Other DC possibilities that have been mentioned

As I mentioned months ago on this blog, yes even before The Knowledge's famous shot heard round the M Go Blog....Shafer was going to be the scapegoat of the season since we had several starters returning and a solid D line. While I didn't think this was all his fault, its obvious to me that RR's strategy of looking for top assistants across the board looks good on paper, but in reality is flawed. There was obviously no chemistry amongst the D staff and when it was hitting the fan, Shafer's subordinates that are Coach Rod guys, were obviously telling him behind the scenes..."we need to do this...we need to do that"....etc....hence the 3-3-5 experiment at Purdue...and the subsequently embarrassing outcome. At the time I suggested Dick Bumpas at TCU since he's a proven DC and fields a consistent top20 defense in almost all key categories for many years. I don't have time to dig up the numbers again, but trust me, he is legit. I had hoped he would be contacted, but who knows if it happened, unless Brian has some inside scoop on this possibility. But the same situation remains now and this is the reason it is taking Coach Rod so long to find a new DC. Any DC worth a grain of salt is going to want to bring in a few of his "guys", and I can guarantee you this is the rub for our head coach right now. But I appreciate this dilemma and do understand Coach Rod wants his "guys" surrounding him. When I assemble my sales teams, I do the same thing. Bring in proven performers that I know will execute for me, but also assimilate well into the company culture where they will have to navigate well to be successful. Given this situation, I am willing to be patient to make sure this is the right hire. And if the option to bring in the DC's own guys is off the table, several mtgs need to take place with the DC candidates and the current assistants to make sure he isn't setting up another oil and water scenario. Something about Greg Robinson smells to me and I think Coach Rod can do better. But that's why we are paying him the big bucks....so we'll see how this plays out. Go Blue! "Those who stay will be champions....."

RR doesn't want Casteel for some reason. That is probably very clear by now. But he for some reason wants Gibson and Tall. And it's pretty clear he doesn't want to get rid of Hopson after one year (which is perfectly understandable given his recruiting potential and the fact that he was dealt a horrible hand at the LB position). But he, along with the rest of us, wants a top DC. But a top DC is likely to want to bring in at least one of "his" guys, preferably two (I assume Tall is safe no matter what). So a top DC would necessarily entail the dismissal of two other assistant. Gibson is fine as far as I'm concerned but Hopson would be unfair. This is why Greg Robinson is so tempting right now. He's an old guy. He most likely doesn't have an ego anymore (not after his abysmal tenure at Syracuse) and he probably wouldn't mind the guys on the staff now. So Greg Robinson saves the current staff and he brings a tantalizing NFL component that is sure to attract recruits. That all works out in theory. The question is, is Greg Robinson legitimate. Greg Robinson would be a huge risk. If the defense does well, the staff is saved and you have a stabilizer with NFL experience. This is not unlike what Urban Meyer did after Michigan completely exposed his defense. He brought in Bedford, but he also brought in former Iowa St. coach Dan McCarney. An experienced stabilizer is very attractive right now, but the downside is what happens if Robinson fails. That is the big concern because Robinson is anything but a shoe in given his mixed record. It would contravene everything Michigan has stood for if the DC and two assistants were fired after one year. But Michigan irreversibly changed their culture by hiring RR. I don't think it would be a good idea to settle on a risky choice when there are so many other proven DC out there. You just have to get rid of Gibson (who isn't that good to begin with) and Hopson (who is the sacrificial lamb). It's a business. I'm just waiting to see if RR and the administration have the guts to go through with this. Otherwise, we're going to have to pray that Robinson is effective.

because of RR's familiarity with him, among other things. That's not looking too likely now, since I would have thought the deal would have been announced not too long after WVU's bowl game. There's a public relations angle to this, too. RR's coming off a historically bad season, and rightfully or not, his reputation has taken a hit. I don't see how hiring someone who just finished three of the worst seasons in D-1A in the last 30 years at a BCS school is going to help RR. It's not as though Robinson's defenses have been uniformly great; except for a couple years with Denver and one year with Texas, his record is frankly downright crappy. I were a coach out on the recruiting trails going after a top defensive prospect that Michigan was also recruiting, I would make sure that the recruit was well aware of GR's record if he were Michigan's DC.

I hope coach Rod at least takes a look at Brian Stewart. He was just fired as DC of the Cowboys. His firing in Dallas appears to be a personality conflict, rather than a performance problem, as his team was 9th and 8th in his last two years respectively (and led the league in sacks this year). It was his first DC stint. He'd been a secondary coach in the NFL and in College before that (Syracuse, Missouri, and San Jose State). It's unlikely that he'll be up for another DC position in the NFL right now, so he'll be choosing between a DC opportunity in college or a Secondary Coach position in the bigs. Word is, he's also a really impressive interviewer (which makes me think he'd be a great salesman as a recruiter). Some of his Dallas players complained that he tried too much to be their father or a brother, rather than just their coach. While that style may not work in the pros, a mentoring/nurturing coach could be really useful for developing 18 year olds (and putting their families at ease when sending them off to college). Would he want to come here? Who knows. But he's the type of guy that I'd like to see us at least reach out to.

IT'S MICHIGAN! IT'S A REWARD IN ITSELF!