Praise for RR from a critic: me
Over the last few weeks, I have become increasingly frustrated with this team, and by extension, RR. I have been amongst the most vocul posters calling for his head and saying that a change was needed for us to regain our place amongst the college football elite. Those who have defended RR over this season pointed to our improved offense as a reason to stay the course. I have argued repeatedly that the offense was a mirage that faded against better defenses.
Yesterday's game - and not just the fact that we won (although it sure was nice) showed me that I may have been wrong. Not only was our offense dynamic, effective and exciting, but it was diverse. We mixed zone option runs, designed QB runs, short passes, slants and a hell of a downfield game with regularity. Our offensive playcalling was nothing short of amazing. I imagnie that when Brian UFR's the offense, we will see our greatest +# for RPS to date. Simply put, we looked as good on offense as Oregon.
I see the potential. DEnard will get better. He just earned another 16 winter practices - something that Michigan QBs have not had in 2 years. The already dominant line will get better. The receivers will stay great. And, next year, we should see one of our RBs step up and become a feature back. Hopkins looks like the man, but there are many options. By next season, we should be able to hang 30 on jst about anyone.
Even more importantly, watching the triple over time, I saw a team that didn't give up and player their asses off for each other and for their coach. RR has done a great job of building a "team" in the Bo sense of the word.
No, RR is still far from perfect. And ultimately, we do not know whether he will be the right guy to lead Michigan all the weay back. Sometimes it is just not possible to overcome a bad start. And then there is the defense. But, even I - one of RR's vocal critics of late - must concede (happily) that there is a strong case for keeping him. If Brandon is looking for improvement, this game should give him something to think about, because last year we would have folded midway through the fourth.
Great game, coach.
November 7th, 2010 at 11:37 AM ^
This is exactly the argument I use with my M friends that want RR fired yesterday. I call it the Japanese Imperial Navy argument: "Destroy Pearl Harbor? Okay, no problem. Then what?
Firing RR gets you a whole lotta "then whats." QBs, RBs, and and OL with skills specific to the RR offense. A defense with the third DC in four years. A reputation for a quick trigger in the coaching community. Think Jim Harbaugh is the answer? Great - where are his players? The 6'4 pocket passing QB, the full backs, the TEs, the massive line. He would need 3 years to get his type of player in the program and ready for the field.
You just can't wish B10 players into existence. We are building a D, but it takes time.
November 7th, 2010 at 11:19 AM ^
RichRod's oldest players (snake oil in '08 aside) are 2nd-year guys (redshirt freshmen or true sophomores) now. If there's a biggest case for dismissal, I'd argue that it's an administrative one (frequent changes in "policy" and whatever is going on with Tony Gibson). I don't think RichRod can (yet) get all the blame for the roster.
November 7th, 2010 at 1:50 PM ^
The biggest case for dismissal is the staff's inability to manage the roster. The defense simply shouldn't be this thin and there shouldn't be multiple freshman starters.
Right on man. You know I heard RR told Pearlie Graves and DeQuinta Jones to decommit on signing day, and pushed Vlad, Lalota, and Turner to transfer. Word around the campfire is that GERG personally dislocated Troy Woolfolk's ankle, and recently carried out a similar hit job on J.T. Floyd. He also concussed Mike Williams on numerous occasions and although I'm not sure what happened to Jared Van Slyke's clavicle...I SUSPECT GERG!.
I'm also assuming you've read The Decimated Defense and agree what a crock that is, so I won't even get into that.
November 7th, 2010 at 8:49 AM ^
This is the team that we have all loved since we were tots. They are still The Wolverines, still The Maize and Blue, still the proud owners of The Winged helmets. I agree that there are areas that need major improvements, but while there are still games to be played, the ENTIRE program deserves our support up until the very last snap in the very last game of the season.
Keep looking on the bright side! Go Blue!
November 7th, 2010 at 8:52 AM ^
Oh one other note that has gone largely ignored...I applaud RRod for sitting Denard for what may have been a slight concussion. Think about the guts it takes to make that call! Denard is our best player and RRod is a coach under fire. The easy thing for him would have been to throw Denard out there (think Kelly / Crist). But Rod put the player's safety and well being ahead of all other considerations. Very proud of Rod
November 7th, 2010 at 9:54 AM ^
Agreed one hundred percent - it took guts, especially with, as you delicately put it, all the 'other considerations'...
November 7th, 2010 at 10:09 AM ^
I'll third this comment. I still don't like Richard, but moves like this make it that much harder to speak against his tenure. While Sparty continues to make choices that fly in the face of ethical behavior concerning player conduct and coach response, our guy gets it right. That's a very good thing. These kids are people, not just names on jerseys.
Now I'll be really happy when the score is 67-21, as opposed to 67-65... but we can all agree that this win was needed.
Go Blue!
November 7th, 2010 at 7:55 PM ^
But you are absolutely right.
When his ass could have been on the line in a pivotal game, our coach did the right thing by sitting our star quarterback.
Kudos to Rodriguez.
November 7th, 2010 at 8:54 AM ^
I'm in the same camp as you. I have been a big, vocal supporter of RR. My wife can't even stand it anymore. Anytime we go anywhere I feel like I have to defend him. However, after the PSU game, I had it. I had reached my breaking point and I had resigned myself to the fact that he would no longer be our coach, and I was happy about it.
Now, this weekend, I have seen the error of my ways and I am back to being a supporter. I want this offense to play Nebraska and Alabama. We are young and growing on defense and with some help (new DC?) I think we will be equally strong on both sides of the ball.
The most telling thing for me is that as opposed to previous years, the team has not given up on itself. The offense isn't blaming the defense and every man believes in his teammates ability to get the job done. We say "the team, the team, the team" a lot, but this group of guys, these players and coaches have really lived up to that mantra. Lets go kick some butt against Purdue!
November 7th, 2010 at 5:32 PM ^
I'm with you if you are talking about right after the game. I think everyone was pissed and I stayed away from Mgoblog for 3 days. The question really is would be better or worse without RR? You have to see what you actually end up with. Schiano, Edsel? We need to see this thing through. If year 4 and 5 are .500 teams then you have a reason to do something but I think it's still too soon.
Whenever I hire someone the key thing I look at is track record. Past success in the same role I'm hiring for generally means a decent chance of success in the future. RR has a successful track record I like to give him time to prove (or disprove) that here. RR has won some big games and BCS bowl games before he got here, has Harbaugh yet?
November 7th, 2010 at 8:55 AM ^
The only thing I am disappointed about with Saturday's game is that the players from
Dr. Phillips couldn't have been there to watch it. As a recruit, I think there wouldn't be a
better game to attend. The place was just amazing.
November 7th, 2010 at 9:02 AM ^
Did you know Illinois was 12th in the nation in points scored against (16.8)? We blew that up yesterday. I mean we quadrupled it!!!!!!
November 7th, 2010 at 10:42 AM ^
12th to 47th in the matter of one week...because of MIchigan
November 7th, 2010 at 9:17 AM ^
Is this a 1st? An internet mea culpa with rational reasoning? Kudos for you sir for coming over to the side of the righteous man. In all seriousness, let's just hope RR can keep up the momentum.
Changing the momentum of this program has been like turning a Glacier. This has been going on before RR even took hold. The investigation concluding and the win are 2 exhausting pushes. Purdue and a another surprise win with some recruiting momentum will officially start us moving downhill.
November 7th, 2010 at 9:23 AM ^
Up hill?
November 7th, 2010 at 9:17 AM ^
...even in light of the issues that plague this team, JUST LOOK AT THE OFFENSE! And remember this offense is still raw yet it lit up one of the better D's in the nation. Just think what this team will look like when all the pieces are in place. Actually you can....just look at Oregon. RR has 5 years. It's year 3. Next year will be better. The problem is that so many of you have grown up with instant gratification. YOU HAVE NO PATIENCE! BE PATIENT!!!
oh, GO BLUE!!!!
November 7th, 2010 at 10:02 AM ^
in this case, it seems it is the younger folks with more patience. The people who grew up with black and white tv's need to relax...
November 7th, 2010 at 10:38 AM ^
Panicking about coaches is the new thing in mid-life crises. Infinite mileage versus the cliched sports car's.
November 7th, 2010 at 11:20 AM ^
I attended U of M in the late 1970's so I guess I'm old. I see the delineation to some degree based upon knowledge of the situation. Generally the more knowledgeable the more patient. That's what some of the stupid f*ck's in the stands are screaming for RR's head. They have no idea where we are and how we got here.
Has he made mistakes? Yes, a ton of them. However I worry more about him leaving and becoming our Nick Saban, the coach that got away.
November 7th, 2010 at 12:16 PM ^
I find it amusing when (presumed) younger and more tolerant folk make sweeping and incorrect conclusions on top of demonstrating intolerance. I have had far more issues with the offspring of my friends than with my friends. I've already noted that in one post yesterday, and could easily expand the references.
November 7th, 2010 at 9:28 AM ^
Great post. It was wonderful to see the offense take it to a good defense in Big Ten competition. That was my reservation on whether we'd see more of Rich after this year. The fair question was: Would the Rich Rodriguez offense at Michigan be effective in meaningful tough games in meaningful situations?
Answer: Most definitely. Now it is just a matter of how devastating.
Wisconsin and Ohio State should be opportunities to grow further.
November 7th, 2010 at 9:32 AM ^
but where would you be if we missed our 2 pt conversion and ILL got theirs???? I'm thinking you would want him gone if we missed on that one play and ignore the other 700 yds and 65 pts.
November 7th, 2010 at 10:23 AM ^
That's a pretty simple minded comment. I won't keep putting the same long response into every thread, but everything we thought about this team after Penn State is still true. If someone wanted him gone because of the awful performance on defense and special teams or wanted him to stay because of a hell on wheels offense, why would they have changed their mind one way or the other?
I am more open to the possibility of keeping Rodriguez with a defensive staff overhaul that he doesn't have final say in, but I still see all of the problems that were there before.
November 7th, 2010 at 11:04 AM ^
simple but probably true.
obviously Ws and Ls are the end all be all. but i analyze the team's progress. in reality our record is about the same as last year. but last year we hung close in games we were dominated (msu and osu), won a game or two where we were outplayed (ND and arguably Indy) and got blown away in couple others (wisky and psu).
this year we are losing games in which the games are pretty even at the line of scrimmage. we are holding our own there. and the stats in our losses bear that out. we've lost our games based on TOs (ignoring the our defensive struggles). the O has improved so much that our overall team has improved even though the D has regressed. but the D will obviously be better next year based on youth and experience alone. The O will get better too. TOs trend down as QB experience increases.
one must be blind not to see this trend. and those that are blind look only at the Ws and Ls and not the prospects of future success. and the future success will quite possibly start next year.
November 7th, 2010 at 11:31 AM ^
I actually agree that the eye test or however you put it is as important as wins and losses. I agree that the offense is trending up. Agreed, you'd have to be blind not to see that. BUT, the defense is pretty clearly trending down in my opinion. '08 was historically bad on defense, and amazingly they have continued to progressively get worse and worse over the last two seasons.
So if we put those two trends together to look for the prospects of future success as you say, I think it's a toss up at best. If the offense continues to improve and the defense continues to get worse, we can expect a lot more games like we saw yesterday, and that doesn't seem like a long term plan for success. You didn't say it, but a lot of others have said that there's no way the defense can get worse. Don't count on that. If there's one thing that life has taught me, it's that things can always get worse. I haven't seen any indications from the Rodriguez regime that there is some sort of defensive turn around coming. I just don't see it.
November 7th, 2010 at 11:56 AM ^
you are ignoring the experience trend on D. it was younger in 2009 than 2008 and even younger in 2010. quite possibly the youngest most inexperienced D in the country. RR and the staff can take some blame for this but not all. in reality, none of his recruits should be playing much right now. however, 7-8 guys are starting and almost all of the backups are his guys.
there have been a few threads posted on this site comparing age to success on D. a clear correlation there.
the D will start trending up next year due to age/experience alone. he has had decent Ds in the past at WVU. to suggest he can't field a decent D at UM because he hasn't done so yet, is just plain short-sighted and wrong.
however, i wouldn't mind seeing a guy like John Tenuta come in here as D coordinator along with a proven solid DB coach. Tenuta has a history of working with LBs. and i think Tall is probably solid enough at DL. but i leave those judgments up to the coaches on this site.
November 7th, 2010 at 9:57 AM ^
What if Avery makes the tackle on Robinson and Michigan goes down and ties it and we win in overtime?...What if Denard doesn't throw the the pick in the endzone to Rucker?...and WHAT IF... ... ..... .... ..... ....?????.
November 7th, 2010 at 10:12 AM ^
I have never called for RR's head and have always liked the guy in terms of what kind of man he is, but I have expressed doubts about whether he was going to be able to get it done here. I also predicted that Illinois was going to put more than 50 on us yesterday, but that doesn't mean I was right—I couldn't have been more wrong in thinking that we weren't going to be able to hang with them, let alone win. I'm more glad for RR and the players than anything else, especially given that we also saw the final refutation of the Freep this week too.
November 7th, 2010 at 10:34 AM ^
No to be picky but I wish the media and others would stop harping on the "record-setting" 67-65 final score and on and on and on. At the end of regulation the score was 45-45. Illinois didn't hang 50+ on us in the way you would normally think of it. This is an anomaly created by the overtime format. I love that format but those points shouldn't be lumped in with the points scored in regulation when evaluating the defense, or comparing this game to historical highs.
At the half it was 31-31. We played some pretty good defense in the second half.
November 7th, 2010 at 12:20 PM ^
But changed my mind. If you don't want OT points to factor in as a D, all you have to do is get a stop in the first OT to end the game. And considering how they scored on some of those plays (e.g. the RB wheel-route that was good for a TD every time they ran it), I'm not sure it's a travesty and out-of-proprtion number of pts. to attribute to our defense. Also, giving up 31 points in a half is pretty atrocious, and projects to a score not too far from the final.
That being said, I'm just cautioning you not to start brewing kool-aid that our defense is good just yet. It's still full of holes, however, it's young and improving, and that's leaps and bounds ahead of where it was at PSU. They're gritty, they saved us from the TOs in the first half, and man did they play with some swagger today.
And you're right, BTW, remarkably, we pitched a 3rd quarter shut-out in a 67-65 game. I have no idea how to explain that.
November 7th, 2010 at 5:22 PM ^
Please be careful with what you are refuting.
- I did not say it was a travesty. Regarding the scoring record I said this game was an anomaly in comparison to high scoring games in the past where this overtime format was not used. That was the point. Giving up three touchdowns in overtime when the defense is tired and they are spotting the ball at the the 25 is not comparable to what happens in regulation.
- I did not say the defense was good. I said they played pretty well in the second half. Also, Illinois was helped in the first half by turnovers by our offense. On several our defense did well to hold them to a field goal.
I don't think I would call that brewing cool aid.
November 7th, 2010 at 10:28 AM ^
Lets face it, its not all about W/L's but when you play well the W/L takes care of itself. We looked like garbage against Penn State. There is no better way to put it. We looked like a young improving team against Illinois. Completely different team on the field, and not coincidentally, we got the W. If we played like we did against PSU for the rest of the season, I would have been all for firing RR. I still think some changes need to be made, but I can see us succeeding down the road with RR at the helm.
November 7th, 2010 at 10:46 AM ^
maybe not as bad as people thought. down early, they scored 35 straight pts on northwestern; a team that took msu down to the wire and actually should have won.
November 7th, 2010 at 10:31 AM ^
I was most pleased to see improvement on defense. After seeing such a sharp decline in performance against PSU, I had my doubts. But they looked as good as ever yesterday. Definitely gives one hope for the future.
If the D continues to improve -- if they're being well-coached with consistent messages and assignments -- then the future is very bright for this team, especially in 2012 with a slew of 3-year starter defensive backs.
November 7th, 2010 at 11:14 AM ^
November 7th, 2010 at 12:11 PM ^
If you can't distinguish process from results, then yeah
November 7th, 2010 at 10:32 AM ^
I read this board daily, but seldom my thoughts/opinions - which is quite obvious if you look at my mgopoints total! Usually, even when I think I have a useful idea to add to the conversation, one of you amaizeingly literate & intelligent mgoblog readers posts something similar.
Whatever.
The idea that I most want to add today is about older men & how difficult it is for them to effectively motivate kids. For all of RR's perceived & real shortcomings, somehow he manages to keep our boys working HARD! This is decidedly no small thing. Motivating youths is an incredibly difficult thing to consistently accomplish. Rodriguez sure seems to have this ability. To discard the man would be plain stupid!
November 7th, 2010 at 10:41 AM ^
It seems after every kickoff the opposing offense has excellent field position to start their drives. This can really influence more aggressive play calling by the opposing offense. I'm sure our kickoffs will get better. I'd like to believe the excellent field position by our opponents isn't doing our defense any favors. This is just one of many pressure points that our defense has to deal with. I'm sure in time we will get better and be more consistent.
November 7th, 2010 at 10:52 AM ^
there is no getting around it. but as you point out, they are consistently placed in bad situations which make a bad defense look even worse.
1. kickoff coverage as you point out
2. turnovers
2 > 1 however since it kills our offensive drives. but for all the damn TOs, probably beat them something like 60-40 in regulation. those #s are just crazy too crazy to even think about.
November 7th, 2010 at 10:58 AM ^
Boy, me is going to see this and be very confused.
November 7th, 2010 at 11:50 AM ^
Yeah, giving up 65 sucks, but 45 of that in regulation, and you can fault our offense/special teams for turning the ball over on our own 30 THREE straight times!
At that yardage, you can't really fault the defense--no defense could be perfect.
November 7th, 2010 at 2:36 PM ^
Another punt throw from a young QB ends up being spot on. I was surprised how close Avery was to the receiver, but after he gets more experience on those he will be even closer to the receiver and knows how to position himself to get that PBU. But that pass would've gotten past any of the DBs we've fielded so far this year.
November 7th, 2010 at 2:46 PM ^
Even more importantly, watching the triple over time, I saw a team that didn't give up and player their asses off for each other and for their coach. RR has done a great job of building a "team" in the Bo sense of the word.
This is true, and very important for Brandon to consider. The last two years I thought we saw some guys start to mail it in down the stretch (particularly on D). That was definitely not the case yesterday. The team definitely believes in RR. We need to keep it up, though. We can't afford to backslide this week.