Shafer Out Comment Count

Brian

Scott Shafer has resigned as Michigan's defensive coordinator:

"Scott and I agreed that moving in a different direction was in the best interest of the program," said coach Rich Rodriguez. "I appreciate Scott's hard work on behalf of Michigan football the past year. He is a good football coach, a good person and a true professional. We wish him well in the future."

So, there you go. Sorry, GSimmons.

Comments

papabear16

December 16th, 2008 at 4:17 PM ^

Still, I never like seeing a coach only get one year. Particularly when this coach has proven he knows what he is doing in the past. Like GSimmons says, this stuff takes time to teach. Oh, well. I just hope this doesn't hurt us next year.

caup

December 16th, 2008 at 4:24 PM ^

That's gonna be 4 DCs in 5 years. I bet there was some personality/philosophy conflict with RR, too.

Now, somebody find out if this jeopardizes any current commitments and/or Big Will's decision STAT!!

Garvie Craw

December 16th, 2008 at 4:30 PM ^

I don't know how he was supposed to overcome the lack of speed and tackling ability at the LB and S positions. Did Scott Shafer suddenly become a poor teacher when he arrived at Michigan? I wonder, did RichRod hear some negative stuff from defensive players he talked to?

Tim Waymen

December 16th, 2008 at 4:26 PM ^

He should have had another year at the very least. This is why ADs and coaching staffs shouldn't listen to the public. Gsims explained what was going on with the defense pretty well. This also doesn't look too good.

How likely is it that this was due to disagreement over the base formations?

Wolvmarine

December 16th, 2008 at 4:26 PM ^

I guess we are still stuck with the worst saftey in the world. maybe the new DC can actually help him be a little bit better?

Who are the candidates, if any at this point?

Does any body think that we could loose recruits because of this?

Wolv54

December 16th, 2008 at 4:27 PM ^

fire Calvin Magee because he was the OC for the worst offense in the country and all the excuses for the offense (oline, Qb, etc) can be applied to the defense. Okay nothing we can do about the change, so who do we get? IF RR promotes from within, then we've got serious problems as there is not a DC in the bunch. Hopson was a DC at Southern Miss, but was not very successful. Gibson is a recruiter, tall is too valuable at DL, and I think his guy at WVU will stay there(Casteel). Of the top defenses in the country, most of those guys are staying put. The guy at TCU is attached to Patterson. I think it's a questionable move by RR in that adeqaute time is needed to build a defense...there must be more to the story.

Yinka Double Dare

December 16th, 2008 at 4:28 PM ^

Yeah, I'm not sure I like this. Especially not until we see who they bring in. For example, switching to the 3-3-5 seems like a spectacularly bad idea with our personnel -- the biggest problem at the end of the year was only having 2 useful linebackers and having poor secondary play, something that doesn't seem like will necessarily be solved for next season.

mad magician

December 16th, 2008 at 4:30 PM ^

Wow.

Gonna be real interesting to see who Rod brings in. Good news is, I can't think of any recruit who committed to Michigan because he wanted to play for Shafer, or that their relationship with Shafer was the critical link with the current staff. I've heard Dews, Gibson, Hopson, Magee, Frey, Freddie J, but not Shafer. So that's ok.

papabear16

December 16th, 2008 at 4:35 PM ^

I wonder if RichRod would make an announcement at this juncture without already having good feelers out for his pick to replace Shafer. I sure hope so.

It's also not clear to me this was RichRod's doing, or Shafer's, or both. The quotes simply make it sound mutual, which is a friendly and professional way to deal with it, but I wonder who initiated the move.

Yostal

December 16th, 2008 at 4:38 PM ^

1). When putting the job posting out on Craigslist and Freecycle, can we make "Must be able to get defensive stops of third and long" a priority? Also "Must like Brandon Grahams", that's important.

2). Can we, perhaps, get a list of who might be out there to get. Please don't say Ron English.

3). It's something. I don't know if it's the right thing, but it's something.

tomhagan

December 16th, 2008 at 4:40 PM ^

Shafer never had a chance. Never had a chance to pick his staff... now Hopson or worse will be the DC and that worthless fk Gibson will still be coaching the secondary.

This does not help the team and does not help recruiting.

Fuck

tomhagan

December 16th, 2008 at 5:04 PM ^

and while im at it give me 2 safetys in the mold of Vada Murray and Tripp Welborne, a couple OLBs and a DC who is fully in charge of both scheme and personel and his staff and ill be set.

sorry if i seem like a dick...every morning I wake up and there is more news going on about the program... it gets old.

Yinka Double Dare

December 16th, 2008 at 4:49 PM ^

What would make us even more Michigan-y (at least in terms of the school's stated commitment to diversity, as litigated at the Supreme Court) than our staff already is? The aforementioned John Chavis, who I believe is Native American, which would give us minorities of different groups at head coach and both coordinator spots.

Chavis does have a decent record at Tennessee. Definitely would be interested to know what others are out there that might be possibilities though.

I don't think Casteel is on that list though. He would have been here already if he wanted to be here AND RR wanted him to be here. Obviously at least one of those is not the case, since he's still at WVU.

gsimmons85

December 16th, 2008 at 4:44 PM ^

ok guys....

blast me if you want... hope it works out well for us, sucks for shafer, but its a buisness.. think it was problaby alot to do with other things beside his abilty...

Ernis

December 16th, 2008 at 11:48 PM ^

My biggest concern with this is that it's the result of petty in-group/out-group dynamics, the kind of thing that corrodes the quality and integrity of any organization. IMO the biggest flaw with the way Carr ran things, as well

jamiemac

December 16th, 2008 at 4:44 PM ^

....another coaching search! Because the last one was sooooo fun.

You know, RR hired Shaffer without ever having met him......he had been intrigued from afar about the defenses he had put together at smaller schools like NIU and WMU.

As the D crumbled and big play after big play speared this defense, I often wondered what RR would say about Shaffer if you could submerge him under hypnosis.

Never thought the working chemsitry was there, but also assumed that something like that would take time to create, so I didn't think it was a "problem."

We'll see where they go from here....hopefully RR does a legit national search, actually interviews candidates and that the UM pocketbook is open.

caup

December 16th, 2008 at 4:45 PM ^

was previously the DC at Southern Miss. It wouldn't surprise me if RR gives him the promotion, despite the fact that our LBs sucked ass this year.
But when Lane Kiffin brought in his daddy to be his DC at Tenn, that put one very solid and experienced DC out of a job in John Chavis.
Okay, now I'm going to be dying to know who the new DC will be.
FUCK.

ShockFX

December 16th, 2008 at 4:52 PM ^

Our LBs got much better throughout the year. Mouton was very good at the end, and Ezeh had improved a bit as well. Thompson was still a vapid pile of suck, and our safety play was marginally improved. I'm on the John Chavis bandwagon as well. He just has to bring Erik Berry with him.

chitownblue (not verified)

December 16th, 2008 at 4:49 PM ^

1. I would have preferred some continuity - now that that the scheme was installed, Shafer could have taught fundamentals, etc.

2. Do we hire ANOTHER DC and not let him choose his staff? The only way I could see this happen (and work) is if Casteel came, as he's worked with all these guys before.

caup

December 16th, 2008 at 4:51 PM ^

Tennessee was 4th in the country in Total Defense this year and their DC just got let go due to the HC change.

Can you say "hire that guy"?