Mitch

Fri, Dec 3, 2010 : 12:35 a.m.

I grew up in Chicago and have followed all the sports very closely teams ever since I was little. I have always loved MIchigan football and have followed it even more very closely the last couple of years thanks to the internet. I can confidently say that I've NEVER witnessed a fan base that was so MALICOUS, UNLOYAL, FOOTBALL ILLITERATE, SPOILED and IGNORANT as the MICHIGAN fan base is. Sincerely, MIchigan fans are the WORST FANS by far I have ever seen. Pathetic. I have really lost all the affection Ive had for this team ever since I was a kid.

Huron 74

Thu, Dec 2, 2010 : 9:32 p.m.

2 comments. First, A2 Dave wants to shoot the messenger. Doh. Second, a coach with the proper class, backbone and leadership skills could change the program quickly. We've all been duped by the RR theory that it takes years to change from one system of offense or defense to another. Those kids are young, bright and can move quickly. Teach the fundamentals (like tackling) then tell them to start the play in a different area of the field, follow your man, etc. Holy Cow, these are people standing on a field of grass, not a 1000 ton freight train.

XTR

Thu, Dec 2, 2010 : 5:18 p.m.

UM beat ND and then MSU beat ND and then ND finishes 7-5 with a first year coach with a trio of new QBs after losing at least 2 NFL talents? lol! RR's team should have went 7-5 in his first year! What a loser!

ocwolv

Thu, Dec 2, 2010 : 4:42 p.m.

Where's the other 2%?? The numbers don't add up.

maizenbluedoc

Thu, Dec 2, 2010 : 12:52 p.m.

wvtroll: I don't think we have too much to worry about. It will be a few years before Michigan wins enough games to please all the fans. They will struggle for a few years regardless of who the coach may be.

wvtroll

Thu, Dec 2, 2010 : 7:48 a.m.

My concerns if UM fires RR: 1) How loathsome would this forum be if you only had winning to talk about or at least a chance of winning? 2) With RR gone, I'd have to unsubscribe and even though I don't contribute much at all, I'd have to hope the D2 school he moves to would have forums like this. 3) All the fun brought on by the arguments of RR's supporters (both of them) would be gone. I'm still not sure these "supporters" aren't just pretending to support RR. I think they just like to stoke the fire, but in reality, they're hoping RR will be gone. They don't want to admit they were wrong.

XTR

Thu, Dec 2, 2010 : 7:40 a.m.

RR wins close against weak teams and loses big against the big boys this year. Which means that the 7-5 could easily be 5-7, 4-8 or even 3-9 again lol! All of the loses against the good teams were not even competitive! Adios amigos in 2011 RR! See ya back in the big east! lol!

Josh

Thu, Dec 2, 2010 : 4:31 a.m.

Michigan needs to cut ties with RR and bring in a True Michigan man. Some say give RR one more year because all he needs is a defense and we will be good, Our offense is fine. I disagree.... When we score 7 points on OSU our offense is fine? Our QB and "best" player cant even make it through a whole game without leaving for a couple series. All the people RR brings in either cant catch or hang onto the ball. And thats all on offense! The defense is 3 yes 3 years away from doing anything in the Big 10. They are undersized and have the wrong defensive scheme for the big 10. It will take at least 2 years of recruiting to fix this. So why not start all over if we cant stop a team for the next 3 years? I am one of the biggest Michigan fans there is. What I have seen the last 3 years is not Michigan football. Its a disgrace to our program. Next thing you know we will be rioting like MSU. Michigan has always been one of the most prestigious programs. Now we are reduced to that of Minnesota and Indiana. I for one miss the days of Chris Perry, A-train, Wheatley, Hart.. Where we would run the ball down the other teams throat every play and win. Yea we may have only scored 21 points a game but thats all we needed to. Our defense would only allow 10. There needs to be a change made and the time for this is now!

Dennis

Thu, Dec 2, 2010 : 1:03 a.m.

Fredric, Read the posts, Les still has the Michigan out in his contract and the LSU faithful are whining about 10-2! As to other comments yes we Michigan fans are "just impatient" after 3 years under RR and getting our butts whupped by OSU, MSU, Penn State, Wisconsin etc.... He blew up the team/program and then uses the excuses that they are very young. Yup they are because of an ongoing exodus and defections. He recruits little smurfs who play one game and are out injured for several. We score 67 points and win by 2 points in triple overtime. The same folks were the proponents that wanted to give Amaker just one more year.........I have seen enough. One of Les Miles losses this year was to a really good QB at Arkansas who was recruited by and playing for Michigan until he didn't fit anymore.

stlgoblue

Wed, Dec 1, 2010 : 11:51 p.m.

Alright then, that's it. It is a done deal the People have spoken...hmmmm, but first, just for laughs, answer this: If Mich had beaten Wiscy and OSU, or even just one of the 2 and ends up 8-4 how many would still call for his head?? But then, that means 55% of u actually believed in august that UM would beat those teams and finish 9-3 or 8-4....RIGHT and im sure that's what all the pundits were predicting!!!! give me a break. 7-5 is improvement. Next year we should expect 9 wins. If not, i will join ur prophetic 55%

azwolverine

Wed, Dec 1, 2010 : 10:18 p.m.

By year 2, Tressel, Meyer, and Carrol won NC's. By year 3, Carr and Saban won NCs. By contrast, it took RR three years just to beat Illinois and Purdue...and he still hasn't beaten ANY teams with a "State" in their name. RR may be back, but he shouldn't be...unless you're a fan of MSU and/or OSU.

GettingBluer

Wed, Dec 1, 2010 : 8:31 p.m.

57-44-6 said: "Bo Schembechler had a 5-12 Bowl record, I don't like that" NOW, I understand why you like RR so much. You're right, perfect coach for you in that he won't be going to many bowls (didn't even earn the one this year -- Bo stayed home with a 10-0-1 team).

D21

Wed, Dec 1, 2010 : 7:57 p.m.

Hey Sherlock, Cool pix!

XTR

Wed, Dec 1, 2010 : 5:15 p.m.

Not a single reason to bring back a failure. - Cut bowl steak - Record season losses - Record Losses in the Big Ten - Record Losses against the good teams in the Big Ten - Record points by opponents - 3 straight losses to MSU - 3 straight losses to OSU - Major NCAA violations - Inept Offense (against good teams) lol! - Inept Defense - Inept Special Teams - Inept Coaching - Inept PR and Press conference relations "kumbaya" lol! - Ignorance on Michigan traditions - Sleazy reputation on money deals from WVa and other condo deals - Hiring of unskilled "buddies" as coordinators and position coaches - Total all around management failure in three years Absolutely no reason at all to come back. Bringing a failure back means more failures! lol!

Salinegoblue

Wed, Dec 1, 2010 : 2:44 p.m.

Firing the defensive coordinator is only part of the solution, what about the other defensive coaches. Has anyone examined their bios which are posted on the football web site. Playing for RR at some small hick school, gladville state doesn't qualify you to be a defensive coach at one of the top programs in the country. The entire defensive coaching staff needs to go.

Tally10

Wed, Dec 1, 2010 : 12:47 p.m.

I keep reading about bringing back Michigan Tradition... WHAT IS MICHIGAN TRADITION??? When did Michigan loose it? Really, what are you all trying to get back too; 9-4 seasons and losing to OSU and the Bowl game? Back to the big 2 and little 8 where Michigan only had 1 or 2 good teams to beat...just what is the goal and how long will it take? History is just that " HISTORY ", M cannot move forward only looking backward.

Dale

Wed, Dec 1, 2010 : 12:44 p.m.

Funny, in Columbus the vote is 96% to 4% that RR should stay.

JM

Wed, Dec 1, 2010 : 11:53 a.m.

NO! It's enough already. Time to return to Michigan traditions.

bluenuts

Wed, Dec 1, 2010 : 10:21 a.m.

I'm having a hard time understanding why so many people think that bringing Harbaugh in will be a similar situation to Rodriguez. RR was explicit that he only runs his system. With that statement, he was saying that you can play hear only if you do things my way. This would be fine after years of building a program, but saying that at the beginning is hard-headed and self-defeating. Harbaugh will adapt to the gifts of the players WHILE building his system and expectations. He will do the same as most good coaches coming into this situation. We have a lot of talent on this team. If properly coached, they could compete with just about anybody. I don't see attrition happening like it did with RR. I see a coach that loves Michigan and will sell his plan to his players.

missionbrazil

Wed, Dec 1, 2010 : 10:16 a.m.

fredric - "He needs another year. I am an Oklahoma fan, We ended up with a couple of bad coaches prior to Bob Stoops. Just be patient. Things will get better." Oklahoma had a couple of bad coaches and things didn't get better by "being patient"... things got better when they got rid of the bad coaches and hired a good coach - Bob Stoops. It's the same thing here... things won't get better until RR is gone and we get a HC that can get the job done.

golfer

Wed, Dec 1, 2010 : 10:12 a.m.

It is simple. if db wants harbaugh. if harbaugh wants to come. then hire him. if not give rr a time to build a program and get a kicker. if you change now you will have three more years of the same. kids will drop out and will have to rebuild. just because harbaugh is a mich man. does not mean he will save the program. rr was left with nothing when he came to Michigan. he had all kinds of people leave. had to replace them quick. so his plan was changed. now give him time to get the guys who play hs last year. playing this year grow some. he needs i would say and i am sure will get killed. TWO MORE YEARS. THEN BYE BYE. i like to see this type of game vs run, run, run and more run. even the TV guys are saying he had a bag of problems this year. I THINK THEY NEED TO GET RID OF DEFENSE AND TEACH THE KIDS TO TACKLE. FIND A Field GOAL KICKER FIRST. WOULD HAVE WON MORE (MAYBE?) IF WE HAD ONE.

maizenbluedoc

Wed, Dec 1, 2010 : 9:09 a.m.

Not unless you want more of the same. There is no way the defense is going to be that much better. The primary problem is lack of talent and size. And, neither will be corrected by RR because it does not fit his coaching philosophy. I say, do it NOW while there is still a chance to get Harbaugh (if he wants the job) before it is too late.I believe, considering what Harbaugh has done at his last two coaching positions gives Michigan the best chance to right the program. He appear to be a no-nonsence coach who knows and loves football. I believe most fans have seen enough of the RR experiment at Michigan.

Blu-n-Tpa

Wed, Dec 1, 2010 : 8:01 a.m.

Barnz, a "new" coach would be disruptive!? What do you call the current state of Michigan football? Bucolic? No, it's more like a chase scene in a Charlie Chaplin movie. OK, some of those who support RR on the basis of his offense have, at least, some rational thought processes available. But other than continuing to blame Coach Carr, three years after, how do you explain showing up in Columbus last Saturday without a kicking game? This is where RR is his own worst enemy. After repeated failure to convert a field goal with one kicker, who he states does great in practice, what does RR do vs OSU? Give the other guy a shot? Nope, he doesn't even try. It's almost like if he lets the other guy try and he makes it, RR will be ridiculed for not letting him kick earlier. What about what's best for the team? It seems that RR doesn't always think in those terms, first. It's that stubborn streak that sometimes flashes up that sort of blinds him of the obvious. Taken in the larger picture of the season there are similar flare-ups. Gallon handling kick off and punts. Every time he was back to field a kick was like watching for a train wreck. Roh playing up for most of the season was the same set-in-concrete mentality. He is finally moved and instance success. At running back, where was Hopkins, a larger, move the pile type runner, who sat almost the whole year. This kid enrolled early, was at spring practice, showed some heart and poof, he was gone. So RichRob fans, please explain to me about the kicking/special teams fiasco in Oh-o last weekend. Like where was the back-up punter? I'll be waiting.

58-44-6

Wed, Dec 1, 2010 : 4:41 a.m.

XTR is poor, Rodriguez is rich, RichRod lol

XTR

Wed, Dec 1, 2010 : 4:20 a.m.

57- What was Rich Rod's record against the Big Ten this year? What was Rich Rod's overrated offense score against the top teams in the Big Ten this year? How many NCAA rules did he break? How much dollars did he not pay WVa after quitting the contract? How many person and things that RR blame for his failures? I would take Bo, Lloyd and Jim anytime for RR. RR is not even half the man they were. lol!

58-44-6

Wed, Dec 1, 2010 : 12:13 a.m.

Harbaugh got his butt kicked by oregon

58-44-6

Wed, Dec 1, 2010 : 12:07 a.m.

Bo Schembechler had a 5-12 Bowl record, I don't like that

Sevans68

Wed, Dec 1, 2010 : 12:01 a.m.

Rich Rod needs to go. Defense has been progressively worse, he got the NCAA violations and probation, the offense is inconsistent, and special teams are worse than the defense. We need a coach who teaches sound fundamentals, pays attention to defense, can adapt to his players strengths, and takes responsibility when the team doesn't play well instead of just saying, "were young". By the way I saw a quiz on face book "How would you fire Rich Rodriguez". It was pretty funny and matched how I feel.

Andrew MacKie-Mason

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 11:45 p.m.

Why isn't "this town shouldn't care about football" an option in the poll?

fredric

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 11:16 p.m.

Why would Harbaugh or Miles want to leave a great Job and come up North to the cold weather country where many great players are starting to think about playing in the warmer weather? As for RR being given a great group of ball players when he came here, Carr knew what he was going to have and ran.! Never thought he was a good recruiter. He took what he had a did a Good job with them. Think the Coach needs to bring in a defensive specialist and get that area corrected. The team can score and is no question about that!! He needs another year. I am an Oklahoma fan, We ended up with a couple of bad coaches prior to Bob Stoops. Just be patient. Things will get better. Do you really think that RR comes to the stadium wanting the players to perform bad??? They need to learn and execute. Just like in life. You never start at the top of the mountain, you have to climb and craw to the top. They will. I liked the note about Bump. I remember when that was going on

Reese

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 10:25 p.m.

Does anyone see a pulse with RR's regime? There is. If you guys look closely, it's there..I'm with Jeff. Fire Robinson asap and ST coaches. The defense has lost all of our games. When Robinson gets excited about beating Illinois after allowing them to score only 60,000 points, securing a win for Michigan? I wasn't excited about RR coming on board in the beginning, though wasn't happy with the sloppy recruiting effort for Miles either though we have Rich Rod, we've come to know Rich Rod and have to say, he is a good guy and should get another year to deliver what he promised us that sit through another new coach and wait another 3 years for something that may never happen...Go BLUE! Go Rich Rod.....

tegel

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 10:07 p.m.

Tom B wrote: "Typical Americans. We want instant gratification and are not ready to go the long haul." What I want to see is progress. After 3 years we have seen progress in the record, but regression on the field in 2 of the 3 aspects of the game. The PSU game was the turning point for me. The coaching staff had two weeks to prepare for a down PSU team and simply failed in all respects. To me, that game confirmed that the progress this year would be marginal at best. I'm in for the "long haul" if I see tangible progress. Unfortunately, After 3 years, I just don't see enough. I think RR is a good offensive mind, but has not demonstrated enough of the qualities needed to be a leader. Leaders don't call out the deficiencies of their players during press conferences. Leaders take responsibility for poor performances and make the necessary adjustments. I liked what I saw in the early parts of the OSU game. Like any good HC, RR realized the only chance to win was to dominate the play clock and keep the defense fresh. To watch it all unravel was painful and a reflection of the character of this team and it's (lack of) leadership. Sure it's easy to sit here and be a critic, but as much as I wanted this to work, it's just not happening. Beat PSU and be competitive against Wisconsin and OSU, and it's a different story. Right now, I don't see how bringing in a new coach sets us back all that much. These kids need to be inspired. They need a leader.

dading dont delete me bro

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 9:48 p.m.

there was no... "heck no" option on your poll.

misti3k

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 8:57 p.m.

@ GettingBluer said: "Suppose DR breaks a collar bone in the first game of the year. THEN, what would RR's record be?" This argument does not hold water no matter how many times one uses it. I'm not much for supposin', but suppose Cam Newton broke his collarbone? What would Auburn's record be? Suppose Terrelle Pryor broke his collarbone? What would OSU's record be? Suppose LaMichael James...you get the point. In fact, Michigan's backup is better than most other team's backups. How can you fault a coach for finding a gem like Denard and then taking full advantage of his talent? That's a coach's job!

Kubrick66

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 8:46 p.m.

How many years does a coaching staff need to teach basic fundamentals?

RWBill

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 8:44 p.m.

Ionia, tell us how it is that you know that Calvin will not be here next year? If Rich stays, so does Calvin.

Sherlock

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 8:37 p.m.

Thanks for the poll and update on last year's. The contrast is instructive.

GettingBluer

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 8:11 p.m.

Tom B. wrote "Think hard of what would happen now if we had to find another coach. How many of the players that have thrilled us would stay there and how long would it take to rebuild a new program." So, you like essentially random (crapshoot) outcomes? As for rebuilding, yeah, I know what you mean...when Bo showed up in 1969 and got stuck with the same clowns who let OSU score 50 on 'em, that was certainly a painful season ending in them beating OSU (#1 at the time). The trick is getting a COACH (you know, someone who knows football, can teach, can evaluate talent, and get the most out of whatever players he has...yeah, I know, RR doesn't fit ANY of this).

GettingBluer

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 7:56 p.m.

Chew on THIS: Suppose DR breaks a collar bone in the first game of the year. THEN, what would RR's record be? He is NOT showing signs of improving the team in any way on any scale in any category. He recruited an exceptional player who plays extremely well against bottom tier teams. IF the above scenario had happened THIS season, we would have an 0-12 record right now and this would be a whole lot easier for the KoolAid Gang to grasp.

MiamiBlue

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 7:55 p.m.

From Day 1 I felt that Coach Rod was never given a fair chance. I still believe that. Personally, I like Coach Rod and think he is a good football coach. But, unfortunately not for us or the Big10. Michigan was always about Big Pounding Linemen, and powerful backs. Not anymore. Heck one of my biggest complaints about Coach Rod was why on earth did he not use Stephen Hopkins more? Using Denard all the time made us too one dimensional. There are many things to point at for this present situation, and it is NOT all Coach Rod's fault. But, it is time for a change. We need to get back to powerful Michigan Football! GOOD LUCK TO COACH ROD wherever he shall go, but he does need to go! ALL IN FOR MICHIGAN

ThoseWhoStayUofM

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 7:25 p.m.

I just took a glance at the title of this article... I think a more appropriate title would be "Rich Rodriguez troll fest: Come troll about how much you hate him here" I think that would be a bit more accurate.

IoniaDawg

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 7:22 p.m.

Does the fact that Michigan assistant coaches are already interviewing for other jobs tell you anything? Calvin Magee was interviewed for the Florida Gators offensive coordinators position. If Rich comes back, you will have Gibson gone, Greg Robinson gone and Calvin Magee gone. Can a program flourish with this amount of coaching turnover? Just asking; Gibson and Robinson should be gone. They have done a pathetic job of coaching. If anyone is to blame for this mess look no further than Bill Martin....the master of disaster.

D21

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 7:09 p.m.

Say if UM plans to hire Les Miles then UM better revert back to artifical turf or Miles will eat up it's grass turf. Help us to protect UM's grass turf: Say NO to Miles and say YES to Harbaugh.

Yelmonian

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 7:01 p.m.

John, I love you going through and calling out all the players that were left. You specifically call out Freshman Threet. I was looking at his stats at Arizona State right now... 133 rating, 2,500 yards, and 18 touchdowns. 4 star out of high school Prior to that, Mallet was there. If Mallet had been coddled a little bit, maybe he would have stayed. Then you would have had your senior QB with a very good Junior backing him up. But nope. RR knew better and put his players in. Why? Simple... because he can only coach his system. Take him out of his system, and he has nothing. RR had the players to go 7-5 for a year or two while he got players he liked. There is no way that he only had players that could only achieve 2, 1, and 3 big Ten wins each year. That's all on coaching. But believe what you like.

Tom B

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 6:36 p.m.

Hey all you so called Michigan fans. You are starting to sound like these fat head Buckeye fans that I work with here less than 30 miles from Columbus,Ohio. Let me tell you this and listen good. When I got to work monday I heard NOTHING, thats right, NOTHING from those fans about the game. I did hear them talking about how good DRob looked and if the defense catches up they are in for trouble. Don't start acting like these pin heads down here. A couple of losses and they want the coaches head. Hell, they got rid of Earl Bruce and he did a great job at Ohio State. They are just fickle and you are getting that way too. Don't sit there and say you didn't find the offense exciting. Could'nt you just feel the tension when you thought that our defense might just hold. Man, I have loved Michigan for a long time and I would rather wear a tattered Michigan t-shirt than all the O.S.U. crap that I see every day. You have no idea how many of us down here are Michigan fans and we feel the pain but we don't give up so why would you locals do it? Think hard of what would happen now if we had to find another coach. How many of the players that have thrilled us would stay there and how long would it take to rebuild a new program. Typical Americans. We want instant gratification and are not ready to go the long haul.

LordCarr

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 6:18 p.m.

Thanks Edward R Murrow's Ghost!!! Could have said it better myself.

XTR

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 6:01 p.m.

Horton Go Blue - kindly place the team and scores in records of the first three years of Jim Harbaugh and Rich Rod. Also search for the record of Stanford 5 years before JH came to Stanford. Same thing with RR. It would be nice if there was a graph to so that we could see the trends. Is it going up, going down or just the same. Taking over a 1-11 program with a 5 year losing season than taking over a 9-4 program with decades of winning seasons are not the same. That way we can know for sure which coach really did something and which did'nt do anything.

3 And Out

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 5:59 p.m.

This link spells it out as accurately as possible. RR is responsible for his own demise at Michigan: http://genuinelysarcastic.blogspot.com/2010/11/attention-to-detail.html

3 And Out

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 5:56 p.m.

No. Time is up. To bring back this lame duck coach under fire again in 011 would serve no purpose other than to RR himself and he has done nothing to deserve such a courtesy. Time to cut bait and bring in a better man for the job. Go Blue.

XTR

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 5:52 p.m.

Dennis - Les is great, but his salary is way off the market and he is reaching 60 y.o. already. 34% still want RR back? lol! RR destroyed your program to the ground and 34% want RR back to destroy it some more? lol!

John

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 5:50 p.m.

"It's "conveniently overlooked" because it's not true." Ghost, which part don't you understand? Starters do not equal depth. Again repeating that there were 7 returning defensive starters doesn't say anything about the depth behind them or, more precisley, NOT behind them. Did you sleep through the 2008 season? Here are the roster "highlights": An offensive line with zero (0) seniors and 10 freshman. There were 2 playable juniors (Zirbel had a career-ending injury before the 2008 season) and one promising sophomore in Schilling. That was the worst offensive line I've ever seen at Michigan since I moved here in 1978. Is it RR's fault that he didn't recruit some college upperclassmen in the month before signing day? The Linebacking crew was senior John Thompson and a bunch of kids. Carr also left behind seniors Brandon Logan, Austin Panter, and junior Opong-Owusu (yikes!), plus 4 sophomores and 5 freshman. Thank you very much? Again, that was the worst linebacking crew I've ever seen at Michigan. There were zero senior running backs, just the oft-injured juniors Minor and Brown, plus a host of kids. Heck, we got to see Jimmy Potempa carry the rock! Worst backfield ever. I think you know about the QBs. Sophomores Cone and Sheridan... and Freshman Threet! Woo hoo. Worst QBs at Michigan ever. Even if Mallett had stayed he would have been murdered behind the swiss cheese o-line... plus there was no 2nd stringer on the roster. Cornerbacks? Senior Morgan Trent and a bunch of kids. One other senior on the roster, Doug Dutch, and zero juniors. Yikes. For safeties, we had three underachieving seniors (Stewart, Edwards, Harrison) and a bunch of freshman. As bad as they were, any two of those seniors would have started on our 2009 or 2009 secondary. In the wide receiving core, we had zero seniors (sensing a theme yet?), 2 juniors (including LaTerryal Savoy who never developed under Carr), and 9 underclassmen. The one area where we had good upperclassmen starters and depth was the defensive line. That doesn't carry you far when everyone behind you is missing assignments and reads though. So your "7 defensive starters" quip is pretty meaningless in the overall scheme of a football roster. You can't play with 7... or even 11.

hortonGOBLUE

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 5:49 p.m.

I have been a U of M football fan my whole life. Nothing excites me more then to watch the Maze and Blue go head to head against the best competition in the country every Saturday. And while we havent had too much to be excited about in the past three seasons, it sickens me to see how arrogant and impatient U of M fans can be. Look, Ill be the first one to admit that RR has made plenty of mistakes in the past three years. Losing valuable recruits, NCAA violations, poor special teams, poor defense should I continue. But for a moment, lets try to be humble and use a little logic when considering the situation U of M football is in. Lets just consider a few arguments 1) Fire RR, his offense wont work against Strong, Tough Big Ten teams Tell that to Stanford who gave up 52 points against Oregon. Or tell that to Alabama, who blew a 24-0 lead against a Spread team. Huh, funny that the #1 and #2 teams in America run the spread. If I remember correctly, Ohio State seems to love losing to Spread teams in National championship games. RRs offense works against good defenses; it just requires a lot of experience. We ran up and down the field on every team this year, except we made critical turnovers in Red Zone situations. This can be fixed with experience. Fumbles and dropped passes are not the fault of RR, the kids just need more strength and more reps. You want to see offense, lets take a look at D-robs stats as a first year starter: CompAtt. Yds PassingCMP%TDINT 155/250/2316/62/16/10/ How about Tom Brady, as a first year starter: CompAtt. Yds PassingCMP%TDINT 214/ 350/2636/61.1/15/12 Do I even need to mention rushing yards? Michigan will also be returning all their skilled position players on Offense and only losing 1 starting offensive lineman. Plus the #1 and #3 Running back recruits have already committed to Michigan, and Dee Hart will probably be the starter next year, hes that good. This offense is going to be what Oregon is right now, it may even be better. 2) Fire RR and bring in Jim Harbaugh, hes the savior weve been looking for. I dont doubt that Jim would be a great coach and a good fit at Michigan, but lets take a look at the resume he has had in his FOUR year tenure as Stanfords head coach. 2007: 4 8 Beat highly ranked USC, kind of like U of M beating highly ranked Wisconsin in 2008. 2008: 5 7 2009: 8 5 Hmm very similar to Michigans record in RR 3rd season 2010: 10 1 Now let me guess, all you haters will say, well U of M has tradition and we shouldnt have to rebuild. Well, we picked a coach who came in saying he was going to restructure the program and that is exactly what he is doing. Im not saying it was a good decision, but it was a decision we made and we should stick to it. I could understand if the team was getting worse each season, but we are improving and like Bill Parcels said it You are what your record says you are. With the talent and experience U of M has this year they are a 7 8 win team. Next year they will be a 9 11 win team. And if not, then fire RR. 3) Fire RR, that defense is horrendous. Look the defense is awful, I wont argue that. But what do you expect when you ask coach to change his style of defense and half of the defensive players are either freshman or red shirt freshman. You literally have boys playing against men. Defense is extremely difficult for young players, if you even stop for a half second to think, then youre already beat. Just think for a moment if U of Ms defense were even ranked 60th in the nation. They would probably be a 9 or 10 win team this year. And despite what the stats say, you could see improvement on the field in the last three games. More three and outs and less blown assignments. I think that they actually were playing fairly well against Ohio State until Michigan started turning the ball over. And I realize that its the offenses fault, but confidence is contagious and when the Offense lost its confidence so did the D. Next year there will be 3 Senior DT, and with the return of J.T. Floyd and Troy Wolfolk the secondary should be more consistent. Not to mention that young players got a ton of experience this year and we will actually have depth at some Defensive positions. I mean look at the roster, we had 12 seniors total. I think that Ohio State had like 7 guys on Defense that are either seniors or being drafted to the NFL this year. Im not saying U of Ms defense is going to be great next year, but It will be good enough to win more games. So I guess enough of my excuses for RR. I dont think that hes the greatest coach or even the right U of M style coach. But I do think that if we dont give him another year, we will just be back to square one. We will be rebuilding again, and even Jim Harbaugh knows that rebuilding takes time, in fact it took him FOUR years time. So for all you people asking for RRs head, be patient, give him a real shot at this and just maybe we will see U of M in the spotlight once again.

Dennis

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 5:41 p.m.

PS, Bring Les home! They hate 10-2 at LSU. The last opportunity Les was looking at playing for and in a National Championship game which he has won. He still has the Michigan clause in his contract. That indicates where he considers home. Leave Mr. Harbaugh out in the land of Fruits, Nuts, and Flakes.

Dennis

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 5:30 p.m.

34%?....... 34%? I want some of whatever they are drinking, smoking,sniffing etc.... We gave up 37 points to U Mass and 65 to Illinois. He recruits smurfs that spend most of the time on the bench/hurt. A terrible experiment orchestrated by a man whose expertise was land and buildings. NO MAS!

The OSU

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 5:27 p.m.

Since some of you probably do little reading outside of your limited "Michigan world" I thought I would enlighten you with some words from elevenwarriors.com, a Buckeye website. (FYI: "11 warriors, brave and bold" is in our fight song) Under the heading, "How can brandon not euthanize the Richrod era?" the author wrote, "The guy is simply not up to the standard that Michigan football has worked so hard to create. The only way I can understand Brandon keeping RichRod is if he isn't able to get the coach he wants, which I assume is Jim Harbaugh. Standing pat instead of settling would be the best move since settling is what got Michigan in this mess to start with." My point is: Even we (Buckeyes) acknowledge this guy isn't up to your standards.

NoBowl4Blue

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 5:16 p.m.

34% think Rich Rod should get another year????? How many times is Theo and Tater allowed to vote?

Blu-n-Tpa

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 4:45 p.m.

Jimmy's home was were his dad was coaching. He had a lot of homes but he played college football at only one school. The University of Michigan Wolverines is definately home. It's where the heart is!

XTR

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 4:44 p.m.

RWHill - I love it when people say "Jim Harbaugh is from Palo Alto" etc. etc. without doing some investigating. Jim Harbaugh's is from Ann Arbor more than Palo Alto guaranteed. If you will place the "he graduated from Palo Alto HS" argument, well he was the Michigan All American QB. lol! Take some time off and start Googling on JH before you post here. How many years did he stay in Palo Alto? lol!

XTR

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 4:39 p.m.

You guys are soooo negative. You have to read between the lines. Rich Rod is building a program here and just like any action movie, the star cast gets beaten first before they win in the end. lol! RR is an offensive genius and his offense is in the top rated in the nation and scores a lot of points. He has good defense and special teams except the defense had injuries to many players like Woolfolk and the special team got disciplinary action from the coach because RR will not tolerate jailbirds playing in the OSU game. Rich Rod is just getting his guys in and maturing them. Offensive player of the year Denard will be coming back and he will lead UM next year to the National championship! lol! So give RR more time, he just needs more time to show all of the doubters that RR is indeed a genius and he is better than Bo! lol!

Lemansblue

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 4:28 p.m.

PU RR's record at WV against top 25 teams was 7 wins and 11 losses you are bragging on that? He is not even close to that here I cannot believe this is even a question. Big Ten 2-6 1-7 3-5 that is failure.

RWBill

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 4:27 p.m.

Call Jimmy Harbaugh home? He quarterbacked at Palo Alto High School across the street from where he is coaching right now. He IS home already!

RWBill

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 4:21 p.m.

Yes for sure. An unexpected, unusual and unfortunate depletion of defensive players from a unit that was short on experience even after last year. He is ultimately responsible but should be given his final year, and third year of recruiting, to rectify the situation.

InsideTheHall

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 4:13 p.m.

It is time. Time to call Jimmy Harbaugh home.

John

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 3:58 p.m.

"He was given players capable of winning 9 or 10 games a year and proceeded to only win a couple because he didn't have "his type of player"." Thanks for the great laugh, Alex. I needed that. The 2008 roster was thin at starters and bereft of depth (something Ghost keeps conveniently overlooking with his "7 returning defensive starters" meme), due to transfers/injuries under both Carr and RR and Carr's poor recruiting results from 2004 to 2007. We started 4th and 5th string talent all season at QB. You can be mad about Mallet's understandable departure, but don't forget that Carr chased off 4-star QB Jason Forcier who would have been a SR/rsJR in 2008. Bo, Carr, Saban, or Rockne would not have done better with that roster. Since then we have had a young, injury-riddled roster that shows great potential but maddeningly youthful mistakes. And you can't play an entire Big-10 season with a second-string, freshman secondary and expect great things. To me, RR has not underachieved at all, given the rosters and circumstances, whereas Carr almost always underachieved with the talent on hand. Then again, RR certainly hasn't overachieved either! I assumed UM would win 7-8 games this season and that's where we are. One more year!

HailToASquared

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 3:42 p.m.

nowayjose.. come on man. i get it, i see why you would say that... but come up with something funny or original.MSU and OSU fans have said that line a million times.. I admit it was funny at first, but damn, its more played out than the macarena. don't mind some rivalry heckling.. but step up your game :)

TheCool

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 3:38 p.m.

PUMSU, I agree. People look at Michigan and automatically assume there is talent here. But, we have a handful of seniors, if that many, that are performing and only a few more when you consider juniors. Our last 3 years in the NFL draft have been poor also. If RR stays he needs to stop being stubborn w/ the 3-3-5 and let whatever D coordinator we have run what he knows. The one thing I know for certain is I don't want another 2+ years of rebuilding.

naturally

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 3:35 p.m.

I like Rich Rod and I think he's a good coach -- But he is not a good fit for Michigan. The program has been in his hands for 3 years and it has not gotten better, in fact the program has regressed. It is time to cut our losses and bring the right person in.

nowayjose

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 3:31 p.m.

As a Spartan fan. I say "YES". More Rich Rod

P U MSU

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 2:58 p.m.

Alex, How can you possible say he was given players to get 9-10 wins? Look at the graduating class that year. Look at the players who transferred that year. Saying he was given a 9-10 win team is absolutely crazy. What he was given was a 6-7 win team in a pro-style system.

chiro19

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 2:54 p.m.

I dont see how RR keeps his job! I think we forget how bad things really looked this year on Defense! Giving up 406 points in one season, scoring D 102, ppg given up 33.8, rush D 94, passing D 110, total D 109. How can anyone defend this?! Then you toss in that it is not getting better with RR recruits its getting quite worse. Seriously, give up 30 more yards a game and your worse than East Carolina! These numbers blow my mind. Its like trying to figure out the national debt, (its impossible to imagine 14 trillion dollars!not trying to get political just making a point that it is a huge number difficult to comprehend). There are some people so committed to this coach that they will say anything to defend him! We as fans got mad at Lloyd because he became passive at times and couldnt win a title every year, not because he was a defensive or offensive dunce! We have a defense that can not stop FCS schools, and an offense that can not score on middle to top big ten schools D! According to a lot of people out there Mich. should judge its progress on how it plays against the weakest teams it see's! All the supporters see progress when RR wins 7 and 4 of them could have gone either way in the last seconds (all unranked teams by the way!) and then they throw away the beat downs against top 25 teams that have been taken! The big difference between the RR supporters and the non supporters is that all the non supporters know what is going to happen next year with RR at the helm. The D is ranked 95th they win 5-7 games (they wont beat Ia, msu, osu, neb., or nd, ill. or nw are not gimmies). The non supporters understand that it wont be easy next year if a Harbough comes in but you will see immediate changes, unlike RR, he wont blame the kids he will coach them up!

saginaw

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 2:52 p.m.

I think that we forget; Michigan was actually pretty good in 2009: Lost some incredibly close games: OT at MSU; only gave up 20 points in regulation. NW lost by 7; only gave up 21 points to great NW offense. Very close lose in Iowa City; a game that we would have won, except for the many turnovers. Extermely close loss to Purdue. We only gave up 21 points to OSU in 2009. If we could have kept the 2009 defense with our 2010 offense, it would be a good team.

sickleave1

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 2:51 p.m.

No defense No special teams 7 points at halftime against OSU 7 points at halftime against Iowa 0 points at halftime against Wisc 10 points at halftime against MSU 10 points at halftime against PSU Not too impressive! Come home Jimmy!

Alex Ackley

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 2:49 p.m.

Michigan has to get rid of RR. Plain and simple, he's proven an inability to coach. He was given players capable of winning 9 or 10 games a year and proceeded to only win a couple because he didn't have "his type of player". A college level coach has to be able to coach and win with the players he has. Now, lets see he has his players but it is still not his fault because they don't have "experience". Excuses once again showing he can't coach. A fine offensive coach, surely but not a head coach. Now, lets look at it in the frame of Michigan football. The winningest team in college history which has never had an investigation (unlike its Basketball) which has had a reputation for doing things the right way. In less than 3 years RR has done serious damage to all of this. He's done this from day one with the entire process of leaving his last school to the NCAA investigation this year. Add all of that to the inability to even be competitive with any team remotely good and you've all the reasons needed to be fired.

Sparty1784

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 2:38 p.m.

The OSU: I know it feels great to beat Michigan 3 years in a row but like you said it's not a meaningful win anymore.

P U MSU

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 2:25 p.m.

Bad idea to bring him here. Worse idea to get rid of him now. 4 relevant graduates. 15+ starting underclassmen. Common sence tells you this team will be better next year. One more year is needed. A transition to a spread form a pro-style needs 4 years regardless of where its at. Look at RR's record at his other jobs. This is on par to be the same. Bad-ok-good-better-great.

heartbreakM

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 2:25 p.m.

@A2Dave: If you don't like this paper/site, then don't read it. Your comments about its writers are sophomoric and petty. I typically would say "RR has to go" which I have believed since he was first hired. I thought it was a bad fit on day one and have not changed my opinion (though i think he has coached DR well, but not so much Tate, the receivers, and the RBs). The thing about firing him, though, is that we don't want to find ourselves desperate like we were after LC retired without a plan. I think DB is going about it the right way, though i am anxious to move on. I think he terminates Rodriguez as soon as he has a viable and good replacement (be it Harbaugh, Miles, Bellotti, Cowher, or whoever). It's not so much a question of just "getting rid of Rodriguez", but what's best for the program. Is it best to have a bad coach whose system they know or NO coach and desperate to find one? (Again, I think he should go, but with a plan). Thanks to the Sparty and OSU fans words. I feel the same about your programs--I think it benefits everybody to have a strong UM and OSU to finish the season, and a strong MSU so that our instate rivalry means something.

The OSU

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 1:57 p.m.

Sparty: "You're right!" As a Buckeye, I always want to beat Michigan. But we've reached the point where it's no longer a meaningful win.

The OSU

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 1:51 p.m.

The question is not, "To spread or not to spread." Teams win with it, especially in warm weather climates. Teams win without it. The REAL issue is, "Is Rich-Rod competent to coach?" No. Here's why: 1) RR showed up to the Ohio State game without a kicking game. To walk into your rivalry game without a plan for special teams is cause for immediate dismissal. It is unacceptable to immediately surrender such an important aspect of the game. It doesn't matter that your punter was "grounded." Have a plan. 2) RR is a one-trick pony. He has no ability to adapt to changing game situations. 3) RR does not project a positive Michigan for UM. He's contraversial and no longer represents UM in a positive fashion. In short, ask for resignation. If not given, fire him.

Blu-n-Tpa

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 1:46 p.m.

Wait a minute. It's not even 72 hours after a stunningly demonstrative defeat by our arch-rivals on national television and you guys want to wait to see if RichRod can beat some unknown and unimportant team in a trivial 3rd tier bowl game? Even if he wins, what does that prove? Unless he plays PSU or Iowa, a team you can actually make a comparison to his earlier efforts, what's the point? (I know he can't play them again. Duh!) The Michigan football program hasn't shown any signs of progress in years. On special teams and defense, it's gone backwards, like an Italian tank in battle. What does the special teams do in practice? The hope they are all on the Dean's list because they sure didn't practice kicking, punting, kick/punt return or coverage. Not having a backup punter! Are you kidding me?! It took them 11 games to get someone to return kickoffs correctly. Yep, that's it. Get the ball and RUN toward the other teams goal. The coaching staff didn't even know how to use what they got. Roh should have been down outside since day one. It took 8 games for the light to go on for that one. How many Big Ten power teams did it take to finally go to a 4-3 alignment? ALL of them. If you guys with the short memories need help, I have the MSU, UI, PSU and OSU games on disc. Just watch the first half of each and then let ue know if RR has a future in A2. Heck, I can't stand to watch the Big Ten VICTORIES!

J. Dean

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 1:12 p.m.

I say wait and see until after the bowl game. If he wins a bowl against a decent team, then exercise mercy. If not, then perhaps Les Miles should be called-somebody who can run the spread against the big boys like Bama, and win.

Michael

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 12:25 p.m.

This is a no brainer!. He was brought here to improve on Lloyd Carr's poor perfomance against OSU and in the bowl games in his last 4 years. He has not come close to beating OSU and there is no evidence that he can field a team to beat them in the near future. The only chance of winning a bowl game is to play another 7-5 or 6-6 in the bowl game. He is more likely to win a bowl game then to beat OSU in the near future because of this.

2sweetblue

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 12:24 p.m.

Obviously this is a poll for Brandon............. Not even close buddy

ViSHa

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 12:22 p.m.

i wish there was a way to have an anonymous poll amongst the players, i would love to know what they think about the situation (or their families).

Michael

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 12:20 p.m.

A2Dave, Don't fault them for doing their job. If you have an argument to support why RR should be allowed to hold this Michigan hostage for another year, present it.

razzberry

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 12:17 p.m.

absolutely not!!!! He has done enough harm to this program. Show him the door!!!! Please.

Jeffrey

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 12:14 p.m.

look BO SCHEMBECHLER is turning in his grave, because of the piss poor attempt to play defense,I say yes with stipulations, 1) fire greg robinson, 2) fir the special teams coach,or else

A2Dave

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 12:07 p.m.

I think we should conduct a poll on whether or not you and other AnnArbor.com editors and staffers should continue in its employ. Maybe a different one of you each week, starting with Pete Bigelow who has weighed in so sententiously on the subject of Rich Rodriguez' employment. I think you and your families and associates should see this in the media every week. Yes I do.