Mary Sue Coleman speaking in Flint (Rodriguez, night games, etc.)
Speaking at an event in Flint, Mary Sue Coleman said that Michigan made the wrong choice in hiring Rich Rodriguez:
http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2012/05/university_of_michigan_preside_2.html
I've been to these kinds of events, where the guest of honor talks for about 20 minutes and then answers questions for another 20 minutes. I was not at this one in Flint; it sounds like all the others.
Coleman is not nearly as good at the task as is Brandon, who is a polished, disciplined speaker. And in this case, it appears that Coleman stumbled badly, which does not surprise me.
But hey, as long as President Coleman is willing to answer questions, I think it is really great, and I will have a few questions for her the next time I am at one of these events where she is speaking:
- So who do you think Michigan should have hired at the time? You may not use hindsight in this question. Jim Harbaugh was not a candidate; nor was Brady Hoke. The committee assembled by your Athletic Director at the time recommended Greg Schiano.
- Why did Michigan fail to secure the services of Jeff Casteel in early 2008?
- Explain the sudden rise in salaries for Assistant Coaches and Coordinators at Michigan after the departure of Rich Rodriguez.
- David Brandon has used some unusually pointed and colorful language to describe what was wrong in the August 2009 reporting by the Detroit Free Press. What do you have to say about the paper and its reporting?
- Have you read Three and Out? If not, why not? And before making a pronouncement on whether the Rodriguez hire had been a mistake, don't you think it would have been a good idea to read the book? Why would you have refused to speak with John U. Bacon?
WHAT'D YOU DO, RICHARD?
My feeling has always been that regarding the Rodriguez era, pretty much everyone failed. (Except the players like Denard, Molk, Koger, RVB, Kovacs, etc. who stayed.) The failure is nowhere close to being solely RichRod's cross to bear, but part of the failure was his. It sucks that he got put behind the 8-ball, and that's out of his control. It also sucks that our special teams and D from 2008-2010 were kinda like furrbie cosplay and Yakety Sax dubstep mixed in a blender - and that is on RichRod
At the end of the day, RichRod was the only one who was employed at the head football coach, so he was the only one who could be relieved of his duties as a football coach. If there was any justice in the world, Mikey Rosenberg would be fired for being a hack journalist, but last I checked, neither Dave Brandon or anyone else at U-M is signing Rosenberg's paychecks, so he's not getting fired for his role. Sucks, but there it is. I hope he does well at UA and they treat him better there. I hope Michigan does even better than UA or anywhere else.
So, I guess what I'm trying to say is WON'T SOMEONE PLEASE THINK OF THE DEAD HORSES PLEASE.
True leaders take responsibility for the entire ship because they are responsible. By the way, our AD was told that his time was up.
There is nothing wrong with discussing RR but these follow up questions posed in the post are absolutely ridiculous. You can't be serious. Stop trying to prove your right. Your hidden agenda is stamped on the front cover. It's awfully hard to comment on this here with out the risk of flaming...
Many of us knew RR was a mistake when he was hired. It was obvious from the first month that he didn't have the character and leadership skills for a program like Michigan even though we hoped for the best. It became obvious to more Alums after the first couple of years given the issues that came out. And then it was obvious to just about everybody during his third year based on record alone. He finally proved his lack of character based on his recent comments about Michigan while at Arizona. He is a nice guy (I hear) and is an offensive genius but it takes a lot more to be a successful leader at this level. And he was the worst coach in the history of Michigan...no question. If anyone still wants to debate whether or not he would have had a winning season if he stayed or had a different AD...you're absolutely delusional. The facts otherwise would fill a book. I'd be happy to step outside to discuss.
By the way Ms. Coleman has character, integrity and leadership...that's why she accepted an overworked question and admitted making a mistake. And that's all the attention that that question deserved.
Bo was so revered because he oozed character, integrity, and leadership. That's why we like coaches who learned from Bo.
Hoke also oozes character, integrity and leadership...you could tell in his first month on the job. The success this year though is beyond all of our expectations. But it is nice to have an old school leader like Hoke be so successful. Hopefully this example will start come back in college football after too many years of "win at all costs" coaching.
The schedule and rich rod's weak recruiting will make 2012 a tougher year. I hope you're all still fans at the same level next Jan if it gets tough.
I think Section A needs take a lesson out of Mary Sue's character “book”: Admit that you were wrong and move on.
I too was a strong supporter of RR and like Section I did not think he was treated fairly or civilly during his tenure here. Having the benefit of hindsight, however, of the 2011 team and the obviously superior coaching they recieved from the prior three years made me quickly change my opinion of Rich's dismissal if not his treatment.
I have to admidt I somewhat look forward to his threads though as they certainly enliven the board while they are up. Agree or disagree with his position; the option of silence when he posts appears to not exist.
