missionbrazil

Tue, Jan 4, 2011 : 1:38 p.m.

amzack "I believe Portage Lake Blue is referring to Michigan's 43% (15-20) winning percentage in bowl games with Bo, Moe, and Carr as head coach. Yes, there's been tons of great memories and finishing in the Top 25 is nice from some perspectives. But, I think PLB's issue is with Michigan's (or B10) lack of success against other conferences - how we've compete head-to-head in bowl games over the last few decades." amzack, I understand that, but Portage has said the same thing 3 times in this thread and 2 or 3 more times in another. First off, to support RR and then in the same comments criticize Bo or LC or the bowl teams is truly off-the-wall, but to say it over and over 5 or 6 times is obnoxious. Secondly, the articles and corresponding comments have been about RR, his failures, and the sad state that our program is in. What do Bo or LC or our loss to USC in the 70's have anything to do with RR and his failures? Another case of someone trying to make their guy look better by trying to tarnish the excellent reputations and records of others. Anytime someone tries to talk about or rip Bo or LC when trying to defend RR are only going to make RR look worse, and it surely doesn't make the commenter look good either.

azwolverine

Mon, Jan 3, 2011 : 11 p.m.

missionbrazil, I'm with you, bro. I LOVE Michigan football, and UM would not have all of the fans (and enemies) that it has if it was not a HUGELY SUCCESSFUL program over the years. Bo, Mo, and Llo struggled against the top teams in bowl games as ALL teams do. No top teams win 100% of the time when playing other top 10 teams. USC fans could cry in thier beer that they lost to Texas a few years back when they were favored to steam roll them. Does that make USC a failure? OSU could cry about their losses to Fla and LSU...are they a failure of a program? NO! Those are top-tier programs, and top-tier programs sometimes lose in top bowl games. Michigan's losses in recent years (pre-RR) have been to OSU and USC, two of the nations premier teams. Michigan hung with USC better than damn near anyone in the country over that time. Winning 43% of our bowl games while going 100% of the time is far better than winning 0% of our bowl games while going only 33% of the time under RR. Michigan is a powerhouse program with some of the great wins (and teams) in the history of college football. No, they didn't win them all...but they won more than most. Heck, just five years ago we were 11-2 and within a whisker of playing for the National Championship. The next year we knocked off defending National Champ Florida and Heisman winner Tim Tebow in a bowl. We were 23-5-1 against the SEC going into this year's bowl game. Focus on the bad if you'd like, but that was a very small part of what made up Michigan football before RR. RR has made the bad the only memorable part of the past three years.

amzack

Mon, Jan 3, 2011 : 9:31 p.m.

missionbrazil: I believe Portage Lake Blue is referring to Michigan's 43% (15-20) winning percentage in bowl games with Bo, Moe, and Carr as head coach. Yes, there's been tons of great memories and finishing in the Top 25 is nice from some perspectives. But, I think PLB's issue is with Michigan's (or B10) lack of success against other conferences - how we've compete head-to-head in bowl games over the last few decades.

missionbrazil

Mon, Jan 3, 2011 : 7:21 p.m.

Ben "He is failing, but not because his system "doesn't work in the Big Ten." The Big Ten is proving to be a joke." If the Big Ten is such a joke, then your man (or maybe ex-man now) RR looks even worse, because his best finish in 3 years in the BT is 7th. By what you are saying, RR could only muster a best of 7th in a "joke conference"... he should have been able to do much better if it is such a joke. " RichRod has simply failed at installing his system and giving proper attention to defense and special teams." Ben, a HC's "system" includes all 3 phases of football: Offense, Defense, and Special Teams. His overall approach is a major failure. Portage... you are choosing to comment on all negative memories of Michigan football when you talk about the past (Bo, Moeller, LC years), and you habitually ignore all of the many great memories. In the 40 years before RR we won an average of 8 out of 10 games, won 15 bowl games, 1 NC, and we finished in the Top 25 nationally an incredible 36 TIMES... and yet all you say is "oh we lost that Rose Bowl with Charles White" and "I'm tired of those Rose Bowl losses". And yet incredibly you still support the worst coach we have ever had. You rip men & coaches & teams that for most people are a source of great memories and pride, and you support a less than honorable man and the worst coach in our history. I for one am tired of hearing you do that.

Ryan Miller

Mon, Jan 3, 2011 : 7:14 p.m.

1st time post here.. i have REALLY tried my best to be supportive of rich rod and the direction of the program but enough is enough. How much talent do we really have? u can talk about systems all u want but the bottom line is that miss st should never and i mean never man handle any michigan team. i think rich is a good coach ido. but how on earth does a program like michigan not have a place kicker? that is unacceptable!! and the defense... i cant even say enough bad things! its time for a change... Harbaugh or Hoke doesnt matter... lets get back to being MICHIGAN... go blue

Joe

Mon, Jan 3, 2011 : 5:02 p.m.

Charles...UConn coach has moved to Maryland.

charles mancherian

Mon, Jan 3, 2011 : 3:47 p.m.

Get Jim Harbaugh! But if you can't get him, how about the Connecticut coach who has shown success with a less recognized football program. To get to 2 years of bowl games with such a school, is quite an accomplishment. I'm sure that he would like the promotion. If neither, who else?

Joe

Mon, Jan 3, 2011 : 3:24 p.m.

DAVE...the only problem with the evaluation is that RR didn't start crying like a baby...then it would be prefect!! LOL

DAVETGC

Mon, Jan 3, 2011 : 1:57 p.m.

The Evaluation has been completed!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZvoZCYUehY

PortageLkBlu

Mon, Jan 3, 2011 : 1:17 p.m.

I rest my point, Go Blue!

NoBowl4Blue

Mon, Jan 3, 2011 : 1:07 p.m.

At last count Rich Rod aka crybaby still had his family, Theo, Tater, Lorain Steelman and PortageLKBlu as supporters. That means he has less than a dozen. Rumor has it Hart doesn't like Josh Grogan.

Macabre Sunset

Mon, Jan 3, 2011 : 12:08 p.m.

TCU is a well-coached team. The advantage TCU (and West Virginia, and Boise State) has is in playing week-in, week-out in a lesser conference. Bumps and bruises don't accumulate as much. The elite athletes are concentrated in five conferences right now. In the NFL, 65% of the players come from those 58 schools (ACC, SEC, Big XII, Big Ten, Pac Ten, Notre Dame). That increases to 80% when you consider players drafted in the first two rounds (you're expected to become a starter, as opposed to a backup). The top programs in lesser conferences can afford to gear up for the big games out-of-conference. We can't judge the Big Ten solely on the worst day any conference has ever had on the national stage. Last year, the Big Ten was dominating in the same big games. The SEC has an edge over the other conferences - that's a natural when you consider the home states of NFL players. But just a tad behind the SEC you'll find the Pac Ten, the Big XII and the Big Ten. With the ACC lagging in recent years, but not that far behind the other four. What you'll also find about the SEC is that it's the only one of the top five that pays no attention to academic tradition. By any international ranking, a degree from a college in the other four conferences is worth a lot more. Rumors of the Big Ten's demise are highly exaggerated.

PortageLkBlu

Mon, Jan 3, 2011 : 11:40 a.m.

Ben, your making sense and that in itself is a relief. Who knows what's going on in a persons life both professionally and personally whatever it is if there is a problem I used to tell my people we need to get this fixed, this is a place of business and I can't afford to lose money whatever the problem is. Michigan also cannot afford this mess both as a business and in consideration of their fans which just happen to be in a state which is depressed in many ways. Whatever Mr Brandon's decision is I will support it because it's his job to make that decision for me and you.

The Ben

Mon, Jan 3, 2011 : 11:21 a.m.

"Would the Wolverines improve if Rodriguez stayed? Yep, probably. But at what rate and what cost? Maybe this is a system, and a coach, that would always have difficulty in a bruising conference like the Big Ten." I think the bowl games proved that the "Bruising Big Ten" doesn't have anything to do with Michigan's struggles. For whatever reason, RichRod hasn't even come close to fielding a team as strong as the ones he did at West Virginia. He is failing, but not because his system "doesn't work in the Big Ten." The Big Ten is proving to be a joke. RichRod has simply failed at installing his system and giving proper attention to defense and special teams. Why? I'm not sure. He's been struggling to keep his head above water since he got here. Maybe he was never able to give his full attention to the areas it needed to be. Maybe the guy is in over his head at a pressure-cooker like Michigan (too many distractions). There are many potential reasons for the failure, but I'm convinced that the strength of the Big Ten and "rugged style of play" isn't one of them. TCU beating Wisconsin with a smaller and faster defense was a great example.

Macabre Sunset

Mon, Jan 3, 2011 : 11:07 a.m.

Hart was gone two months ago. The kid never felt good about his decision, and Saban knew enough to keep the pressure on.

PortageLkBlu

Mon, Jan 3, 2011 : 9:54 a.m.

Do I still support RR yes, I usually don't explain my feelings about RR as the Mich. head coach but I will now. I believe he can turn Mich. offensively into what a lot of us thought he could do if given time. I thought after last year we needed to retool the defense or we would have problems and I was right. RR doesn't or didn't have a lot of time to get our defense right and I think his choice of defensive coordinator was a mistake to bad for RR, it will possibly cost him his job he'll probably be more careful in his choice next time. I think stay or go RR has a much healthier respect for the importance of a good defensive coach that must adapt to the division he's coaching in. I would like to see RR offered one more year I feel I'm a fair person in that respect, I treat people fairly and I never try to attack their characters a lesson some on this site will learn in life or not. I still think RR could turn this program around but ya know RR knows that football today is different in that people want instant gratification and want to win no excuses. Close games losses by one or two points are not a win period just ask the Wisky fans I know I've been in that darn Rose Bowl for to many losses and you know I don't remember the scores or how close the games were I only remember the losses.

PortageLkBlu

Mon, Jan 3, 2011 : 9:29 a.m.

A loss is a loss no matter how it happens for instance, I was at that Rose Bowl game our seats around the 10 yard line in the USC section when Charles White (USC tailback) made the phantom touchdown. I visibly saw him fumble that ball before he crossed the line and so did the camera but no replay back then. Oh that loss was painful especially after that fumble and I watched Bo trip out big time. I made excuses to myself that Mich. lost that day because of the Charles White fumble but you know what, it was a loss no matter which way you rationalize it and years later it just becomes one of many and people forget whether it was close it was a loss, period.

Blu-n-Tpa

Mon, Jan 3, 2011 : 9:27 a.m.

I stayed as long as my wife and son would let me. After MSU scored on the dump off pass to the tight end, I think, and he just ran over 3-4 guys on his way to the endzone, I couldn't justify sitting there anymore. Since I paid for our tickets, I figure I can leave whenever I want. The question is will UM fans want to buy season tickets next year if DB doesn't land an acceptable HC. @PortLk You seem to have changed your focus from supporting RR to some tangent about Rose Bowls and profanity. Does that mean you no longer back RR as the future HC at Michigan? I haven't supported RR for a long time but I still packed up the car, snagged the wife and child, and went to the game to support the players and the University. What I saw was very similar to what I understood before this game. RR is NOT a very good COACH. He can't get the defense ready, the offense ready or the special teams ready even when given 4 weeks to do it. He stated this was a normal game and a regular season practice schedule and it looked just like his usual losses.

magnumpi

Mon, Jan 3, 2011 : 9:04 a.m.

@ Portage, i get what your saying, but as disappointed the Wisky fans must have been, at least the score was tight til the end and the team never gave up. Can't say the same about UM game. It would be worse to pony up all that money only to leave in the third quarter like some at the game have said happened. Imagine the same thing happened at the Mich State game.

deagle

Mon, Jan 3, 2011 : 8:55 a.m.

Gotta love the irresponsible journalism on the Dee Hart story. The headline says he changes his commitment. The first sentence of the story says he is wavering on the commitment. Don't they teach journalists how to write any more?

PortageLkBlu

Mon, Jan 3, 2011 : 8:53 a.m.

I would not have bet on Mich. State in that game but wow they got a beating that shocked me considering that they beat probably the best team in the 10 being Wisconsin. Maybe Wisconsin and State looked so good because they had no competition outside Ohio state and Wisconsin beat them. I hope our new recruit does better I'm speaking of Nebraska. I know many of you just want to get back to beating up the big 10 not me, I've been humiliated at to many Rose Bowl games and I think everything is coming to a head for the big 10 collectively. We may get a new coach but if he goes back to smash mouth be prepared for some unhappy bowl games that's one thing we've always been consistent about at Mich. When you take the time to not only go to the Rose Bowl but absorb the cost those losses are a whole new animal compared to watching the tragedy from your chair at home. Another thing, I've heard how everyone that played for Bo loved his tenacity, rough behavior profane at times, listen boys and girls, I had military trainers that were tough as nails and then some and mean preparing us for combat and it's just a fact that young men go for that type of mentality when being prepared for tough situations it's nothing new in fact, wasn't Bo in the military?

RudeJude

Mon, Jan 3, 2011 : 7:36 a.m.

Reading the Dave Mayo, "MSU lost more than bowl game; pecking order ahead of U-M, too" article made me smile. I'm curious what the Spartan faction of annarbor.com has to say. (From the article) "Every kid in Michigan who doesnt have firm loyalty one way or the other would want to play for Harbaugh. The in-state muscle machine MSU has revved during recruiting over the last three years would slip quickly into neutral. And this era of Spartans dominance over the Wolverines would come to a quick, decisive end. Melodrama? Knee-jerk reaction to a humiliating no-show in a 49-7 loss to Alabama in the Capital One Bowl? Hardly. Just wait and see."