Member for

15 years 6 months
Points
42.00

Recent Comments

Date Title Body
I wasn't making excuses, I

I wasn't making excuses, I said it fell on the staff.

I find this argument very strange

Given the youth and depth of the OL, I don't think that anyone expected "great", "good", or even "above average" from the offense.  I think "average" or even "below average" would have been acceptable to most reasonable people (and likely resulted in 10 wins when you think about how close every loss except MSU was).

However, with a somewhat experienced quarterback, two senior tackles (one of whom is going to go at the top of the first round in the NFL), and at least average talent (if not depth) at RB and WR, the complete and total disaster that this offense has been has to fall on coaching.

Having no experience in the middle of the line does not resign an offensive unit to be terrible, it just means they won't be great.

 

 

No complaints

Offense and defense both played well, we can (and will) quibble about a few single plays in isolation, but all in all our coaches and players all did a great job today



A fantastic game that came down to one play, and we came up short against what is probably a better team.



Any reasonable person would have to say that we are on the right track.

Christmas

If this is the last thread that ever appears where people...

1) Thank RR for all he has done

2) Wish him the best of luck wherever he goes

3) Talk about how many wins he would have

...then Christmas has come early this year (as in, the Christmas that contains no red)

 

The real reality

No, the reality of the situation is that the current staff just won 3 more games than the last staff with the same team, plus an extra year of experience. All of the losses were close while only two of the wins were close.
<br>
<br>Most importantly, the team got better as the season went on, which certainly can not be said for the last 3 years.
<br>
<br>So you can keep fighting a fight that most people don't give a crap about anymore to satisfy your own football brilliance, but me and most other people here are going to look forward to a bowl game and a bright future for this program.

Why keep posting about RR

Why do people keep posting about RR?  Its always a divisive topic, digs up a bunch of arguments we've all seen here a thousand times, creates hard feelings, etc.

I seriously think this all goes back to people wanting to prove how right they were (whether original "supporters" or "haters"), and its pathetic that people just won't let it go.

The three years are a black mark on the program no matter who was to blame (and there was a lot to go around, to RR, the administration, former players, etc).  You would think a 10 win season would be enough to turn the page, but apparently not.  The greatest win in years is just another reason to dredge up another littany of RR threads.

We get it - he's got a new job, we all support him 100% (or not), Arizona will be all of our new second favorite program (or not), and his recruiting had some positive effect on our recent 10 win season.  Let's move on.

 

 

 

There's a difference between a head coach and an OC

I don't know how anyone could watch this team all year and think that RR could take the same kids and win 10 games.  Its an insult to what this staff just did.

Turning a year of the calendar does not turn kids from hopelessly lost to above average.  It may be part of it, but coaching has a much greater impact.

Besides that, it makes me cringe every time I read a "with the right DC" comment.  He struck out twice hiring a DC, and its obvious many of his defensive coaches were sub-par.  A brilliant offensive coordinator he may be, but that does not make him a great head coach.  

It wasn't all his fault, he was certainly playing against a stacked deck when he came in, by most accounts he seems like a good guy, but he didn't get the job done, he's gone, we now have an excellent coaching staff, so let's move on without having the daily RR tongue bath thread.

 

 

 

You are both wrong.  Buffalo

You are both wrong.  Buffalo loves the Bills but is a declining small market city.  The fact that they can sell out any game is a testament to their love of the team - especially since they have sucked for about 20 years now.

As a previous season ticket holder, at least 1/3 of the Bills games are people from Ontario, its actually probably more like half.  And Toronto can barely get 20K people to a CFL game! TV ratings are misleading because they show only the Canadian station ratings when games are available on US networks in Canada - so when you see stats showing that viewership for the CFL is above that of the NFL, you aren't getting the whole story.

Its a terrible sports city but the corporate interests alone could support an NFL team, even if the fans don't deserve it.

 

 

ESPN Player works

I live in Canada and have ESPN Player, it shows everything and the quality is actually better than ESPN3 (from what I've seen from relatives who have ESPN3 in the US).

Everything that is on an ESPN network, even regional games, you will get.

Also, for those who are asking, the Rogers Super Sports Pack and the Bell NCAA package are both showing the game, but its not on network TV.

Hope that helps (I'll be at the game!)

 

 

 

They will all be exposed

If and when something like the 25 man rule is implemented it will be very easy to see in hindsight what a bunch of liars these guys are.   i.e. The number of signees that actually make it to the start of the season will remain the same as before the rule was implemented, medical hardships will go down, as will the number of players who "create the issues himself that he made a decision to leave the program".  Thus falsifying their claim that they sign so many guys so that they still have a full class when people start leaving as they "voluntarily" leave the program.

What a lowlife.

 

I didn't know that you could

I didn't know that you could trade first round picks in the Q, but I know for sure that you can't in the OHL.  Just look it up.

You can't even trade the player that you select in the first round in the first year outside of a specific window.

If Domi doesn't report, then Kingston would get another first round pick next year right after their 2012 first round pick. 

 

You don't take a guy in the

You don't take a guy in the first round in the OHL unless you are sure he is going to play.  Especially if your coach is the player's former teammate and friend.  Its not an OHL superiority thing, its circumstance.

In the OHL, first round picks are like gold.  There is no free agency so its your only way to get top talent players.  Imagine the NFL x100 in terms of how valuable the first round pick is.  So valuable, in fact, that teams aren't even allowed to trade picks in the first round - only any round after that.

 

  zzzzzzzzz...tired, old,

 

zzzzzzzzz...tired, old, boring.

And I don't think he means "wrong to support" RichRod, I'm pretty sure he means "wrong to think he was going to be successful at Michigan".

So as the starter of this sub-section of this thread ("Anyone else getting tired of...") let me start: I was wrong to think RichRod could be a successful coach at Michigan.  My doubts started early but were solidified at this year's MSU game, which I attended.  That was the turning point, and watching what happened for the rest of the year, I had seen enough.  

Up until then I really thought he could do it.

I work in a profession where the very best in the business are wrong 40% of every decision they make, so maybe its easier for me to admit it, but I was wrong.

Not everything was his fault, but a lot of it was.  It wasn't going to work and not solely because there was a conspiracy against him from the MSM and inside the Athletic Department.

This fan base is truly bizarre, anywhere else - a coach with his record would be despised, not beloved.

But as I said, let's move on instead of creating post after post as to what a great guy he is, and how you will support him no matter where he goes.

 

Anyone else getting tired of

Anyone else getting tired of the RichRod love-in?  He was a good coach before Michigan, he wasn't a very good coach at Michigan (despite all of the rhetoric that none of oit was his fault), he'll most likely be a good coach again in a better situation.  He's not a dick, he's a nice enough guy, he's been "classy" (although I think you could dispute that given a couple of his recent comments), but wow - portraying him as some kind of martyr every time he opens his mouth is getting really, really old.

As a human being I hope he succeeds wherever he goes next, not because he is a "Michigan Man".  And no, I won't be "cheering" for him wherever he goes next, I only have enough "cheering" for one NCAA team, and he no longer coaches there.

Let's all move on.

posted from iPhone

You fire a person if you think the future will be no different than the past.
<br>
<br>You really think a new DC + Woolfolk + freshmen turning to sophomores + current offense turns the 20 point losses to the good teams into wins? Because I don't see it. 20 points is a lot.
<br>
<br>Sure RR got a raw deal in many respects, but he also showed some serious shortcomings in decision making and team management. There may not have been any Miles level blunders, but there were some things to question his decision making.
<br>
<br>Put it this way: if RR was at a different school and just put up the record that he did at UM, with all of the baggage, there is no way in hell that any of you would want to touch him with a ten foot pole. There were very good reasons to think that he wouldn't have been able to turn Michigan into a NC caliber team.

Great season next year?

So let me get this straight, you believe that by keeping RR, turning the calendar over one year resulting in our freshmen starters being sophmores, and getting back Woolfolk would result in winning games against the good teams that we lost to by 20+ this year?

Because that's all that was really going to change from this year to next...

Offense

Ducks offense looks so much smoother than RRs.  And its more than just personnel, RRs system looked so unnatural and jerky during his tenure here (and at WVU - although it looked a lot better there).

 

Consider this

Miles may not be the best long-term solution considering his age, etc.  But the point we are at right now, getting the best short-term solution may be the best option.  Get the program back to respectability and then in 5 years when he retires it will be easier to find the next guy.

By no means a sure thing, but he is a good enough coach that 8-10 wins is likely in most years.

(yes, I am aware of his bonehead moves.  He has his shortcomings as a gameday coach, but is nevertheless a good coach.  RR had his own share of questionable gameday decisions.  Also, please no talk about how RR was a good short-term solution, that ship has sailed)

posted from iPhone

I have defended DB quite a bit, but you bring up some interesting points.
<br>I guess the difference is that it's hard to line up a replacement in such a high profile job without the world finding out about it. Them he'd be criticized for pulling a Sporano type situation. Buy fair points made by you for sure.
<br>As for the ultimatum - perhaps RR had enough by this point and it was a graceful parting of the ways for both sides. Because of the perception that some of his failure was driven by Michigan specific problems, it seems he'll have nonproblem getting another shot sonewhere else

posted from iPhone

Talk about missing the point dude. I dont have any under the radar coaches to recommend, I'm not an AD, I only watch football (like 99% of the fanbase).
<br>
<br>It's his job to find the best candidate, whether that's under the radar, or high profile. And I'd rather he find someone who may not be so prominent but has the right stuff to be a head coach than settle for someone who may not be the right fit but has a decent record.
<br>
<br>A I've said in this board before, if he can get an A lister, great, but that rarely happens.
<br>
<br>Let him do his thing without constantly updating people scouring message boards.
<br>

If you read all of the

If you read all of the comments about people who know Brandon well, a lot of them say something to the effect of "sticks to his plan like no one I've ever seen".

I think that makes all of these conspiracy theories  and rumors about what actually happened just that - conspiracy theories and rumors.

I think what some people fail to realize is that more than anything else, a head coach is a leadership position (that's why I find the calls for Gus Malzahn as head coach based on his offensive proficiency so bizarre).  Brandon knows more about leadership than most of us, so I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, and that includes waiting to see how any hire works out (aside from Miles, who I actually think is not nearly as bad as most people do, but think he's a bad hire based on age).

I would actually be more impressed if he hired someone we know little about because he thought they would make a good head coach at Michigan, than if he hired retreads like Miles, and to some extent Hoke.

I may not agree with his timeline, and the shortened schedule probably makes it really hard to dig deep on more out-of-mainstream candidates, but he's sticking to his plan and we should probably just trust him for now. 

 

Seriously dude?

Are you for real?  They said they were conducting a search, what else do you expect them to say (and quite frankly, the fact that we don't have a coach makes a job search pretty obvious). Like any job search, the quieter they are, the more it puts them in a position of strength.  

 

What, do you want Brandon to tweet: Just met with Stoops, probably not coming. Oh well, on to next guy #screwed

They don't need to update the fanbase with every move

Let's take it easy

Recruiting would have been crippled for another year, and does anyone think that the double digit losses to the good teams are going to turn into wins next year?
<br>
<br>At the end of the day, coaching hires, like draft picks, are somewhat of a crapshoot unless you hire a huge name that is at a huge program - and how often does that happen?
<br>
<br>A great coach in a weaker conference can turn into a mediocre coach in a strong league (RR, Hawkins).
<br>
<br>And believe it or not, a guy who has mediocre results in a weak conference with weak talent can work wonders once he's in a place with a recruiting base and talent. It's just that identifying him can be tougher - thats where a guy like Brandon comes in.
<br>
<br>Sure, you probably increase your chances of getting it right by hiring a guy with a good track record, but it's no sure thing.
<br>
<br>There are qualities that may not be readily apparent to us that make a great head coach.
<br>
<br>(this was a long way of saying "let's not freak out if we don't know much about the guy who is hired")

That seriously has to be the

That seriously has to be the most poorly worded article ever written.

How does turning down Miami indicate he may be willing to leave Nebraska?

Yeah, except that you never

Yeah, except that you never would have really known whether you could have got Harbaugh.

If we all agree (and I think we do) that Harbaugh is by far the best choice, it is/was worth taking a chance on.

Not defending waiting this long to get started, but if we agree that:

1) Harbaugh is by far the best coach available

2) He was not going to entertain any other offers until after the Orange Bowl

3) We didn't want to go through 6-7 weeks without a coach at all

Then maybe this really was Brandon's only course of action (of course it would have been swell had he been at least speaking with other candidates)

 

Det News Article

I know the point of this News article is to say that the 2 QBs are "probably" coming back, but somehow it doesn't give me a whole lot of comfort. Forcier not commenting, V.Smith saying he "thinks" Robinson will come back, etc.

The fact that its being addressed as anything but absurd, I think, raises a bit of a red flag.

Aside from the ridiculous rumors last week, I didn't think it was a question. Perhaps its the MSM being the MSM again - much like the question of whether RR would be back at all was all over the papers.

As much as I think RR deserves at least 1 more year, if RR's recruits start leaving, it would be a pretty brutal sign.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20091121/SPORTS0201/911210394/1131/rss17

Det News Article

I know the point of this News article is to say that the 2 QBs are "probably" coming back, but somehow it doesn't give me a whole lot of comfort. Forcier not commenting, V.Smith saying he "thinks" Robinson will come back, etc.

The fact that its being addressed as anything but absurd, I think, raises a bit of a red flag.

Aside from the ridiculous rumors last week, I didn't think it was a question. Perhaps its the MSM being the MSM again - much like the question of whether RR would be back at all was all over the papers.

As much as I think RR deserves at least 1 more year, if RR's recruits start leaving, it would be a pretty brutal sign.

http://www.detnews.com/article/20091121/SPORTS0201/911210394/1131/rss17

NBlue

All of the criticism of Tate is ridiculous. He's a true freshman starting for a bad football team. Henne didn't have a terrific season in his first year either (and he was a true freshman on a stacked football team).

All things considered, Forcier had a decent season and him as QB is the least of my worries for next year.

That could very well be the

That could very well be the thinnest pic of Weis I have ever seen

I was at the ND game

I was at the ND game and BGS is correct. It was in no way a reaction to the loss, it started from the very beginning, and those throwing were interested in hitting everything and anything (the wide brimmed hats of state troopers, cheerleaders, camera men, empty spaces on the field).

It was definitely more prominent in the beginning and was probably at its peak when ND went up by 13 and looked to put the game away - because then people got bored.

On another note, I have been to about a dozen different venues for CFB, and ND's crowd is by far the worst I have seen. You think the Big House is quiet? Ha! I don't know whether it was just this season or this game, or what, but there was barely any noise during 3rd downs, it was like people weren't even paying attention (although it was absolutely freezing)

Idea for the next month (especially relevant to us)

Take a look at any common denominators in a rebuilding job that turns from an awful season, to a decent following season.

Was progress during the bad season important?  In trying to be optimistic for next year, I'm remembering that Minnesota seemed to get worse as the season went on, and now looks pretty decent this year.

I'm of the opinion that you can't just roll over to next season, flick a light switch and suddenly be better just because players are all of a sudden sophmores or 2nd year starters, but maybe there is evidence to the contrary.

How could anyone who

How could anyone who actually watches the games or who knows anything about CFB disagree with this?

Granted, RR is not above criticism for some of his play calling and strategizing, but to suggest that we should run a completely different system?  Its laughable and completely unrealistic.

And for those who keep bashing Threet - wake up.  He is a freshman QB.  Henne was horrific at times in his freshman year, and he was a 5 star recruit who will be starting for the Dolphins next year.  What do you expect out of a 4-star guy?  The Sam Bradfords and Colt McCoys are the exception, not the rule.  The learning curve is tremendous.

Perhaps Threet would be better is a passing spread as opposed to a read option spread, but to suggest that he is just a terrible QB who will never amount to anything is going a bit far.

 

I-formation

I have a feeling that RR is only using the I-formation because he has to at this point. When he uses it, its a definite run, and its pretty hard to spread the field in an I-form. My guess is that it will be used as he transitions to the new offense, and in a couple years we'll never/rarely see it.