OT - Was there something wrong with RR's personality?
Alright, so, I was a supporter of Rodriguez right up through the bowl game, at which point, I couldn't take it anymore. SOme fans were strong supporters, some were very much against Rodriguez. Some changed over time. I have a bit of a different question.
While Rodriguez held the position, he took a lot of flak from the closely connected MSM, it is rumored that Mary Sue Coleman wasn't a supporter of his, we know Lloyd Carr wasn't big on the decision, and many former players were less than friendly to the program during his tenure, with others supporting the program, but few voicing support for Rodriguez directly. I've even heard it rumored that John Beilein, who knew Rodriguez from WVU, was not on great terms with him.
Whenever somebody talked about Rodriguez, they said he was a truly upstanding guy, a great guy, wanted to win as much as anybody, etc, but in all the time he was here, I never really noticed him making new friends among those that weren't huge supporters of his. Clearly, the W/L had something to do with that, but still...
Since Brady Hoke has been in town, a ton of former players have supported him, Desmond Howard just came back to visit, he's getting love from all over. There seems to be nothing and no one "against" him. As with Rodriguez and the W/L record, I'm sure his "Michigan Man" heritage has something to do with that, but still...
It just seems to me that if Rodriguez had so much trouble making allies, if guys who weren't Michigan Men at all themselves, like Beilein weren't fans of his, if everything turned so suddenly, there must be SOMETHING that 99.9% of the world does not know. Did he rub certain people the wrong way? Did he have a caustic personality in private? Did he make poor choices in personal matters? It just seems like too much to ALL be W/L and the Michigan Man thing.
January 16th, 2011 at 11:35 PM ^
3-9, 5-7, and 0-6 vs MSU/OSU happened. It was all over unless he was a blood relative of the entire fan base regardless of whether he deserved more time or not.
January 17th, 2011 at 8:18 AM ^
a blood relative of the entire fan base
Insert WV joke here?
January 17th, 2011 at 9:39 AM ^
I am likely going to get killed for this but here goes. I find it kind of ironic that there are people making WV in-breeding jokes after we just hired a guy to be our HC and his main qualification appears to be that he is part of the Bo coaching tree. I supported RR through to the bowl game and I will support BH as well. I am just saying that those that live in glass houses should not cast stones.
January 17th, 2011 at 10:04 AM ^
Baby, you're a dead man, dead man yeah.
January 17th, 2011 at 1:56 PM ^
+1 for your evil avatar.
January 17th, 2011 at 11:47 AM ^
on the head.
January 16th, 2011 at 11:37 PM ^
Let's make another one of these threads where the best anyone will have to offer in terms of an answer will be pure speculation.
Some at TheWolverine have said that he ruffled feathers with his comments upon arrival regarding the depth chart. That is probably the best you will find in terms of an "answer" unless of course you are in fact Lloyd Carr, Mary Sue Coleman, or work at Schembechler Hall.
January 16th, 2011 at 11:37 PM ^
Not that it matters anyway. RR is no longer the coach whether a fan or not, and i for one would like to move on with my life
January 16th, 2011 at 11:36 PM ^
I don't really think it matters much anymore.
January 16th, 2011 at 11:37 PM ^
Sometimes I get introspective. No, it doesn't matter at all, you are correct.
January 17th, 2011 at 6:45 AM ^
talk about coaches who coach for Michigan.
January 17th, 2011 at 12:09 AM ^
what Drew Sharp alleges it be; a fan-boy site devoted to unquestioning rah-rah support for the team, the team, the team. That's all that Drew Sharp can say about MGoBlog. He condemns the "fans."
If Brady Hoke does well, I expect this blog to chronicle it. If Brady Hoke fails, I expect this blog to offer harsh criticism. No matter what, I expect that this blog will supply faster information, better analysis and more content than any other medium covering Michigan football.
As was the case with Rich Rodriguez. When the Free Press lost its mind with allegations against Rodriguez and the football program, Brian Cook and MGoBlog supplied the blowback. Almost, but not quite, alone. Eternal thanks to Jon Chait.A national scandal ensued, and in the end, Brian and MGoBlog were shown to have had the correct take all along.
I don't know of anyone who was quicker to publish serious doubts about Greg Robinson, than Brian Cook. Brian's doubts came on Day One. Not two years later. Something to think about.
January 17th, 2011 at 12:14 AM ^
So how often should we rehash whether RichRod's personality clashed with UofM? Every 3 months? Every 6 months?
January 17th, 2011 at 12:23 AM ^
Drew Sharp also alleges to be a journalist. Anyone with two brain cells and an outdated Webster Dictionary can see he is not.
I agree whole heartedly with the blowback theory you speak of. You could be right and I could be wrong. I also might be right. Based on what I have seen and heard from Borges he is willing and capable of having the offense revolving around Denard. He would have to be a shmuck not to. Based on the video evidence I have seen from a few of SDSU games, Denard can easily fit into his offense. They had a speedy tailback, aggressive defense with four man fronts, and a never give up mentality that we have lacked for three years.
Get a good QB coach to develop Denard's accuracy and poise and a descent DC to effectively communicate a defense without beavers as incentive, we might not be as horrible as everyone thinks.
One thing is for sure. Brady Hoke is here. You may not like the choice, but that's life. I really liked RR and thought he should have got one more year to prove himself. Brady Hoke was not even on my radar as a choice, but it is what it is.
January 17th, 2011 at 8:00 AM ^
I always thought his articles should be put under the editorial section, not news.
January 17th, 2011 at 8:15 AM ^
So---I'm sure many things contributed to RR's failure.
Trouble (for fans) is we'll never, ever know all the inside stuff. Only someone with true inside connections and a serious set of balls will be able to tell all one day. And that is going to depend on Rodriguez himself coming clean--and will he ever do that while he still wants to coach college football?
The obvious short answer to this post is YES Rodriguez's personality rubbed people the wrong way. I guess that comes with being human and being a coach. There's also NO question UM's personality could use some fine tuning as well.
January 17th, 2011 at 11:05 AM ^
John U. Bacon's new book (due this fall) Third and Long: Three Years with Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines
Great article from from two weeks ago with some inside info -
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014240527487047231045760621631404318…
And the MGoBlog link discussing the article -
http://mgoblog.com/mgoboard/siap-john-u-bacons-excellent-wsj-article
January 16th, 2011 at 11:37 PM ^
I think there was some question over whether or not he got the "Michigan attitude" which Hoke obviously does, but I don't think people would have been so hard on him if he were to win 9 games this year. Then there would have been less speculation about things like him having a personality issue, and what not. Overall it came down to him not winning enough games. Secondly the relationship between the football and basketball coach doesn't really matter that much. As for rubbing people the wrong way, Bo was no stranger to running people out of town.
January 16th, 2011 at 11:39 PM ^
As for rubbing people the wrong way, Bo was no stranger to running people out of town.
This is true. You're completely right. It wouldn't have mattered at all if he won. Just thinking, is all.
January 16th, 2011 at 11:42 PM ^
Yeah true, plus winning = more happiness on his part and he would have been able to smile more.
January 16th, 2011 at 11:38 PM ^
Brady Hoke is a "Michigan Man".
End of story.
January 16th, 2011 at 11:39 PM ^
He was personable, friendly, passionate, and really cared for his kids.
Unfortunately, his luck and his record made him a pariah.
January 16th, 2011 at 11:39 PM ^
January 16th, 2011 at 11:55 PM ^
I've heard control freak, but never an asshole. The two are quite different in my opinion, though these could end in the same fashion.
January 17th, 2011 at 9:45 AM ^
January 17th, 2011 at 12:04 AM ^
This is one of those "a friend of a friend" things, so take it with a grain of salt. But a lady i met has 2 kids that spend a lot of time in and out of Mott's said rich rod was an ahole, while she loved Lloyd. so take it for what its worth.
January 17th, 2011 at 12:46 AM ^
I'm calling bullshit. Your friend of a friend had kids spend time in and out of Mott's, where RichRod and the players went for charity work, and came out with the impression that he was an asshole? That sounds fucking stupid. I am sure RichRod went to the children's hospital and acted like an asshole. This is just ridiculous.
January 17th, 2011 at 5:22 AM ^
about a lifelong Michigan fan who had a son and it was tragically discovered that the boy would die a few hours after birth. Rich Rodriguez met the man and decided to go to practice late so that he could spend some time with the man that only wanted to take his son to a Michigan game one day knowing that he would never be able to do that.
The guy spoke very highly of Rich. He said he was sincere, genuine, and extremely thoughtful. This may have been the only story ever written by the Michigan media that paints Rich as an actual good guy. Judging by the quotes from the Mealers, it was not the only time that Rich proved he is a good person.
I understand how people rip on him for the performance of the team and although I would have prefered to see him get a 4th season I understand why he was fired and why people wanted it. But I never understood and I will never understand why he was made to be such a villain. If I ever get to meet him, I will apologize to him for the way he was treated here. I will tell him that I wish people were more open minded. Its funny, for such a liberal city, the football fans in Ann Arbor sure are conservative.
January 17th, 2011 at 8:39 AM ^
Why does everything have to be about liberal vs. conservative? Anytime something bad happens, it gets blamed on the party one doesn't like, and anytime something good happens it's because one's personal favorite party and belief system won the day. It happened with the Tuscon shooting, and with every other news story of the last 15 years. If your dog gets run over, it's because of those conservative hicks or maybe the SUV-driving ones who can't see over the dashboard; of if you're conservative, it's because of liberal drug dealers/gangsters, or just because liberals like to pass regulations like speed limits way more than they like to follow them. It's a lazy and specious and bigoted way of thinking, and I'm tired of it.
Forgive my aside. I know this is a football-related site, and I'd like to keep it that way. It's nice to be able to come here, away from the maelstrom of political accusations going on in the world outside.
Except for the last sentence which really bothers me, I agree with everything you said.
January 17th, 2011 at 3:39 PM ^
I meant nothing political in that post.
I meant conservative as in zone left, zone left, zone left, punt from the opponents 36.
January 17th, 2011 at 10:23 AM ^
Mods - can we start killing off some of these low point posters with annoying comments like this?
January 17th, 2011 at 11:22 AM ^
Why don't the Modz kill off high-point posters who think they're the shit just because they post here 80 million times?
And also kill off high-point posters who whine about newer members because, you know, like "fresh ideas" and new members really SUCK!
I'm going to down vote ANYONE who begs Daddy to ban someone they don't like.
January 17th, 2011 at 11:41 AM ^
Been reading since 2007 but prefer to lurk... I enjoy voting so every now and then I have to post some stuff just to get back to the 100 point total. Its frustrating that the points expire.
I think a lot of the high point posters expect that if you love this blog, you will contribute... but a lot of us just like to read. I like to vote but really don't like to comment. The old system of no point requirement to vote and down votes being free really worked for me.
So this sounds like a fund raiser, but I'm trying to get back to 100 points so I can get back to up-voting and not commenting. If anyone wants to bang me up so I don't have to comment for the sake of getting points, please, do. Pretend like I'm that loose girl you ended up taking to prom and the term "sloppy seconds" isn't really that dirty.
January 16th, 2011 at 11:41 PM ^
When Coach Rod was here it wasn't about Michigan, it wasn't about The Team, it was about Rich Rodriguez. That WAS the problem.
January 16th, 2011 at 11:48 PM ^
Rich didn't give a damn about anyone except himself. The son of a bitch even tried to start an online petition to have the name of the school changed to RichRod4Life University. Luckily MSC found it one day when she typed "funny petitions" into Google. True story.
January 16th, 2011 at 11:54 PM ^
REALLY? Man that woulda been a close one.
January 17th, 2011 at 12:04 AM ^
I went back and forth about whether to respond to this, but decided to do it anyway. This is such an ignorant statement. One of my most vivid memories of RR are encapsulated in the first 30 seconds or so of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q47XapDh47g
Rich Rodriguez loved this team as if each player were one of his sons.
January 17th, 2011 at 8:17 AM ^
Or watch a game this season? RR sat out his best player (one that many analysts claimed WAS the entire offense because he had a headache and was a little whoozy after a hit. That was a game that was going back and forth and one many felt RR absolutely had to win.
TF came in and immediately turned the ball over and still he kept DR on the sidelines. How about WH violating team rules before the OSU game and RR going into the game without a punter?
Your statement is ignorant on so many levels that I can't seem to find it even remotely possible that you followed this team or watched a single game this year.
January 17th, 2011 at 12:00 AM ^
this picture will forever remind me of the CRex saga.
January 17th, 2011 at 1:33 AM ^
What set CRex off? I barely remember that guy.
January 17th, 2011 at 6:46 AM ^
January 16th, 2011 at 11:43 PM ^
Schembechler Hall used to be referred to as Fort Schembechler. So you're probably not going to get a lot of behind the scenes stuff for a while if at all.
When Rick Carlisle was booted from the Pistons, people were surprised because of his record. But then talk came out about him not being very friendly with the staff on the organization. That made for a convenient excuse with Larry Brown out there and available.
It's history, so it may be easier to go with what you know. Most people say he was a good guy. He did care about his players. He has a great offensive scheme. But he did not beat MSU or OSU and never had a winning conference record. That last fact was his undoing, more than anything else.
January 16th, 2011 at 11:47 PM ^
Not sure about his personality but I kind of consider him Michigan's martyr. Who ever came into coach was set up for a couple of very down years especially if you consider Mallet was out the door regardless. Pair all of this with the implementing of a new scheme and he never had a chance.
January 16th, 2011 at 11:47 PM ^
RR, from what we, the fans, could see, looked and acted like a decent guy. There will be people out there that claim he was pushing those closest to the program (former players, coaches, alum, etc.) further away while he was there. I personally disagree and think they chose to keep their distance, but the thing is, we may never really know.
I do know this. As a student, I met RR 2 times, and both were at charity events for Mott's Children's Hospital. The man was very friendly and I felt very comfortable around this man who was (supposed to be) a giant of a man, being a Michigan football coach and all [conversely, I met Lloyd Carr 2 times as well, and he was extremely friendly, but I was nervous as hell both times and stuttered like a fool]. Nothing to be read into this, but he came across as a very humble and nice dude.
I think there are enough conspiracy theories to last us for many years about the RR era, and I'm sure there is SOME truth to some of them. I think it's best for us to remember him how we the fans want to remember him, whether as a good guy who didn't get a fair shake, a guy who ruined a program for 3 years,or whatever it may be.
Also, John U. Bacon is writing a book about the 3 years of RR, so we have that to look forward to.
January 16th, 2011 at 11:47 PM ^
This is the equivalent of the post-breakup, one month later "why didn't it work out?" coffee meetup.
At the end of the day, it's awkward, no one gets any answers, you're broken up, and nothing is going to change it.
January 16th, 2011 at 11:58 PM ^
The memoir.
(See, Bacon, John U.; Third and Long. As noted in the post just above.)
January 16th, 2011 at 11:59 PM ^
So true my friend. If that has taught me anything its that you often will never know why things ended the way they did in a seemly good relationship. That's one of the first thoughts I had when we got rid of RR. It was a relationship that for whatever reason didn't work out and we'll probably never know. For me, I'm ready to move on, but I understand why many still need to know what happened.
January 17th, 2011 at 12:33 AM ^
Also see: Espresso Royale, State Street, table by the window.