Lynn Henning on the situation
"On this point, a divide seems now to be splitting some within the Michigan football galaxy. There is a campaign at work insinuating Carr somehow left the cupboard bare.
And it is pure baloney.
No question, since Rodriguez came aboard, there has been serious attrition that has pushed walk-ons into the starting lineup.
But who was responsible for the attrition? Who was in charge when various athletes either didn't like the new culture or didn't fit a new offense?
And why was this "cleansing" any more necessary than two seasons of losing football on a campus that made winning so natural and habitual? "
Link:
http://detnews.com/article/20091107/OPINION03/911070389/1131/SPORTS0201…
November 8th, 2009 at 12:05 AM ^
henning doesn't even know what he's talking about when it comes to baseball, his alleged specialty.
November 8th, 2009 at 12:24 AM ^
The problems are because of many reasons. I was just finishing college when Mallet was just getting to school. A friend introduced me while he was a frosh at Skeeps of all places, and I was still around AA the summer after my senior year. He was borderline hanging around AA. Yes, RR turned people away from staying, but he also had glaring holes he had to fill. It would have taken a miracle (and near Saban-like move) to bring in elite talents to fill all the holes. RR is a great coach, but it would have taken a specific one or two coaches to have a lot of success right now at Michigan (not to mention Pro-style coaches).
November 8th, 2009 at 1:32 PM ^
Mallett also turned up at Dance Marathon that winter, along with Mike Hart and a bunch of other football players. He spent most of the hour he was there walking around text messaging and shooting the basketball a little bit, and didn't go onstage with the rest of the players, but he certainly seemed to be friendly and on good terms with the guys he was with.
November 8th, 2009 at 12:08 AM ^
Well, now we all know you're Lynn Henning.
The cleansing was necessary because Rodriguez has never, and will never, run a pro-style drop-back traditional offense, and all of Lloyd's players were recruited for that. They felt betrayed, and I can't completely blame them, and decided to leave.
November 8th, 2009 at 12:11 AM ^
I can't recall a signal player saying they felt betrayed. Or even hinted that they felt that way.
November 8th, 2009 at 12:15 AM ^
Betrayed might be the wrong word to use... I just mean that they felt that this isn't what they signed up for so they left. I wasn't trying to imply that they were furious.
Although Clemons and whoever else came forward with the over-practicing deal seem like they may have had a bit of an axe to grind.
November 8th, 2009 at 2:01 PM ^
A good coach makes his system fit the players instead of the forcing players into a system that does not fit their talents. For instance, when Urban Meyer came to Florida he had Chris Leak as his qb who did not really fit his desired style of his play. So his first year he did not run his system and his second year he ran parts of it when he could get Tebow in the game (and won a national championship doing it). It was not until Meyer's third year that they were really running his desired offense.
November 8th, 2009 at 6:28 PM ^
Meyer always ran his offense. He just severely limited his playbook because he had immobile Leak as his starting QB. But Florida's talent level circa 2005-6 is far, far greater than Michigan's circa 2008-9.
November 8th, 2009 at 6:29 PM ^
So, how exactly does one tailor a defensive system around the "talents" of Mssrs. Williams, Kovacs, Ezeh, Leach and Mouton?
November 8th, 2009 at 12:10 AM ^
Uhh...let me think...maybe the responsibility lies with the people who decided that they wanted Rodriguez to come in and activate his schemes. Maybe, just maybe, it's reasonable to assume that a coach will institute his own methodology when hired, rather than changing to a system opposite of his own.
Never mind, let's just blame the coach for not being in the mold of Lloyd Carr.
November 8th, 2009 at 12:14 AM ^
Who the fuck is Lynn Henning? I mean besides an obvious dumbass too lazy to research something he/she writes about.
Saying the cupboard wasn't bare, like me telling girls I have an eight foot penis, doesn't make it the fucking truth.
November 8th, 2009 at 12:15 AM ^
You don't like RR anymore. That's fine. Can you please leave now? Your brand of FIRE RR furor is particularly annoying for some reason.
November 8th, 2009 at 12:25 AM ^
I'm actually cool with tom's dissent. It's his tactics that annoy me. Tom sees a problem, as a solution tom prescribes...LOUD NOISES! Sweet, thanks for the input tom.
Regardless, dissension is necessary. If only we had intelligent dissension.
November 8th, 2009 at 2:07 AM ^
Boom. Cover your ears then.
The amount of Koolaid drinking over here at Mgoblog is astounding. I realize that some of you have not been around Michigan football as long as I have (and Im not even that old really) but when you start ACCEPTING terrible football and very shaky/suspect character... and rationalizing that with 'but look at what he did at WVU'...well you get on:
A very slippery slope.
WE all know it is not working and the likelihood of it working under RR is very, very, very slim.
So let's get on with it. This program and the players and the fans and the alums and the boosters...deserve much better than this constant display of patheticism and SUCK.
November 8th, 2009 at 2:21 AM ^
And what would you do with the smoking crater of a football program that would be left after you fired RichRod? Cause there are a ton of Freshman and Sopohmores on that team who have bought in to his system, and an upheaval like that will almost certainly send a great deal of them packing. So there goes another 20 highly ranked players, including I'm sure the vast majority of our young, explosive offense.
Who comes in to pick up your mess? Les Miles is going to leave his bayous full of 5-stars for that? Lloyd's going to come back and show all those spread-n-shredders what's what? I mean, really, what is the end-game that you're driving at? Do YOU want to be the man to step in? Because if that's the case, then by all means, fire up your XBox and just tear it up. Because that's the only way what you're proscribing will lead to anything positive for the program you profess to care so much for.
November 8th, 2009 at 11:32 AM ^
Should I go ahead and guess that you were a Bulls/Celtics/Lakers fan? Or a Yankees fan?
I mean, god forbid that we have some losing seasons. Almost every other school in the nation has had down years during our 40 year streak.
PSU was absolutely horrible 2 years ago
USC was terrible before Carroll
ND hasn't been relevant in years
Miami is just reemerging now in Shannon's 3rd? year
FSU still sucks
Nebraska under Callahan?
And the list goes on. Somehow, their fans stuck through it, and we will too.
November 8th, 2009 at 12:14 PM ^
yes people are pissed about Michigan sucking at football 2 yrs in a row. people who actually graduated from UM aren't satisfied with FAIL - a 2.0 GPA in EECS gets you sent back to LSA pretty quickly. but if Nebraska and FSU make you feel better - cool. The 'you're pissed about losing to every crappy b11 team so you are not a fan' meme should die. I'd much prefer fans ok w/ 2 losing seasons in a row 'hop off'.
November 9th, 2009 at 4:17 PM ^
I would bet that a lot of posters around here have degrees from Michigan. We just choose not to lord them around like arrogant douchebags all the time. I also actually graduated from UM's College of Engineering. Neat, huh?
I don't think anybody is satisfied with a bad football team, but what you're expressing is the essence of bandwagon fandom. "Oh, the team sucks, THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE TO MY PERSONAL HAPPINESS AND I REFUSE TO SUPPORT YOU ANYMORE."
November 8th, 2009 at 12:17 AM ^
except now our biggest problem is defense, and last I checked, there weren't any starters (or projected starters) that left the team because of the transition. Just saying.
So, in the vain of the player's who left: BOOM MALLETTED
November 8th, 2009 at 12:20 AM ^
Who did Michigan actually lose? Mallet? Not sure how much he'd help the situation, but admittedly he would. Boren? Once gain, some help, but even the Buckeye faithful are not happy with his play this year. Others that left (Clemons, Chambers, etc.) would have been bit players if they saw the field at all. The cupboard was pretty bare, but RRod also has to shoulder some of the blame. This team lacks talent, but also appears poorly coached.
November 8th, 2009 at 12:27 AM ^
[moved]
November 8th, 2009 at 3:05 AM ^
That article was a joke. I'm angry at the universe after today's awfulness, but I read this article and I just wanted to find that fucker Lynn Henning and smack him around for a good hour, break a hip or two and just get my rage out. It's one thing if you're genuinely angry about today, but this piece of excrement who dares to call himself a journalist just reverted to propagating the same hackneyed anti-RR sentiment. If you're angry at the guy, at least make legitimate criticisms; don't just lazily rehash the same arguments based on misinformation and fabrications. I hope that cocksucker Lynn Redding has a car accident.
(Yes I am very angry and he didn't really do anything to deserve that, but deep down inside you agree with me.)
November 8th, 2009 at 4:20 AM ^
Go find a Stanford blog to unleash your verbal blowjobs toward Jim Harbaugh. And for God's sake, would you please stop saying "Kool-Aid" inbetween you're rabble rabble?
November 8th, 2009 at 4:33 AM ^
Alreay let him know about defenseive woes being players not panning out, among other misinformation.
Don't know if he even reads it, but why not send something?
November 8th, 2009 at 4:38 AM ^
article actually seems to hit on a lot sentiments those on this blog who arent drunk off the rr "koolaid" seem to agree with.
November 8th, 2009 at 2:24 PM ^
You say that like it's a good thing.
"See, the guy who is considered a joke when he covers the Tigers did a 5 minute analysis of Michigan and reached the same conclusions as me!"
November 8th, 2009 at 8:52 AM ^
Henning reminds me of the little guy on the Tim Tebow Halloween costume.
November 8th, 2009 at 10:29 PM ^
I emailed Henning links to the Misopogon thesis. Not that he would ever read it or know how to access his email.