RichRod now on HUGE Show is saying...
Rich sez (paraphrased):
...we're overmatched in several positions on defense...
...if we don't get to a bowl game, we'll be disappointed, but we're not going to jump off a bridge...
...it starts with recruiting "the right guys..."
...a lot of things have to line up just right for us (to have success)...
...I feel good about our players being "all in" ...it's been a good group to coach...
...we've gotten solid play out of players like Mike Martin and VanBergen...
...the effort is still there, but the execution isn't...
...we're not talented enough to play poorly and win...
...Tate Forcier's "freshman moments" are more pronounced (obvious) when we lose... He'll be okay...
...Denard is still learning and needs to learn quarterback so that he'll be able to know the whole offense...
...our group is handling adversity well... It's a nice surprise...
...the headlines and off-the-field drama have affected some players and is disruptive, but you just have to press forward...
...I don't read the papers or get on the Internet, but it's disappointing when people make decisions when they don't have all the facts; that's disappointing...
...I've been treated "okay" here at Michigan... this program has had such success that it's a target, and it makes some people happy when they can make others miserable... I don't think people are trying to run me out of Ann Arbor... I don't want to get into that drama...
...I've heard Mary Sue Coleman will give me the time to build the program... patience is hard to come by these days...
...we'll feel the pressure regardless of whether we "do something special" in 2010... it all starts with recruiting... I feel good about our staff, university and fans... I couldn't be happier...
...I can promise you one thing, there isn't one member of our staff that will short change the program...
...What we need to be successful is to get the right student athletes doing the right things... sometimes you make recruiting mistakes... We'll be there someday; we'll get there...
...I don't know when we'll compete for a Big Ten title, but in a couple years, barring key injuries, we can get the roster where it should be... when you get a chance to develop the right players for three or four years, then you've got something...
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:35 PM ^
Everyone needs to be patient. We've had it good at Michigan, but after 97 but 'good' wasn't good enough. Now we've taken a step back, deconstructed 'good', and now we are constructing great. We are going to have an amazing team in a few years. I just wish UM fans would realize that we had to deconstruct to become great. And for all the bad things that have happened, we've been close, and when RR finally gets his players and they get comfortable in his system, it's going to be all over the rest of the big 10. As long as impatient and unrealistic fans don't try to run him out of town because he couldn't win the big 10 with Sheridan, Threet, and 89 underclassmen on the roster.
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:38 PM ^
Let's hope that we're back to winning regularly in two or three years. It looks like RichRod will get four years minimum, unless there are major NCAA violations laid at his feet (God forbid).
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:58 PM ^
...sometimes I don't agree with certain things that RR says to the media. I know that time and again he brings up the fact that we need to recruit right (esp on defense). Even if this is the case, I don't think he should make a big deal out of this because this takes away from the players who are currently playing and IMO this demoralizes them and makes it seem like they're just temporary replacements to the next batch of recruits
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:08 PM ^
nice point.
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:25 PM ^
yeah, i also agree - - why throw the current players under the bus?? seems wholly unnecessary
November 3rd, 2009 at 6:06 PM ^
Maybe he's using it as an aid for his recruiting... "Listen media (and recruits who watch/listen to the media), new guys will have the opportunity to make a big impact here."
November 3rd, 2009 at 6:43 PM ^
...but IMO he can do that behind the walls too and that way not let media get into the players' ears and at the same time have a solid recruiting pitch
November 4th, 2009 at 12:37 AM ^
both to bring the program around (at least back to what it was before he got here) and for him to learn about how to deal with the media. For someone who purports not to read the paper or internet, he does a lot of media interviews. And in those interviews, he almost always says too much. Same for all of his openness to the media. These mistakes have already bit him in the ass with the Freep Jihaad, and seriously, what benefit does he expect to garner from statements like he feels he's gotten "okay" support from the university or Mary Sue Coleman, that there's been recruiting "mistakes", etc. etc. He ought to going out of his way to NOT say things right now. There is simply no point in it. Personally, I'd rather that he spend a bit more time reading a University of Michigan history book, or calling the mother of a defensive recruit, or watching film of Purdue than doing what may be rival Valenti's show for the worst sports radio show in the history of broadcast media.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:44 PM ^
Dammit, if I could start with that roster on NCAA 09 and win a NC through simulation in 2010, RR can do it in real life! NC next year or run him out!!!!!
/sarcasm
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:37 PM ^
Pardon my ignorance, but what is the HUGE show? I'm not familiar with it.
Those are some pretty honest quotes. I'm actually surprised he flat out said those types of things even if we are all thinking it.
I think our situation might be darker than we have thought all along. The cupboard really is bare.
I still think he's the man for the job. I just hope we get the kids we need.
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:41 PM ^
took the words right out of my mouth. That's almost too honest.
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:41 PM ^
is a sports talk show based out of Grand Rapids with a few affiliate stations across the state. (107.3 FM in Grand Rapids).
http://thehugeshow.cust.a5.com/
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:45 PM ^
Thanks for the info. I thought he was referring to a new show on ESPN hosted by Paul McGuire and Colin Cowherd. They could just babble at each other for an hour.
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:43 PM ^
Although I also would not, because that means it would be public and embarrass a kid, which no one deserves. But that does mean that he already feels at least one or more of his recruits are mistakes, which must be tremendously disappointing to him given the poor talent base he inherited and the subsequent pressure on recruiting.
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:53 PM ^
I'd assume that he probably considers guys like Justin Feagin and Boubacar mistakes.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:28 PM ^
I took that to mean that they made mistakes in not recruiting enough defensive players, not that one player in particular should not have been recruited.
November 4th, 2009 at 12:48 AM ^
I'm also sure he regrets getting burned by Graves and Jones decommitting so late in the process. There was a lot of attrition in the hybrid Carr/Rodriguez class, so maybe he would have done things differently there with the benefit of hindsight, too.
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:47 PM ^
The HUGE show is a horrible sports talk show based out of Grand Rapids. The guy is annoying to listen to and just an idiot in general. You're not missing anything.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:47 PM ^
That is all that needs to be said about the show.
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:49 PM ^
Pardon my ignorance, but what is the HUGE show? I'm not familiar with it.Start with this comment, then read the rest that follow below.
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:02 PM ^
Huge is an idiot. And for a so called Michigan fan he sure does love to constantly give the Spartan football program more credit than they deserve all while shitting on us to make himself look like he is a fair on air personality. I had to quit listening 5 games in to the season . . .
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:37 PM ^
Fast forward to 2011 please.
November 4th, 2009 at 12:50 PM ^
I'm am not content with our current situation. However; I believe you need to go through the lows to fully enjoy the highs. The lows will make it that much sweeter when we return to the upper echelon of college football.
November 4th, 2009 at 1:16 PM ^
Dude, are you sitting around a camp fire singing? Or maybe you're a therapist.......I'm sorry man but that is one of the most cheesey posts I have ever read here. Sounds like something a therapist would tell a troubled youth to me.
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:41 PM ^
interview.
Calm the natives a bit hopefully
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:49 PM ^
...a lot of things have to line up just right for us (to have success)...Pretty sure Mercury is in retrograde this month. So we got that goin' for us.
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:53 PM ^
I will probably drink whiskey and smash stuff.
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:26 PM ^
This one had me LOL'ing at my desk.
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:55 PM ^
I found the quote about Denard needing to learn QB so he knows the whole offense interesting. Maybe I'm reading into it too much, but it seems like you could infer from it that in the future, he won't be a QB, but perhaps utilized all over the field, a la Percy Harvin. I think that makes sense in the future with Tate and Gardner in the fold at QB.
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:16 PM ^
...you're right on with this assessment. The implication RR made was that it will benefit Denard to know the whole offense, which by default means he'll know all the skill positions in case he's used in other ways later.
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:28 PM ^
I took it to mean the same thing.
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:32 PM ^
I wholeheartedly agree. Extremely telling quote by Rodriguez. I think that Denard is a lot like Pryor at OSU in that, although he is extremely talented, he never had to utilize all of the skills necessary to be a quarterback while in high school (reading defenses, especially). A college quarterback, walking in the door, is expected to be able to at least partially recognize what kind of sets a defense is in; if you've never had to do that before, and still had success, it's hard to get that concept while simultaneously getting a complicated playbook memorized. I don't think that Denard is a bad qb, but I don't think it's his future.
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:35 PM ^
Does anyone know of RR having a history of using a player in a hybrid role? I know slots are supposed to be able to come into the backfield and vice versa, but specifically has there been a player (Noel Devine??) that RR had at WV that was used all over the place?
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:02 PM ^
I thought the exact same thing when I read this, and I think it happens as soon as next year.
After Michigan started 4-0 this year, I was almost certain that 2010 would see the Tate and Denard show at QB again, with Devin Gardner getting a redshirt. Well, after the semi-implosion that's taken place, I've changed my opinion on that. I think next year Rich Rod will really feel the heat to produce wins, and he'll pull out all the stops. I think Gardner enrolls early, learns a good portion of the playbook and plays the backup QB role to Tate, much like Denard has done this year with hopefully a bit more success. Denard is moved to a Percy Harvin role, playing all over the field and scaring the Hell out of defensive coordinators.
Given Rich Rods history of playing freshmen, and the comments he's made about Denard learning the entire playbook, I see this being a good possibility next year. As much as I'd love to see Gardner redshirt, I think this scenario gives us the best chance to wins games - just my opinion.
November 3rd, 2009 at 6:26 PM ^
I am not doubting you here, but I REALLY hope Tate puts on 20 pounds ( preferably in his arm so he can hold onto the ball) and is the type of player we saw in September 2009 over the entire 2010 season. Why? So Devin can redshirt. It would be sooo nice and good good for the program for us to be good enough at QB for him to redshirt. A redshirt junior taking over from a 4 year starting senior? That's what I really want for christmas
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:53 PM ^
I think it's more along the lines of "the quarterbacks only have about 70% of the offense down right now." Learning the "whole offense" means being able to run all of the standard plays, all of the counters and the counters to counters, so the whole playbook is open to them.
November 3rd, 2009 at 5:52 PM ^
Every year every coach is looking for the best players at every position. Just because you have...wait for it...Tim Tebow, doesn't mean you don't look at the best QB that will work in your system.
I believe RR is always looking for the best "student" athletes that have the qualities and character to best represent the University of Michigan. Obviously in our situation depth is a HUGE(not punny) issue, so he seems to be looking for multiple top end players at every position. If possible he wants three No. 1 guys at every spot, so when David Molk goes down, you plug in the next guy with no drop off. He doesn't mean any disrespect to any of the current players.
The chief reason this program is where it is, is because there weren't any No.1s or future No. 1s to fill in the holes as players graduated, left, were removed etc.
I think the reason all this will take longer than anyone thought is because there are so many holes in so many places at the same time. You can cover for one weak safety or one weak LB, but not when your most experienced LBs are not very good and their replacements have no experience and the safeties that cover for them have none either.
It's a perfect storm of lack of prepared talent and different schemes every year. I don't think Monte Kiffin or Will Muschamp could have these players playing at a high enough level to win the key games this season or make the fanbase happy.
November 4th, 2009 at 1:04 AM ^
Our defense has 15 scholarship players that aren't freshmen. That isn't a big group to upset. Also, one of them just got benched in favor of a walk-on (Ezeh) and I think that hurt his ego/feelings a lot more than anything Rodriguez could ever say in the media.
I agree that Rodriguez could probably be more tactful on the issue (and maybe a few others) but when the MSM goes into red alert and the President of the school is giving out "votes of confidence", I don't blame him for trying to illustrate clearly the type of situation we are currently dealing with. I'm sure every school in the country is trying to use this as an opportunity to say, "See kids, this guy can't coach." Rodriguez has to make it clear, if only for recruiting, that once he has experienced talent on board the program is going to take off and that the current struggles are directly attributable to what he inherited and not what he is building.