OT: RR Introductory Zona Press Conference
Interesting to see how he is handling his introductory press conference, and if he has learned from any of his PR mistakes in the past.
Has made me wince a couple times with some of what he says, but overall he's come directly out and addressed the former players to let them know they are all welcome back. He clearly doesn't know much about UofA tradition, but did say "I'm not just gonna coach Arizona football, I'm going to live it."
Also mentions that he is frustrated to watch all of Michigan's success this year, because he wishes that he was the one coaching them. He is proud of all of the players though, because he cares about them and they are his guys.
Overall, I think he's doing a fair job.
November 22nd, 2011 at 5:51 PM ^
Jeebus the NCAA stuff is annoying. It's getting mentioned in every article. Why? When you've got coaches getting canned for lying to the NCAA, covering up illegal benefits, and oh yeah looking the other way when you hear about child rape?
Damn, if the worst thing you have on a coach is that his kids stretched for 20 minutes too long on Mondays (even though they didn't exceed 20 hrs for the week), that coach is a freakin' saint.
November 22nd, 2011 at 6:13 PM ^
Because there are still 100+ programs that haven't received major NCAA violations in the last 5 years. Just because others have done worse things doesn't absolve RR.
November 22nd, 2011 at 6:25 PM ^
The fact that Michigan was tagged with a "major violation" is just proof that the NCAA had a really dumb definition of "major violation" that's since been changed.
Basically, RR's staff was guilty of committing a minor (and apparently inadvertent) accounting error against a Byzantine rule set that most coaches don't understand. The violations provided at best a miniscule competitive advantage (much less than St. Saban Memorial, which continues unabated).
I'm not saying RR's absolved, but he's hardly a scofflaw, and acting like that should disqualify him as a coach is silly alarmism by the media.
November 22nd, 2011 at 3:52 PM ^
I hope he succeeds in Arizona. I personally love the read option offense(see Oregon for an example). If he can get a good defensive coordinator like Casteel, I see no reason he can't win 8-9 games a season in the Pac 12.
November 22nd, 2011 at 4:07 PM ^
who he gets for his staff. He mentioned a couple of times that he had 3-4 guys that he's had long ties with from WVU and Michigan, then kind of covered it up by saying "if they accept and come".
I believe all those guys found jobs, so do they leave after a year? Does Barwis leave after just opening his gym? Casteel leaving would be very interesting.
November 22nd, 2011 at 4:36 PM ^
Hey Coach Jackson, this is Rich. Just wanted to know, have you ever been to Arizona?
November 22nd, 2011 at 4:45 PM ^
I'll bet Barwis goes with him. An integral part of RR's philosophy is to have the kind of conditioning that will maximize quickness as opposed to size. Barwis specializes in this.
It'd be easy for Barwis to maintain ownership of his gym and keep his name on it while delegating the day-to-day operations to a staff, and go with RR to Arizona.
I would be surprised if this is not what ends up happening.
November 22nd, 2011 at 8:17 PM ^
Not to mention, if I were Barwis I'd be seeing dollar signs. He's got his gym in Michigan, if he can find someone to run it (while still leaving himself available for consultations when needed) 90% of the time and get a job at Arizona, he'd be doing very well for himself.
Good for him, guy is clearly very respected in his profession and he deserves to get paid off his accomplishments (if that is his goal).
November 22nd, 2011 at 11:17 PM ^
As far as I know, the only member of his Michigan defensive staff that got promoted was Jay Hopson, who became a DC briefly and is not currently coaching. The rest are still position coaches so Arizona would be a horizontal move back to a familiar situation.
He seems to be certain he had the right formula here and would have won with his staff and this year's players. I suspect he'll try to put that defensive staff together again, maybe with Hopson as his coordinator, or maybe with Hopson back in his old slot and somebody new brought in to "coordinate".
God help him, whoever he is. I hope anyone contacted for the position puts in a call to Scott Shafer before he accepts.
November 22nd, 2011 at 4:10 PM ^
Beat Ohio.
Also, I know RichRod had a lot to deal with here, but this constantly repeated idea that he was put upon and faced tremendous adversity is wearing me out. I think every chapter of Three and Out contained a quote to the effect of "if they would just leave me alone, I could really make this work." Maybe it's true that RichRod faced more adversity than your average coach at a big time football program (maybe!), but at a certain point, I think that attitude becomes counter productive. Not just in football, but in all jobs. I think that "woe is me" attitude and blame-deflection may have contributed to RichRod's failure here as much as anything else. (Oh, and a defense that was not fundamentally or schematically sound).
And I'm tired of him expressing his frustration that he can't be the one coaching us to 10 wins this year. You know what, if RichRod is still here, we don't have 10 wins. He had 3 years to pick a decent DC and defensive coaching staff. He had 2 years to teach Will Campbell to keep his butt down and not stand up on the DL. He had 3 years to teach J.T. Floyd how to cover. He failed to do that nad failed to hire someone who could. What makes him think he could find the right person for the job in year 4?
I wish the guy all the best. I like his offensive scheme, and I think he's a guy that tries in general to do the right thing. But his constant refrain of not getting a fair shake and wishing he was the one enjoying success in 2011 is really wearing on me.
Beat Ohio.
November 22nd, 2011 at 4:18 PM ^
If I knew, how, I would insert that gif of the guy doing the slow clap. That, sir, was awesome. Well said. Fair and right to the point. If RR is here, we don't have 10 wins - the defense was never going to improve with him at the helm.
November 22nd, 2011 at 4:44 PM ^
Which Three and Out did you read? The one by John U. Bacon?
November 23rd, 2011 at 11:04 AM ^
Maybe you could recommend a Kumon location near him.
November 22nd, 2011 at 5:57 PM ^
1) WE DON'T HAVE 10 WINS YET GOOD LORD DO YOU WANT TO HEX THE WHOLE THING!?!?!
2) Would you rather he not give a damn about how the kids he recruited were doing? Would you rather he say, "yeah that Hoke guy is a way better coach than me". He loved his team and wishes he was there leading them. He thinks he's the best man to lead them. I'd be really worried if he didn't.
November 23rd, 2011 at 12:02 PM ^
1). Yeah, I meant roughly 10 wins - not that we're going to have 10 wins. Because that's for the football gods to decide. (Checks over shoulder, hopes "Beat Ohio" intro and outro appeases football gods).
2). Totally fair. I expect him to want the team to win and to follow what they are doing. And no , I don't expect him to say "Hoke is better, I couldn't have done this." What bothers me is the "I wasn't treated fairly" attitude. If he can't talk about Michigan without making excuses (if I had only had a third opportunity to choose a DC), then I think he ought to just avoid the subject.
Any how, this is turning into more of a rant than I wanted it to be. Sorry for the borderline flaming. I'm going to follow my own advice - if I don't have anything nice to say about RichRod, then I just won't discuss him at all.
Beat Ohio.
November 22nd, 2011 at 4:34 PM ^
...plays the victim card like RR. It's always about him. After watching that presser, he hasn't learned a thing.
November 22nd, 2011 at 4:36 PM ^
As a Michigan fan I took offense to Rich Rod saying that he has a five year contract and that he knows the Arizona AD is a great man and will honor the contract. Really Rich???? Funny, how Rich Rodriguez had no problem walking out on WVU and had to be taken to court by WVU to get their money that he owed them. Dave Brandon didn't even hire Rich Rodriguez. I can't believe this guy is trying to throw Dave Brandon under the bus.
November 22nd, 2011 at 4:39 PM ^
That is a hell of a quote about RR from Urban Meyer. Anyone idiot that says RR can't coach (which surprinsly you do see a bit here and a lot on other sites) or that his system doesn't work in the B10, or other such drivel, can just think about the quote and STFU.
November 22nd, 2011 at 4:53 PM ^
His B10 record proves you wrong. Show some facts to back up your crazy rants.
November 22nd, 2011 at 5:05 PM ^
Hmmm. Let's weigh the evidence:
In the "anyone idiot (sic) that says RR can't coach or that his system doesn't work in the B10 . . . can STFU" column, we have a quote. A quote by Urban Meyer (the new OSU coach, apparently), who has never coached in the B10, and who got his ass handed to him by stodgy old boring Lloyd Carr.
In the column that believes that RR's offense is not well suited to the B10 or that RR is not a great HC, we have: THE WORST 3 YEARS IN MICHIGAN HISTORY, complete with the worst Michigan defense EVER, GERG, rotating D coordinators, 15 wins in three years, OSU blowouts, a Gator humiliation, team chaos, the worst transition I have ever witnessed (and I have watched cfb for almost 20 years), poor recruiting, 2 straight collapses once we got to the B10 part of the schedule and, wait, a new coach who has taken the identical players and turned them into a top defense AND a balanced, productive offense on the verge of possibly getting 10 wins - gasp, in the first year of a transition.
But, yeah, you do have that quote.
November 22nd, 2011 at 5:57 PM ^
not just a different opinion, but wrong. That's first. Second, Urban Meyer knows more than you about who can coach. Period. There is no other "column." He is right because he knows WAY more than you (and I). Your opinion is talk radio quality--just because it is a fact that Michigan did not go well for him, that doesn't obscure the fact that he can coach. There are many other facts that disagree with your opinion, and for the ultimate rejoinder to your opinion, see Urban Meyer and Bob Stoops. Plus his record at WVA. And his offense here. There is no comparison. Sorry again.
November 22nd, 2011 at 6:09 PM ^
--Discrediting Urban Meyer despite earning 2 national champions in his first 4 years of coaching at Florida.
--Using blanket statements about the team's win-loss record rather than specifics regarding why it was Rodriguez's coaching that led to his win-loss record.
--The false statement that the last 3 years were the worse 3 years ever (you meant "worst 3-year period").
--Mentioning how poor of a recruiter Rodriguez is despite that he shouldn't have needed to start many of his recruits in the first few years of his tenure, and that his recruits are performing well under Mattison/Hoke.
--Never refuting the claim that RR's offense is not well suited to the Big Ten.
--WTF does "team chaos" mean? You mean how he brought the team together so Hoke/Mattison don't have to deal with the transfers he did? Or should Rodriguez have done more to prevent Lloyd Carr's direct undermining of him in his first year?
--Here's something that may surprise you: comparing this year to last year, Hoke's record against common opponents is identical to Rodriguez's record. See, I can make statements that are 100% truth and blanket the underlying cause too. Now, I think Hoke will prove this wrong by beating Ohio State this weekend, but part of the reason why he wins is because Ohio State is in turmoil right now, without last year's coach or quarterback.
If you want to continue this stimulating discussion with me, come join me on MLive.*
*I'm not on MLive.
November 23rd, 2011 at 11:20 AM ^
If I remember correctly, Michigan's defenses under Lloyd were torched by spread offenses. Northwestern games come to mind often. How did we do against Oregon in 2007? We gave up 39 points and 624 yards. The game was over by halftime. That's just off the top of my head. As for the Florida game, I seem to remember that it was more that we outscored them than we shut their offense down. Florida scored 30 points for crying out loud.
November 22nd, 2011 at 5:10 PM ^
Urban Meyer?? The guy who tore up the SEC before Saban showed up? The guy who had carte blanche on recruits of his choice in Florida because at the time he coached Miami & FSU were off the map? The guy who brought us TEBOW? Of course he loves him some RR. He copied his damn playbook and had great success with it until Saban & Miles got up to speed with their systems.
My fondest memory of Urban Meyer is watching Lloyd Carr & company beat his ass & give the NFL a free preview of what Tebow would look like facing a real defense.
Fuck Urban Meyer, he's a buckeye wanna be who coached a team of convicts & talked bad about Michigan, his quotes about anybody don't amount to a hill of shit to me.
November 22nd, 2011 at 5:55 PM ^
Unless you can't help it that is. Your post is patently ridiculous and idiotic. You are both factually wrong, and given other posts I've seen from you, ignorant.
November 22nd, 2011 at 6:05 PM ^
Can we stop pretending that Lloyd's last win somehow invalidates everything Urban Meyer did at Florida? Sure, it was a great game and a big win, but a) Michigan should have been in a better bowl (they lost a lot of games that year with banged up starters on offense) and b) Michigan won mostly by being more spread-like.
Urban Meyer can coach. Regardless of anything else you may think about him, dude can coach (so can Saban, who I have no qualms saying is a complete ass).
I think we can beat him, but let's not pretend we'll do that by Lloyd-balling him to death.
November 22nd, 2011 at 4:39 PM ^
Per ESPN: Rodriguez has signed a five-year, $9.55 million contract to coach at Arizona. The university will pay $8.05 million and the rest will come from Nike and IMG.
Didn't know Nike and IMG made deals like this...
November 22nd, 2011 at 4:40 PM ^
Horace Greeley would approve, as do I.
November 22nd, 2011 at 4:48 PM ^
That was great stuff. After reading Three and Out, I agree that RR did get a raw deal from the administration but you're right that he "didn't get it". He couldn't put any of the ingredients together properly to cook up a defense even though the recipe is obvious to any coach...so he would not have achieved the success Brady Hoke has this year. But I was in his corner in spite of taking shit from most of my class of '71 mates so I wish him well.
November 22nd, 2011 at 5:00 PM ^
The same old questions arise whenever you see Rich as a head coach talking about the team. Is he about the program and the players or about what Rich can do to further his genius label leading the program? Huge difference as far as the tone and culture.
That question always spoke to his inability to connect with the players and to get them to really want to win for him.
November 22nd, 2011 at 5:07 PM ^
You obviously didn't read the book.
November 22nd, 2011 at 6:09 PM ^
Huh? What are you even talking about? Jeebus if we're ranking coach egos RR was probably in the bottom half of the B1G, let alone the SEC.
By all accounts his players at Michigan - at least the ones willing to work hard - loved the guy and he loved them back.
November 23rd, 2011 at 11:33 AM ^
Hi, I'm Nate Volk, and I irrationally hate Rich Rodriguez. To further my hate of him, I make patently false generalizations in order to continually make him look like a total monster. Oh, and please don't ask me about anything relating to Three & Out, because I didn't read it, mostly because it was purposely slanted in RR's direction and I hate that man with all my being.
November 22nd, 2011 at 5:33 PM ^
#114 in defense. Anything RR does there next year will be an improvement.
November 22nd, 2011 at 5:43 PM ^
November 22nd, 2011 at 6:10 PM ^
If we did not have a "real defensive coordinator" from 2008-2010, whose fault is that? I don't understand how people talk about RR like he was our offensive coordinator only. I mean, if you want to think of him as basically a glorified OC, I don't necessarily disagree - but the fact is, he was accountable for the entire program, not just the offense - and he was very bad at many aspects of running it.
November 22nd, 2011 at 6:15 PM ^
He could have done more to fight for Casteel to come join him, and in hindsight should have. However, given that Casteel was Rodriguez's first choice and turned him down because he wouldn't have gotten paid enough, Bill Martin and Michigan are also at fault.
November 22nd, 2011 at 6:18 PM ^
Why is Jeff Casteel apparently the only defensive coordinator in the country that Rich Rodriguez can co-exist with? Why can't he work with another DC? If he really can't do so with anyone else, that's a huge problem.
November 22nd, 2011 at 8:44 PM ^
I cheer for the program, not the coach.
November 22nd, 2011 at 10:52 PM ^
Man I wish Rich Rod luck. He will do well there. But after watching the press conference, I am glad that Hoke is coaching Michigan.
November 22nd, 2011 at 11:25 PM ^
How on earth did Brady Hoke get such a reputation for conducting brilliant press conferences? Brady Hoke may be a good coach, and a good guy. I have no reason to doubt either one. But I cannot think of a single brilliant thing that Brady Hoke has done, or said in a press conference.
On the all-time ranking of coaches who were brilliant in dealing with the press, Brady Hoke must be somewhere around #200. He is relentlessly good at repeating the customary boring, uninformative, noncommittal, coach-speak truisms.
Where does this business of Brady Hoke blowing everybody away with his press conference appearances come from?
November 22nd, 2011 at 11:45 PM ^
He's a big lovable guy that we just can't get enough of.
November 23rd, 2011 at 12:35 AM ^
Hoke points with style and authority. And he says "Ohio." And he doesn't wear red. What else do you want?
November 22nd, 2011 at 11:15 PM ^
Does this mean his son de-committed from Michigan?