FGB

January 10th, 2011 at 12:17 PM ^

I know nothing about the guy's blog, but I suspect that he's riding the Gruden thing because he was one of the first to mention him, and if somehow it ended up being Gruden, he'd be able to say "I knew it a week ago, I'm legitimate!"

Bill Simmons had a pretty good article about this phenomenon during the LeBron decision, where he basically called out Stephen A. Smith for tweeting "LeBron's going to Miami, book it" a couple weeks before it happened. 

Smith tweets it based on nothing reliable (probably has a source, but not one who knows anything), then if it works out, he can say "see I knew this way before anyone" and if it doesn't, he can say "well, it's not that my source was wrong, it's that things changed".

There are finite options.  Pick one, throw it against the wall, see if it sticks, then pretend you knew all along.

FGB

January 10th, 2011 at 12:37 PM ^

that the MSM is doing this too, and for the exact same reasons.  Ryan Ermanni says RR is fired.  Brandon says no, that's not the case.  Then it happens the next day, and Ermanni can claim "oh they just sat on this an extra day, but my source was true". 

And it's not even the people reporting it that are making it up.  It's their source, or their source's source.  But confirming things, verifying that people know what their talking about, that's all gone out the window in this era of beating everyone else to the punch by 75 seconds. 

Joe Schad is doing it.  Schefter is doing it (with slightly more reliable sources).  Mortensen is doing it. 

I don't blame pigskinrodeo or whatever it's called.  Well, I do, but not him alone.

The Baughz

January 10th, 2011 at 12:16 PM ^

haha I must have posted this 4-5 times the past week. YES, Gruden has mentioned  this. It is in a couple of his books. His dad coached at ND and loved it when they went to Ann Arbor to play. Other people will say it is his dream job because when his dad got fired at ND he vowed to his dad that he would coach at UM so he could be ND. Bottom line is, is that yes this is his dream job.

GoBlue21

January 10th, 2011 at 3:12 PM ^

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=162&f=2019&t=7012923&p=1

Now, I know you're probably wondering where we got the idea that Michigan was in fact, Gruden's dream job. This was reported in his first ESPN the Magazine interview after he confided in his good friend, Joe Maimone that Michigan was his dream job. This resurfaced again in the rumor mill right before Rich Rod was hired. Does Dave Brandon know this??



 

mackbru

January 10th, 2011 at 12:15 PM ^

People said the same thing when the Lions hired Millen: He doesn't have a scheme or practical experience, but he sounds so damn energetic on TV! He must be qualified!
<br>
<br>Jesus.

PurpleStuff

January 10th, 2011 at 12:18 PM ^

Millen was never a personnel executive, talent scout, or any other position that had anything to do with running a pro football organization.  He was just a former player on TV.

Jon Gruden is a Super Bowl winning head football coach.  I think that is pretty good experience for being a head football coach at any lower level of football.  He's never been a HS coach either, but I bet he'd kick ass at it.

mackbru

January 10th, 2011 at 12:22 PM ^

Pro experience is not college experience. The latter requires different schemes, practical experience, recruiting contacts, an understanding of young players as opposed to grown-up ones. It's very different. Ask Charlie. Gruden has basically zero college experience. You want to hand a fragile program over to guy who's that big of a question-mark?

M-Wolverine

January 10th, 2011 at 1:12 PM ^

But I don't see the staff as a major hinderance. I'm sure he has his own connections, but he has tons of people around the program that could recommend people, and imagine him with some of the ex-Michigan guys that it's theorized Hoke would bring. I'm not talking the imaginary "Michigan All-Star Staff", but 2-4 of guys like Loeffler, Bedford, Austin, Jackson etc. who could help get him up and running in the college game fast, help him understand Michigan, and serve as enough of a Michigan connection to satisfy the Michigan Man crowd.mixed in with some guys he knows, and some outside candidates, and it could come together quickly.

Rasmus

January 10th, 2011 at 5:24 PM ^

Gruden's father Jim was an assistant to Dan Devine at Notre Dame. Jon's highest-level NCAA job was one year at Pitt as wide receivers coach under Paul Hackett.

In the NFL, he is a product of the Mike Holmgren coaching tree -- his father set up the initial interview with Holmgren in 1990 (with the 49ers at the time).

st barth

January 10th, 2011 at 12:40 PM ^

Millen is the first thing that comes to my mind whenever I hear Gruden mentioned.  Perhaps if Gruden hired good coordinators it could work but he just seems to risky of a hire at this juncture of M football.

MgerBlerg

January 10th, 2011 at 1:07 PM ^

This narrow-minded thinking is part of the reason why the program has become stagnant and why we haven't had a really transcendent hire since Bo.

Gruden has a number of parallels to Pete Carroll. Limited college experience (in fact both were assistants at Pacific) but high-energy and very relatable to prospects (great recruiters), and he clearly knows football.

markusr2007

January 10th, 2011 at 12:18 PM ^

I never understood why people think Gruden would be:

a. interested in returning to coaching after a brutal, long career

b. interested coaching at Michigan

I don't believe Gruden has ever even hinted at interest in Michigan in the past.

So yeah, I'm not against Jon Gruden per se, but as for the 2011 Michigan head coach position, the likelihood of him joining seems to be on par with with my suggestion that Clint Eastwood's Bronco Billy and his assistants will be taking over coaching duties in Ann Arbor next week:

 

 

ThWard

January 10th, 2011 at 12:20 PM ^

Pros: Age, cachet (which one hopes will translate into recruiting).

Cons: No college HC experience, considered a bit of a tyrant by NFL players (thus raising concern that he could translate to college coach).

 

It's not a hard debate to follow.

big10football

January 10th, 2011 at 12:34 PM ^

The "tyrant" part I'm really not worried about. I think he is a tyrant to huge ego guys like Keyshawn Johnson and Warren Sapp, but at the college level, I don't think he would be considered any more of a tyrant than any other major college coach. Some of his players in Tampa that complained were kind of prima donnas.

Yinka Double Dare

January 10th, 2011 at 12:31 PM ^

I think Saban was considered a bit of a tyrant as well by NFL guys.  It's way easier to boss around college guys who aren't making craptons of money (which is why Gruden should stay away from the SEC, hey-o!).

I'll still only believe Gruden is a real candidate when he's actually hired.  His name always gets brought up in these big college coaching openings.

1329 S. University

January 10th, 2011 at 12:21 PM ^

back on the map where it belongs, bring plenty of positive press, and the guy just oozes charisma. The fact that he's currently employed by ESPN and almost assuredly admired and respected there would help guarantee positive coverage about him and Michigan now and in the future. Plus when you listen to this guy talk and how he bleeds the game you know that you put him in the living room with some of these recruits and he's going to blow them away. He's got the ring too, which of course really helped in recruiting for guys like Weis.

Look at it this way, Weis was a great recruiter and that guy was just an absolute arrogant ass with nothing but his NFL pedigree. He was terrible looking, foul smelling (my assumption) and probably oozed arrogance as much as Gruden oozes his passion for the game. Kids will want to play for him, he'd be a huge huge name, a great face for the program, and he does know how to coach.

Huge coup if we got him to come here.

expatriate

January 10th, 2011 at 12:29 PM ^

Agreed regarding ESPN.  As an Orioles fan I remember how the tenor of Orioles coverage changed once Buck Showalter left the WWL to become Baltimore's manager.  Not only were they covered more, but all of a sudden they went from a laughingstock to a rising AL power. 

They won some games, which didn't hurt, but overall they got positive coverage because they were the "Fighting Showalters".  If the Wolverines got Gruden I think we could expect the same effect.

Old School

January 10th, 2011 at 12:38 PM ^

Your paragraph one is dead on. One other reason to add - if you are selling brand names - i.e. Michigan, Ohio State, Nebraska, etc., what better way to attract viewers to the Big Ten Network than someone with the name recognition of Gruden. It would instantly revitalize the product. The role of the cash cow Big Ten network cannot be underestimated as a factor that DB is using to make his decision. And, I have no doubt that many of the young recruits of the next few years worship Gruden as some sort of football god. I wouldn't rule him out. 

joeyb

January 10th, 2011 at 12:30 PM ^

I have no information other than what Brian has posted, but consider this:

We have fairly good info that Gruden has interviewed for the position. The Michigan plane was seen in Miami, where Gruden lives I believe. Later we find out that a plane went to Scottsdale, AZ, where DB has a house. Since then we have seen one plane go to Dallas and one using Baton Rouge as a hub for travel.

What if DB is in Scottsdale still? What if he is going to the NCG tonight to talk with Gruden afterward. They fly up tomorrow morning and have an afternoon press conference. Everything else is sleight of hand.

Tater

January 10th, 2011 at 12:38 PM ^

Gruden is being quiet.  That is about as common as a five-star recruit going to OSU and not demanding to be paid.  When Gruden is quiet, it means something is up.  I think Ann Arbor may be that "something." 

As for the "cons" comment from another poster: Gruden is definitely a tyrant, as all good coaches must be, but his act doesn't grow old to players for four or five years.  Luckily, that is as long as most college players stay.  If he does, indeed, coach at Michigan, he will have new players to cycle through on a regular basis, and the ones who want to tune him out will never gain enough traction to interfere with what he is doing. 

Also, college players are more receptive to authoritarian coaches than NFL players are.  Gruden is probably better-suited to be a college coach than an NFL coach.  It won't be a problem. 

Michigan Mike

January 10th, 2011 at 12:39 PM ^

I don't care if he hires Miles, Gruden or even Hoke.  Just do it soon before we lose the recruits and the time to get anymore.  We already know that we need help on defense.  Offense will be fine if Miles comes in next year. 

Don

January 10th, 2011 at 12:41 PM ^

than Jon Gruden coming to Michigan. I don't get all you people who think that a coach who was 57-55 in his last gig—who hasn't had any contact with college football in twenty years—is going to walk in and be some sort of combination of Bo Schebechler, Urban Meyer, and Jesus.