GBMW: Michigan Football Tidbits -- MaizeMan's Thoughts
I have been reading everyone's posts on various message boards and understand both sides of the issues surrounding Michigan football. This is not a post to discuss Coach Rod's future. Coach Rod is here to stay for numerous reasons (we can debate this all you want).
What upsets me more than a little are those who continue to use this phrase "All IN".
Below is a dissection / discussion of the “All In” phenomenon.
1) What the hell does “All In” mean? Does this nomenclature mean fans should accept all without condition or critique? Or does the phrase possess an implicit or explicit meaning that you are NOT a fan if you do not blindly support Coach Rod? And here is a question for those who continue to harp on this topic of discussion, Is this Michigan’s football program, or is this Coach Rod's football program?
2) Why the double standard? Why was not everyone "All IN" when Lloyd Carr was coaching? Does anybody actually think there were not factions behind the scenes against Coach Carr? Does anyone actually think this is an issue that only exists at Michigan?
3) Why doesn't this "All In" apply to the kids? Why is it okay to criticize bloggers/posters who question Coach Rod, but not those who go after kids like M. Williams or even T. Forcier? Sounds clearly hypocritical to me.
I think the majority of posters on various boards will agree that what is going on, that is, the performance of the team ON the field is not acceptable. We all have eyes, we all see the progress, or lack thereof.
But this off the field stuff has been way overplayed and has unfairly been placed on people who are either not that important. or it has been overstated as to their participation.
Let me say that is most cases. as I have stated from day 1, winning would solve many of these "so-called" issues, but unfortunately Michigan has not won, and worse Michigan has lowered its standards in terms of on-field performance. I say that those who are part of this "fantom conspiracy" they have legit complaints.
People think this is new at Michigan. I wonder why some have never asked about or questioned all the people who complained or wanted Lloyd Carr out, because in some ways the negative intensity towards Lloyd Carr was much higher than Coach Rod has ever experienced.
The reason Coach Rod feels he is being forced to deal with "drama" is because he never had to deal with scenarios such as this at West Virginia. He basically did whatever he wanted and nobody questioned him. Of course, his ability to win at West Virginia placed him in that position.
So, should Coach Rod get a pass at Michigan? I contend that a majority of what has transpired Coach Rod has either brought this upon himself, or he sure did not do much to curtail it.
Keep in mind, it was Coach Rod's decision to completely blow up the program. Not because the program needed a complete re-structuring (most of us would have agreed that Strength and Conditioning needed a change), but the blow-up was forced because Coach Rod does not know any other way to coach, except to coach the spread and he fully admits this.
This post could go on forever, but I want to conclude by focusing on a few things:
1) It was Coach Rod's decision not to keep any former Michigan assistants (except for Fred Jackson), that is accepted practice within the profession, but whomever Coach Rod hires should be in Michigan's best interest, not Coach Rod's.
There are many who are still upset with the way Coach Rod let some of the coaches go (basically going back on his word that he would interview each candidate). When in fact, he simply called them in the office and let them go.
Now before you go off and say this is his right --- (let me state my opinion) --- It's not his right to make a promise on the process and then not follow through. This is not what is expected at Michigan.
Football is a game and Coach Rod can make it as intense as he wants as long as he makes it fair and to some extent fun. Do the kids look like they are having fun to you right now?
Thanks for stopping by Go Blue Michigan Wolverine
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Written by MaizeMan
7 comments:
It looked to me like they were having fun through the first couple plays of the second half... not so much after that.. Damn RR for changing his coaching philosophy at that exact point! damn him to hell!
Excellent points. + 1 to you sir!
Justin Boren was spot on!
Michigan was on a multi year slide in 2007 under Carr so the change was needed.
I think any incoming coach who was not a former Carr assistant would have done pretty much the same thing as far as staff restructuring. Les Miles, Brian Kelly, et al. would have sent all or most of the Carr assistants packing.
The fix to the Program will take years to implement. This is not microwave popcorn. There is no magic answer.
Look where Michigan is now. Michigan is a very young team and is starting freshman at QB. What did you really expect? A trip to the Rose Bowl?
My only knock on Coach Rodriguez to date is that he has not made recruiting defensive players a priority. Hopefully, that will be addresses the next few years.
come on man...
you cant possible be questioning a coach for doing things his way?
thats bush league... the guy is trying to win, and none of you will complain when he does... the program is what the kids and the coaches make of it... if you dont like it, go watch youtube clips of years gone bye...
There was a reason the Carr Staff was let go - for the most part, those guys were cronies who could not carry their own weight.
I like that he kept Fred Jackson, he should have kept Soup Campbell. Other than that a fresh start was needed.
Are you trying to say he should have kept Mike Debored?
I'd give anything to have Vance Bedford here, coaching our secondary. Gibson is awful!
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