The thing about RRod that upsets me (The Game)
I'm sure this has probably been discussed on this board many of time, but I just wanted to add my thoughts and get yours this week before the game.
I was looking through ESPN and noticed an article about the game. http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/20233/buckeyes-prepared-for-upset-minded-michigan Now as much as I hate tOSU, I do think ol sweater vest himself is a great coach. He emphasizes the game more than anything and I respect that. His main thing when he was hired was to beat us and man have they ever.
Rich Rod has been aware of the game, but seems like it's not his main focus. I know he has bigger plans, but I think beating them should be right behind national championship. I also think that should be in the back of his head all year long, game planning for them.
I guess I just want more emotion out of him for this game and hope that maybe he will have some things up his sleeve. God I pray that this horrible streak comes to a end now, this weekend. Everyone thinks next year for sure, but this year would be even sweeter.
November 24th, 2010 at 12:57 PM ^
In my 30 years as a Michigan fan, we've lost "critical" games every single year except 1997. I remember in particular many heart-stabbing losses to Notre Dame and USC. Through Bo, Mo, Lloyd, and RR. If this is now the standard for firing a coach, we might as well shut down the sport of college football.
November 24th, 2010 at 10:56 AM ^
I agree with many of the complaints about RR, but this one really loses me. I am going to try to respond to all of your points:
1. " He [Vest] emphasizes the game more than anything and I respect that."
No he doesn't. He emphasizes building a great team that competes for BCS Bowl Games annually more than anything else. He emphasizes fundamentals over everything else. He emphasizes great recruiting over everything else. He emphasizes vests over everything else. But he does not emphasize The Game "over everything else." Does he put particular emphasis on The Game? Hell yeah, but if you took the time to listen to RR's pressers (and the players), so does RR. The team practices something for OSU every week.
2. "Rich Rod has been aware of the game, but seems like it's not his main focus. "
How do you know? And even if this is true, I wouldn't want a coach that focusses on one game at the detriment of everything else. That would make us . . . MSU. Maybe RR should install a countdown clock to the OSU game like Dantonio did? We all thought that was pretty silly, no?
3. "I think beating them should be right behind national championship. "
Um, I think that beating OSU is probably before national championship, as you cannot get to a national championship if you lose the last game of the season. I think trying to build a national championship team should be RR's biggest priority right now. The rest - including beating OSU - will follow.
4. "I guess I just want more emotion out of him for this game and hope that maybe he will have some things up his sleeve."
So even if we lose, you would feel ok if RR breaks a clipboard, punches a player, loses his shit in a press conference or just shows the requisite emotion? I personally just want to see him win the freeking game, or at least get us competitive enough to do so. I don't care if he sits back wearing a liesure suit, smoking a pipe nodding calmly while stroking his beard while doing so, as long as we have a good team. And, as for the "some things up his sleeve", I believe that RR has arms. I also believe that RR will break out some new plays this week. Why do you assume that he will not? Do you remember what the first offensive play of last year's game was? Look it up.
November 24th, 2010 at 11:04 AM ^
Um, I think that beating OSU is probably before national championship, as you cannot get to a national championship if you lose the last game of the season.* I think trying to build a national championship team should be RR's biggest priority right now. The rest - including beating OSU - will follow.
* See Nebraska 2001, Oklahoma 2003
November 24th, 2010 at 11:09 AM ^
Do you have anything more recent? With the rise of teams like Boise and TCU, it is virtually impossible these days to reach the NC game without going undefeated. See this year's Wisco, OSU, MSU.
I guess my "cannot" may be been a bit strong, but the point still holds - if RR is focusing on building a NC team, that to me implies that we will be working towards beating OSU.
November 24th, 2010 at 11:42 AM ^
2008 Florida lost to Ole Miss in week four. Hell, 2007 LSU lost to Kentucky in week 7 and Arkansas in their last game of the regular season.
Also, in 2006 we almost went to the BCS championship after losing to Ohio State in the last game. In a world with a Big Ten championship, had Ohio State lost in that championship game, we would have gone to the BCS championship.
November 24th, 2010 at 12:33 PM ^
Not the last game, but ohio lost to Illinois the week before us in 2007 and backed their way in...
Its entirely possible that Auburn loses in the SEC championship game and Oregon get knocked off by OSU or Arizona. In my opinion one of those teams would still make it. I can't see a TCU v. Boise matchup in the MNC.
But I guess in all honesty, I wouldn't be shocked by anything that happens in the BCS
November 24th, 2010 at 11:13 AM ^
Beating Ohio State matters more to me than a national championship. It's not just that the latter requires the former, it's that beating them ruins their shot at a national championship -- any Michigan fan old enough to know the emotion of beating #1 Ohio State knows what I mean -- doing so in 1969 made Bo an icon and gave him the slack he needed to build his program. Even better to be #1 ourselves and beat them, but for me it's still about winning the Game. A national championship is just gravy.
November 24th, 2010 at 11:48 AM ^
...is the only thing that matters.
If you are placing beating Ohio State over winning the NC, you have become Michigan State/Dantonio by default. Very "brother-ish."
November 24th, 2010 at 10:56 AM ^
Our only job this week is to support our team and this staff. Everything else is unhelpful and, honestly, disloyal. There is a time for navel-gazing and this week is not it.
November 24th, 2010 at 10:57 AM ^
to start wearing a sweatervest. That will fix all of his problems.
Right on, brother.
November 24th, 2010 at 1:41 PM ^
I'm just glad he quit wearing that damn red wrist band.
November 24th, 2010 at 10:57 AM ^
I personally would have rather him gauranteed a victory in 2008 with Nick Sheridan as the QB and talked trash all week long before the game. Just so that way we would have won and his credibility would have increased monumentally!!
November 24th, 2010 at 10:58 AM ^
like a whiny child. Or have the doucher from OSU(not that osu) Okie State whine about it.
November 24th, 2010 at 11:06 AM ^
thats not what the OP is saying
this is what Roh is saying
"I'm playing this week no matter what,"
this is what RichRod has said about 'the game'
November 24th, 2010 at 11:22 AM ^
Since you've obviously missed the collective wisdom of literally every intelligent poster on the blog: nobody with half a brain cares what Rich Rod says or doesn't say at press conferences. You aren't on the team, you have no information about how much or how little he emphasizes this or any other game. The fact that Roh said what he did suggests that RR emphasizes it a great deal, not that you have the ability to draw such a logical conclusion.
But even if he didn't (a truly absurd premise), we aren't losing these games because he's not making guarantees at press conferences. Those things make fans feel better (see Fassel, Jim - still miss you big guy) but surprisingly don't help football teams play football. Shocking, right? More talent, better gameplanning, not being freshmen - these are things that help football teams win. These are things you can feel free to be angry about and blame RR for, because they are rational thoughts. Lack of press conference swagger (PCS) is not one of these things.
I have never been more disappointed with the quality of posting on MGoBlog before this week. Between this nonsense, and the Harbaugh threads, and the "amusement park" thread, it's just sickening. Maybe we deserve the bad things that happen to us.
November 24th, 2010 at 11:43 AM ^
its is the people with half a brain who donate $ for practice fields
there have always been underdogs and teams who had no business winning the game, I am sure you could tell my the reasons why the 1969 team should not have won...but they did win
Maybe I am wrong, maybe he does emphasize it, maybe when he said we are going to go down there and try real hard he means he is going to do everything he can to win and not just try to keep the score close so he can keep his job
perhaps I only have half a brain, but how many brain cells do I need to count to 0?
November 24th, 2010 at 12:34 PM ^
Maybe you can help me out: having obviously played sports at a level at which head coaches give press conferences, explain the difference between what a coach says in a press conference and what he says in his locker room/on the sideline.
I know some crazy people don't realize that he says the exact same thing to random journalists as the players he recruits and develops ("Hey Tate, try real hard out there"), so please clear that up for us.
PS - donating money to the program, while great, plainly =/= any special insight about the program or apparently even a baseline understanding of football outside of MORE GUARANTEEZ DAMMIT. You're exhibit A, my friend.
November 24th, 2010 at 12:46 PM ^
RichRod has multiple constituencies...
he has to appease the fan base as those are the people who support the program...like it or hate it, the alumni are very important people in any college football program.
he may hate OSU with all his soul, but he has yet to win a game against them and he says such generic things about them that it offers no sop for cerberus
if he wins on saturday then I will say great, he wins and he never gives any great press comment moments big deal
but when you have compiled the record he has at michigan you have to give the people a little something to believe in
November 24th, 2010 at 12:40 PM ^
Please show me a press conference or anything Lloyd Carr ever said in public that would fall in line with what you want? You're probably right, a man who has worked his ass off to get to this point looks at this game and says "ah we'll give it a go." I'm willing to bet everyone actually involved in Michigan football cares more about this game than any of us.
In short, you're wrong.
November 24th, 2010 at 12:49 PM ^
lloyd carr had street cred
he had beaten OSU
he didn't need to say anything
November 24th, 2010 at 1:03 PM ^
You've got to be kidding me
November 24th, 2010 at 1:07 PM ^
the dude won the game
his best players played their best
if RichRod can do in on saturday with denard going for 313 then I am wrong, I will neg myself
but he really hasn't shown much against OSU in his first 2 tries
simply saying we are going to do our best is not going to cut it, he would say the same thing for BGSU
RR could say something like this is going to be the hardest hitting game OSU has played all year, or this is going to be the toughest game on their schedule
November 24th, 2010 at 2:17 PM ^
Indeed I was. I was also alive when he finished 1-6 versus OSU. Does that mean he lost touch with the rivalry because he lost?
By your logic if I haven't accomplished something the best thing would be to talk big about it. I'm sorry your not happy with the results of the last two games none of us are, but none us have been happy with the results since 2003.
And if those two little tidbits of coach speak would've changed your mind you're nitpicking to an incredible degree.
November 24th, 2010 at 3:17 PM ^
I will neg myself
No need. I'm doing it for you in advance.
November 24th, 2010 at 2:25 PM ^
the last line has 9 syllables
November 24th, 2010 at 10:59 AM ^
Seriously man, your username says it all. You are "that guy".
November 24th, 2010 at 11:01 AM ^
RR doesn't emphasize the game or understand its importance. I just think he is fully aware of how outmatched we are and that it would have a negative impact on the kids and the program to go into these games shouting off about hating OSU and having to win this game and then get blasted.
November 24th, 2010 at 11:05 AM ^
I don't know what the hell it means but I like it!
November 24th, 2010 at 11:34 AM ^
Jesus tap dancing Christ is that Jesus tap dancing Christ?
November 24th, 2010 at 11:03 AM ^
Don't be that guy, ThatGuy2525.
November 24th, 2010 at 11:03 AM ^
Rich Rod has been aware of the game, but seems like it's not his main focus.
Yeah, a lack of focus on the Bucks is why the OSU logo is on the blocking sleds during spring practice and fall camp.
November 24th, 2010 at 11:06 AM ^
Is that true? I hadn't heard that. Pretty cool.
November 24th, 2010 at 11:15 AM ^
That is cool, never noticed.
November 24th, 2010 at 1:05 PM ^
it 'seems to me' you don't know shizzle about which you speak, can we agree on that?
also, please take a look at the countless player quotes about how the intensity level of the coaching went up significantly under RR, which I assure you includes getting ready for OSU.
November 24th, 2010 at 4:24 PM ^
Alas, I searched high and low for that.
November 24th, 2010 at 11:04 AM ^
How about the video of him on the sidelines last week blowing a gasket, I believe after a Michigan touchdown
November 24th, 2010 at 11:05 AM ^
to RRs thoughts and now know that the OSU game is not his main focus.
However, you logic is flawed.
If a national championship is his main focus then beating OSU would hence be a requirement for that goal. Thus, by preparing his team for a national championship run he must necessarily also be preparing to beat OSU.
November 24th, 2010 at 11:09 AM ^
And if I'd seen a different performance than I've seen for three years, the WVU-Pitt game would look different. After the last three years, it makes more sense now. There's a ... sloppiness ... about the way the non-offense parts- including the lack of emphasis on intangibles like rivalries -- of the program have functioned and unfolded since Rod got here. Frankly, that's hardly debatable.
Gotta call 'em like I see 'em.
November 24th, 2010 at 11:12 AM ^
Frankly, you don't have any idea what you're talking about. But, it's great that you're confident in your ability to "call 'em like you see 'em." That takes balls.
November 24th, 2010 at 11:21 AM ^
Anyone who says they "know" how much the coach emphasizes "intangibles, like rivalries" is basing their supposed knowledge on what they hear in a press conference, and have no freaking clue what goes on in practice, in the locker room and in team meetings.
Call me Pollyanna or delusional, I think we're gonna win Saturday.
Go Blue! Happiness is crushed buckeye nuts.
November 24th, 2010 at 11:09 AM ^
Well, If he were to talk about ...... wait for it........wait for it........ "THE GAME" and how much he wants to win and shows his true emotions, then if he loses he will be held more responsible for not achieving his goals.
November 24th, 2010 at 11:13 AM ^
any michigan coach is held responsible for not beating OSU and winning B10 titles
can't be held more responsible
can't be more pregnant
November 24th, 2010 at 11:19 AM ^
Well, you know what I am trying to say, if he lets his emotions out for the world to see, then it will shed more light on RR and the game. Oh, and more pregnant...........
November 24th, 2010 at 11:12 AM ^
of all the crap spewed, year after year, this is the one that drives me nutzest. How the bloody porkrind do you know how much he gets it, or what he is communicating to the players, let alone how he SHOULD play it? Maybe keeping the kids just a LITTLE bit loose is a freaking GREAT idea, considering all the pressure they get already.
Stop, just stop.