Michigan Football Tidbits: State of the Michigan Program -- Part 2

1) Coach Rod and Michigan are not an easy tandem for kids to come and play football. They demand ... yes ... demand a lot. I Sometimes wonder how these kids handle all the time and effort Michigan now expects. Not only do the athletes have to go through practices (which are very organized and intense), along with the coaches being very intense, but they also have to go through Barwis, who is not easy. To play for Michigan one has to really "love football," or one will never make it. For those who think Coach Rod and staff are not on top of academics--wrong! They expect he same effort in the classroom as on the practice field.

This is the question kids like Big Will and O'Neill have to ask themselves. If the answer becomes yes, they will contribute to Michigan. If they believe program is too tough, it will eventually catch up to them.

2) I now believe that Coach Rod was right all along: Michigan's football program needed to be blown up (tweaking it never would have helped us get to where we want to be). However, it is going to take more time than anyone realized. This team is not there yet, nor will it be for a couple more years.

Coach Rod also answered this question from a coach: "Did you at any time last year think about going to a more standard offense?" Rodriguez answered, "Never.The spread is the only offense I know," but more importantly, he added, "If you try to be someone you are not the players will be the first ones to see through you". Now this is a little different than what we were asking last year about "tweaking the offense," such as not using the read option and using the tight ends / split ends more.

For the record, I am still not a huge fan of the offensive scheme, but it was obvious at scrimmages that it certainly has big play potential. And I respect Coach Rod and his staff and what they are doing. I find Coach Rod to honest to a fault. He is a very simple man who loves to coach, and he loves to teach. He seems to be one of those coaches who enjoy the practice experience more than the games.

By the way, just a suggestion: if you ever have the opportunity to talk to Coach Rod, I recommend not using the word "finesse" when describing his offense. He and his staff hate that word; they will tell you the offense is physical, and watching the offensive line run block, you can see they really get after it, and Coach Frey is one tough guy.

I have no idea what Michigan's record will be this year; I just hope for a bowl game. I do feel that good times are ahead, as the offense doesn't seem to be that far off; an experienced quarterback is really the big issue.

1) Barwis has these kids in great shape, but he says they are not close to where he wants them. Kids that stay in this program for four years are going to be animals by the time they are seniors.

2) Players are having fun. Music is playing at practice and coaches are more upbeat; everyone understands their role and is having fun.

MaizeMan, CoachBt, Doc4Blu, Morencie124, and ErocWolverine watched the scrimmage while almost standing next to defensive coaches and players. It was great to see these kids having fun, jumping up, and congratulating teammates when they made a good play. It reminded me that these are just kids, and while we live and die with everything they do, it was nice to see them acting up and playing football for fun.

3) Coach Rod thinks he has finally has adapted to Michigan. Think he finally decided that yes, he will try to stick to some of Michigan's traditions, but he wants to make new traditions that begin with winning football games. For those who insist on living in the past--well, there is not much he can do for them

4) Now understand what Coach Rod means when he says "I will only talk about kids who play for Michigan" while we obsess sometimes over why a kid leaves the program. Now go back to this original point: "Did they love football enough to play for Michigan?". The answer is "no," and although they may use some other reason for leaving, I would bet that was the biggest reason.

Ryan Mundy, as you all know, left UM for West Virginia and said afterwards he hated Coach Rod when he first starting practice. He later said that Coach Rod's approach to playing football makes you question whether you really want to play. After his season was over, Mundy told people he loved Coach Rod and appreciated Rodriguez helping him to realize what it meant to have a "love for the game".

This is the future of Michigan football. Hope it makes sense.

Note: Rodriguez wants to make Michigan football a fun experience for fans and he is meeting with other schools' marketing programs to start this process. Tells you he "gets it".

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Written by MaizeMan and ErocWolverine