. . . to Molk and Roundtree.

To think that a possible reason for him tranferring is playing time is insane. Unless you have never looked at our depth chart, I can pretty much promise that UM has one of the best opportunities in the country for playing time. There are very few possibilities that make any sense. The one I keep going back to is the failure of the position coach to help him develop. Seriously, what other Div-1 school has a more promising depth chart for playing time than UM does on D right now? If he is angry because he hasn't got playing time to this point (which is only because he hasn't shown that he is ready yet), he would be kinding himself if he thought that he could go to any other major program and be more likely to see the field. I don't think the boy is dumb, it can't be playing time (or future playing time ) that has him thinking transfer.

Were you similarly "worried" whenever players transfered under Carr, Moeller, Bo... ? I think that, if you look into it a bit, you'll find that players leave D-I programs all the time when they come to realize they are not likely to play much (in BS case, not at the position he is apparently insisting is his "best").

First, let me preface by saying that I am a supporter of RR. I think he is a great coach who has had tons of success throughout his career. But, I agree that there is something rotten in Ann Arbor. It just seems as if we have been under a dark cloud for the past two years, and that it is not abating at all. I cannot recall a period during my 20 years of living Michigan football in which there was so much bad news so frequently. Yes, much of it has been generated by the media, and much of it came from within anti-RR factions of our program, but even if we strain out all of the "nonsense" there are troubling issues here. 1. Yes, the team is young and has some serious depth issues. 2008 was a forgotten year, and with Sheridan as our QB, we had no shot. But this year was very frustrating. Tons of turnovers (yes, Tate and Denard are freshman and that will happen), terrible tackling, talented linebackers that COMPLETELY regressed, players simply missing their blocks and no real "decided schematic advantage" that I had hoped RR would bring. Some of this is coaching. Not necessarily RR - could be some of the position coaches, but coaching plays a factor in these fundamental mistakes. 2. The team's mental character. The players themselves admitted that the effort wasn't consistent for 4 quarters. The players themselves admitted that at points in the game, the team would get down on itself. RR admitted that the team's psyche was fragile. Again, not trying to pin this on RR, but as our leader, he needs to find a way to lead these guys. 3. The transfers. I know, attrition is common, especially during a coaching change, but the pace is alarming. I don't put Mallet, Mario or Arrington on RR. Boren is a fat turd who, like Brandon Graham said, probably didn't belong in AA in the first place. And Toney Clemens is an ass. None of that is on RR. But, while none of us know what has caused the remaining attrition, I think it is safe to say that "something" is wrong. Again, I am not advocating that we simply dump RR and just cut and run, but I do think that something needs to be done to stop the bleeding. Is RR the problem? I don't know, and even his strongest supporters on this board (of which, I have been one despite only beginning to post recently) have to admit that they do not either. I do know that if someone would have told me 2.5 years ago that: we would go 3-9 in 2009, 5-7 in 2009, miss a bown for 2 straight years, lose a ton of the team to attition and have an NCAA investigation into our potential violation of NCAA rules, I would have thought they were mad.

"Kovacs is a shoe-in for Brown's position next year - experience, athleticism, and the mind for that position. I think he will compete strongly for it, and would have eked Smith out for the spot, if not outright beaten him." The two of them are not going to battle for this position. It isn't clear whether Kovacs will play it next year but is has been made clear that BSmith won't. "A HUGE DB class, with 6 (I think) CBs and Safeties (so far) that will be running around that Robinson won't know what to do with." You're joking right? He won't know what to do with? Maybe he will start by filling the enormous holes we have back there. This class should address those holes, but to think he is going to have tons and tons of depth all of a sudden is a little bit of a stretch (he may actually get to OMG redshirt someone). "This MAY be an indication that Warren got his draft rating back negative and is returning, as well. Smith probably wouldn't leave unless he KNOWS that two of the four DB spots are locked up - Woolfolk and Warren. This might actually be a good thing." I hope you are right about Warren, that would be nice, but that shouldn't effect Smith's decision either way IME. I really don't find any of your scenarios all that plausible to be honest. I think the reason is likely to do with his position coach not being able to make him the player he needs to be to see the field. That, or the way he has bounced around with no real position thus far. I think either of these are the most likely reasons.

People always misunderstand this and make it personal. Saying someone fit Carr's system much better than Rodriguez's is not "blaming" either coach for doing something wrong. It is stating that the player is a victim of schematic transition. No one to blame--unfortunate for the player (unless he's Mallet).

I get what you are trying to say, but people need to be careful making presumptions about a student-athlete's abilities in the classroom. On the football field, maybe you can make some generalizations about a player's abilities if he is not starting/not playing much on a bad team. But we have very little information about how a kid is doing in class and if he is cutting it in school. And let's not forget that while it is fun to believe in the "big dumb jock" stereotype, there are (a) numerous smart football players who do perfectly fine in school, and (b) quite a few students accepted at UM who proceed to fail out/scrape by in their classes. Academic reasons may play a part in Smith leaving, but I certainly have no idea his rationale. And presuming that he is one of the "play only" players is rather, well, presumptuous on your part. I wish Smith the best in whatever he decides to do, and I'm not going to sit here and pass judgment on his decisions without walking in his shoes.

1. I believe its only his second year at U of M. 1st semester second year was one of my easier ones. 2. I think he might believe he is a great football player and Rodriguez and staff aren't using him correctly. 3. Brandon Smith was highly rated. Now, the recruiting services may have been wrong, but there isn't any recruit coming in for safety or linebacker that should be able to pass Smith on the depth chart given two years head start and his recruiting ranking. 4. Maybe, but I don't think that is more likely than he just wasn't happy with the way he was being used and figured he better transfer while he can still play two years rather than wait and see if the coaches ever make it work for him.