Mailbag Question: About Coach Rod

Guys,

I just wanted to say thanks for all your input throughout the year. You guys should be given sainthood for all the garbage you take on the GBW boards where it appears if you're not saying we'll win 10 games next year, you're looked upon as the enemy.

Do you guys feel that Coach Rod came into this position with a little too much ego and that's caught up with him this first year? It seems to have put him behind the eight-ball a lot this year, from the off-the-field things like the lingering buy-out and the "get a life" quote, to his steadfast refusal to adjust his offense to the players he had.

I mean if JoePa and Jim Tressel can adjust their schemes to their personnel, I'd think we could this year, particularly with a drop-back quarterback who, I feel, would have been helped by pounding Minor more and using more play-action rather than forcing him to into constant decision-making. I could understand if Threet was looked upon as the quarterback of the future, but it seems like we forced an offense 100 percent for a quarterback who will be sitting in the years to come rather than to gradually include packages to the offense.

It seems like Coach Rod just assumed his system would out-scheme everyone. To tell you the truth, it was almost like somebody else we know who thinks he owns a schematic advantage.

Thanks again,

John

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Thanks for the question and the comments.

First thing, we think some ego and cockiness is a good thing. As long as you can back it up, that swagger is very important. Many of the top coaches in the college ranks, Urban Meyer, Les Miles, and Nick Saban, to name just a few, have that ego-thing going.

As long as it does not turn into arrogance, all is well.

In our opinion, the biggest problem with Coach Rod was he over-estimated what he could accomplish in such a short time. He really felt that simplifying his schemes combined with his staff's coaching would make this work in a short period.

He also felt that through game planning and coaching, he and staff could make up for lack of talent at key spots. He thinks he under-estimated the Big Ten: last spring he told all the coaches that he had as much talent at Michigan as he had at West Virginia.

We do not think that Coach Rod is stupid and expect him to learn from this experience.

Written by CoachBt and ErocWolverine