CC: Newsflash, Rosenberg makes sense. (Stay away CC post bashers)

Submitted by wolverine1987 on

I've been as critical of him as anyone here, but Rosenberg IMO makes sense in today's article.  Basically, his point is that waiting until January doesn't make any sense unless you are planning to fire RR. Otherwise why make him and his assistants twist in the wind? 

"You can make a reasonable argument for keeping Rodriguez. He has coached only three years, his offense is working, his record got better every year, etc. But you cannot make a reasonable argument for dangling him over the edge of a cliff for five weeks, then keeping him. There is a reason nobody else in college sports operates this way. Even if the plan is to keep Rodriguez and make changes to the coaching staff, it makes much more sense to announce now that Rodriguez will be back.

Brandon is a smart man. And when a smart person does a seemingly stupid thing, you have to look at it from every angle to see what you're missing. No matter how I look at this, only one thing makes sense:

Brandon has decided to fire Rodriguez."

He may be dead wrong, as he's been many many times before, but this makes sense to me.

Wolvmarine

December 10th, 2010 at 9:43 AM ^

I honestly think Rich Rod will be given one more year.  I think David Brandon is taking his time to see how the team responds to the bowl game, and to save face with both sides in the coaching debate. 

bighouseinmate

December 10th, 2010 at 9:44 AM ^

.......people are missing here, and it may be a product of the times where they believe that people always have an ulterior motive for everything, is that DB may just be telling the truth and honoring his original statement.

Remember that one? He basically stated, well into the season, that he wouldn't make any decision until after the season was done, and that it included the bowl game(if we went to one).

Maybe, just maybe, DB is one of those truly honorable people who does what he says he will.

michgoblue

December 10th, 2010 at 10:00 AM ^

There is being honorable, and then there is being either unfair, stubborn or naive. 

Two scenarios (as we all know):

1.  RR is fired on January 3:

What is fair about making RR mis out on an opportunity to apply for the Pitt, Miami, Florida, Colorado, etc. jobs?  Same question for his staff, most of whom probably's can't afford to be out of work for a year.  If DB is just sticking to his timetable because he laid it out months ago, this is unfair to all of these people.

What about recruiting.  With the conspiracy theory that DB's timetable is all related to maximizing his chance of getting JH, I can at least understand it.  If DB is just sticking to his time table because that is what he said months ago, then he is naive.  This is impacting recruiting.  RR even admitted that the timeline presented obstacles.  Getting the new coach in place ASAP would allow that new coach a few extra weeks to try to sure up our recruiting class and convince other kids that he previously recruited at his old school to come to Michigan.

2.  RR is retained on January 3.

If this happens, then DB is just an ass.  Sorry, I know that he is popular and that many will neg me for that opinion.  He is not an ass for keeping RR - there are arguments for both sides of that decision.  He is an ass for allowing a good and decent man (RR) to twist in the wind for a month, while he and his family deal with mounting uncertaintly and media scrutiny, when he could have made the decision a month earlier.  He is equally an ass for putting RR's staff through the same unnecessary uncertainty. 

Ditto for recruiting.  If RR is kept, then failing to make the announcement earlier provided yet another obstacle for RR's recruiting efforts (as if there aren't enough) with no discernable benefit. 

So, basically, I can understand DB's timetable if there is a real reason to wait so long to decide (and there is only 1 reasonable explanation that I have heard).  If he is just sticking to his guns, then this is not honorable in my opinion - it is stupid.

michgoblue

December 10th, 2010 at 10:11 AM ^

I am sure that he can inquire.  But, if a school is hiring, they will want to make a decision now, and not after January.  The best that RR can do is tell a school, "look, you know my situation, and if M fires me, I would love to come to your school, but I won't know until January 3 or after."

What school is going to go for that?  Unlike Mr. Brandon, most schools understand that uncertaintly is deadly for recruiting in the current age of negative recruiting.  It is also unfair to the current players.

So while RR can inquire, he cannot do so in a manner that would make it likely that he would find new work.

Also, what would the reaction of the Michigan fanbase be if word leaked out that RR is inquiring about other jobs?  I, for one, would feel that with the way the fanbase has treated him, he is 100% justified, but I think that RR actually is a very stand-up guy, and wouldn't do that to his team. 

jmblue

December 14th, 2010 at 6:54 PM ^

The best that RR can do is tell a school, "look, you know my situation, and if M fires me, I would love to come to your school, but I won't know until January 3 or after."

If RR wants another job, he can take it whenever he wants.  He didn't wait until after the bowl three years ago.

bighouseinmate

December 10th, 2010 at 10:09 AM ^

although I don't believe DB would be an ass for doing so. Stupid, yes.

IMO, he should have stated that he was going to wait until the end of the regular season. Doing that would give just as much of a chance to fairly grade RR on the progress of the team without having the extra month or so of rumors flying, or the chance of getting an opponent UM would not match up well against and unfairly tilt the evaluation away from RR.

It would also give the university time to conduct a proper search, if letting RR go was warranted, and allowing RR himself to conduct his own job search, which, whether or not one likes him, is a fair thing to do.

So, I concede your points on waiting until the bowl game is over, except for calling DB an ass. Sometimes, it is possible to let ones honor get in the way of doing the smart thing.

Negyoazz

December 10th, 2010 at 10:25 AM ^

Completely agree.

Hey, who wants to bet that Brandon's "timetable"(that is supposed to end at the end of Micigan's season) is all of a sudden extended past Jan. 3rd because that's when Stanford plays in the Orange Bowl?

Hardware Sushi

December 10th, 2010 at 10:33 AM ^

How is it being "extended" past January 3 when DB hasn't ever given a hard date for a statement of support or a decision to get rid of RR?

If the timeframe goes beyond January 3, it may be because DB is waiting for JH, but it is equally, if not more, likely that January 2 will be a travel date, January 3 will be the earliest they can have a formal review in Ann Arbor, and any additional time is because DB will think for more than an hour about the most important decision he has made as AD yet.

So I'd be willing to bet that it won't be "suddenly extended past Jan. 3rd because that's when Stanford plays." If it is past January 3rd, it is because of the above reasons or because DB has had a calculated plan of action for hiring a new coach and is carrying it out.

Blue Lurker

December 10th, 2010 at 10:25 AM ^

it's not just always about now, but about future coaching decision also.  He said he would wait until after the season for the review, and will operate this way for all sports and coaches.  

What if he changed his process this time and a similar situation comes up in the future?  Brandon wouldn't be able to say he always waits because he would have shown this to be not true already.

The business would is all about processes, and Brandon is sticking to this.    There is a reason for this no matter if it a process seems to be wrong at the time for a particular task.    Regardless of whether RR is fired or not everyone will now know what timelines Brandon will use and that will keep some of the fire off of him if a similar situation occurs again. 

As for recruiting - I didn't realize that the signing date was prior to the beginning of January.  A recruit can wait until after it is announced to keep or not keep Rodriguez, or -gasp - even change their mind and decommit.

mich_engineer

December 10th, 2010 at 10:47 AM ^

Just because its his "process" doesn't necessarily make it smart.  I would take pragmatism over consistency any day.  I think it is the sign of a flexible and good leader to adjust their methods to reflect the reality of the situation, and as it's been pointed out, there is a legitimate case that waiting to make this decision is doing more harm than announcing it now.  Faced with that reality, I would rather see Brandon be more flexible in adjusting to the problems that have cropped up rather than stick to his guns on a timetable.

Blue in Yarmouth

December 10th, 2010 at 2:23 PM ^

Did you just come out of business 101 class or something. If this is the reason DB is sticking to his guns I will eat my f*ing shoe. I'M SETTING A STANDARD HERE....BE PATIENT WITH ME!

If this is true and why DB is really sticking to his timeline, because he wants to set a standard for moving forward, he is the worst CEO imaginable. A good CEO and a good leader know that providing concrete timelines to external sources is a mistake because they restrict your ability to react to a change in the environment.

Good leaders and CEO's also know when they make a mistake it is best to face it head on, correct it and move forward. CEO's aren't any more perfect than regular people, they make mistakes too, but really good ones recognize them early and are confident enough to take respnsibiltiy and fix the situation.

DB's first mistake was publicly stating he had a timeline, RR was the only one who had to know that. His second one may not be a mistake at all in the end (Only if he keeps RR will it be a mistake). His second one will be not adjusting that timeline when it became evident that circumstances changed and more damage than good was occurring as a result of the timeline.

If JH is hired and RR let go after the bowl game the reasons become evident, and as someone above said, it makes DB a bit of a heartless ass for not allowing RR to go find a job elsewhere, but it explains why the timeline was the way it was.

If RR stays, there is no way to defend what has transpired since the OSU game. DB will have made a massive mistake in my view and I, for one, will have zero faith in his abilities as an AD going forward (not that any of that matters to him).

I have questioned why so many just stand by and claim "I have faith in DB" and "DB will make the right choice". We have just about nothing to base our opinions of DB on thus far. This is his first major decision to make since being named AD and IMHE, it hasn't done a lot to give me faith in things going forward.

Woodson2

December 14th, 2010 at 6:12 PM ^

No thank you. I would much rather have a man of integrity over a man who does the wrong thing (even if the wrong thing would be better for recruiting). Personally I think not honoring the full contract is completely wrong in the first place but I realize how sports operates nowadays.  In my opinion honor still has a place amongst the "win at all costs" college football mentality that prevails at this time.

I give DB credit that he at least has the decency to allow the coaches to finish their entire year coaching. To me integrity is what Michigan should be about. Pragmatic thinkers are always thinking about the bottom line, I don't want that for Michigan. I want them to do the right thing which nowadays in sports is often overlooked. The right thing would be to allow the coaches and players to at least finish out their seasons together and judge them after the entire season is over. Doing the right thing is often hard but in the end it builds character and that should be what college athletics is about.

Flexibility is nice. Nothing wrong with flexibility when it comes to being a leader. It is one aspect of leadership that is important when facing adversity. The problem with flexibility, when you are majorly impacting human lives and emotion, is that when you are inconsistent and change a plan you value in the face of adversity, people lose trust. Sure you might produce a little more profit in the short term but you often lose those under your leadership. Why? Because everytime something negative happens people wonder which value the boss will be changing next to extract a little more success, even if the cost is a few workers, or in this case coaches. Flexibility is great in many instances but firing workers or coaches is not the best way to use this method.

Hardware Sushi

December 10th, 2010 at 10:26 AM ^

While I am an ardent supporter of RR, I find it laughable to make the argument that it is unfair to RR to keep him waiting for a full evaluation for the following reasons:

  • Giving a full evaluation is the process DB set out and has maintained. He has given expectations and is following them.
  • Given the fact that we don't know all the circumstances, we have incomplete data in which to judge the situation. DB and RR say they communicate often. Whether this is true or not, RR has his office, home and cell numbers if he wants to speak to DB. If RR has a question or issue, he knows where to go.
  • RR signed a contract. Whether or not there is speculation about his job, he is compensated ($2.5+mm) for all facets of his job including public attention, media scrutiny, high pressure to succeed, potential for dismissal. He is not making $2.5 mil to just coach football, kind of like how fire fighters aren't getting paid to just put out a fire, much of their compensation stems from the danger to which they subject themselves.
  • As another poster indicated, RR can go ahead and interview for the Miami, Florida, Oklahoma OC, Denver Broncos, Birmingham Seaholm jobs whenever he would like to do so if he feels he is on his way out or doesn't want to be here anymore.
  • If you read the stories about what RR has been though from Glenville State, to Tulsa, to Clemson, to WV - he knew what he was getting into as a football coach - the lifestyle, the pressure, etc. He's a big boy.

I really want to see RR on the sideline in 2011, but RR is making more in the month of December and from his bowl incentives than I will make all year, so if that's unfair, I'll take unfair all year long.

MI Expat NY

December 10th, 2010 at 11:05 AM ^

Honest question: Would Rich Rod really be twisting in the wind any less if DB had come out and said on Monday following the OSU game that Rich Rod has his full confidence and will be the head coach next season?  There would still be plenty of people (cough, cough... Rosenberg) floating the rumor that Harbaugh wants to coach the season through Stanford's bowl game, and after that Rich Rod is fired and JH is brought in, at the same time saving UM $1M in buyout money.  Or people saying, just wait until UM gets smoked in a bowl game.  There would certainly be less talk about the potential chanbe, but I don't think the pressure and feeling like he's "twisting in the wind" would be any less.

The only way Rich Rod would be safe through the bowl season would have been for DB to offer an extension that significantly increased buyout.  Frankly, he doesn't deserve that, and would be an extremely poor decision on DB's part, since even Rich Rod supporters would admit he only has one more year to prove he can succeed at Michigan.

Woodson2

December 14th, 2010 at 5:20 PM ^

Dave Brandon does what he feels is best for the university. Think about this for a little bit. Negative perception comes from the media and fanbase. DB is sticking to his plan. He doesn't pander to the fans, media, or coaches. If he comes out to appease you(the fan who disagrees with his plan) then what kind of AD is he? He has to do things his way, that is what leaders do. He has no need to reassure a "good man" like coach Rod. He is the boss, he has the right to make coaches think about their future(especially if the teams performance isn't up to standards). I don't necessarily agree with his method but I admire him for being a man who operates fairly towards all of his coaches. He doesn't give in because football gets extra media scrutiny. He will treat all the athletic coaches the same, except for basketball, because of their problems with facilties. I believe RR will come back (and I believe strongly he should come back) but to tell your coaches ahead of time that they are safe is breaking the plan that you have for running the athletics department. How does that make you look as a leader?

People are reading way more into this than they need to. Just because his timeline presents obstacles it doesn't change the fact that DB is a man of integrity. He has a plan and has a set way in which he does business. Will a few recruits bolt after this year? Maybe. In the future though he has set a precedent for how things work here. In the future recruits will remember not to listen to the media and negative fanbase when making decisions about our university. Instead they will see that DB does not bend in the face of controversy. If he comes out and tells the media that he had overwhelming support for RR all along after this process ends, that strengthens the program in my opinion. Why? Because he has put an example out there of how things will run under his leadership. He does not change plans under any circumstance and that is called consistency. It's one of the most important attributes a leader can have. Period. If you don't see this, then I don't know what else to tell you. It's not stupid at all what he is doing though, I promise you that.

Sopwith

December 10th, 2010 at 2:30 PM ^

is that if DB has already decided he's firing RR, why take the "non-zero" risk that UM might actually  (gasp!) play out of their fucking minds on Jan. 1 and litter the field with the southern pride and Bulldog testicles*?

A super-impressive display of Denarding plus a surprisingly competent display from the defense could translate into a smoking of said Bulldogs.  I don't expect this, but it's a "risk" if you're DB-- because how do you can him after they play their best game of the RR era?   Why risk him winning by four touchdowns on New Year's Day?

To me, the most likely result is that he's leaning heavily to one side (probably firing) but he's genuinely open to RR giving him a sufficient excuse to keep him.  He said he's looking for progress.   Bulldog testicles strewn across the Gator Bowl= progress*. 

*no animals will be harmed in the unlikely but hopeful realization of this scenario

bluenyc

December 10th, 2010 at 9:50 AM ^

Thanks OP.  He has lost all credibility.  He can come out and say tomorrow is Sat. and I would be skeptical. 

Not being snarky, and I do like your stay away  bashers warning.  Nice touch. 

bryemye

December 10th, 2010 at 9:46 AM ^

So it couldn't be that Dave Brandon is waiting to see if Michigan embarasses itself with another horrendous showing in a big game against a good opponent again?

Oh, ok.

michgoblue

December 10th, 2010 at 10:06 AM ^

After 3 seasons of RR at the healm, and after 1 season with DB closely monitoring the program, I very much doubt that 1 game against MSU (not that MSU) is going to determine RR's future.  The issues that most detractors have with RR is his B10 record, specifically his record against some of our rival teams.  I have also heard some fans unhappy about the lack of a "signature win" against a top calibar team.  A win over MSU in a bowl game doesn't really do much to address either of these issues.

mich_engineer

December 10th, 2010 at 10:50 AM ^

I agree that his decision will not be based on the results of the bowl, but waiting until after that game has good odds of putting Brandon in the very awkward position of either 1) firing RR after a win, or 2) retaining him after a loss.  If either of those situations happen, then I think it was clear that the decision was made long before the game, and the delay in the announcement becomes even harder to fathom.

Woodson2

December 10th, 2010 at 1:53 PM ^

Whether or not RR is fired after a win or loss does not mean that DB's decision had already been made prior to the end of the year. As DB has said he evaluates coaches at the end of the season. He still has to interview the coaches, see what their plans are for the future, get their side of the story about their performances, try and understand why the team is in the position they are in (lack of depth), etc. The decision is very much up for grabs.

Perhaps RR explains his situation very well and describes in detail why the season ended the way it did and what his expectations are for next year. Suppose he impresses DB with his ideas and DB can see the program progressing nicely next year. The point is that there is still much to more to evaluating a coaching position than just results on the field. Dave Brandon seems to be a man of integrity who will at least let coaches state their cases on the state of their respective teams. RR has plenty of oppurtunity to explain what he is working with on the field, why he has had so many transfers, why the team expects more wins next year, etc.

TheMadGrasser

December 10th, 2010 at 4:01 PM ^

I will respectfully disagree with you (sorry, just my opinion). The bowl layover gives the young team essentially another round of spring ball equivalent. It's not unreasonable for DB to take this as another data point to see if the team has made more progression during this time. If they don't make any progress and get blown away in an embarrassing fashion, I do think the bowl game will have essentially decided our coaches fate. However, I don't expect that to happen. I expect the team to come out and play a fundamentally sound (or at least moreso than the second half of the season) football game. I don't think it matter if we win or lose, but rather if we look like a more complete and competent football team. Ya dig?

FgoWolve

December 10th, 2010 at 9:46 AM ^

If Brandon is a smart man, therefore he knows that the best way to find a new coach is to start a new coaching search while awaiting the bowl game, just like everyone else is doing. Since he has not done that, he must be keeping Rodriguez. QED.

MI Expat NY

December 10th, 2010 at 11:11 AM ^

I would 100% agree with you, except for the JH factor.  It's very reasonable to believe that JH has said he wants to coach his team through the Orange Bowl and will then come to UM.  I have a hard time believing that JH is so honorable, but I could be surprised.  I'm more inclined to believe that JH is waiting to here from NFL teams before making the decision and that is his reason for delaying Michigan, if he has in fact done so.

Either way, I think using the wait until after the bowl game as the sole basis to prove either that he's being retained or being fired is short-sighted.  

UAUM

December 10th, 2010 at 9:47 AM ^

That article actually doesn't make any sense.  He just makes conclusory statements and unsupported generalized assertions.

I don't really care who's our coach next year (although after watching JH's interview at the awards show last night, I found him to be a little arrogant), but that article was not insightful and we are all now dumber for reading it.

Happy holidays!

WalterMitty

December 10th, 2010 at 9:59 AM ^

If DB has made the decision, he should have let him go after OSU. If he is letting our coach run around the country trying to recruit in a crazy difficult environment, busting his ASS to keep the program getting better, preparing for a bowl game that might be moot for his future, staying upbeat in the face of all this BS, I, for one, will not forgive Mr. Brandon. Coach Rodriguez could be out looking for work for he and his staff... Not saying this is the case, but if it is, and this is the new Michigan way of doing things, then I, I, I, don't know what. But that shit ain't right!

mich_engineer

December 10th, 2010 at 10:42 AM ^

Yeah, its shady, but what is best for Michigan is not necessarily what is best for RR.  Dave Brandon was hired to promote the interests of Michigan, and, while it may be giving RR the shaft, that is what he is expected to do.  The day the Athletic Director is promoting the interests of an individual over the interests of the University is the day that AD should be out the door.

Hardware Sushi

December 10th, 2010 at 10:43 AM ^

I'll clean port-o-potties at Bonnaroo with my bare hands for a $2.5 mm parting gift. I understand that it would be nicer for RR to have an answer now, but my donation and tax dollars are paying for that salary. I'm glad he's busting his ass and all, but I simply do not understand all this 'fairness' and 'I won't forgive DB' talk.

DB has obligations as AD to the University of Michigan, the football team, the student-athletes, the students, the alumni, and the taxpayers. Dave Brandon will make the best decision for Michigan and that's why he's AD instead of some irrational and emotional individual.

I want RR back, but to really be fair, the give-me-an-answer-now talks about fairness lack as much validity as the ones that argue RR's style won't ever work in the Big Ten.

swdude12

December 10th, 2010 at 10:07 AM ^

Why would Brandon tell the media anything? Hes still waiting for an apology from practice gate.  He will execute his plan, unlike the previous CC.  I really believe that if we tear up Miss. St. RR will be back, but with a new Defensive staff.

MGlobules

December 10th, 2010 at 10:10 AM ^

that he must have decided to KEEP RichRod--on the grounds that he would NEVER keep the coach OR the recruits twisting in the wind this long. Unfortunately, the opposite may also hold--and it will be detrimental to the kids, the team, and (obviously) RichRod should he want another job. 

May also just be a lot of i's to do and t's to cross to get Harbaugh here, with the failsafe being keeping Rich. Whole thing is a serious f'ing bummer, and it will be a long time before I get my enthusiasm back for Michigan football if RichRod goes. 

Needs

December 10th, 2010 at 10:56 AM ^

He may be letting the coach twist in the wind rather than the recruits.

If Brandon's leaning toward firing RR and he has some kind of assurance from JH that he  wants the job but wants to coach the bowl game, then this is the course of action best designed to salvage this year's recruiting class based on the recruiting calendar.

   -Early December is a vital time for recruiting. Obviously, it's a bad time to have coaching uncertainty. The only thing worse that coaching uncertainty, however, would be total coaching vacuum. Even with coaching uncertainty, recruits can still be exposed to the inherent advantages of UM ... facilities, academics, university itself.

   -12/20 to 1/3, however, is a dead period in recruiting.

   -The period after 1/3 is a open contact period.

Firing RR immediately after the Game and then leaving the position open until JH took over in early January would completely kill this class. You'd basically be starting over from scratch in early January However, a rapid transition would allow UM to at least compete for already committed recruits salvaging a recruiting class as much as possible. Obvs, any coaching change is likely to lead to a number of decommits, but this approach would allow UM to at least avoid decommits arising purely from the uncertainty arising from not having a coach.

It would, of course, completely screw RichRod over in a number of ways, both in terms of his opportunity to compete for other positions and in presumably reducing his buyout.

a2bluefan

December 10th, 2010 at 1:11 PM ^

I would just like to point out that if RR wants another job, and the school that wants him has the bucks to pay the buyout, all bets are off with regard to what DB thinks, wants, is planning, has (or hasn't) decided, etc.

Frankly, if I'm the AD at Miami or UF, I'm giving more than a cursory glance at RR as my next head coach. It probably would unnerve quite a number of fans of those schools because of his record here thus far, but really at either school, he'd likely be going into a much better situation on the defensive side of the ball. Michigan's defensive development has been pretty mucked up, and I do hold RR responsible for that, but he did have some assistance from Angry Michigan Hating God.

I'm sure both Miami and UF have a better-stabilized defense in place (21st and 31st points against, respectively). RR is an offensive genius. If one of those schools came calling with money in-hand, and you had been treated the way RR has by most of the media and a ton of alums and fans, wouldn't you go??  Or at least think about it? Especially if you are only being thought of as a "failsafe" or an "insurance policy"? This is a TERRIBLE situation for our football program to be in. 

My point... while DB holds most of the cards, he doesn't hold all of them.

Desmonlon Edwoodson

December 10th, 2010 at 10:12 AM ^

The best case scenario is for RR to stay, bring in a D coordinator who can help win 10 games, and end the chatter.  The worst case scenario is for RR to stay, win 7 games AGAIN, and this recruiting-toxic "hot seat" circus to go on infinitus.  Somewhere  in between you've got the attrition/bounce enigma of change.   There are those who think starting a new rigime would be like hitting the reset button on the last 3 years.  It's a pretty thought.  One you maybe want to believe in more than you know you should.