I would've liked to keep Rich but what do i know........
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One thing I'd like to keep from the RR era at UM
but what's done is done.
...Michigan now has a chance to, you know, win Big Ten games. I'm looking forward to the watching Michigan football again.
That's not fair. RichRod was 2-0 against Indiana... barely but still.
Let's hope they're easier to win than MAC games
IMO so would Rich. Bringing back 19 of 22 starters plus TW is a pretty impressive team. Add in the recruits we would'nt have lost and a new DC (and maybe even special teams coach) and I'm pretty sure the expectations for 2011 would've been higher for RR than they will be for Hoke.
Alas we shall never know.....
Even if all that held true, we'd have had a very, very ugly offseason to navigate until then, with continual speculation about RR's job. Our 2012 recruiting class will probably be better now than it would have been with RR sitting on a scalding hot seat. The players also won't have to be asked if they're playing to save the coach's job every week. Would you really want the team to have to go through all that again? The team we saw on Jan. 1 did not look like a team fighting its guts out for its embattled coach. It looked like an emotionally beaten team just waiting for the season to end.
et tu brute?
3-5-7 in the first three years does not equate to 9 wins in Year 4. RR lost five Big Ten games last year.....all of them by double digits (and a bowl game by 38 points). He won three Big Ten games....one of them by double digits. The other two were extremely close until the last minute (and Illinois went in 3 OT's). In short, his losses were much more convincing than his wins. I'm not trying to be a jackass, it's just the truth.
I hear what you're saying about returning starters but you realize that this was the worst defense in Michigan's 100+ year history, right? It's hard to brag on that defense (and scheme) returning next year.
The team needed a new direction and a new philosophy. It just so happens in this case that "new" means reverting to the past. Since RR's three seasons at Michigan resulted in the three worst conference records in the past 40+ years, I wasn't really eager to see what Year 4 would bring. I'm all in for Hoke and believe that he gives Michigan a much better chance to win in the Big Ten.
3-5-7 in the first years could equate to 11 wins if we're dealing with prime odds
I have been trying for days to get logged on here to comment. After seeing your post I don't need to anymore, you said everything that I wanted to say, however, better. I am with you on needing change. RR just was not for this team or University. He came in with far to much baggage, and is now leaving with just as much baggage (NCAA violations and worst record in M history.) Come on folks are you serious when you think RR was the coach for us. I as well, am all in for Hoke.
2-1 in the 90's.
Me too. :(
Not really from the Rodriguez era but he continued the tradition of not awarding helmet stickers. I hope Hoke keeps them away too.
God I hope not. That's way to much like the truck drivers for me and it will drive me crazy.
While I'm not a huge fan of them, the stickers are not an OSU innovation. Bo used them first at Miami (Oh.), and Woody copied him.
That school in Ohio has them
Amen to that!
keep he running up to the line the whole game. conditioning is important.
Our team would sprint to the other end of the field where the ball would be spotted. It always looked good and really made other teams look out of shape and tired.. dk if im the only one who noticed it but always loved it
And that play where Denard play-actions to himself.
I would also like to keep the Denard-running-all-over-Notre-Dame. That was a nice feature.
the Victors Walk. Great to see the team heading into the stadium on game day!
Amen to that too!
(was that what it was called?) alumni as honorary captains (he didn't reach out? Really?)
The best offense in the Big Ten?
I'd like to see them continue to do the Victors Walk before the game. I think it gives the players and fans a great chance to interact and show support before the game, but it's early enough in the day that impact much game prep.
DREADLOCKS
Oh yea
Circle of Death.
That is all.
We kept the crying at press confrences part.
Just waiting for Brady Hoke to break out the Josh Groban now.
Too soon?
Sweet avatar though.
I hope the Victors Walk and the act of handing the ball to the refs remains. I can't tell you how many people (non Michigan fans) commented to me how classy our team was.
1. Going for it on fourth down
2. RR's recruits
3. Fred Jackson
4. The open-door policy for access to the program
5. Two-game winning streak against ND
Personally, I'd prefer a three game winning streak against ND for 2011...
Good news is #3 is already happening.
Not only was it classy, but it stopped anyone who was scoring a touchdown to haphazardly drop the ball on the 2 yard line which must happen 10 times a year in college ball. Also helps with a hurry-up offense.
...Special K.
This is footbaw, not a rawk concert.
We kept the best thing of all from the RR era. Denard! You won't have to ever worry about him dancing in the endzone. All class.
I'm liking those new additions to the Big House that they added during the RR era. Here's hoping those stay for a while.
Celebratory antics will cost you big time. You can lose the game if you celebrate the touchdown before crossing the goaline. Ask Kansas State how they feel? So handing the ball to the official will most assuredly be part of the training.
Pahokee.
The QB sweep? I am thankful that denard appears to be sticking it out! I hope Hoke and the new OC study lots of tape of Denard and keep some of RR's schemes. Please Please use Denard effectively!
Yes... Victor's Walk... Handing the ball to the Ref, and this play...
(15 seconds in)
QB Oh Noes!
I like 2:25 more...
That is one of my favorite plays we ran this year. That one definitely should be a keeper.
But do you mean a "Michigan Man" set some traditions that we actually may want to keep around? Wow, maybe this "Michigan Man" thing is not all that it is cracked out to be.
Sorry for feeling like I had to say it.
I think we can all agree on this one, "GO BLUE!"
No more piped in music
at the students' section after a win. "All in for Michigan." Living and breathing THE TEAM. Denard Robinson.
singing the victors with the student section is maybe the best thing to come from the RR era. it's so brilliantly obvious, yet it wasn't already a tradition.
I was about to post about singing the Victors, but I'm definitely surprised it came so far down in the thread.
Yes, this 1000 times yes. Maybe I'm biased seeing as how it directly involves the student section plus it means more Lloyd Brady.
Alas this is not to be.
It never was in the first place. 3 years and no decided schematic advantage.
I'm not going anywhere!
Rita's Nacho Dip.
Singing of The Victors in the student section corner of the end zone after the wins at home. Wish there would have been more of those W's, and hoping Coach Hoke can help lead the team to many, many renditions of The Victors with the students.
Offensive Zing
Denard pwning fools
So long as it's not the towels.
I like how the players sing the victors with the student section. That was new under RR right? Edit: Sorry somebody beat me to it.
Defense NOOOOOOOOOOOOO
A spring game that people go to.
I'll keep my memories of the shootout with Umas...that's all,,,,
wristbands
The offense.
/fuck I have a headache
It's like the adults (blue hairs) hijacked the program back (particularly the offense), and told us "The Party's over.. go home."
Senior citizens vote, man. Decision 2011 was over almost as soon as the polls opened.
You're missing the point of why they are coached to hand the ball to the linesman. The idea is to greatly increase the tempo of the game, preventing D subs from coming in and resulting in more possesions for both teams. When tthe team is mediocre this has mixed or bad results. When the team is executing well it lowers the variance in outcome. Smartfootball has a recent analysis of Oregon and their up-tempo approach.
That kind of stops mattering after a touchdown.
I say we keep that whole "Denard scores a touchdown and gets down on one knee and thanks God for making him faster than a Usain-Bolt-Cheetah" thing. I mean, as long as everyone else is cool with it, that is....
spring ball game being a huge deal in AA. the victors walk. singing with the student section. All pretty awesome things how about fast guys playing fast. Maybe with Hoke we can have fast guys playing fast and tough guys playing tough.
"Hard Edge"
We should replace "HARD EDGE" with "WOLVERINES"
O BLUE?
The Michigan version of "O Canada"
maybe it's just a caution sign. that beam does look kind of dangerous. maybe near the bathrooms they have the same thing, but it says "WET FLOOR"
I really liked how he took the winged helmet from Tate during practices (when the players questioned his work ethic) because as RichRod said (paraphrased) 'you have to earn the honor of wearing this helmet'.
I think that it is a very good motivational technique - a little fear of having to wear a plain helmet! Also, no helmet stickers, I hate how they look on other helmets and would make ours look too cluttered.
Like others have said before, the Victors Walk and the singing of the fight song with the student section after victories.
After Barwis-type workouts in The Room. Keeps 'em lean and mean like a Wolverine should be. Conversely, I expect to witness the abolishment of chocolate milk as a refresher. That presented the wrong image even if it works, which it didn't so much, apparently.
I want them to keep the pregame routine where they run in concentric circles in opposite directions and then someone blows that whistle and they all run into the center. That looked awesome from the stands and was very intimidating.
Handing the ball to the officials
No trash talking, let their play do the talking
Victors Walk
Brock Mealer's continued recovery
I know he's on his way out, but he was a favorite among players and fans.
I thought that was a great idea. Tate has proven that he was not worthy and I think that is a great motivational tool.
Agree on keeping The Victors Walk, sprinting to the other end of the field at the end of the first and third quarters, handing the ball to the official after TD s, running whatever offensive schemes suit Denard Robinson and Devin Gardner best, having the team sing The Victors with the band and the student section after winning games, and elevating the Spring Game to a high level of importance.
Would add these from the RichRod Regime: (1) Continuing the connection with the Mealer family and having Brock Mealer lead the team out of the tunnel at the first game of the season (IF Brock agrees); (2) having permanent captains selected before the season, but adding extra game captains; (3) continuing to allow Roy Roundtree and Jordan Kovacs -- among others -- to speak for the players at press conferences (Roy seems to love the camera time and feel comfortable speaking to the media. How many noticed that nearly every time Jordan Kovacs finished a session with the media, he’d say, "Thank you" before leaving the podium?); (4) emphasizing academic improvement; and (5) finding an incoming recruit who can serve as an unofficial recruiter for his fellow classmates (like Ricardo Miller last season, and apparently Justice Hayes this season). I’d also like to see continued improvement for the Countdown to Kickoff series on MGoBlue that brought fans better understanding of the players and coaches as the opening game approaches.
Not sure if I like the idea of helmet stickers being used by a coach who professes to want everything to be about The Team. Earning Wings might fulfill Coach Hoke's request that players have to be most responsible to their teammates, but I'd wonder whether that could hurt team morale. I also don't know whether the individual pre-season dinners at position coaches' homes have to be continued, but the coaches and players should consider whether to keep that going.
Would hope that regardless of whether there will be honorary game captains from among the Michigan football alumni, the presence of UM football alumni at home games should be recognized in some meaningful way. Also hope that the continued presence of members of the Michigan football team at Mott Children’s Hospital, the Mock Rock charity event and other community events will be encouraged.
I loved the way RR really pushed the open try outs in the spring. I know they did this in the past and it wasn't new, but he really liked the idea of everybody getting a chance to show what they were made of. It was less about finding players, and more giving the students a chance to get a closer connection to the program, and letting them say "I tried out for the Michigan football team." I hope Hoke continues making this a big deal, and or better yet making it a bigger deal, like an all campus event.
I would like to keep the earning of the winged helmet in spring practice and etc. I thought this was very cool. It could be a great new tradition.
It would be great if one of Joe Montana's sons QB'd every team we play in 2011.
BBQ at the Big House should be retained as well...What a great and unique idea for recruiting...which other than the Pahokee pipeline, might be the only positive recruiting tools RR left behind.
Victor's Walk
Open spring game / Alumni spring game
Read option (as a change of pace - so beautiful when it works)
Barwis (we'll miss you Wolf King!)
Singing with the students after a game
BBQ at the Big House
Hearing him remind the kids after a win, "Stay hungry! Stay humble!"
The feeling that our offense could someday score 80 points and was something to be feared and planned against....
the ball handoff to the official definitely big +1. Michigan Man class all the way. We know we're good, we don't need a stupid dance to prove it. look at the scoreboard!