Further Brandon Support for RR

Submitted by Nick Sparks on

Please don't judge me too harshly for clicking on a Freep link, but an aa.com headline wooed me and I'm desperate for U of M information these days.

Anyhoo, I won't link to that paper here, but they reported a recent quote that I didn't see anywhere on the board from Dave Brandon concerning our head coach:

“All I can do as athletic director is make one thing perfectly clear over and over and over again. Rich Rodriguez is the coach at the University of Michigan football team. He’s our coach. He’s my coach. He should be everybody’s coach. We should respect him. We should respect the position that he holds, and we should support him and help him in every way we can to be successful, and that’s what I’m going to try to do.”

Nice to see such a firm statement from our AD, kind of sad that he has to make such a statement.

brianshall

March 19th, 2010 at 12:39 PM ^

I've long thought and got negbombed for believing 2010 would be RR's last.

When I hear statements like this from the new AD, I realize it's a certainty.

In reply to by brianshall

wolverine1987

March 19th, 2010 at 1:31 PM ^

statements of support often are a kiss of death. Not saying this is so here, but... anyway, all the statements of support or non-support mean nothing--if we win 8 or more with no new infarctions he stays, likely for years to come, if we win 6-7 he's likely gone.

brianshall

March 19th, 2010 at 2:41 PM ^

AD's do not go out and give public statements of "confidence" in their football coach -- except for times of the exact opposite.

not sure why i'd get negbombed for my statement. fact of the matter is, this is a COMMON act of AD's when the football coach is on the hot seat. has nothing to do with me, everything to do with RR and Michigan football.

In reply to by brianshall

Durham Blue

March 19th, 2010 at 1:51 PM ^

for someone always means that their firing is a certainty? Do you think, in your world, that a statement of support could also, just maybe, imply an actual vote of confidence?

In other words, maybe you should take Brandon's words at face value.

Blazefire

March 19th, 2010 at 12:40 PM ^

I hope to god we have a winning record this year, not just because I need it, but because if we don't, it may be hard to resist getting a new coach, and if we end up changing coaches BEFORE we become successful again, it could be 6 or 7 years of losing records, rather than 2 or 3.

Blue in Yarmouth

March 19th, 2010 at 12:59 PM ^

It has struck me over the past two years that those who HATE RR and want him gone are not nearly the loyal fans they proclaim to be.

In this instance, once RR was selected people should have got behind him regardless how they felt during the search. If you love the team and university, you accept it, embrace it and move forward hping for the best. Many of these guys are hoping for the worst so they can say "told you so".

If RR gets fired after this year there a few things I think will be pretty certain:

1) the experiment with the spread will be scrapped and we will go back to a pro-style O.
2) Because of the switch we will see mass transfers and upheaval with the team (many don't fit a pro-style offense).
3) Another 3 years at least for the new coach to come in, get "his guys" on the team and start winning again.
4) A tarnished image in recruits eyes because we start to look like a team who doesn't give coaches a chance. The lack of stability will hurt for years to come in the recruits eyes.

What's done is done. RR is here and I, for one, love it. If all fans could look past the end of their noses and see what is just over the horizon I don't think we would have all this infighting.

If RR gets to stay to see his first class through to their senior year, I will say with absolute certainty that he will have UM back in the thick of things again. I think, given the chance, that RR will have us challanging for the NC every year if we will just give him until 2011 to prove it.

edit* whoops....and I love Dave Brandon (didn't mean to hijack the thread)....GO BLUE!

WichitanWolverine

March 19th, 2010 at 1:41 PM ^

I disagree. I support RichRod and believe he will succeed at Michigan, but I don't think anyone who doesn't is automatically an untrue (fairweather, maybe?) fan. Everyone has to blindly support a coach, regardless of who it is, to be a true fan? If John L. Smith was hired, everyone should jump on that bandwagon?

I think the situation is pretty analagous to politics: one can love their country and hate their president. You can love Michigan without blindly following the coach.

With that said, Michigan will win at least 8 games this year and RR's job will be relatively safe. That is all.

Blue in Yarmouth

March 19th, 2010 at 2:59 PM ^

I didn't say anything about blind support. I said look past beyond what is right in front of your face.

Also, if it is wrong to "blindly follow" your head coach, it must sure as hell be wrong to blindly oppose him (which is what most of these fans did). He was never given a chance by the fans I am speaking of.

The only "blind" thing in all this is the fans who think it is a good idea to get rid of RR this year or next. Because one would have to be blind to not see that the transition that would ensue would be far worse than what we are enduring presently (and likely take just as long if not longer).

WichitanWolverine

March 19th, 2010 at 3:42 PM ^

I agree that most members of the anti-RR faction are pretty ignorant and oblivious to the inner-workings of the AD. But what about the fans who, for example, love Michigan because of its status as "Quarterback U"? I think we can all agree that with RR here, those days are likely over. Someone can easily say, "I don't like RR and his scheme because I love sending guys like Henne and Brady to the NFL." Does that make them a bad fan? Maybe their priorities are a little out-of-whack but I don't think so.

And yes, I also agree that our 2-year slide will go much, much longer if RR gets the boot. The last thing we need is a revolving-door appearance for both our players and coaches.

But when you say, "If you love the team and university, you accept it, embrace it and move forward hoping for the best," it comes off as a bit fascist.

Magnus

March 19th, 2010 at 12:44 PM ^

...whenever you say, "We should respect him," it's usually because the person hasn't earned the respect in the first place. I mean, it's just not a very good sign that you have to TELL people to respect somebody.

Hopefully Rodriguez earns it with about 9 wins this year.

BlockM

March 19th, 2010 at 12:53 PM ^

Rodriguez has earned my respect in every way but two: First, the wins column, and second, the NCAA violation allegations. Beyond that I have plenty of reasons to respect him. Brandon just has to keep reiterating this because for some reason all the asshats in the fan-base seem to think that the only way they can respect a coach is if he overcomes all odds and a horrible situation to win a MNC. He keeps being asked stupid questions and has to keep responding.

I don't know whether Rodriguez will be around after this year, but you're right, a nine win season would go a very long way towards fixing his image.

MidnightBlue

March 19th, 2010 at 1:21 PM ^

Coach Rodriguez will be around after this year, barring any extreme unexpected violation. He won five games last year with a true freshman and no defense. This year will be quite different. Even if only he were to win six games, he will still (barely) stay amid grumblings, simply because the perception of the jump in experience of our young roster vs completely starting over, would prevail.

BiaBiakabutuka21

March 19th, 2010 at 1:38 PM ^

Wins will earn him respect.

However, I think this message was also directed towards people who disrespected him from the beginning because he does not speak eloquently and because he was not Les Miles, Debord, or Ron English.

A large amount of people did not like him from the beginning and saw him as an outsider.

UMFootballCrazy

March 19th, 2010 at 1:20 PM ^

True. The more emphatically you try to tell me that you are telling the truth, the more likely I am to think you are lying.

That said, there are times, especially when there are large volunteer or donor bases involved, that you have to remind people not to get sucked into lowest common denominator group think. These things can take a life of their own and can become a self fulfilling prophecy that really leaves the organization leader no room to succeed. In my experience in non-profits I have seen donor bases get riled up by a couple of squeeky wheels where the criticisms begin to take on a life of their own disconnected from the reality of the situation and so poison the atmosphere that the leader cannot lead. Sometimes, it takes a respected member of the community to say, "Back off, give the man some respect, let him do his job, be patient." I think Brandon has been excellent in that role, trying to get the lynch mobs to calm down and go home before they do something they will regret.

Tha Quiet Storm

March 19th, 2010 at 2:05 PM ^

My interpretation was that he was referring to the unfair portrayals of RR by some media and fans (uneducated hick, greedy for dragging out the buyout lawsuit, stomps all over tradition, recruits thugs, etc.).

You don't have to respect him as a coach until he produces on the field results, but at least treat him fairly as a man and don't act like he's the scum of the earth simply because the team has had a couple down years (this was directed not at anyone in particular, just the aforementioned unfairness).