Morning Open Thread

Submitted by M-Wolverine on
If things are still buggered later, I'll see if I can start some threads for the various football games.

Mgobowl

January 8th, 2011 at 8:52 AM ^

Nothing like some Saturday morning lab work to get my weekend started right... we better find a coach soon, this is really hampering my studying

bacon

January 8th, 2011 at 8:55 AM ^

Wednesday can't come fast enough. One wonders if DB would have approached this change differently had he just been on mgoblog 24-7 during the last coaching search.
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<br>Just read the article advocating Brady hoke as a good fit. The article suggests that in 3 years, with hoke we might be at a point where we can beat osu. Fml.

spicy tuna

January 8th, 2011 at 8:55 AM ^

It seems to me that if the local media did what they did to Rodriguez after his arrival, they would have a field day with Les Miles. Can you imagine the Freep stories assasinating his character for page views next August 25th? I would imagine MSC and DB want someone with a spotless record after what we've been through the last couple years. Miles is most definitely not that guy.

myantoniobass …

January 8th, 2011 at 9:12 AM ^

I hear you.  But didn't people also say if RR had more wins these "spots" on his record wouldn't have accumulated such significance?  If Miles comes, and recruits and wins like I believe he can, I don't care about a "spotless" candidate. 

myantoniobass …

January 8th, 2011 at 9:25 AM ^

Strike one on Miles then.  He does seem much more open to the spread then Hoke though.  I guess Brian votes M integrity/character over the spread offense.  

There's also those rumors of Carr not liking Miles.  It's also interesting to finally hear that Martin never did offer to Miles back in the day.

cfaller96

January 8th, 2011 at 10:27 AM ^

If Miles comes, and recruits and wins like I believe he can, I don't care about a "spotless" candidate.

I'm curious why you seem to think that RichRod's "major" violations are equivalent to Miles' major violations.  Also, if you don't care if the next coach likes to screw over 18 year olds and then lie about it*, then I'm very very glad you have absolutely no say in The Process.

 

*seriously, before you submit another comment go do some research on "oversigning."  It is a deeply immoral practice.

goblueinMO

January 8th, 2011 at 9:47 AM ^

RichRod came out of his home state of WV where he was worshipped as a football god.  Les Miles is an outsider who has been constantly harrassed by SEC football media and has managed to stay ahead of the hounds thus far, even with his peculiar antics.  I think Les Miles confidence and knowing what buttons to push via his Michigan background will help him avoid the pitfalls that RR seemed to stumble into.

First game Navy 1981

January 8th, 2011 at 12:51 PM ^

The Freep would have their stories, but who the hell reads it?  Their star sports writer, Mitch Albom had his own trouble for making up stories about what MSU b-ball alums were at the Final Four in Detroit.

If I am DB and I choose to hire Les Miles, the contract is laden with language that would make it impossible for him to ever even look at a football if he had recruiting violations. The whole gray shirt thing sucks, and Les should have manned up and talked face to face with those kids.

Beside, your whole purpose for hiring Miles is to right the ship and make A2 a destination job for the next guy. 4-5 years from now, Miles may be ready to hang it up and you could have a Jim or John Harbaugh looking for work, not to mention that Urban Meyer guy.

First game Navy 1981

January 8th, 2011 at 12:54 PM ^

The Freep would have their stories, but who the hell reads it?  Their star sports writer, Mitch Albom had his own trouble for making up stories about what MSU b-ball alums were at the Final Four in Detroit.

If I am DB and I choose to hire Les Miles, the contract is laden with language that would make it impossible for him to ever even look at a football if he had recruiting violations. The whole gray shirt thing sucks, and Les should have manned up and talked face to face with those kids.

Beside, your whole purpose for hiring Miles is to right the ship and make A2 a destination job for the next guy. 4-5 years from now, Miles may be ready to hang it up and you could have a Jim or John Harbaugh looking for work, not to mention that Urban Meyer guy.

spookers

January 8th, 2011 at 8:56 AM ^

Looks like it's down to Hoke and Miles (Probably Miles). Pardon me while I puke. Neither of these guys is a long term solution (20 years) and the younger guy isn't as good as the older one. I think Brandon would be dumb if he didn't consider other options. Based on the chatter in the media, the search firm has contacted, Fitzgerald (NW), Pelini (Neb), and Patterson (TCU). Peterson at Boise I hear wants to be a lifer there.



That leaves...not much.that people have talked about..



Wittingham at Utah (58-20)



Bronco Mendenhall at BYU (56-21)



Martin, an asst at ND who did a great job at Division 2 GVSU (74-7), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_Martin_(American_football)



Mike Sirianni at Division 3 Washinton & Jefferson (88-16). He's only 38 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Sirianni



Whittingham and Mendenhall both have better winning pct than Bo when he was hired at Michigan.  Whittingham is also 50 but I put him on my list b/c he's younger than Miles and Hoke.  Out of the 4, Mendenhall would be at the top of my list.  Pretty impressive football background. The last 2 are gambles but so was Tressel from Youngstown St.



Who knows, maybe DB pull a surpise and get a currently established major coach you and I may think is off the board. I'm really not thrilled about Hoke or Miles, but they fit part of Brandon's criteria of getting a coach that understands Michigan. The other major criteria that he mention was getting someone who could work with our existing talent instead of doing what RR did. Dunno if any of these coaches fit that.

NomadicBlue

January 8th, 2011 at 10:53 AM ^

Lots of people don't like him as a candidate because of his lack of college experience, but he has an incredibly infectious love ffor the game that I think young players would really be attracted to.  Pair him with a solid DC and watch out!

jblaze

January 8th, 2011 at 9:01 AM ^

Miles or Hoke (in that order). I don't think there has ben anyone else really contacted, unless Spence Stewart is just that good at being secretive.

I'd love to get Miles. The guy just wins football games and has a tough, strong D. It's something we have lacked at Michigan since...forever.

Maize and Blue…

January 8th, 2011 at 9:08 AM ^

LSU just self imposed stronger sanctions against themselves than the NCAA did against MIchigan due to rules violation including a reduction in scholarships.  Not to mention cutting a scholarship kid after he had been on campus two weeks and using a form letter to cut another.  I would rather lose than have have that kind of messy situation occur here.

ken725

January 8th, 2011 at 9:51 AM ^

If Miles does come hear he can't pull the crap that happens in the SEC.  IIRC, The Big 10 as a conference signed the least amount of players in the past four years.  As one would guess SEC numbers were significantly more than the Big 10.  

We are on probation so one more major violation and we are screwed.  His reputation as dirty recruiter is what scares me the most.  Also he heats grass. 

Vasav

January 8th, 2011 at 9:20 AM ^

There's nothing about whether we want him to come. The only thing that seems to be confirmed at all is that Pat Fitzgerald was contacted and not interested - and even that is not straight from Brandon's mouth.

Really, we don't know anything about who's been contacted.

Max Power

January 8th, 2011 at 9:18 AM ^

I heard Chuch Martin speak at a coaching clinic. I tell you what, he has a great football personality and he's a very good recruiter.  A friend of mine played for him at GVSU and he loved him also. He is in line to become the DC at ND. He would have been this year but the AD at ND wanted Kelly to hire a DC with D1 experience.

My name ... is Tim

January 8th, 2011 at 9:20 AM ^

We're bemoaning Miles because of his age but touting Mid Major coaches again? Did we not learn ANYTHING from 2007? He's a great recruiter and wins ten games a year in the SEC. Five years of him is better than 20 of the nrxt "unproven against solid in-conference competition" big name flavor of the week.

Thrillhouse

January 8th, 2011 at 11:05 AM ^

It's the return of the Chuck Martin mafia!

EDIT: Jeez, it's scary how similar this is to '07. Maybe this spookers guy, who I've seen mention Chuck Martin in around 20 posts, wasn't around then. But dude, give it a rest. There were a ton of people clamoring for Chuck Martin to get a fair shake the last time around too. And just like last time, it's not going to happen. There's about as much chance of that happening as there is of Bill Parcells getting an interview.

Thrillhouse

January 8th, 2011 at 11:34 AM ^

Eric,

I did not mean to marginalize you by refering to you as "that spookers guy". For that, I apologize.

Would Martin be the worst hire in the world? Probably not. I wasn't saying that at all. I just don't see it happening.

There's a hilarious section at the end of the first freedarko book (The Macrophenomnal Basketball Alamanac) that lays out all the "Myth of the Next..."s floating around in the NBA. For instance, the Myth of the Next Gilbert Arenas is that any unheralded two gaurd drafted in the 2nd round will blossom into Gilbert Arenas. There are definitely many "Myth of the Next"s that have engrained themselves into the heads of NCAA football fans, and I think one of them is the "Myth of the Next Tressel" - an unheard of coach will rise from the lower ranks of NCAA football and take a once powerful team back to former glory. Maybe Chuck Martin can fulfill this promise (in retarded movie terms, maybe he is "The One"). But I don't think that's going to be for us to find out. 

MH20

January 8th, 2011 at 11:14 AM ^

No no no no no no no no no no non on on on onononononononononono

If people thought that RR was too abrasive in his mannerisms and language, then Chuck Martin would be a step UP in terms off self-assured dickheadedness.  The guy has never met another human being he wasn't at least 1000x better than.  He just kept running (GVSU is basically self-sustaining now) what Kelly had built over many, many years.  Martin has never been a head coach above the D2 level. 

NONONONONONONONONOONONONONONO

I'm a GVSU alum and if it weren't for his winning, I think most people would've disliked him.  Seriously.  If RR used salty language then I don't even know what word I'd use to describe Martin's, but it wouldn't be "Carr-esque."

gvsu11blue

January 8th, 2011 at 1:48 PM ^

 Michigan need a coach who is "Carr-esque" in the way he handles the media.  The way RR handled the media was one of the reasons there was so much bad press. Michigan can't have a coach who will cry in front of the media. The Mid west culture is primarily a blue collar shut up and do your job, i don't want to hear you b*%$ type of place. Bring in a hard a@# when it comes to the media. Gruden fits this mold,, look at how he handled the Cato June DUI his last year in TB, He wouldn't give them any details and it was all handled in house. Les Miles would be an improvement in this area and i have no clue about Hoke.

gvsu11blue

January 8th, 2011 at 2:49 PM ^

I posted something about Mendenhall a few days ago i think he is a great football coach but do not know if he would be a good fit at Michigan. He is a super conservitive guy who is very religous/spiritual guy and open about it (BYU firesides), which is a positive in my book, but he is also a soft spoken guy who i don't think could attract a lot big time talent. I think he is a perfect fit at BYU, when he signed the contract extention/ raise he talked about money not being important to him ( i still eat raman noodles etc).

The Man Down T…

January 8th, 2011 at 8:56 AM ^

First time in days that I've been able to log in..  No way in heck I'm logging out!  :)

 

So we get Les today???  Or Brady?

 

Maybe we can sneak a special ops team to Idaho and tranq and kidnap their coach.

wlubd

January 8th, 2011 at 9:00 AM ^

Just throwing this out there. Make of it what you will.

Geno Auriemma. C'mon guys! 90 game winning streak? We've got like the next 6-7 years worth of national championships locked up!!!

EDIT: I'm thinking this super-secret coaching search is starting to mess with my brain. Or I'm hungover. Probably both...