UMMAN83

January 5th, 2011 at 5:37 PM ^

Obviously the "search" has not started today.  He is not stupid.  Once he concludes his review and makes a choice I will stand by the decision.  To me, if I don't, then I'm part of the problem.  We all need to support the program.  Most of you got what you wanted today.  A new coach will be coming so support him.  Heck, if its some no-name with the right qualities so be it.   This will be done soon.  Let the media speculate and fabricate ... they do that well.

Joined: 11/26/2009

MGoPoints: 1491

dearbornpeds

January 5th, 2011 at 5:39 PM ^

I believe DB knew from the beginning that he might have to replace RR this year and that he had a list of candidates.  I don't think the only name on that list was Harbaugh.

Most of the very successful coaches we know today (e.g. Tressel) were unknown before their current job so it is imperative that we cut a little slack for the new hire.  Our returning starters and redshirt freshmen are looking at an easier schedule next year and might have some success.  This will hopefully stop all the garbage that we hear and read on a daily basis.

If RR sits out a year, that would probably prevent Denard from transferring because he obviously wouldn't know where to go.  I can't believe he would leave his friends to play for a coach and teammates he doesn't know.  The attrition will be small compared to what happened three years ago.

Almost nothing would make me happier than seeing RR hoist the nc trophy a few years down the road.  I would take a picture and send it to some of the local media who have hounded him from the beginning.  The only better site would be to see our next coach lift it up to a unified fan base.

Joined: 11/07/2009

MGoPoints: 1672

Desmonlon Edwoodson

January 5th, 2011 at 5:39 PM ^

I'm relatively new here, but should I know what Brian has against Les Miles?  Is it because he runs more of a shotgun spread/pro style hybrid offense at LSU?  Is 100% of Brian's preference based on likelihood of keeping Denard?  I love Denard, but he has shown a tendency to fold under the bright lights...Do we really want to base this hire on the preference of one player?  On my list, Miles is no worse than 1b to Harbaugh's 1a in terms of uniting the fan base and recruiting prowess.

On a tangentally related note, how the hell do I change my avatar?  Am I going to have to wait for the post-wonky mgoblog era?

Joined: 12/02/2010

MGoPoints: 1382

briangoblue

January 5th, 2011 at 6:17 PM ^

has nothing to do with offense. Miles has lowered himself to the SEC level and has gotten greasy as a result. He was just portrayed in a terrible light a few weeks ago on an Outside the Lines on oversigning. Also, there were lots of rumors about him snakeoiling recruits from Michigan by making claims that Lloyd's health was on the verge of giving out (or something along those lines). LSU got a couple of recruits from Michigan, and they snakeoiled cornerback Jai Eugene on signing day a few years ago.

And yes, you will most likely have to wait for the site to rise like a Phoenix from the recent days' ashes to change your avatar.

Joined: 08/03/2009

MGoPoints: 5160

STW P. Brabbs

January 5th, 2011 at 5:40 PM ^

I actually want to send Dave Brandon an email with that subject line, even though I'm pretty sure he's filtering through the random emails sent to him by alumni and fans.  But maybe if a bunch of us sent that email ....

Anyway, I've decided that Charlie Strong would be a fantastic hire - very good defensive coach, great recruiter, awesome name, fairly young, etc.   Plus, he kind of looks like a badass, which thanks to the Power of Groban might be a welcome change for our image.* 

Normally, I would think this would be doable: we could offer more money, more prestige, far better facilities and institutional resources, etc.  Also, Louisville is puported to be a bit of a shithole, so it's not like we're convincing him to leave NorCal. 

Here's the catch: since the timeline is so fucking short at this point, Strong will effectively be putting the dagger in his current school's back, since they'll have almost no time at all to name a successor before signing day.  Many of the apparently stand-up guys we might want to hire will balk at this, undoubtedly.

Still, I'm going to hope and pray that Brandon moves heaven and earth to get Strong ... which will at least give me something to focus on until I'm inevitably disappointed with whoever we finally convince to come here in Februrary. 

So yeah - if anyone wants to give me Dave's email address and join me in my barrage of CHARLIE STRONG messages to his inbox, holla.

Joined: 08/27/2008

MGoPoints: 3823

Captain

January 5th, 2011 at 7:44 PM ^

3 of the 5 qualities you listed (awesome name, fairly young, kind of looks like a badass) do not rank terribly high on the list of qualities I look for in our next head coach.  Nice plusses, all of them, but there are more important measurements.

Joined: 06/12/2009

MGoPoints: 12509

STW P. Brabbs

January 5th, 2011 at 9:20 PM ^

I guess you went ahead and took those seriously, huh?  For god's sake man, don't ask me to put a fey little smiley face like that Irish fucker when I'm goofing around in a comment.

Actually, I stand by "fairly young" as a positive attribute.  Maybe it would make sense if it read "not old," or "not kinda old like Les Miles."  Not as important as other characteristics, but not negligible, I'd say.

But the big things Strong has: very successful defensive coach, reputed to have considerable leadership qualities and charisma, killer recruiter in Florida ... these things would seem to recommend the man.  Plus he's not in a situation that looks impossible to pry him away from.

Joined: 08/27/2008

MGoPoints: 3823

skwasha

January 6th, 2011 at 2:08 AM ^

I think that's an important point wrt ANY of the coaching options out there. If these are 'stand up' guys that 'do the right thing' then leaving their current team in the lurch on the eve of nat'l signing day would probably be fairly uncomfortable and unpalatable. This to me is one of the huge flaws in the whole 'process.' We're essentially saying we want men of character, discipline, etc. (Michigan Man characteristics) but because we're doing it at such a late hour in the overall scheme of things, we're also basically saying we want them to veer from those principles to accept our overtures just because we're Michigan.

That's my biggest beef with the timing of the 'process.' Do it in Dec. and you can have a standard (at least for a major leadership change) transition. But doing it this way basically ensures there is bad blood, casualties (recruiting, etc.), hypocrisy, and/or all of the above.

Joined: 10/09/2010

MGoPoints: 633

UMAmaizinBlue

January 5th, 2011 at 7:06 PM ^

he has no choice but to throw alot of money at someone, and that won't sit well with alot of people.

Unless that "someone" is Jim Harbaugh. Seriously, I think people will just be happy to have a damn coach again. We'll squabble about him over the next 240 days or so and argue about them being good enough or not, but I for one will be relieved when someone is hired, regardless of the cost. Hell, as an alum now, I's be willing to throw in a little bit of my share to get the big money to land the guy we NEED to get.

 

As I told me mom today when she asked me if I was sad to see RR go:

 

"No, I'm just pissed that we don't have a coach AT ALL now!" 

 

I think that sums up a lot of people's angst during the presser today. Money is secondary or even tertiary at this point.

Joined: 09/23/2009

MGoPoints: 36272

jackw8542

January 5th, 2011 at 6:05 PM ^

There was an article in the Washington Post today about a high school student athlete who was about to leave for early enrollment at UConn only to find out about Edsall leaving UConn to become the new head coach at Maryland.  The article pointed out that if he attended even one class at UConn and then wanted to transfer, he would have to sit out for a year.  That is a pretty harsh rule when it is applied to kids who find themselves in that situation, as will a few new students who said they wanted to enroll early at Michigan so that they could participate in spring practice.  There are a lot of ripple effects from what happened today that are truly unfortunate.  I hope things happen quickly enough for them to be able to be fully informed about one of the most important decisions they will get to make.

Joined: 10/30/2010

MGoPoints: 4257

Bass21279

January 5th, 2011 at 6:16 PM ^

Here are the big names, with my odds: Les Miles, 3-1: He truly is a Michigan Man, and he's won a national title. There's been a lot of talk about how he still secretly would like to get this job and doesn't feel appreciated at LSU. But he does have a hefty buyout. Brady Hoke, 4-1: Gets the Michigan Man tag because he was a Lloyd Carr assistant, and Carr figures to have more input in the search this time around. Hoke did a very good job at Ball State and San Diego State, but many UM fans are still lukewarm about him. It's certainly a bigger jump from SD State to Michigan than from WVU to Michigan. Gary Patterson, 5-1: Coming off a fantastic season at TCU. His teams are 25-1 in their past 26, and you'd think if anyone could fix the mess that is the horrible Wolverines D, it's Patterson. Plus, his offense would fit with Denard Robinson. I also think he'd have a hard time saying no if offered, but will Michigan folks buy in? No head coach is more hands-on. If they thought RichRod could be rough, Coach P might make him seem like Mack Brown. Jim Harbaugh, 6-1: Until he signs an NFL contract he's still a contender here. Did an unbelievable job turning a dismal Stanford program into a powerhouse that was as physical as any team in the country. The Cardinal played like Michigan used to. Jon Gruden, 8-1: Flirted with a few college searches before and supposedly would like to stay in the broadcast booth at least for another year, but my hunch is he'd be very tempted by Michigan and would be curious to try out all that scheme studying he has done of Chip Kelly's and Urban Meyer's offenses the past few years. Mike Trgovac, 15-1: Longtime NFL assistant Trgovac was a star D-lineman at Michigan (he played in three Rose Bowls) and spent five years as the Carolina Panthers' DC. He certainly is a Michigan Man and also a well-respected defensive presence, although having not been a head coach hurts. Kyle Whittingham, 20-1: Stock may have fallen a little in the past two months after the Utes got routed a few times this season, but still a hot commodity and like Patterson, would bring a tough, physical style and boost a bad D. Chris Petersen, 25-1: Boise State's head coach is well-regarded but always has been reluctant to leave the land of the blue turf for supposedly greener pastures.

Joined: 10/20/2009

MGoPoints: 10

Monocle Smile

January 5th, 2011 at 6:29 PM ^

Fuck Les Miles. This board and others have already gone over how poisonous he is as a person and in-game coach. LSU is currently winning in spite of him...partly because somehow the other team screws up even more than Miles.

Fuck Brady Hoke. The "Michigan Man" tag is really all he has to his name. As Desmond Howard said, this should mean jack shit in the search. Took 6 seasons to get over .500 at Ball State and has never been a head coach (or coordinator) in a BCS conference.

Mike Trgovac shouldn't be anywhere near this list.

Joined: 09/17/2009

MGoPoints: 23016

snowcrash

January 5th, 2011 at 6:43 PM ^

Here's the order I would take those:

1. Harbaugh

2. Patterson

3. Petersen

4. Whittingham

5. Hoke

6. Gruden - has never been more than a position coach at the college level

7. Trgovac - ditto, and has never been a head coach at any level, might make a good DC

8. Miles - old, don't like him as a game coach, runs a sketchy program

Joined: 07/22/2008

MGoPoints: 6599

marlon

January 5th, 2011 at 6:16 PM ^

If Brandon's talking about paying the big bucks, we know he can't be thinking Hoke.  You don't pay relatively unproven coaching talent top-tier money.  Top-tier money goes to the big names: Saban, Stoops, etc.

Joined: 01/21/2009

MGoPoints: 590

josephg03

January 5th, 2011 at 6:30 PM ^

DB made the point of saying that they will no longer be "middle of the pack" with paying the coach's salary.  Which available candidates are worth ~$5M?  Harbaugh, Miles, and ???  You don't pay an unproven Hoke, Fitzgerald, or I'll go as far to say Patterson or Petersen, given the conferences they play in.  Does DB have a big name coach in waiting, or was that to draw other names?

Joined: 07/02/2008

MGoPoints: 6