Head meets Explosion

Apparently, it doesn't take much more than a keyboard and internet access to become a Featured Columnist for the BleacherReport. Somehow this guy punches out about three articles a day, most of which appear to be mutated rejects from David Letterman's Top 10 think tank. Check out "10 Coaches Who Could Replace Rich Rodriguez". You have to hand it to this guy, of the 3400+ people that have read it, exactly zero have "liked it".

Warning: this is bad, real bad.

10. Desmond Howard : Exactly what Michigan needs, a new coach with exactly zero coaching experience.
9. Les Miles : He already has a "damn fine team". That ship has sailed and is never coming back.
8. Paul Johnson : I loved what he did at Navy, but I am fairly certain a run only triple option attack would work in this conference these days.
7. Pete Carroll : Now the NCAA violation seal is broken, why not go for some real lack of institutional control action.
6. Tyrone Willingham : I like Tyrone, but don't think a castaway from the wreck of the USS Notre Dame would be successful here either.
5. Lloyd Carr : Come on.
4. Chris Peterson : This is only one of the two names on this list I like.
3. Greg Schiano : Not exactly setting the world on fire these days at Rutgers, plus he already said no once.
2. Jim Harbaugh : Needs to do some bridge mending and install a brain to mouth filter, but along with Peterson, he is going to be an option should the search materialize.
1. Mike Leach : Perfect. If Rich Rodriguez did not work out, the old school alumni are sure to love this guy.

Oh Captain, My Captain

Things are already changing. For the better.

There has only been one day of official football practice, and things are already getting back to normal for the Michigan football program. Before Rich Rodriguez arrived and as far back as 1879, Michigan had season long football captains. Legendary leaders such as LaMarr Woodley (2006), Stefan Humphries (1983), and Harrison "Boss" Weeks (1902) have shared the peer leadership responsibility for the Wolverines. All this changed when the new staff arrived. Instead, beginning in 2008 rotating captains were selected for each game and permanent captains were named at the end of the season.

As a former Marine, I believe strongly in the concept of formal & structured leadership. I have lived and witnessed the value of peer leadership. Organizations need to be led at multiple levels to achieve greatness. Of all the changes we have endured with this transition, this one just never felt right with me. What kind of unit names their leadership after the battle is fought?

Yesterday, this tweet arrived from Coach Rodriguez:

Regardless of the their versus there grammar mistake (which I am sure will lead to another firestorm of ridiculous drama.... OMG!!!!! our coach can't pass a fourth grade english test!!!!) it was like a breath of fresh air for me and thousands of other Michigan football fans.

I can’t say if naming Captains before the season will make any difference in terms of wins and losses, but it sure feels right. I am sure the players feel the same way.

Congrats to Mark Moundros and Steve Schilling, you have joined an impressive and elite group.

Now go lead this team back to respectability.

JustThinking

Spawn reader JUSTHINKING posted this in the comments section of the Five Questions post. Wanted to highlight it and thank JT for sharing his thoughts. Sorry it took me so long to get this up, I am on vacation with my family in San Diego this week.

2010 will be my 33rd year of attending Michigan football games. I'm old enough to have seen Troy Woolfolk's daddy pound the rock behind Russell Davis' lead blocking. I wanted to be Rick Leach.

Michigan ran the probverbial table for so long that it never occurred to me that it would ever be possible for them to actually have a losing season. Ever.

But T-9 Wins with her defense comment. Therein lies the difference.

Bo Era Ave Score: 29 to 11
Mo Era Ave Score: 32 to 17
LLoyd Era Ave Score: 29 to 18
Combined Ave Score: 30 to 15

Rich Era Ave Score: 25 to 28

We need to only average 5 more pts/game to reach the average of the three prior coaches, from '69 to '07.

We need to remove 13 points per game from the opposing teams to reach the same average from '69 to '07.

Offense isn't much of a reach. Defense needs some WORK.

Now, Bo really skewed those defense numbers, as 7 of his 20 seasons he kept opponents under 100 points per season (nearly 1/3 of his coaching career!) In those 7 specific seasons, opponents only scored an average of 6.74 points per game against us!! Only Lloyd came close to the under 100 mark for a season (1997) at 114 - with the average score being 27 to 10.

Bo was right. Defense Wins Championships. Bo won 13 Conference Championships in 20 years (5 outright); Mo won 3 Big Tens in 5 years (2 outright); Lloyd won 5 Big Tens in 13 years (2 outright) - not to mention a National Championship - again, in that stifling Defensive year of 1997.

In the 21 years we won the conference, the average score was 31 to 13. Actually pretty close to the 30 to 15 average scores for those three coaches over those 38 seasons. Damn, we were good.

Now, herein lies the other problem. The unthinkable has happened in our lifetimes, and it has continued far longer than we could have imagined - if we could have ever imagined it happening in the first place....which we couldn't.

What a cluster#$%^&. The insanity of all insanities. Two back to back, losing seasons after nearly 40 years of glory. Four #$%^& DECADES of WINNING FOOTBALL. All the glory. All the domination. All the great teams, great players, a few Heisman winners,and wonderful, wonderful memories of Fall Saturdays with over 100,000 of your best friends at the Big House.

Folks, it is completely understandable that we are still reeling from the shock, the loss, the unimaginable itself.

Having watched my father die a slow death from cancer at the relatively young age of 55, I don't say this lightly. It's as though a cancer has spread through our team and all we can do is sit there and watch it as it grows and destroys all the joy we once knew to be Michigan Football. All we can seemingly do is sit there and pray and watch, and hope for the best. One thing I do know - being and staying negative doesn't help a #$%^&* thing.

Many people think Rich and his system are the cancer, as we haven't had a losing season in nearly 40 years before he arrived in Ann Arbor. Perhaps there is some truth in that, but not as much as people like to think.

A new coach, a completely new offensive system, several defensive schemes, some graduations, some attrition, a shitload of young kids and not a whole lot of leadership. All in the same place at the same time.

Flashes of greatness and shades of incompetence. From the heights of ecstacy to the valley of the shadow of death, it contniues - this rollercoaster of Michigan Football. One thing I do know - speaking for myself - I'm riding the bandwagon and I'm not getting off.

I see a bunch of great kids, (most of them not old enough to legally drink a beer), with enough talent to play Division One football, thrown into a firestorm of adversity. I happen to believe that those who have stayed have bought into the new system and are paying the godforsaken BARWIS PRICE to get ready for the upcoming season. Nobody wants to win more than they do - not even us.

And I believe that the ongoing adversity that has surrounded this program over the last two years has started to unite this team in a way that perhaps winning wouldn't have. It's them against the world.

Nobody wants to return Michigan football back to greatness more than these kids that are about to take the field a month from now against UConn.

I'm going to be there in the crowd of 109,000+ on September 4th. Ready to watch. Ready to pray. Ready to believe in greatness. Ready to believe in my team. Ready to watch Brock Mealer lead the team out of the tunnel, onto the field and under that glorious Banner while the band plays the Greatest College Fight Song Ever Written - the Michigan Victors.

I'll be there yelling until I can't yell. Supporting my team from the stands the only way I can - with whatever voice I've got left.

I'm still All In for Michigan, and I hope you are too.

Here's a video I put together last weekend. I think the theme of this song epitomizes this team.

"We stand and we won't fall - we're one and one for all - the writing's on the wall - we are the Youth Gone Wild"

Five Questions

Actual football practice starts soon. I thought it might be fun to toss out a couple of simple, yet relevant questions to get the football juices flowing and the conversation started. The primary goal of this place for both T9 and me is to have some fun and continue the strong MZone community. Based on our web logs, I know we have a lot of readers; I am looking to pull some of you out of the shadows and open the doors for more participation. Don’t be afraid. All opinions are valid. You can answer any or all of these.

What needs to happen for RR to be Michigan’s coach in 2011 ?
As I stated a couple of months ago, I don’t think Rich Rodriguez will ever be successful here. He is the definition of a lightning rod, if by lightning you mean idiotic drama cloaked in an overcoat of controversy dripping in healthy layer of unreasonable hatred. The constant splat of bad news has worn me down -- and I don’t think it will quit. It is getting to the point where I am not surprised any more.

As a Michigan supporter, I want to win. I am tired of being the laughing stock of college football. For those of you that cheer against us because we are a bunch of arrogant pricks, please stop. Rest assured I am comprehensively and perpetually humbled. I just want us to be an ordinary successful college football program again.

That being said, I think three things need to happen to prevent Dave Brandon from holding a press conference and announcing a coaching change after the Ohio State game in November.

1) We need a winning season with a bowl bid.
2) We need to win two of the three traditional rivalry games (Notre Dame, Michigan State, or Ohio State).
3) There needs to be no more NCAA rules drama.

If any of those three things does not happen, we will be looking for a new coach and start this “re-building” process over. I no longer fear the prospect of starting over from scratch, again. You need to look no further than our new siblings in Lincoln to see that a once proud program can crash into the side of a mountain and eventually put the pieces back together again to be respectable. If they can recover from Bill Callahan, we can recover from this.

Realistically, how many wins will this team see?
I have looked up and down the schedule at least a thousand times – and I believe I spot seven.

If things go completely right (offense clicks and defense makes tackles) we may see nine wins. If things go badly from the start (like losing to both UConn and Notre Dame to open the season) we could be staring at another three win nightmare. At that point I will lead the campaign for a complete program meltdown.

UConn: We have no injuries and have better players.
Notre Dame: I never expect a win in South Bend.
UMass: Losing here would be worse than the loss to Appy State.
Bowling Green: We have another MAC win streak to protect.
Indiana: They played us very tough last year.
Sparty: Home game. Time to return things to normal.
Iowa: Who scheduled these giants for homecoming?
Penn State: By the time they play us, their issues will be fixed.
Illinois: My expectation is Ron Zook will be fired by this point.
Purdue: I can’t believe I want to beat Purdue so badly.
Wisconsin: Too much size and talent for our defense.
Ohio State: Our next win against these guys won’t be in Columbus

Opponent UConn Notre Dame UMass Bowling Green Indiana Sparty Iowa Penn State Illinois Purdue Wisconsin Ohio State

My Dream Win Win Win Win Win Win Loss Win Win Win Loss Loss 9-3

My Nightmare Loss Loss Win Win Loss Loss Loss Loss Win Loss Loss Loss 3-9

My guess Win Loss Win Win Win Win Loss Loss Win Win Loss Loss 7-5

Denard or Tate ?
I know this will sound corny, but my answer is both… we need BOTH at this point. The teams in the B11 are not getting any smaller or weaker. In this offense, the QB is going to get hit. A lot. Injuries are going to happen when you line up a bunch of smurfs against a bunch of monsters. We need more than one QB to make this work.

My preference is Denard. I am just giddy at the prospect of him running our full offense, he is just that damn exciting to watch. I would love to see him emerge as an accurate passer to go along with his astonishing running ability. Unless something changes drastically in fall practice, I expect him to begin the season as the starter.

On the other hand, I was and could be very satisfied with a productive and healthy Tate. There was no doubt he is an exciting and capable quarterback. Things turned sour last season when he tried to do too much and got hurt. The fact remains, he was a true freshman. Going forward, he needs to make healthier decisions and take care of the football better as a sophomore and beyond.

Did Troy Woolfolk cross the line at the B10 meetings when he called out Tate’s work ethic?

I have to admit, I was a little surprised when I read the comments this week. Senior leadership is an important and powerful thing. If Troy was a sophomore and Tate was a senior, I would be very very concerned with the chemistry on the team. Right now, with all that is going on with this program… whatever.

One thing to remember, he is a cornerback and they tend to talk a lot of smack. I honestly think he intended to highlight the off season efforts of Denard. The “diseased” comments that followed appeared to me to be the unfiltered ramblings of a college kid with a bunch of microphones stuffed in front of his face. He was expressing his feelings and doing what he felt was right as a leader. I can’t fault him for that.

Best case: Tate gets the message, starts to work harder and matures into a leader to match his talent.
Worst case: Tate continues to be lazy, loses his starting job to Denard, and transfers to Stanford.
Likely case: Tate tells Troy to “fuck off” under his breath after he throws at TD over him in practice next week.

Will we ever beat Ohio State again?
It took 40+ years, but Navy beat Notre Dame. Twice.
It will happen. Someday. Maybe. Hopefully.

Candidly, I don’t expect it in the next couple of years and it may not ever be against Jim Tressel again.
Right now, they are good. Really good. We are not. It is as simple as that.

When it does eventually happen… on that day I promise to smile a lot and enjoy it. I just hope I live long enough to experience it again.

The wheels of the bus go round and round

This week has been about as exciting as a mid-May week can be for a Michigan college football fan. Without games actually being played, our unpretentious little program has once again been placed in the spot light. Regardless of your where your loyalty lies, this has been an exhausting week.

Rather than sit around and obsessively read only the Michigan perspectives, I always find it interesting to go out and read what our rivals/friends are saying about this mess. As you would expect, it is incredibly entertaining and enlightening. Here is a sample of what I found.

It comes as no surprise that our friends down south are basking in the sunlight of eternal and everlasting domination. The Ohio State football program has always dominated the Michigan football program and there is no reason to ever believe this will change.

Welcome to the Big Ten rich rod and Goodbye after this upcoming season. The spot light up there is too big for you i bet you wish you never left w virginia. Well we will always remember the 42-7 beatdown we laid on you in columbus and the beatdown you have coming in about 6 months. Go Bucks

I find it hilarious how obsessed the typical Sparty fan (and their coach is for that matter) is with ensuring Michigan is humbled. It really is funny considering they have won the last two games and haven't lost to us in basketball in a 100 years. As the direct decedents of the great King Leonidas and his heroic force of 300, I would expect a little more fearlessness from such a powerful group.

What would it take for you to feel humbled with regards to your crumbling football program? If 8-16 over two seasons and now a string of major NCAA violations didn't do it, I'm pretty sure nothing will.

Quite simply the best. Nothing sums up the hopelessly narcissistic Notre Dame fan better than this one. Yes Guilford, your loss last September had nothing to do with a pitiful defense, lack of discipline, and inept clock management.

I can't help but think how the Michigan game last season would have gone differently had the Skunkbears not had those extra hours. They were a young offense last year, and everyone knows that young players benefit the most from increased practice time. It takes a few weeks into the season for your team to gel, but perhaps less time if you're breaking the rules.

Penn State fans are not alone in turning this into a personal attack on RR. Interesting to note the recruiting edge these guys seem to think they have with a 1000 year old coach trying to lure star high school athletes to the big apple of central Pennsylvania.

I have no idea how any kid could ever actually want to play for Rich Rod He seems like the biggest scumbag on the Earth and would just as easily throw you under the bus to save his own skin as he would lie, cheat, and steal to get what he wants.

As much as I am looking forward to watching us grind Danny Hope into little tiny bits for years to come, I have to give it to this Purdue fan for his comment on Maize n Brew. This is pretty damn funny and so horribly true. For the record, if asked by the NCAA or Michigan AD, we will be honored to shut this place down for a year if it means this whole idiotic mess would go away.

How about this... The Michigan blogging legion must lose one member for one year. Come on, you guys have like 27 football blogs. I am surprised there isn’t one dedicated to kickers only. I cry Shenanigans!

And finally, this one from an Illini fan. Regardless on how you feel about Rich Rodriguez, his past record of building success following an initial transitional failure is well documented. I vote for Rising Phoenix, but then again, I am biased

I believe in some instances the NCAA finding a "lack of instiututional control" is more of Murphy's law and unintended results and consequences by the coaches and program; but with Rodriquez, it is difficult to take the high ground with him. What is the cliche, if you are going to be an arrogant rear end (based on what I have read), then don't expect much sympathy, when things go south.

Another side story to watch this season, will he be a Phoenix, rising from the ashes; or the Captain of a Titanic?

Yes, it is true, like the M compliance office and coaching staff, I proved a couple of days ago that I can't count very well. Football season starts in 100 days.

Probation

We will be very angry with you... and we will write you a letter, telling you how angry we are....

The conversation

Dave: Thanks for coming over to the office Coach. I know you are “busy with retirement” but we have another PR issue with Coach Rodriguez.

Lloyd: No problem Dave. I really wasn’t doing anything anyway today, and it is always good to see you and the athletic department staff. What is going on now?

Dave: Apparently someone wrote a book about one of your kids…. Trent…. Morgan Trent… it chronicles his path to the Cincinnati Bengals. The author is claiming that Coach Rodriguez was badmouthing Morgan’s work ethic and attitude to NFL scouts before the draft. He claims this dropped his draft status and cost him a lot of money.

Lloyd: Interesting. What does Coach Rodriguez have to say about this?

Dave: Well, Rich has told me and the media it is “ridiculous”. He claims he “said just the opposite about Morgan Trent to NFL scouts”. To be honest, I can't think of a single reason Rich would speak poorly of and undermine one of our own players. It would serve no purpose.

Lloyd: Well, we all knew this change was going to be hard. This just sounds like another salvo at Coach Rodriguez -- Nothing new. None of us should be surprised by this by now.

Dave: Wait Coach, there is more… the author is claiming you told Morgan Trent that Coach Rod was sabotaging his career in the NFL.

Lloyd: I did what?

Dave: I know, I know. The author is claiming you told Morgan that Coach Rodriguez hurt his professional football career.

Lloyd: Why would I go and do something like that? I have never even talked to this author. I had a conversation with Morgan some time ago. We discussed his disappointment with how late he was drafted. I tried to get him to recognize and take individual responsibility for his performance under Coach Rodriguez. I suggested this may have had a negative influence on the scouts view of his future.

Dave: I don’t know. It doesn’t make any sense to me either. This story has been picked up by the local news and the bloggers. Do you want to issue a statement?

Lloyd: No. I didn’t care what the media said about me when I was on the sideline AND I certainly don’t care now that I am retired. I don't even know what a blogger is. I learned a long time ago that anyone can write anything they want. It does not make it true. If someone calls me, I will tell them the truth. But I really don’t care to deny something that I did not say.

Dave: What about Morgan Trent?

Lloyd: Morgan Trent is a grown man. He is a professional football player. He can say and do what he wants. It sounds to me that he wants to help his friend sell some books. In the end, he has to live with the decisions and statements he makes. If he wants to make up excuses for his performance on the field and attempt to convince people that somehow his former coach is the culprit. I can't do anything about it. The truth is the truth. There are really only three people in the world that know what was said. Two of them have made definitive statements and the third wants to move on claiming it is "water under the bridge". You tell me who is telling the truth.

No longer afraid of the dark

The Michigan athletic department today confirmed what was rumored yesterday -- we will host Notre Dame for our first-ever night game on Sept. 10, 2011 at 8PM.

"This will be an unprecedented game-day atmosphere that our fans have not experienced at Michigan Stadium," said athletic director David Brandon. "It's a great opportunity to showcase our program, University and Ann Arbor to a primetime viewing audience. This also adds a new chapter to the storied rivalry between our two great programs."

"Our players have always enjoyed playing night games and I think it's something that our fans will truly enjoy and embrace," added Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez. "I expect the atmosphere will be electric for this match-up at the Big House."

Michigan Stadium has never before hosted a primetime affair. I think it is about time.

Happy Trails Nick Sheridan

One of the nice things about the start of spring practice, is we can get some actual football news. This week RR announced that former starting QB Nick Sheridan will forego his 5th year of eligibility to "go into the coaching profession". Sheridan's father is a former Michigan assistant and is currently on the staff of the Miami Dolphins.

Through no fault of his own, Nick Sheridan is the face of the transition pain we have experienced over the last two years. He was just a good kid looking to play football at Michigan. He became an ill-prepared walk-on starter thrust into the harsh spotlight as the QB for RR's new spread offense. As expected, he stuggled as much as the doomed 2008 team.

The highlight of his career came late in the 2008 season, where all by himself he led Michigan to a 29-6 win at Minnesota. He looked like a real college football quarterback as he threw for 203 yards and a touchdown. Two years into the transition, that game remains as the only road victory of the RR era.

Thanks for the effort Nick. Good luck!

Lightning Rod

This weekend my wife and I went on a date. We saw Craig Ferguson perform his comedy routine at a local theater. If you have never stayed up past Letterman to watch his show - he is pretty funny. The live stand up routine differs from the TV show primarily with the use of the word FUCK, a lot. This made my wife uncomfortable, but I thought it was entertaining. One of the things he talked about was the chaos and irresponsibility inherent on the internet. He suggested that anyone posting on the net should ask themselves these simple rules

1) Does this need to be said ?
2) Does this need to be said by me ?
3) Does this need to be said by me now ?

I've been thinking for a while what to say about the chaos and coaching situation at Michigan - and have decided it was time to add my opinion to the steaming pile out there. So to answer Craig's three questions: Yes, likely not, and sure why not.

The first and most important thing to me on this subject is simply... I am a Michigan fan. I grew up in the state and have been a fan for as long as I can remember. I attended and graduated from the University. In the past, I have donated money to both the University and the athletic department. I run this blog with one of my best friends from Michigan for fun. I have brainwashed my kids into thinking this institution is great. For many years, I was a season ticket holder despite the fact there are 1,373 miles between my house and the Big House. None of this qualifies me for anything other than a personal opinion. In short, my college football loyalty sits with Michigan. The events and struggles over the last two seasons have not shaken that loyalty. It pains me greatly to watch the program struggle, but I have no doubt we will emerge from this dark period as a stronger program.

Rich Rodriguez is our football coach. As such, I support him. I still believe he is a capable football coach. Rich Rodriguez has been successful as a football coach in the past. As such, I am willing to give him more time to make it work here. I still believe he is a capable football coach. Rich Rodriguez is a human being. As such, I do not expect him to be perfect. I still believe he is a capable football coach.

For some reason, Rich Rodriguez is a lightning rod for controversy. His short time as our football coach has been nothing short of a ridiculous soap opera. Some of these controversies have been self inflicted (#1 jersey, Captains, piped in music) while others have been nothing more than a sickening character lynching. I am far from unbiased, but there is no doubt in my mind Rich Rodriguez is and has been the target of witch hunt designed to ensure his failure. Many of these attacks come from expected sources and are part of the fun of coaching a major college football program -- but others are criminally irresponsible.

The most blatant offender in the public lynching of Rich Rodrigez has been the Detroit Free Press. From now on, I will simply refer to this publication as the "FDFP" (Fucking Detroit Free Press). From day one of RR's tenure the writers and editors of the FDFP have demonstrated their anti-RR-bias. The constant drum beat from the FDFP has been comical, but now this bias has delivered NCAA investigators and ridiculous rules violations to the program. Enough is enough. The FDFP lied about the rules violation in an effort sell newspapers in a bad economy. The damage was unnecessary and reprehensible. If you are a subscriber to this publication, you should call and cancel your business. If your business advertises with this paper, you should eliminate that expense. If you link to or read the words created by this paper online, you should remove the URL from your bookmarks. This is not misplaced or redirected anger. The FDFP needs to be put out of business from the supporters of the institution they have damaged.

If I were the the Athletic Director at the University of Michigan, I would revoke all media privileges and access for any writer/reporter from the FDFP. This ban would be in effect until the paper terminates the employment of Michael Rosenberg and Mark Synder. I would also require Drew Sharp to publicly apologize to the family of incoming recruit Demar Dorsey. The irresponsible "journalism" and outright lies delivered by these idiots -- resulting in the chaos and subsequent NCAA investigation was nothing more than yelling fire in a crowded movie theater. These guys are not journalists, they are fiction authors, and should not qualify for access to coaches and players. If the FDFP were somehow transplanted to Columbus, State College, or Austin and tried to pull these shenanigans, the paper would quickly go out of business because the building would be burned down.

But Andy, what about the actual NCAA Violations committed by RR and staff ? There is no doubt specific rules were not followed by the current staff. Yes, an assistant lied. Michigan needs to stand up and fix these errors. The assistant needs to be fired. But that should be the end of it.

Say what you want about major or secondary violations, the binary nature of the NCAA rule book and the violation categories is a joke. If the NCAA ran the criminal justice system in America, a parking ticket would be a felony and punishable by death. Every football fan in the country knows it. Every football coach in the country knows if their program were investigated in the same manner, similar violations would erupt. Good football teams work hard. What happened in Ann Arbor was not "major violation" of anything. Holding up what our program is accused of in the face of a team beat down of engineering students, illegal payments by a booster to a player, widespread academic fraud, and a player receiving cash, a car and a condo is laughable. We practiced too long and hard and our coaches made sure our players were going to class. Yawn.

But Andy, Michigan has a higher standard. To this I say bullshit. There is not one standard for everyone else and a higher one for Michigan. There is ONE standard and we need to committed to follow that standard. This elitist mentality is not productive or sustainable. I don't care that this incident has stained our spotless program. The basketball team and Ed Martin did that long ago. These apparent NCAA violations committed are equivalent to a paper cut. Get over it.

But Rich Rodriguez is not a Michigan Man. At this point, the myth of a so called Michigan Man is the most self-serving and arrogant thing I have ever heard. No wonder the rest of the college football world hates us. Is there actually a nominating committee that sits somewhere and determines entry into the exclusive club ? Did Bo somehow make the grade from an Ohio State Man to Miami Man to Michigan Man? What about Fielding Yost ? Did he go to some special class before he left West Virginia that Rich Rodriguez failed to enroll ? Give me a break.

The myth of the Michigan Man is just that... a myth. Bo used it in 1989 to describe Steve Fisher in his anger over the resignation of Bill Frieder. I ask you this, is Steve Fisher the model Michigan Man ? What about Gary Moeller ? Rick Leach ? This myth needs to vanish because it is preventing us from moving forward. I love Bo, but he is dead. He is not coming back to coach the team or pick the next coach.

You are just a Rich Rod supporting robot. I want to be proud of my school. Period. At this point, yes I still believe that RR can still win football games for my school. I am frustrated with the lack of success so far, but I know the damage of firing a coach right now is far greater than staying the course and letting the system develop. I have read and watched enough to understand the issues and believe they are going to be improved. He was given a terrible hand and we expect him to win the World Series of Poker. If RR fails to win enough football games, rest assured, I won't support him. He just has not been given enough of a chance so far.

Everyone is entitled to their opinion. I have shared mine. The only thing I ask you is that you recognize the situation and give the program a chance to be successful. If he fails to win ball games, yes he needs to go. But now is not the time.

Braylon's intro

As promised yesterday, here it is. I had to work a little bit to find the Braylon Edwards "Lloyd Carr's University if Michigan" intro from NBC's Sunday Night Football. I have uploaded it for you to judge for yourself. I have included the Bengals intros also to compare how Dhani Jones and Leon Hall do it.

Of course the Free Press is making a big deal of this. They even go as far as taking Dhani's statement of the obvious as a shot at RR. Whatever.

Call me a Blue Loyalist all you want, but none of this will matter if Michigan starts winning football games. If I were Rich Rodriguez - I wouldn't think twice about this. Braylon is a well documented ego-maniac prone to foot-in-mouth maneuvers. He has officially stated this was not a slap at RR, but rather a tribute to LC. Win some games and all this cannibalism goes away.

BIG hat tip to our friend Whet for the cannibilism image.

Braylon Braylon Braylon

I did not see it, but last night during the player introductions on NBC, Jets WR Braylon Edwards said he was from "Lloyd Carr's Michigan". I am looking for a clip of it, but have not found it yet. I will.

Of course the idiots at the Free Press and Spartantailgate have jumped all over it and are celebrating the shot at Rich Rodriguez as they have everything else over the last two years. The MGoIdiots are in full battle gear. Yawn.

This is not a battle in the war over the #1 jersey. Personally I think it is just another Braylon "engaging his mouth before his brain" moment. I am sure he is as frustrated as the rest of us with back to back losing seasons. Understanding he has an ego the size of Justin Boren's belly, I am sure he wanted to distinguish his time at Michigan away from the current situation. Given Braylon's history of self-centered idiotic moments, none of this is surprising to me.

At this point, I am not sure Rich Rodriguez will ever the chance to deliver what he was brought to Ann Arbor to do. The cloud hanging over this guy never seems to dissipate. I don't remember the fan base going crazy when Ty Law or Charles Woodson introduced themselves from their respective high schools rather than Michigan. Enough already.

Snowball Fight !!!!

I'd like to see them do this in the S.E.C.

Get well plan

I can't tell you how much fun it is to be one of the laughing stocks of college football. Someday this nightmare will be over.

For now, I am just looking at it as a chance to learn to laugh at yourself and as a character building opportunity. I promise when this is over I will be a better human being.

From today's edition of the Wall Street Journal:

Merger! The Notre Michigan Irish Wolverines.

Please don't laugh. We're as serious as Bill Belichick on fourth-and-two (or as Yale was on fourth-and-22 Saturday in what will forever be known as the Harvard-"Fail" game).

Synthesizing Michigan and Notre Dame just makes sense. Neither institution has the ammunition or patience to persevere individually. Saturday, 5-7 Michigan fell to its nettlesome rival Ohio State for the sixth time in a row, which sadly means there are 6-year-olds in Ann Arbor who have no idea what it's like to taste Buckeye plasma. Meanwhile 6-5 Notre Dame fell in double overtime to plucky UConn and is installed as a six-point underdog next week against the Wildcats from High School Musical.

Naturally, the carnage in South Bend and Ann Arbor has led to apoplectic alumni and torch-and-pitchfork rumormongering about the fate of the head coaches. The consensus is that Notre Dame's Charlie Weis will be evicted and Michigan's Rich Rodriguez may cling on for one more season, in which he must beat Ohio State, win a national title, a Super Bowl, an Oscar and invent a hangover-free Scotch in order to save his job.

But why not Frankenstein these two struggling programs into one Super Team? The Notre Michigan Irish Wolverines would be an instant force in college football. Talent? Combined, they'll have plenty. Think of Notre Dame's quarterback Jimmy Clausen—who wouldn't bail early for the NFL—throwing passes to Michigan's Roy Roundtree. Exposure? Wouldn't NBC salivate to overpay for the Irish Wolverines? Expect to see the team running windsprints on Jay Leno.

And we don't want either Mr. Weis or Mr. Rodriguez to be dismissed. We'd have them installed as co-head coaches, and at their lavish combined salary, they'd be fools to complain. We'd even give them a new name: ChaRod. Can you imagine the excitement when ChaRod visits a recruit's living room? Consider those ChaRod press conferences.

Naturally, there are logistical issues. Uniforms: we'd probably go maize pants, white jerseys and navy-blue helmets with gold Wolverine-style wings. Home games: they'd have to do half in Ann Arbor, the other half in South Bend. Fight song: trickier. Better to start from scratch. We'll get James Osterberg to work on it; he spent some time at Michigan before transforming into Iggy Pop.

As for those fevered Michigan and Notre Dame alumni, we imagine this merger will feel like a demotion. But the Irish Wolverines are as close to an instant solution as you'll get. Fire Charlie, dump Rich Rod, and you're looking at a new coach, a new system, and several more years of listening to Jesse Palmer smoothly chronicling your ailments. And if they don't win, we'll simply combine them with the Cleveland Browns, piloted by the indefatigable ChaRodGini.

Someone please tell me that Michigan fans are arrogant now. Please!

Now.... What are you going to do ?

The Idiocy of Hope

I'd rather laugh than cry

There is no healing.....

The wheels have come off the bus.
I too must put myself in 'time out' for a bit
I'll be back when the rage recedes

Back-Handed. Um, thanks? boss...

In an attempt to support Rich Rod, Mary Sue said this to the Washington Post the other day:

"I don't think it's fair to coaches to bring them in and say, 'We're going to give you three years,'" she said in an interview on Friday, citing a recent example. "When [former men's basketball coach] Tommy Amaker came in, we stuck with him for six years. It just wasn't going to work; it wasn't the right fit. But it wasn't a rushed decision."

Ruh-roh Scooby.

Little Big Horn Healing

I can't believe what I just witnessed.

This is bad. I have never been so down about being a Michigan fan. We went from being in complete and total control to getting blown out. All based on 2 plays that did not go our way. I refuse to become one of those people that rant and rave about coaching on the internet.

I need to take a break from this obsession. If anyone out there wants to take the wheel of this place for a couple of weeks, let me know. If T9 agrees, I will set you up as an author. I have nothing to say. I am done.