Maryland may have contacted R-Rod during bowl practice
Report: Maryland might have contacted Rodriguez during bowl practices
The Detroit News
In a detailed story regarding Maryland's search for a football coach published Monday in the Baltimore Sun, the paper confirmed former Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez had been among those coaches contacted.
From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20110215/SPORTS0201/102150407/Report--Maryland-might-have-contacted-Rodriguez-during-bowl-practices#ixzz1E3jHp4bu
February 15th, 2011 at 2:58 PM ^
This thread is about to get really interesting.
I wonder what went through his head on that? Hedge the bet vs. go for broke? Interesting decision to have to make. And by interesting I mean shitty.
February 15th, 2011 at 2:59 PM ^
He was contacted, he told them no because he was committed to Michigan and expected to get another year.
February 15th, 2011 at 3:09 PM ^
either RR turned the job down because he wanted to concentrate on coaching for Michigan and thinks that he has one more year left at his disposal or RR said yes and wait until after Gator Bowl for DB to announce his firing but Maryland didn't want to take any chance by waiting or RR simply said no that he is not interested in the job regardless of his job status.
If I was RR, I'd wait for Clemson's head coaching job to open should Clemson underachieve by their standards. Perfect situation for RR, you come to a team that is loaded with talents and you have nice recruiting base in carolinas in addition to Florida pipelines that RR established. Clemson fans loves RR because of his days as a OC in which Clemson was nationally ranked in offensive category. They want to see a newer, better verision of Woody Dantzler who is a good QB in his own right back in the day.
February 15th, 2011 at 6:26 PM ^
I cannot wait to watch RR go back to Clemson as HC. I hope that during his time in AA he learned that a competent DC and scheme make the difference between gaudy numbers and winning games.
February 15th, 2011 at 3:02 PM ^
I can believe it, though "contact" doesn't necessarily mean an offer was extended.
February 15th, 2011 at 3:02 PM ^
I only talk about coaches who coach for Michigan
February 15th, 2011 at 3:20 PM ^
So did that attitude stop all the Harbaugh talk?
February 15th, 2011 at 4:11 PM ^
No, but I definitely don't think we should ever talk about Carr, Mo, Bo, Fritz or Yost either. I mean, they don't coach for Michigan.
February 15th, 2011 at 7:10 PM ^
Brady Hoke is the head coach of Michigan. Brady Hoke has always been the head coach of Michigan.
February 15th, 2011 at 3:03 PM ^
After the bowl game... but Maryland did not want to wait for Dave Brandon...like the rest of the world
February 15th, 2011 at 3:09 PM ^
I love the headline of the article. Its not often that a newspaper has the balls to run a headline with the word "might" in it. It basically eliminated the need for any kind of fact-checking and allows for reporting mere rumors. Imagine the possibilities!
"Armstrong Might Have Landed on the Moon"
"The Berlin Wall Might Have Fallen"
"Germany Might Have Invaded France"
February 15th, 2011 at 3:09 PM ^
"Profitgoblue might not like 'might titles'"
February 15th, 2011 at 3:13 PM ^
I always thought that was what the "Report:" part of the headline was for. I guess they wanted to play it extra safe.
February 15th, 2011 at 3:22 PM ^
Here's the best part of the whole thing: The News states that the Sun confirmed that Rodriguez was among the coaches contacted. So, really, there is no "might" involved here. The News should have simply linked the damn Sun article and save their breath.
February 15th, 2011 at 3:51 PM ^
as in during bowl practices. The Baltimore paper only reports that RR was contacted but doesn't know when. They also know that Maryland reps were in Jacksonville the same time Michigan was but don't know who they were meeting. So while Maryland definitely contacted RR during the search, they only know that it might have been during bowl practices in Jacksonville.
February 15th, 2011 at 4:07 PM ^
"Armstrong Might Have Landed on the Moon"
"The Berlin Wall Might Have Fallen"
"Germany Might Have Invaded France"
The only difference is most of those things did actually happen. Although don't tell that to Buzz Aldrin.
February 15th, 2011 at 4:24 PM ^
If it's headlines that you want to talk about, they've been screwing those up for years:
But occasionally, they'll give you a couple good ones:
February 15th, 2011 at 3:23 PM ^
wait the freep didn't report about this??
February 15th, 2011 at 3:24 PM ^
Well it's true and took some real reporting, so its doubtful.
February 15th, 2011 at 3:30 PM ^
Must be a slow news day.
February 15th, 2011 at 3:50 PM ^
They just feel empty inside without talking about RR.
February 15th, 2011 at 6:39 PM ^
...I made a dumb remark further down the thread and got downvoted a tad. Maybe this is too fresh in everyone's mind, regardless of the camp one is in. There needs to be a 180-day moratorium on RR threads perhaps. Get us to within earshot of the season and then....well....no, let's just not discuss it.
February 15th, 2011 at 3:48 PM ^
This might be a volatile thread.
February 15th, 2011 at 3:58 PM ^
Rodriguez would've been better than Edsall, that's for damn certain
February 15th, 2011 at 4:03 PM ^
Seems like Brandon's timeline didn't prevent RR from getting another job after all. He certainly could have taken the Maryland job, but then he would have forfeited the Michigan buyout. Long term, it's probably best for RR. He gets the Michigan money (in essence, a one year paid vacation), a chance to relax doing television work, and then look for a head coach job in the next year or two. Not a bad life.
February 15th, 2011 at 4:18 PM ^
He certainly could have taken the Maryland job, but then he would have forfeited the Michigan buyout.
Had he taken the Maryland job before his final meeting with Brandon, I expect that as far as Rich Rodriguez was concerned, he'd have been forfeiting the Michigan job, not just "the Michigan buyout."
I am trying hard to imagine just how anyone can spin any of this into any hint of imporpriety. Did Michigan "contact" Jim Harbaugh at any time during Stanford's bowl practices?
February 15th, 2011 at 4:27 PM ^
I'm not saying anything was improper in the least. If RR wanted to split and take the Maryland job, he could and should have. DB was letting him twist in the wind (and nearly everyone knew he was a goner). What I'm talking about is that RR said the timing prevented him from getting another job (possibly a setup for a later, albeit difficult, tortious interference claim). Clearly, the timing didn't prevent him from getting another job. He could have done so, but it made more financial sense for him to wait to be fired.
February 15th, 2011 at 6:01 PM ^
I don't think you could make a tortious interference claim (Rodriguez v. U-M) based on the theory that "U-M didn't fire me (RichRod) on a timely basis, so it tortiously interfered with a party (MD) with whom I (RichRod) had no prior legal relationship, let alone a contract." The tortious interference argument would be tortuous and torturous, and wouldn't survive the first set of motions ("failure to state a claim").
In addition to not stating a claim, it's also a bit scurrilous to suggest that RichRod was setting up a claim. Maybe RichRod simply thought that the best thing for his job prospects, wherever they may be, would be to concentrate on the Gator Bowl.
This seems like a much simpler explanation. After all, as often RichRod has found himself as a defendant, he's not known to be litigious.
February 15th, 2011 at 7:31 PM ^
A good claim is much different than a claim. Would it win? No way. Could it survive a MSD? Possibly. Would it survive long enough to allow for hassling discovery? Yes.
More specifically, it'd be a tortious interference with advantageous business relationship (as opposed to "with contract"). Again, I'm not saying I'd make the argument, but shitty arguments live to see discovery every single day. He would just have to claim that Michigan knew he had value at other programs that wanted to hire him, knew they were going to fire him, but kept him on just to avoid paying the full buyout. Were there advantageous business relationships? Only discovery would tell. Did Michigan know about those relationships? Again, discovery. Did they cause him economic harm in keeping him on and precluding those relationships? Not really, but it could be argued without sanctions. Ahhh yes, the low bar for members of the bar. Ok...who's bored! Me too.
Was RR setting up a claim? Doubt it, but I bet his counsel had reviewed all options (not just in terms of claims, but mostly in terms of "what are results of quitting, staying, etc.) with him.
February 15th, 2011 at 10:36 PM ^
Employment law and MGoBlog. Worlds are colliding! I am not at all sure that this is a good thing.
IMHO - There is nothing here for U of M to interfer with. There was no offer, or even an interview. Also, Rich Rod has a perfect way to mitigate - just quit and take the Maryland job. That may cost him a buyout, but he can't say that Michigan is liable for following the contract he signed. This would not survive a failure to state a claim motion. I see no discovery here.
February 15th, 2011 at 8:03 PM ^
Wait, so you are suggesting that getting fired after Maryland already found a head coach didn't prevent RR from getting another job...like said Maryland job? Unless you are suggesting that RR knew he was going to be fired when Maryland contacted him and didn't accept it because.....he wanted to later claim that the time of the firing hurt his chances to land another job? Is that correct....you think RR didn't accept the Maryland job for the sole purpose of making a random 1 liner comment about the timing of the firing leaving him with very few options to get re-hired somewhere? Wow. I knew you didn't like RichRod but this is fucking ridiculous.
February 15th, 2011 at 8:12 PM ^
He didn't say the timing prevented him from getting another job, he said the timing was "bad".
Unless there's an interview that I missed somehow, which I guess is possible.
February 15th, 2011 at 10:35 PM ^
If RR wanted to split and take the Maryland job, he could and should have. DB was letting him twist in the wind (and nearly everyone knew he was a goner).
I remember those long-ago halcyon days.
Way back when "nearly everyone" rated Michigan's head coaching options as:
- Jim Harbaugh
- Rich Rodriguez
- Everybody/nobody else.
February 15th, 2011 at 4:05 PM ^
but this is just another illustration of how flawed The Process was.
Right after the OSU game DB should have either (i) fired RR after quickly sending feelers out to potential candidates (not that it matters because Hoke would have left his own open heart surgery to come coach here), or (ii) immediately endorsed RR for a fourth year.
Option (i) ends the uncertainty, gives us a shot at all available coaches (again, not that it matters if Hoke was the only target...) and allows us to maintain/shore up recruiting. Option (ii) maintains recruiting, ensures continuity and eliminates drama.
We chose option (iii). This caused all sorts of program turmoil, such as having your walking dead coach being contacted by other schools while trying to prepare for a bowl. Gee, do you think all this shit swirling around contributed to our terrible performance in the bowl? The players had notidea what/who they were playing for at the point. It was a HUGE unnecessary distraction. Oh, and recruiting fell off big time, though Hoke did his best to salvage what he could.
DB is a joke.
February 15th, 2011 at 11:51 PM ^
Captain Obvious... i don't know if you ever played varsity sports in high school or beyond, but i know if my coach's job was on the line and i wanted him to keep his job in the future i would have worked my A$$ off before the game and played my hardest during the game. I'm not saying Mich didn't work thier tails off before the game, but the performance they put out there was a joke. The team did not get any better during the bowl practices in fact they looked worse.
I don't have such blind hate for option iii as a lot of people on this board do. First off it gave Rich Rod every chance he could have to keep his job. After the OSU game no one knew how they would perform in the bowl game. If mich would have won that game Rich Rod would still be the coach. Also waiting as long as DB did gave Mich the best shot at landing Jimmy. Harbaugh was not going to let his coaching decision affect how Stanford played in thier bowl game... and that was a bigger distraction that what was going on with RR. Everyone knew he was leaving Stanford for the NFL or Mich. Third DB had to know he had Hope... i mean Hoke in waiting. Most of the time coach's and AD's talk in back channels and know what is going on.
Honestly i think we got the best deal with Hoke. In coaching circles he is held in a very high regard, and coach's leave top NFL jobs to come coach with him... Honestly where else have you seen a top DC at possible the best place to be a DC to come to a college defense that was one of the worst defenses in the history of its school. Seriously think about what an amazing thing that is. Here is an analogy for you... Lets say you are a VP at Google and AOL called you up and asked you to take a pay cut to come be a VP with them. Its not happening, but the "great white hoke" got it done.
So IMHO i think option iii worked out pretty well.
February 15th, 2011 at 4:16 PM ^
Which is it, "might have" or "may have"?
Sounds like a lot of uncertainty to me.
February 15th, 2011 at 4:27 PM ^
Besides, they probably didn't have sufficient energy or patience to explain to RichRod how he's so obviously not a "Maryland Man!" either.
February 15th, 2011 at 4:46 PM ^
Who cares. He is not Michigan's coach anymore and isn't even coaching right now. He's gone. Time to let go.
February 15th, 2011 at 8:04 PM ^
Agreed. We should put up a post with no new information on a Devin Gardner redshirt. That is way better.
February 15th, 2011 at 5:08 PM ^
Interesting. The Terrapins had given up on being a player in their conference then? Glad they hired Edsall instead. Seems like the better pick by far.
February 15th, 2011 at 5:43 PM ^
Good luck to you LSA. I don't see this comment going well for you. Section 1 should arrive any minute.
February 15th, 2011 at 5:46 PM ^
.......it was a long day at work. I felt up to a cheap shot and I will pay the price for it, I am sure.
February 15th, 2011 at 6:06 PM ^
The problem is that cheap shots, while insulting, are often witty. Example:
"Michael Vick sure had a hell of a season. I guess defenses are the new Pit Bulls."
Your comment was just dick.
February 15th, 2011 at 6:08 PM ^
The wit well was more or less dry after the 2 PM meeting. It was head-to-desk time after that.
February 15th, 2011 at 6:03 PM ^
The RR era for me was a memorable one, but one with too many valleys and not nearly enough peaks. Now that it is over, I am able to look at it, appreciate for what it was, and poke fun at it.
The RR era was tough to go through, but looking back, it was an eventful, frustrating, tantalizing, gut wrenching, memorable time, that will carry many a fond memory for me, despite the stormy conditions under which it played out.
RR is dead. Long live RR
February 15th, 2011 at 6:21 PM ^
I suppose I would agree. It had a lot of promise in the beginning - it was meant to be a departure from something people had begun to characterize as "boring". The problem, as I saw it, was a lack of accountability on the staff and a lack of understanding among the staff about the schemes - like the 3-3-5 - that they were trying to employ. If you don't know what you're doing, how do you expect the players to know? Towards the end, a lot of otherwise good players looked lost, even out of position - some of them were out of position actually.
It seems to me that if you want to run a particular style of offense or defense, then you should do your homework and study programs that have made them work and know how and who they recruit and then work with that. It doesn't seem to me like this staff did that as well as could be. Maybe that's just me and no one else.
It was fun to watch, but a little painful at the same time in some ways. In the end, we had an offense with enormous potential and a defense that, well....you know. We had talented kids that just seemed....mismanaged.
February 15th, 2011 at 6:43 PM ^
It's like Bruce Springsteen lyricized, "someday we'll look back at this and it will all seem funny"
February 15th, 2011 at 7:29 PM ^
I see a "wonderful" pattern developing here. If people dig deep enough, and "shade" the facts enough, a lot of people in Ann Arbor will delude themselves into thinking that RR was the most evil, slimy coach in college football and that he actually deserved what he got.
Really, though, revising history and piling shit onto RR in retrospect isn't doing the program any good, nor will it help Brady Hoke in any way. What I can't understand is why on earth everyone is so interested in piling their hatred on RR when he isn't even here anymore.
Wouldn't it be better to just try and stay positive about Hoke's chances and cheer for the players and coaches who are here now? I'm sure it would make the program and the school look a lot better to prospective recruits, students, faculty, and coaches.
February 16th, 2011 at 3:33 PM ^
I feel like many would not be happy with anything short of an apology from R-Rod. One their never going to get but they still want their "pound of flesh" from the man who shit in the living room so to speak.
My 2 cents. I think the real division within the Michigan ranks came down to the level of percieved "clout" that Rod was bringing to Michigan. Many looked at his record and past coaching experience as not enough to walk in and demand "my way or the highway". Others did see him as having that type of "gravitas" as a coach and were willing to give him all the rope he needed to rebuild it in his image.
I'm somewhere in the middle, while he was a hot commodity in the coaching ranks and was very well repected by his piers, its not like he was Pete Carroll with a fistfull of NC rings or even Urban Meyer with a couple. In fact I even put Brian Kelly above R-Rod in terms of strength of resume. He's simply won quickly and consistantly everywhere he's been and does have multiple NC rings(div 2) to his credit.
My Grandad always said that you can slip a seed into someones ear, bring it water and maybe change their mind, however if you try and jam a tree in the same ear, you're probably going to have a rough time.
I wish Rod had treaded lighter, taken more measure of his moves, used a more incremental approach and built a winner in his image that everyone would have no choice but to embrace. That just did not happen and now its done.