University of Michigan president says they shouldn’t have hired Rodriguez

Rich Rodriguez is like the head that won’t die around the University of Michigan. Somehow, someway his name always comes up in conversation regarding the football program even though he’s been gone for almost two years.

While talking to a crowd in Flint, university president Mary Sue Coleman admitted what a lot of Michigan fans already knew. It was a mistake hiring Rodriguez. And she also told the crowd water was wet.

“We though, OK, well let’s go hire the guy who invented the spread offense,” Coleman said.


And it was the wrong call, she told members of the Rotary Club of Flint following a question on the topic from the crowd.


“He was a hot, young coach with a different approach,” Coleman said of the decision to hire Rodriguez.


It could have worked if Rodriguez didn’t have to deal with defections and taking knives out of his back. They screwed up the coaching search to begin with that led them to Rodriguez.

I’m not defending the guy but he never had a chance from the start.

Rodriguez Might Get A Shot At Wolverines

Promises, promises. Alledgedly that’s what newly hired Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez got from Arizona. The promise was that they would give him a shot to beat his former school, Michigan, by scheduling them in three years. I guess that’s how much time Rodriguez will need to get the Wildcats on track.

This comes from Louisiana high school football coach J.T. Curtis.

”My understanding is, in talking to coach Rich Rodriguez, and I was involved in that just a little bit, is that it was a much closer decision than people realize between Tulane and Arizona,” Curtis said. “I know that might not sound right to you but I think Tulane did all they could do to give him an opportunity to come there and a chance to coach, and I think his expression to me was that he felt like he had a better chance to win the national championship at Arizona if he recruited properly. And they promised him they’d put Michigan on the schedule in three years,” Curtis said. “I’m telling you, it was a big deal.”

I don’t know if Rodriguez wants that game by then. Brady Hoke has he Wolverines trending upwards so Rodriguez better get some players in a hurry if he wants a shot at Michigan.

  

Rodriguez Gets Frustrated Watching Michigan

Former Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez found a landing spot in Tucson, coaching the Arizona Wildcats. That doesn’t mean that he still doesn’t have feelings about Michigan. Why, I don’t know, but Rodriguez admitted that it’s frustrating watching Michigan win at his press conference.

“It’s frustrating to watch them, I don’t mind telling you,” Rodriguez said, “because those are all my guys. But I’m proud of them because they’re doing so well.”

Rodriguez believed that the Wolverines would turn the corner this year so it comes as no surprise to him that they are 9-2 heading into the Ohio State game this week. I still think they had ways to go. Truth is Rodriguez never had a chance at Michigan. He had the knives in his back as soon as he hit Ann Arbor. Wins would’ve cured the ills but he didn’t win enough. Another thing that killed Rodriguez was defense. If he really gave a damn about defense he might still be at Michigan.

He might have a chance at Arizona where the offenses in the Pac-12 put up video game numbers weekly. Everyone knows that offense is Rodriguez’s specialty. If he can get the Wildcats to play some defense they could be formidable in the Pac-12. It might be a mirage, but Rodriguez might be able to succeed in the desert.

Can You Really Go Home Again?

Could ex-West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez come back home and lead the Mountaineers back to the brink of national prominence? Maybe. It would be strange, controversial, and there would have to be a lot of ass kissing and tears shed (by Rich Rod) for that to happen. It could be what West Virginia needs after the Bill Stewart era and smear campaign.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying kiss and makeup and everything will be alright in Morgantown. If he were to come back they might need the national guard to clam down the angry mob that probably is still angry from the mention of his name. But just listen to why this could work.

First there is the Dana Holgorsen situation. The first sign of trouble he incurs off the field and he’ll be gone. Granted, he was a hot name for coaching jobs and highly sought after as a coordinator. So yes West Virginia has the man that waas going to take over for Stewart after this year anyway. Now if Holgorsen is successful he’s gone. He has no loyalty to the program or the state of West Virginia. I know loyalty is a dirty word in the business of sports because there isn’t any, but do you really think he’s going to want to stay there if he starts to win big. That answer is no. He’ll be out the door pretty fast. You ask me why. Because in my opinion West Virginia is a stepping stone for Holgorsen. He won’t say it personally, but to me he seems like the type that will bolt as soon as something better comes up. And probably will trash you guys on the way out the door.

Another thing is who wants to stay in West Virginia? I’m not trying to be funny or rip the state in general. It just doesn’t seem like a destination except for a select few, like Don Nehlen or Rich Rodriguez. Rodriguez is a hometown guy and would love to go back. He admitted it was a mistake to leave and go to Michigan. Also remember he did come back after leaving for Alabama briefly. Yes he did have an eye on a bigger job, but deep down he probably wanted to stay and there were probably some problems that I or the public don’t know about which may have led him to go to Michigan. When he was in Morgantown, Rodriguez was West Virginia. He loved the state and they loved him back. Until he left for Michigan.

Lastly, he was the most successful coach in Mountaineer history. The Mountaineers were always a team that won between 7 and 9 games with a surprise undefeated run mixed in. Rodriguez brought them to a brink of a national championship and smoked Georgia and Oklahoma in BCS games. True, Stewart coached them in the Fiesta Bowl against the Sooners, but that game plan had Rodriguez all over it. He won Big East titles and got them to BCS games. He had them in the national championship mix. Easily the most successful run in Mountaineer history. Also he loved West Virginia, no matter what the locals there think.

There was a messy divorce and a lot of drama after leaving Morgantown. But all parties need to get over it. More the natives of West Virginia than Rodriguez. You see Holgorsen will leave you high and dry and once again you’ll be feeling like a scorned woman and once again be angry. Bring Rich Rod back and have him be the hero. Maybe he could bring you the national championship you guys covet so bad. It may not be ideal, but if you guys want to remain relevant after three years of mediocrity and another year of uncertainty, bring back your native son.

Lloyd Carr Told Ryan Mallett To Leave Michigan

Up here in Michigan country, Wolverine fans figured Ryan Mallett to be kind of jerky. But as long as he was going to lead Big Blue to a bunch of wins fans would’ve looked past whatever misgivings he may have had in Ann Arbor. 

Mallett’s stay in Ann Arbor didn’t last long, and what it seemed everyone knew was true. New coach Rich Rodriguez didn’t want Mallett. What no one knew was that outgoing coach Lloyd Carr told Jim Mallett, Ryan’s father, that Mallett should leave.

Jim went into detail about Mallett’s Michigan exit and choice of going to play for Bobby Petrino at Arkansas in a story in the Boston Herald.

“At the Capital One Bowl, we were trying to smooth things out, and we talked to Coach Carr,” Jim Mallett, Ryan’s dad, said. “I asked him, ‘Coach, next to my dad, you’re the classiest person I’ve ever been around. What would you do if Ryan was your son? He said, ‘If I was in that situation, with a different offense, he needs to leave.’ ”



“Ryan’s the one who called (Rich Rod),” Jim Mallett continued. “He said, “Can I talk about the offense?’ And then he told me, ‘Daddy, (Rodriguez) never looked me in the eye.’ He never visited with the family, he didn’t talk to us. I never met the man. But hey, it wasn’t a fit. Let’s move on.”

“Bobby Petrino was the polar opposite of Lloyd Carr, who is the warmest, sweetest man,” Debbie Mallett said. “Petrino was all business. That was a turn-off for me. I was used to Coach Carr. I knew Ryan wanted to be there, but I was opposed to Coach Petrino. So, I said, “Get me Brian Brohm’s parents’ phone number (because he played for Petrino at Louisville). So, I explained who I was and said, ‘If you had to do it over again, would you want your son to play for Bobby Petrino?’ (Brohn’s parent) said, ‘Hell, yeah. If you got soft ears, you’ll hear some ugly words. But we were actually pissed he wasn’t staying Atlanta (so Brohn could play for him).’ I said, ‘What else can I say?’ After the season, I wrote (Petrino) a note and said, ‘If any parent wants my phone number, feel free to give it to them.’

We all know how everything turned out. Rodriguez had three uneventful seasons at Michigan, Mallett is going to the NFL, and Carr and Petrino look pretty good in this whole mess. 

Rodriguez: "Going To Michigan Was A Mistake"

After having time to sit back and digest his firing after a humiliating three years at Michigan and an embarrassing Gator Bowl loss to Mississippi State, Rich Rodriguez says going to Michigan was a mistake. RichRod, how do you think the Michigan fans feel?

Drastic changes and a lack of defense made Michigan a laughingstock in college football. And that 3-3-5 defensive formation made two defensive coordiantors look horrible. Trust me fans, Greg Robinson was not the problem. He just had a lousy scheme shoved down his throat.

“I think it’s easy to go back now and say, ‘Gee, made a mistake.’ And you can say that now because of hindsight,” Rodriguez said in the interview. “But at the time, some of the things I was looking to do and the opportunity that was there, you kind of make the move.


“The frustrating part for us was that we thought we battled through the tougher times to get it to this point where we had a lot of the team coming back and we thought we were getting ready to take off. But you know hindsight is always easier to look back and say, ‘It was a mistake.’ Because we did have a good thing going at West Virginia, and we really enjoyed it. As you look back at it, wasn’t the best move. Easy to say now.”

Rodriguez did have a good thing going at West Virginia and decided that he could take his show to a higher level and failed. He should’ve realized what a good thing he had in Morgantown after his flirtation with Alabama, but I guess the lure of Michigan was too much. I for one wish he would’ve stayed at West Virginia, therefore the Wolverines wouldn’t be going through another upheaval process. He still thinks he could’ve got the train rolling despite all the turmoil and bad losses.

Rodriguez is not a bad coach, just a bad fit who was in over his head. He says he still wants to coach and I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t land another job.

“We played the Gator Bowl, then when we were let go in January there wasn’t a lot of coaching jobs that were available,” Rodriguez said. “I still love coaching, I’m open to another opportunity, but we’ll see. If something comes open after this season, and it seems like it may be a good opportunity for me and someone is interested, I’m sure I’ll look into it.”

They had to let Rodriguez go after the Gator Bowl. They were at the point of no return with the guy. It was a move that had to be made. Also, this is the most honest thing Rodriguez has said regarding Michigan.

 

Rodriguez Thought Michigan Turned The Corner

Rich Rodriguez felt Michigan had turned the corner and is disappointed he and his staff weren’t able to finish the job in an interview with the Associated Press. If the Wolverines turned the corner they promptly were jacked in the eye after they turned it.

Watching Michigan the past two years has been disappointing. You watch them get off to fast starts, get someone in the Heisman conversation and watch everything fall like a house of cards. The defense mad no improvements and the 3-3-5 was a paper scheme. I might go to my grave defending Greg Robinson because I know it’s not his fault. He’s just the bagman for the defensive shortcomings. He couldn’t help it if he couldn’t take pork chops and make filet mignon out of it. 

“We saw the light at the end of the tunnel,” he said Tuesday in a 30-minute interview with the Associated Press.

“Heck, we had 24 starters coming back, and the player of the year in the league — he’s a sophomore and still learning. Recruiting, we thought it was going really well even with all the drama.


“That’s the frustrating part about it is we didn’t get a chance to finish the job.”

It’s true Rodriguez was doomed from the start, but some situations he handled badly, such as the Demar Dorsey situation. He never was going to be afforded a chance to finish the job unless he went undefeated. He wasn’t an old blue and the alums never warmed up to him.

He felt it wasn’t fair that Athletic Director David Brandon left him twisting in the wind. This I do agree with. I feel Brandon knew he was going to fire Rodriguez after the Ohio State game and should’ve done it then instead of waiting until after th Gator Bowl debacle. By the way, Mississippi State just scored again.

“Whatever I say in that regard is probably going to sound self-serving,” Rodriguez said. “Would it have been better for the staff to know a month a head? No question about it. When jobs come open in the college level they come open in December.



“And had I been able to get on somewhere, that could have happened, too. I may have been able to get another head coaching job then. But I still had the belief we had things going to the point where we were going to be pretty good. Like I said, the worst was behind us.”


If Rodriguez had been allowed to stay there might’ve been National Guardsmen headed to Ann Arbor. Michigan simply couldn’t wait for things to get better and had to go in a different direction.   
 

Rodriguez Cleans Out His Closet

You also can dress like Rich Rod

By know everyone knows Rich Rodriguez was 86’ed by Michigan a few weeks ago. Rodriguez apparently doesn’t want anything from Michigan lingering around in his closet.

Rodriguez donated 432 Michigan related items to the Salvation Army in Metro Detroit. I guess everything that was maize and blue had to go. The clothes couldn’t fit in the shredder so it was put in trash bags, like that garbage defense he had for the past three years. I wonder if the defensive playbook would be among the items.  Or maybe thje list of special teams standouts. Or maybe the instructions on how to force your system down your team’s throat. How about the handbook on trying to recruit a quarterback and run off a big time quarterback in the process. The shirt from the Gator Bowl or one of those ridiculous wristbands.

I know he did a somewhat noble deed by giving stuff he’ll never need to the Salvation Army. He probably never wore a lot of that stuff anyway. Good riddance.

A Letter To All Michigan Fans

As you all know Michigan has fired head football coach Rich Rodriguez. In a way I feel sorry for the guy because, the people at Michigan and the fans did not exhibit enough patience with him. It wasn’t all you guys’ fault. A lot of problems he brought on himself, mainly wins and losses. Even before he set foot in Ann Arbor, you guys palced a blcak cloud over him that never left. I can understand he had a horrible 3 year run, but to you Michigan fans he was never good enough. Your complaints went beyond wins and losses.

I say you guys as in Michigan fans, who have a higher opinion of everyhting Michigan. That’s what landed you Rodriguez in the first place. Lloyd Carr wasn’t good enough. You wanted boring Lloyd out and he walked away. Then you couldn’t get the “Michigan Man” when LSU punked Les Miles into staying in Baton Rouge. You want a “Michigan Man” so bad that it limits the pool of coaches you can go after. But then say we want a big name coach. Rodriguez was a big name coach. I understand he was hired amid a shroud of secrecy and left West Virginia unceremoniously. Remember, he had the Alabama job for about two days before he reconsidered. You guys wanted a fancy spread offense, the flavor of the month, and now you denounce it saying you need to get back to Michigan football. Didn’t Bo Schembecler run the option. Yes he did. Sometimes do some history checking before speaking. True the defense was tremendously lacking, but the offense was ok. But the fact Rodriguez wasn’t a “Michigan Man” was what made you dislike him.
     
Speaking of the defense, I’ve said it before, it was not Greg Robinson’s fault. True he had the blood on his hands only because he was the defensive coordinator. The 3-3-5 scheme he was hired to run was not his scheme. But you guys only wanted him gone because he was the face of the defense. Robinson didn’t bring that scheme to town with him. He’s also a respected coordinator. He’s won a Super Bowl and had a good run at Texas before bombing as a head coach at Syracuse. But hey, to you guys Robinson was the problem with the defense. That was a scheme Rodriguez brought in from West Virginia and swore by.

Now you guys want to hold Athletic Director David Brandon’s feet to the fire. The bagman in the whole deal was former Athletic Director Bill Martin. He’s the one who hired him and botched the coaching search in the first place. History check again. If Schembecler never mouthed the words “A Michigan man will coach Michigan” regarding the basketball program on the eve of the 1989 NCAA BASKETBALL tournament, Michigan’s football program would never be in this position. No one wants to give a non “Michigan Man” a chance, but then say we want a big name coach. Maybe coaches outside of the Michigan family know something we don’t. Or realize they could end up like Rodriguez, since they’re not from the Michigan family. Get over it. Remember, Schembechler wasn’t a “Michigan Man”.

The pool of coaches are limited now. If you want a “Michigan Man” the best you can do is Jim Harbaugh. And that’s no guarantee. In fact I doubt he comes back to Ann Arbor. Then there’s Brady Hoke. If he gets hired I’ll feel sorry for him too. You know why? Because that’s not good enough for you guys. He lacks pizazz, but has done a credible job at Ball State and San Diego State. Also he’s a Michigan man. He may not be ready for those bright lights but as far as “Michigan Men” go that’s the best you’re gonna do.
I don’t believe Brandon will go down the Les Miles trail again. And Ron English isn’t getting the job. Remember, everyone jeered Auburn when they hired Gene Chizik and his 5-22 record from Iowa State. So if Hoke is the choice get off your high horse, respect the hire and rally around the coach. Get over the fact that you won’t get a high profile “Michigan Man” and just make sure they make a solid hire this time around. Besides the high profile coaches outside the Michigan family you might vilify them the same way you did Rodriguez.

Michigan’s Forcier Ineligible For Gator Bowl

I don’t advocate cheating in sports. But if your a “student-athlete” how the hell do you become ineligible. That’s always been a question I’ve asked myself. You know there’s always at least one person out there who just wants to be your “friend” and will do anything to help you get by.

The reason I bring this up is because Michigan’s Tate Forcier is academically ineligible for Michigan’s Gator Bowl date with Mississippi State on New Year’s Day. Forcier is the backup quarterback to Denard Robinson. If Devin Gardner got the redshirt that Rich Rodriguez requested, the Wolverines are screwed if Robinson gets hurt. I don’t know if he got the redshirt or that he can pull it. 

Back to Tate’s ineligibility. How does he screw up in the classroom. Granted, I’ve never been on a college campus, so I’ll never know how hard the classes actually are. But for an athlete they give them classes that aren’t too hard. Forcier explained that he has never been the greatest student. Well we know that now don’t we. He also said that he was street smart, but not smart clasroom-wise. Didn’t know you were from the mean streets Tate.

Like I said, I don’t know how hard being a “student-athlete” in college can be. But they do give you resources to succeed. And if you have a hard time acheiving in the classroom, there’s always someone there to “help”.