Wermers, Boren & Family Values
Like many of you, I am part of the Michigan Football Establishment. I grew up a Michigan football fan on the west side of Ann Arbor. I was there when Mercury Hayes beat Virginia. I was there when Charles Woodson put a red rose between his teeth signifying our trip to the Rose Bowl, which would eventually clinch a national championship over Ryan Leaf and his Cougars in the mild SoCal sun.
I attended UofM, studying for a degree in Economics from 03-08 (1 senior victory lap), concurrent with Mike Hart, Jake Long and Chad Henne's great tenure at the U. While they didn't beat our hated rival once, they made us proud to be Wolverines.
I know Lloyd Carr personally - He was a neighbor of mine on the west side of Ann Arbor. A class act, there's no other way to put it. I have two younger brothers who used to have the honor of playing catch with Coach Carr in our front yard.
That being said, it was increasingly apparent at the end of Coach Carr's tenure that a change was needed - I must admit, the App State loss was really the "straw that broke the camel's back." While I didn't want to see him fired, I felt that it was his time to go gracefully, and that he did.
I wanted Les Miles - A solid coach, and a Michigan Man. It was inevitable - He had to be our next fearless leader. I wasn't crazy about our other alternatives - Brian Kelly, Schiano - they just didn't do it for me.
Then came RichRod....spread offense and all. I was psyched. I knew that his reputation would put us over the top in the Big Ten, and eventually, in the BCS. I was ECSTATIC that he would be our next coach.
As a Michigan homer, I gave him the benefit of the doubt....through everything. Boren, Mallet, Manningham, Arrington, the WVU Buyout - there was alot to be mad/suspicious about - but even then, although I had my doubts, I still gave him the benefit of the doubt because I couldn't begin to think that our program was headed in the wrong direction.
Even through the media assault, through the 3-9 season, I gave him the benefit of the doubt - he's proven himself everywhere, all he needs are his pieces to the puzzle.
It's easy to think that RichRod is ruining our program - Everything you hear about "erosion of family values", from guys like Boren and Wermers, especially after a 3-9 season, makes you wonder....is he driving Michigan Football into ground???
WE ARE HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION - I currently know several sources close to the program (part of the program.) This is what they said:
Rich Rodriguez runs a VERY HARD program - He does not take 80%, 90%, 95%, even 100% - If you are not giving 120%, then you are not welcome in Ann Arbor, no matter how talented you are. His training (Barwis) is extremely physically and mentally difficult. It will break you down.
He is committed to keeping the football program a family - but a winning family at that. He looks at Football as a business, but as a business of winning. He is committed to winning. Bottom Line. He will take nothing less and will not compromise on his program.
Wermers was lazy. He did not want to work. My "sources" have told me that Wermers did not engage in watching film or bettering himself for the team - He was lazy as hell.
So please don't put any creedance into the "erosion of family values" thing. We WILL be USC in three years.
I heard this from the horse's mouth. I will not lie. We will be back
Thanks for posting that. Extremely gratifying to hear.
As a graduate myself, I definitely don't want people on the team who are prone to laziness.
If that's your attitude, the MAC is that way.
As for Rich Rod, that sort of talk is reassuring. I heard too many people badmouth him while I stood steadfast.
You signature. It really bothers me. Mainly because I didn't get into a good college (currently, I am spinning my wheels at U. Nevada). I promise you, I'm talented enough to have been accepted at UM or most other schools, but I had a lot of problems in high school. I didn't have the grades or the demeanor to get in to a good college. It doesn't mean I suck.
Maybe I'm missing something. Maybe I'm entirely wrongheaded. But it seems to me if you are going to bash the educational options of other people, you should at least form proper sentences.
"If you didn't get into college, and you really, really SUCK, if you didn't get into college, go to State."
This is not a sentence.
No public university is as well regarded as UM. Does that mean you need to sh*t all over other public schools (with poor grammar at that)? This is why people are biased against UM. There is a deeper-seeded hatred that extends beyond the in-the-stadium douche-baggery of OSU fans. UM grads tend to be pricks when it comes to the quality of their education. Just look at how Mike Wallace sounds in his interview for the OSU-UM HBO special.
I would have written this in a private message if I had the opportunity. I don't want to sound bitter (although, maybe I am a little). I just feel like wearing your degree like a badge of honor doesn't inform anyone as to the quality of your character, or to your talents and abilities.
End OT.
Its really stupid
For you to get that upset
Over a dumb joke
are Mgoblog's resident haiku poet.
How about some UM football haiku?
Love the Hokusai.
It's a dig at State. Not at anyone else. Don't take things personally like this, seriously. You'll end up with paranoid dementia. Nevada is a perfectly find school. Hell, I went to Toledo and I think I got a GREAT education! (Career support is another matter). Go to the best school for you, EVEN if that's State or That School Down There (if you must). Nobody really wants anything else.
Kidding - it is pretty arrogant.
is because it's a chant, meant to be sung to the tune of "if you're happy and you know it".
It's a pretty rare chant; you're only gonna hear it at a UM-MSU game, and even then it's secondary to "Can't read, can't write".
"Smoke Green, Snort White" was a popular one at the State game right after Jeff "Crack" Smoker left the team for being a cokehead.
"Where there's smoke, there's coke"
...it should be "If you can't get into college, go to State," not "didn't get into college." That way you keep the verb tenses consistent, and the scansion matches the "If you're happy and you know it" scansion.
Don't get too pissed off about this, my friend. It's just the kind of good natured nipple-twisting that goes on between rival colleges.
Besides, if we weren't arrogant then what would they call us? Geniuses?
it should be "If you can't get into college, go to State," not "didn't get into college."Yep, it's "if you can't get into ... " I don't understand the fuss. Besides, it's the second verse that I would see people having issues with. "If you can't get into State, shoot yourself ..." HOWEVA It's needed, to set up the third verse: "If you can't shoot yourself, reapply ..."
(didn't see if this was covered above) it's also supposed to be "...if you can't get into state THEN you really really SUCK! if you can't get into college go to state." then you get into the fun verses about shooting yourself and reapplying.
i felt like we did it perpetually at the UM-MSU hockey games this year but i think we do it more becuase we know it really bothers state fans than because we actually believe it to be true.
edit: looking back at victorsvaliant's signature i feel compelled to write it all out
if you can't get into college go to state
if you can't get into college go to state
if you can't get into college then you really really SUCK
if you can't get into college go to state
if you can't get into state, shoot yourself
if you can't get into state, shoot yourself
if you can't get into state, then you really really SUCK
if you can't get into state, shoot yourself
if you can't shoot yourself, reapply
if you can't shoot yourself, reapply
if you can't shoot yourself then you really really SUCK
if you can't shoot yourself, reapply
let me know if i messed up anywhere
interesting. i always thought it was "if you can't get into to college AND you really really suck"
i don't think that the sucking is supposed to be a result of not getting into college. more so, i think that sucking is meant to be a part of the condition of going to state.
IF ((you can't get into college) AND (you really really suck)) THEN {go to state}
so as to say that those who are at state not only couldn't get into college, but also really really suck.
Yes, I agree with this assessment.
And yes, this isn't a dis on people who didn't get into Michign. It's just a dig on MSU specifically. My brother goes to Western and sings this song to State people. That might sound hypocritical, but here's why I disagree - my brother, and most WMU students, will concede that UM is a much better school, they just couldn't get it. That's totally fine, M is a tough school, not everyone can get it. If you ask an MSU student, MSU is "just as good" as Michigan, and every student "also got into Michigan but didn't want to go there."
"chump! d**k! wuss! d*****b*g! a**h*le! pr**k! cheater! b**ch! sl*t! c**ks**ker!"
I feel like when I was in school it was much shorter.
We got in trouble for adding "cocksucker" one year, so then we added "Spartan," and at the end of the cheer turned to the alumni section and said "sorry we said 'Spartan'"
well, at the end of my time as a student and season ticket holder, we ended it at "bitch!". and i was fine with that.
although i do have to mention that one of my favorite temporary add-ons was "ellerbe!"
... prick! cheater! bitch! whore! slut! cocksucker!
Great read, thanks!
It's been a tough year for all of us, especially with a 3-9 season and all the media negativity on RichRod....it is truly gratifying to hear from guys that are on the team that we are headed in the right direction. The media, fans can say one thing...but the only thing that matters is the opinions on the players at hand.
Those who stay will be champions. Wermers, Boren, Threet - They will never win a championship
Agreed, but I wouldn't put Threet in the same sentence as Wermers and Boren. Threet left without bashing Michigan. Plus he was put into a couple tough situations with coaching / style changes that make his decision more understandable.
But again, thanks for the great post.
Threet's not a dual option QB, and his transfer is understandable.
I also wanted to say thanks. A "+1" just isn't enough.
agreed
Raback, you deserve more than my plus 1 for this post. Great inside info and well written.
i'm glad i stuck with this post. it was worth it.
well done my friend and thank you for the info
Our backgrounds are very similar, including the senior victor lap, albeit 10 years earlier class of '98.
Your post is excellent. In the last year I have had the opportunity to both meet both Lloyd and RR and hear them speak as well. I think your opinion is spot on.
They are both clearly different people with different strengths and weaknesses. Carr is a consummate professional, well polished, a real great uncle or grandfather figure. RR basically is not. He's blunt, to the point, not polished in public, etc. He'll rub people the wrong way and I don't think he gives a shit about what most people think.
That said after hearing him speak and from what I know about the direction of the program I firmly believe that program will be VERY successful soon.
Appreciate the post & the perspective. As an oltime fan with more clicks on my odometer than most of you, it's pretty obvious to me RR is a winner. It's also obvious that the powers that be in AA give him their full support, which is vital for him and the program right now. The real UM power brokers understand the situation he inherited and he's on very solid ground, 3-9 notwithstanding. And personally, I can't wait for Justin Boren to get his teeth knocked out this November. See you all on Sept 12th when we start the paybacks from the 2008 season.
The way the text is for posts, your "clicks" looked like "dicks" at first in the second line. Made me do a double-take.
Thought i'd share that humorous tidbit.
It's only funny when the chimp says it.
Edit: 300 points! wooo
Sept 5th, not the 12th.
Should be a diary.
Very well written piece. Maybe even to good to be a blog topic. Post it as a diary so it can stick around a little longer. I agree with everything you said and appreciate the personal insight from both you and your brother.
Give R.R. a few years and we're gonna be a football powerhouse. HELL YEAH!
"Maybe even too good to be a blog topic?" I mean, I like OP and am grateful he posted, but what exactly about it makes it better than a very good board/diary post?
Outstanding post but I wish you didn't say we will be USC. I know you just meant we will be an elite program but still. We don't want to be USC; we want to be The Leaders and Best.
I am certainly glad that I took the time to read your post. It is such a nice change to hear from the actual players on the team about what goes on behind closed doors. I must say there was a strange coincidence between your writing and my thinking when RR got the job. As soon as I found out that RR took the job I said to a buddy that RR could do for UM what Pete Carrol did for USC. Side note I am glad that Les Miles did not take the job (although I did not like it at the time). I have seen Miles use profanity and nearly lose his temper several times while on National TV. I know that RR uses profanity and I am sure he loses his temper but I have not seen that on TV. I do not think it would make for a good representation of UM to have a coach do that.
Thank you.
This deserves more than a "+1" -- you get a congratulatory post.
I hope you keep posting updates from your brother, and insight from your unique vantage point of Michigan football. I'm proud that M has fans like you.
I also hoped to discuss one angle of perspective you brought up, not for you, but for some of the rest on the board. You point out that Wermer's teammates believed him to be too lazy. I could easily see this becoming a meme on the boards, particularly when the sentiment appears in a post with as much credibility as yours. But as you point out, this is from the perspective of someone who's putting himself through Barwis hell without a scholarship, or much promise of seeing the field, all for the love of Michigan football.
I, for one, am very happy to see RR is running this type of program -- that kind of expectation, I think, is the difference between an excellent coach like Lloyd, and a legendary coach like Bo.
I think so long as we have a program like that, we're gonna have to get used to some attrition without getting mad at the guys who couldn't cut it. Brian points out that these guys didn't sign up for RR, but there's still a tendency to hate on them, especially when they leave with a parting shot.
So let's get some perspective on this: most of us could never go through a Barwis workout. Most of us couldn't give 120 percent to a football team. It's okay for a guy to admit this. I couldn't. I couldn't do it for work, either. Personally, I could only ever make that kind of commitment to my family -- I would give up 100 Michigan footballs for Misopogal. This is okay. We're not all built to be players for a guy like Rich Rod.
What's more, it's understandable when a guy puts out a reasonable but not 120-percent effort, for a coach he didn't sign on for, if he feels a little miffed when he's given a lot of negatives. I bet he knew teammates thought him lazy. I bet this was reinforced by the coaches. I bet this felt like crap. So he left, and lashed out. He's a 20-year-old. This is okay.
I hope we can all be proud of our team, of the fact that only the guys who can give everything and more of themselves to Michigan football will be wearing wings on their helmets, without getting too sore at the guys who couldn't do that. It takes an uncanny commitment to be a part of this team. So as fans, when an otherwise decent human being such as Wermers leaves the team, let he who can prove he could take a Barwis workout cast the first stone.
...unless the guy transfers to Ohio State. Then fuck him.
I mostly agree, except that it's okay to lash out. Yes, at 20, it's somewhat expected, but he's still an adult and still responsible for what he says. I darn near got fired the other day for complaining in an email to one of our project manager engineers about a customer that refuses to be satisfied (it got back to my boss), and my complaints were TRUE!
Tate Forcier could pick up and leave the program right now and I wouldn't complain about him one little bit (God Forbid!), just so long as he gave the real reasons for his leaving, like Threet or McGuffie.
But lash out and say untrue things, and you WILL be held responsible.
I just cringed when you said that about Tate. Why would you even say something like that. Dang.....don't ever to that again!
It's okay, Route66. There are no monsters under the bed. No boogieman in the closet.
Rest easy, dear boy. Tate's here now.
I encourage you to listen to Sam Webb's recruiting roundup from July 15. It can be found on WTKA.com under podcast. It's the White family on the day Austin committed and his parents are State grads.
What a great post.
Back when the coach search was getting started, I posted a comment here shortly after the WVU-Pitt game (the game which ultimately went to the Wann-stache). I did not have any idea at the time that Coach Rod was going to become available, but I thought that his press conference after the game was incredible. He handled that heartbreaking situation in such a classy way. His team had lost the chance to go to the National Championship, but he maintained his composure and his love/respect for his players. I thought to myself at that time that this was the kind of guy that would represent Michigan well.
I still think that.
Go Blue!
Nicely done!
Take note of some things he did kids! He displayed a connection to the program, via his walk-on brother, but did not try to trump it up. He didn't call it an inside source, nor claim that he knows what Rodriguez is thinking because of it. He said simply, "I had lunch with some guys, and they told me what they thought".
He didn't infer anything that can't be easily drawn from the available information. He didn't say Wermers is gay, or there are other linemen who will go too. He simply said he's lazy. Doesn't like to work that hard, doesn't like to watch film.
Finally, he actually apologized for being a Michigan homer, and showed how it may have affected his viewpoint, which lends credence to it later on when he says such logical things.
A very good post for you, sir! And feel free to drop any information on the team that you pick up through your lunches. We don't mind.
I like this post very much, the information is heartening, I appreciate the personal perspective, and I'm glad it was posted.
HOWEVA... I would point out that when other posters on this board publish "inside info" that is based upon people they know, and the information/hearsay is negative, the wrath of this board (including myself) descends upon them. And rightly so, for there is no way to confirm the information they offer.
So while I'm not--not--doubting the veracity of the OP, a little distance is called for IMO, particularly as regards the Wermers comment.
I'm not trying to throw Wermers under the bus or anything, and I'm especially not trying to throw my "inside sources" under the bus as well.
All I know is that Wermers didn't seem to want to work hard. Simply a status quo guy. I'm sure he'll do well at Ball State
In any case, I've taken note. Go Blue!
I see what you're saying. I'll bet you the contrast in responses are directly correlated to news we want to hear and news we don't.
I don't believe this is the case. The only time I take an issue with an "inside source" is when the poster posits that he has some sort of critical information, or he can say something with absolute certainty.
All the OP said in this case is that some guys he had lunch with thought Wermers was lazy. There's no reason to doubt or dispute that. Now if he said Rodriguez had said that, we'd probably doubt it, unless he could prove he heard it from Rodriguez himself, simply because it's harder to believe a coach would insult any student in public.
or dispute that." I disagree, which is the point of my post. I find no measurable difference between a guy saying his brother had lunch with RR and found he says the f-word a lot, which we criticize, or a guy that says he had lunch with teammates who said Wermers was lazy and RR will be great, who we praise. Neither should be taken as "truth" IMO, and both require a bit of distance, which I think the OP, in his response to me, acknowledges.