Before the season, we all had mediocre expectations of the season; I predicted a 7-5 season and most people had predicted the season to be in the 6-8 win range. After the way we played first four games, I think everyone forgot about the preseason predictions and was sold on the idea that we were finally back.
Its true that we played amazing in our first 4 (well minus Indiana) games as the players were really hungry to prove themselves after which they hit a rough spot- defense started to show up like we expected, Tate wasn't great anymore, and our offense wasn't making plays. To make things worse, after a couple of shocker losses (mainly Illinois) our fan-base completely went nuts. From blaming RR to the players and much more, we started being a little too irrational about our expectations.
Amisdt a AD change and an NCAA investigation, the last thing we should be talking about is firing RR. He is doing the best he can to get Michigan back on top, and I know it sounds like a broken record tape but its gonna take time and will happen.
We're bringing in the number one dual threat QB in the country (check out the front page on rivals), one of the most athletic people to play the spinner position, a good mix of WR's, slots who will tear apart opposing defenses, and not to mention Lewan, Washington, and Schofield on offense. There are talks of Big Tex (look him up if you dont know him) giving Michigan a good look, some of the top CB's (CC, Mathis, Grimes), and many more players who are playmakers and are strongly considering Michigan. Even though people see that we have a lot of 3 stars, take a second and watch their tape; they're pretty damn good. And along with that, for each position, we will have a 4-5 star guy starting for that position. The future looks amazing, all we have to do as fans is wait a little and let RR develop the program again to where it deserves to be.
I agree but the problem is time. It will be until 2011 before the defense recruits (which aren;t close to enough in number) are ready. It will be 2012 until the defense has dug out of the 4 year recruiting hole. Offensively I am not concerned, but next year's defensive recruits (even if he pulls a few more 4+ guys out of nowhere) probably won't contribute much. The defense will probably not be markably better next year. I think our DL is going to be solid but the back 7 is concerning. Somehow, they need to just be serviceable and average (I would settle for 65th in the nation). If they do that, the offense will help to win a large chunk of games. If not, I will have to trust my heart to Lipitor.