This is a true Gem

Submitted by GVBlue86 on

http://apps.detnews.com/apps/blogs/terryfosterblog/index.php?blogid=1933

This is from Terry Foster. I know everyone around here knows he is an idiot, but the fact that RR "dragged this team to 8-16" is such a moronic statement. Based on the endless reasons discussed here, any coach would have had trouble beating that record with the 2-deep we had. Plus, this is written like an 8th grade paper, and the comments below made my eyes bleed.

Blue-Chip

August 31st, 2010 at 2:31 PM ^

I keep it mostly to MGoBlog for my M football news and discussion.  The fact is, the blogosphere is really the only area where anybody has attempted to look big picture.  For the sake of your sanity, limit exposure to outside sources.  This is especially true of comments sections, which I do believe will give you cancer.

[/ dramatic hyperbole]

OregonWolverine

August 31st, 2010 at 3:15 PM ^

The litmus test for any piece of sports writing ought to be: does this piece offer any greater insight into my topic than I could gather from a  5 minute rant by the average drunk fan? If the answer is no, flush it.

Of course, that would probably eliminate more sports writing (and sports writers) than the "industry" could afford ...

RedGreene

August 31st, 2010 at 3:18 PM ^

That was a horrible article.

I'm not surprised, however.

Does it surprise anyone?

Really, does it?

It just wasn't good.

It wasn't well written.

It was bad.

Not good.

The

writer

should

be

fired.

OregonWolverine

August 31st, 2010 at 3:38 PM ^

Yeah, I know it's tantamount to pissing in the wind, but if you don't complain sometimes, they start thinking they can get away with anything.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Mr. Foster,

I'm a guy who's bled blue since I was a kid 40 years ago, and I'm an avid follower of the Michigan program. I have to say your latest, poorly informed blog post does a disservice to both Rich Rodriguez and your readers.

 
Your post neatly fits into the pattern of naive criticism put forward by so many "reporters" who just have to write something about the program, but apparently lack either time or inclination to do serious research. Specifically, your post makes the assumption that the poor performance of the '08 and '09 Michigan teams is primarily attributable to the coach. From one perspective, this assumption is understandable: the perspective that says "this is Michigan, Michigan always has talent, and therefore any good coach will succeed." Unfortunately, that perspective is wrong, and if I may say so, lazy.
 
Rodriguez did not "drag the program to 8-16" by himself. He had lots of help from his predecessor, and from circumstances beyond his control. Don't get me wrong: frustrating as I sometimes found his conservative approach to be, I loved Lloyd Carr. But as been documented in great detail by analysts at the MGoBlog site, recruiting fell off under the late years of Carr's tenure, particularly on defense. Poor recruiting was exacerbated by unusually high attrition, leaving the Wolverines with their worst overall talent picture in decades. Yes, some of that attrition was due to the transition to a completely new coaching staff and scheme, but it's hardly Rodrigueuz' fault that Michigan chose him after Carr failed to develop an even remotely plausible successor internally.
 
But if you don't believe me, you can investigate the details yourself. Go to MGoBlog.com, and search for the superb diaries by Misopogon as a starting point. Or, if you're wanting something that doesn't involve so much, you know, math and stuff, just use your basic observational skills. Nearly half of Michigan's scholarship positions are currently taken up by redshirt and true freshmen - many of whom will have to play key roles. The senior class, the heart and soul of a great team, is 11 scholarships. That is hardly the roster of a likely Top 25 or Big Ten title contending team, even if coached by the reincarnation of Vince Lombardi.
 
To look at it another way, go back to Michigan's last really good team, the '06 club. On offense, you had Chad Henne, Jake Long, Mike Hart, Mario Manningham, Adrian Arrington. On defense, Lamarr Woodley, Alan Branch, David Harris, Prescott Burgess, Shawn Crable, Leon Hall, Jamar Adams. Every one of those players earned All Big Ten awards, or future NFL careers, or both. By 2008, all of those players were gone. With the exception of Brandon Graham and Donovan Warren, their replacements were not even remotely as good. There was one returning starter on offense, the right tackle. The defense, already lousy in '07, lost four of its leading tacklers. Michigan simply fell off of a cliff, talent-wise. Yes, the players didn't "fit Rodriguez' system", but mostly because they didn't fit *any* system very well. Digging all the way out of that hole is going to require more than just two recruiting classes (the '08 class was mostly still Carr's); firing the coach and going through another transition won't change the fundamentals.
 
Truth is, this kind of drop-off happens to all of the top programs at some point. It just hadn't happened to Michigan in so long that we thought we were immune. If RichRod can develop enough of that young talent to go .500 in the Big Ten, and get to a bowl, that will actually be a very solid accomplishment. And I think Dave Brandon understands that, even if many fans and sports reporters don't.

octal9

August 31st, 2010 at 4:43 PM ^

Think about it. How many times have you (or someone you know) found something that smelled absolutely horrible and then turned to the nearest person and said "hey, smell this!"

For some reason people have a morbid fascination in sharing awful experiences with others.

chunkums

August 31st, 2010 at 5:07 PM ^

I'm not even going to address his opinions.  The fact that this man has published writing is disgusting.  Seriously, someone should arrest him for murdering the profession of journalism.

Tater

August 31st, 2010 at 5:11 PM ^

Now, I won't waste my time reading the article. 

Since the 70's, I have been one of those people who usually reads two or three sports sections a day.  When the internet provided websites that enabled me to read my "beloved" home-town papers from anywhere in the country, I was ecstatic.  I never thought that things would get to the point where I never reed the freep and click onto one or two News articles a week, and those have to be either Wojo or Angel. 

Foster, in particular, has been a major disappointment.  He used to be a very good writer and journalist.  It seems that he has become much more of an entertainer than a serious journalist in the last four or five years. 

Sadly, though, the more of an entertainer he becomes, the less entertaining I find his work.