 2007 Mountaineers so they can see their future."

mgokev

October 28th, 2010 at 11:09 PM ^

Good read.  It would probably be easier to view if the questions and answers were broken up in "conversation style".  Thanks for the insight though, definitely interesting.

EGD

October 28th, 2010 at 11:15 PM ^

As I was reading that the image that kept coming to mind was of "the private believes any answer he gives will be wrong and the Senior Drill Instructor will beat him harder if he reverses himself, sir!"

03 Blue 07

October 28th, 2010 at 11:18 PM ^

In response to the actual post, and not the formatting. . . thank you for posting this- I thought it was quite illuminating, and offered a good inside look at a player's perspective of RR's last transition. Thanks for posting.

NateVolk

October 28th, 2010 at 11:19 PM ^

Interesting insight about Rodriguez taking a team star making him compete for time right away.  This was key to Pete Carroll's juggernaut at USC.  Open depth chart every practice coupled with real depth at each position making everyone sharper and better.

Look out for Michigan over the next decade. 

Thanks.

LSCrepair

October 28th, 2010 at 11:21 PM ^

That was an interesting read. It is always different to see perspecitves from players. This perspective was especially telling since he was part of a regime change when Rich first started at WVU.

For all you tl;dr people, Rich is a good coach even if he swears when kids act like kids. He can win games.

brandanomano

October 28th, 2010 at 11:35 PM ^

That was a pain to read, but I'm glad I did. I support RR and agree that we'll start winning a ton of games in the future with him as our coach. I just wish that day would come a bit sooner than it actually will.

Voltron

October 29th, 2010 at 12:12 AM ^

"A. He weighed 195 pounds soaking wet playing middle linebacker in the original Big East which was no patty cakin. 2. From the time he has met you he had envisioned you as a deer and him chasing after you with a shotgun. And D. If you said as much as “hello” to his sister the shotgun changed to a rocket launcher."

Tater

October 29th, 2010 at 12:15 AM ^

So the interview is from Couch Fire Sports, "where lessons are learned and couches are burned."  The only other WVU blog I know about is called "We Must Ignite This Couch."  These guys make Sparty look like children playing with matches.

Undefined

October 29th, 2010 at 12:31 AM ^

I actually work with a guy who played corner for WV. He's got his Sugar Bowl ring and everything. The first thing he told me is that Coach Rod will play the hardest working player on the team before he plays the most talented. Guess you could take that good or bad depending on your way of looking at things (I find it to be a good thing), but other than that he had nothing but good things to say.

Yooper

October 29th, 2010 at 12:34 AM ^

RRod worked miracles to win at WVU. There is nothing about that state that suggests that success at anything is possible. Spend two minutes on that site and you can reach no other conclusion. I have renewed confidence in our future.

FrankMurphy

October 29th, 2010 at 2:00 AM ^

 

"The one knock from me towards Rich was his approach or lack there of to have truly genuine relationships with the players he didn’t recruit when I was there."

I think there are shades of this lurking behind some of the early departures in '08 and '09. On the other hand, Brandon Graham was and still is one of Rich Rod's biggest supporters, so Rich Rod clearly doesn't have some kind of inherent disdain for holdovers. 

Timnotep

October 29th, 2010 at 2:59 AM ^

but on the other hand, I've never met him, but putting aside the fact that Graham was a beast (still is) that any coach would be elated to have play for them regardless of whether they recruited them, BG it would seem has a certain aura about him, I gather it'd be next to impossible to be around him that long without forming a genuine relationship.

Also I'd imagine it's a hell of a lot easier to from said relationships with player you recruited and signed, who fit your system, and wanted to play in it and for you, than one who signed on for a different coach and a different system.

bronxblue

October 29th, 2010 at 10:47 AM ^

I like these quotes:

He was definitely not there to be our friend. He was on a mission to get his everything stamped on that football program and if you didn’t like it, like he said so many times, “The doors are unlocked from the inside-out.”

 I loved the fact that Coach Rod’s in your face attitude was being embodied by guys I played with that naturally didn’t have that attitude, so in the end they were better players because of it.

I think that some players expect to receive the same preferential treatment and be buddy-buddy with the coaches when they come to college, and it can be a shock when a coach really takes them to task.  I'm sure RR has his character flaws and could rub people the wrong way, but I like a coach who isn't trying to be your friend and expects you to put in the effort.  That might wear down a team over time, but right now that mindset is probably what you need to win.

hgoblue

October 29th, 2010 at 1:21 PM ^

I guess we know why Justin Boren left now.  I figured Rich Rod pissed him off by telling him he didn't care whose son he was and that he would have to work for the position. 

Also the original link worked fine for  me.  It must be a setting issue.