Michigan Football was the Worst team in the Big Ten.
It boggles my mind that this could happen in just 2 seasons. But it has happened.
Where does the program go from here?
but it's true.
That ND win skewed everyone's expectations and opinions badly, including, apparently, the team itself.
"Better to have died as a small boy than to fumble this football" -- John Heisman
I feel just as empty as the next person, but we will find out next week whether this team has quit.
Christ in me arise and dispel all the darkness.
Tell the team it's the beginning of the season again. Time to reboot, apparently memory leaks have become a problem.
I just look at it and I dont see things that can be fixed within 1-2 recruiting classes with this system that is in place. Im sitting here reminded of this song I once heard:
"A long, long time ago...
I can still remember
How that football team used to make me smile.
And I knew if he had his chance
That Bo could make those people dance
And, maybe, they'd be happy for a while.
But February made me shiver
With every Free Press they'd deliver.
Bad news on the doorstep;
I couldn't take one more step.
I can't remember if I cried
When I read about Coach Rich Rod's pride,
But something touched me deep inside
The day Michigan Football died.
So bye-bye, Michigan Football Pie.
Drove my Chevy to the levee,
But the levee was dry.
And Bo's old boys were drinkin' whiskey and rye
Singin', "this'll be the day that we die.
"this'll be the day that we die."
Strictly business...Not personal.
but I'm picking up what you're putting down. I'm particularly worried about the defensive recruiting (or lack thereof). I mean, it's downright scary to realize Graham, Brown and Warren will be gone and the D is terrible with them. Robinson is by all accounts not a fantastic recruiter and Rich is always looking for the next speedy midget for his offense so who's at the wheel here?
"Better to have died as a small boy than to fumble this football" -- John Heisman
Has Warren ever actually made any comments about leaving? Or are people just assuming he will because of the NFL rookie cap coming in?
Not only because of the rookie cap, but because he's good enough to go early and, honestly, would you stick around to play on this defense or go make yourself a few mill?
"Better to have died as a small boy than to fumble this football" -- John Heisman
Is it possible that he may want to play college football another year? Brandon Graham did.
MAYBE if the rookie salary cap weren't looming. If I had to bet, I'd say he's gone.
"Better to have died as a small boy than to fumble this football" -- John Heisman
That may be, but I think we should wait to hear it from him before we assume he's gone.
Dude, just get over it. What is the alternative we are faced with!? Unless you are suggesting that Lloyd Carr should still be coaching, which is a totally irrelevant supposition anyway, what the hell are you trying to argue!? You can be as nostalgic as you want, but some of us live in the REAL WORLD.
It is so obnoxious seeing people like you whine and whine and whine, but offer NOTHING. What would you like the situation to be? What alternative can you offer that is realistic and sensible?
At this point you sound like a freaking baby who has no conception of reality. You've made about a million post since we've lost to Illinois and they all reek of stupidity.
I cannot believe how f**king crazy people have gotten over this. It is not surprising; it is terribly disappointing, but it is not surprising to anyone who bases their opinions on reason and fact.
You are denying reality. We are a young, inexperienced team with no talent on defense. Rich Rodriguez is considered by basically the entire coaching profession to be one of the best in the game.
What the hell, man? WHAT THE HELL? Are you kidding? Is this entire thing a joke?
c/o 2008
GO BLUE!
UM is not the worst team in the big10 you just got beat by the worst team in the big10. That was not the same team that played through the first 6 games
Current Smug rating: "lethal"
They are in Last Place in the Big Ten and got rolled by 25 to the other last place team.
Strictly business...Not personal.
Illinois is 1-5 in the Big10
UM is tied with IU at 1-4 and since UM beat IU doesn't that make UM 9th currently?
Current Smug rating: "lethal"
OK you convinced me: Michigan is better than the team that just rolled them for the 2nd consecutive year by 25 pts.
BTW...does the fact that Michigan beat your team, make you feel like they are better than what they really are?
Strictly business...Not personal.
for some reason I don't think your serious.....
I feel that UM is better than they played today. Honestly I hold to my preseason expectations that UM would be a 6-6 team and maybe even a 7-5 team. UM had the potential to win a game that that "shouldn't" but had just as good of a chance to drop one they "shouldn't". So far that has held,
The UI and ND games seem to fit the 2 extremes in UM's season so what is left probably a good indicator of where the UM team actually is, and that is not the worst team in the big10
Current Smug rating: "lethal"
This was a bad loss to a bad team but that doesn't make Michigan the worst team in the league. The root cause of the team's woes is, I believe, concentration/experience on offense and personnel on defense.
When the offense is executing properly and holding onto the ball, no one has been able to stop it. Unfortunately, those two qualifiers are there but I think they fade as the players mature.
As for the defensive problem, nothing will cure that but time. Firing Rodriguez will not fix that, I don't care who you hire to replace him.
Jay Hobson might be done. I think the secondary coaches are a little bit hot under the pants, but they have personnel cover. D-Line and coaching is fine.
It's not a total lost. I still get to root against osu, msu, and notre dame.
Maybe you should challenge Tate to a fight. you are running around this blog like the Redneck Rocker. God Father needs to slap you in the face like he did Johnny Fontaine.
than last year, looking at the season in total. Unless we dramatically improve our level of play, we will not win a game from here on out, meaning we'd finish with one win in the Big Ten. Meaning that's worse than last year. If that transpires, that means we'd finish overall with 4 wins, since I don't count the scrimmage against Del State that had so many people hugging themselves over since Coner and Kennedy got some PT. And 4 wins is hardly representative of the "RR always has a great improvement in his second year" notion that's based on exactly one data point. Sorry, I don't include Glenville State, either.
Maybe he needs to scream more at his assistants during games.
I never thought I'd see the day where:
-We'd be last in the Big 10
-We'd give up 405 yards in the 2nd half of a game against a one-win team
-We'd be re-starting our bowl streak
-We'd consider the Motor City/Pizza Pizza Bowl a best-case-scenario for the rest of our season
-Being ranked is a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence
-We'd have lost back-to-back to MSU for the first time since 1967 and Illinois for the first time since 1957-8
-A good portion of our fanbase would openly question the loyalty of Lloyd Carr to the University of Michigan
-There would be NCAA investigators in Ann Arbor probing our football program (Rosenberg backlash or not, they're still here)
Why are we defending this? Remember when 2005 was as bad as it got?
I agree.
Is it maybe, just maybe, not too early to think we picked the wrong guy? As a friend of mine said, football aside, you NEVER hire someone who simply wants to get away from their current employer.
"Better to have died as a small boy than to fumble this football" -- John Heisman
As a fanbase, we have been spoiled by years of winning records, bowl games, etc. Until last year, I had never seen a Michigan team have a losing record, although 2005 sure felt like it. Today was my worst fear, and it sucks beyond belief. It's likely we lose out, and miss another bowl. That is up to the players. We have no control over it. But I will be in front of the TV every week, supporting them. I'm not ready to take off the blinders yet, but we need to win next week.
Christ in me arise and dispel all the darkness.
there may be a lot of talk of firing RR right now but I think the general consensus in this board is that he deserves more time. One thing I love about this board is that you beautiful mgobloggers always seem to use a bit more of a realist opinion than a panic one. The one thing that I cannot help but wonder is if we did fire RR (which I think is a mistake {at least right now anyway}) where do we go now. As much as I would love to go out and get an Urban or a Carrol I don't see either of these guys leaving to come to A2. Guys like Brian Kelley are up and coming but would we be sure that it would not be the same thing that we have now with RR. I think RR is the right guy for the job.
Oh how I hate Ohio State
Brian Kelly at Cinci -- that guy is a winner, and he can do it with any personnel without making excuses. 5th string QB no problem.
MGoBleu
Seriously, what makes everyone think that Brian Kelly will be so different from RichRod?
He's a talented young coach who's had success at every level he's played at so far, up to and including the Big East, with less than stellar recruits. Sound familiar?
Yet. Give him another season. But, the heat had better be on from the President of the U on down through the Athletic Dept. The new AD should give him another season to make something happen -- no less than 8 wins next year, or sayonara.
in 2005, masked by pulling out ridiculous wins from the jaws of defeat, that team should have been 5-7.
2006 was a strong motivated defense playing against the worst offensive football ever played in the Big Ten's history ~look it up its true. Ball State was the best offense we played before OSU and USC.
2007, the first two games weren't a fluke and thats what should be painfull. Without pulling a couple wins out of the fire (thank you JoePa for the gameplan from 1932) Michigan probably should have been a 6-6 at best team that year.
Save for one season, with a special group of defensive players against the worst offensive football in Big 10 history......Michigan football has been mediocre for 5 full seasons now.
There'd be a big boat coming my way... believe me when I say, I fucked a mermaid.
When your team is winning, be ready to be tough, because winning can make you soft. On the other hand, when your team is losing, stick by them. Keep believing. -- Bo Schembechler
Up? If we're the worst, it can't get much worse, then.
I hope MSU loses to Minnesota tonight. Daddy needs some Schadenfreude.