RR is capable of fielding good defensive teams

The premise, implied or explicit, of all of the "fire RichRod" posts is that he's incapable of putting forth a competitive defense.

Rich Rod's later WVU teams played excellent defense -- go take a look at the highlights from the 2006 Sugar Bowl against Georgia or the 2008 Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma. 

In that 2007-8 season, WVU had the seventh-ranked defense (by yardage) in the country. Indeed, in 2010, WVU is ranked fourth defensively under Jeff Casteel.

Here are the total defense / scoring defense rankings for WVU in the last six years:

2005: 15th / 13th

2006: 62nd / 49th

2007: 7th / 8th

2008: 36th / 11th

2009: 36th / 31st

2010: 4th / 5th

I realize that the Big East is not the Big Ten. However, WVU showed in those bowl games that their defense was for real. Jeff Casteel has achieved those rankings running the 3-3-5, FYI.

The point I'm trying to make is: RR is clearly capable of coaching a team with a successful defense. Why hasn't he had one at Michigan? As has been noted many times by many people, (1) because the defense was famously decimated; (2) highly touted recruits haven't worked out and/or left; (3) he naively thought the defense would be fine, and focused heavily on getting the right players on offense given the radical overhaul he needed to execute and has successfully achieved; (4) Jeff Casteel didn't come with him to Michigan.

RR is capable of running a competent defense. Hence, firing him because you think the defense won't get better seems senseless to me. As does firing him because you're frustrated with the losing (as we all are).

There is only one reason to fire RR: because you believe that Michigan will be a more successful football program, over the long haul, with someone else as the coach. In order for that to be true, there needs to be another coach out there, who is available, who you think would win national championships at Michigan. (Keep in mind that Lloyd Carr won one, Gary Moeller won zero, and Bo Schembechler won zero.)

Personally, it's not obvious to me that there is an available coach out there, Harbaugh included, who is clearly superior to RR. If other people believe otherwise, I'm happy to consider persuasive arguments.

Personally, I still believe that once we get a full defensive roster here, with this offense, we will be an awesome team.  While it's true that these last three years may well have gone better under a more traditional coach, it's hardly clear that a Harbaugh type could lead us to MNC titles. On the other hand, the RR offense combined with an above-average defense will.

We gave RR time on the offensive side of the ball, and he has given us the best offense we've had at Michigan in generations, along with one of the best individual athletes in Denard we have ever seen here.  Let's see how RR does with an upperclassman-led defense before blowing up the program again.