I guess I have to be first on that list. Bill Martin knew what he was doing all along. Michigan could not have hired a better candidate to replace Lloyd Carr. This changes a whole lot in Ann Arbor, including ( cover your ears Bo) the spread offense being run by MICHIGAN in the Big House. Did you think you would ever see that day come?
Change was needed in Ann Arbor. Michigan was very stuck in their ways and with a Bo disciple running the program, ( Lloyd Carr), they were running in circles. Now with Rich Rodriguez in charge, Michigan can look to the future and be hopeful.
I can't put it into words how excited I am about this hire for Michigan. Rodriguez was my second choice behind Brian Kelly to succeed Lloyd Carr. There were rumors floating that Michigan would give offensive coordinator Mike Debord the interim label for a year and try to hire another huge name next year. That would have been a disaster. ALSO, LES MILES NOT GETTING THIS JOB WAS THE BEST THING THAT ANY MICHIGAN FAN COULD HAVE ASKED FOR.
Les was very much like Bo and Michigan would have probably reverted back to three yards and a cloud of dust. There is zero chance of that happening now with Rich Rodriguez's offense being the staple in Ann Arbor.
Congratulations to the Wolverines and Bill Martin for abandoning the status quo. That was a huge step in guiding Michigan back to the elite of college football. Of course, there will be questions about this hire.
What took Bill Martin so long? From the outset, Bill Martin said that he would get the best candidate for the job, no matter how long it took. Martin accomplished that.
What about all the recruits Michigan lost this past month? I'll answer that with a question of my own. What about all the recruits Michigan just GAINED? Rich Rodriguez brings buzz, excitement, a wiining record and mentality.
You can mock him for getting that record in the Big East. ( FYI fellow Big Ten fans, the Big East was top to bottom better than the Big Ten this year.) You can point out that Rodriguez and his Mountaineers blew a chance of playing in the BCS title game by losing to Pitt. I can't argue that, but name me a coach or team who didn't blow a game or title opportunity this year. I hear crickets.
As you can tell, I'm behind this hiring 100%. Change was needed and will happen in Ann Arbor. It will not happen overnight. Rodriguez has to get athletes and guys who know the spread offense to play at Michigan. If he can recruit those guys to play at West Virginia, he will find it easy to recruit those same guys to Michigan.
January 1 2008 will be, in a way, and ending of an era. After that day, there will be no more Henne, Hart, Long or Carr. There will be enthusiam, nervous anticiaption, excitement and change. It's what Michigan needs and Bill Martin knew it all along.
I think the "tradition" spell has been broken at Michigan. The Wolverines are moving into the 21st century. With the new approach, and Michigan's ability to attract recruits, dark days may lay ahead for the Buckeyes. Sounds like a good hire.
In another vein, Michigan better guard its borders. The Mountaineers may invade to kidnap their coaches back away from you!
Hoit, I think you are right on most counts. From what I can tell, the person you should be thanking is Mary Sue Coleman, for finally taking charge and getting a hire done. I'm sure Lloyd isn't happy with the Rich Rod hire, but oh well.
Hoit, I was thinking of which way to go. The old Buckeye way of smacking down the hire, or, be happy for Michigan. I'm going with #2.
RR is going to be great for Michigan. Those Teams that hangs on to old tired ways will be left behind. It's not the new way that has changed many a team. Michigan moved this whole school in a new direction and the challenges coming will bring bing sweeping changes in the Big House, even more the Big Ten.
I agree with you that Rodriguez was a great hire. He may need a year or two to recruit the type of players he needs to run his offense, but if you can win at Tulane, you can win just about anywhere.
hoit, I'll be the second or am I the third to appologize about Bill Martin and his ineptitude. Seems that he or someone at Michigan got it right. RR will be someone who will bring winning back to Michigan. Though things may still be tough at first if the Mich. faithful are patient good things await this program. Goodluck to your team Hoit and look out Buckeyes.
MoonDog and Hoit, One of the Bowden brothers went undefeated at Tulane so the program though small must have something good about it that two coaches have winning records there. Maybe it was the Local talent though, who knows.
Last edited by gambitxxx on December 17th at 7:37 AM.
Martin came out smelling like a rose gambit, I know we both were questioning him. A tremendous hire for Michigan.
I think it was Clemson coach Tommy Bowden who went undefeated in the late '90's at Tulane. I somewhat remember Shaun King putting up incredible numbers with Rodriguez being his offensive coordinator at Tulane.
To the chagrin of many LSU fans, congrats on not getting Les Miles. If I were a fan of the Maize and Blue, then I would be dancing in my underwear in the streets of Ann Arbor. Thank God I am not.
I am so happy about this hire. I think this will bring the OSU rivalry back to the top. I am excited to see what Rodriguez does with this team. I was hoping that Tressel had a brother but now I can sleep at night again.
Definitely should be happy about that one... Rodriguez has always proven to be a class act, and he especially did so during that press conference after the Pitt game. He is a classy guy and Michigan should be proud.
its good to see optimism return to the land of Big Blue. before you know it you will be predicting victories and national championships for Michigan. I hate to be a wet blanket but your new coach has not proven he can win in Michigan yet and certainly not with Lloyds players. save some of your optimism for this time next year when he nearly a full season in and we can see whether of not you still like him.
Tommy Bowden & Rodrigiuez went undefeated at Tulane. Rodriguez was the offensive coordinator & turned Shaun King into a Heisman candidate.
I think WV is going to hire Terry Bowden, not Tommy. Terry is a WV alum & may jump at the chance to get back into coaching. He went 11-0 at Auburn his 1st year.
The only thing I predicted was change Dave. This won't happen overnight, but Michigan needed to move in this direction. Michigan getting Rodriguez was huge and the results will be seen, maybe not as soon as some people want, but Rodriguez is the right guy for the job.
I keep hearing that Terry is a likely candidate at WVA. He's been out of coaching for a while, but did outstanding when he was at Auburn, shaolin.
hoit, as one of the Buckeye faithful (3 generations) I welcome this UofM hire. The Michigan/OSU rivalry is considered one of the best in sports and is fueled by intense competition. The thrill of victory is only a thrill when the possibility of defeat is a looming threat. Coach Rod should bring some new blood to both UofM and the Big Ten. I wish UofM and Coach Rod the best of luck until of course they play OSU. Go Bucks.
That's what I'm talking about BOG! It's not a fun rivalry unless both sides take part in it. OSU needs Michigan to be elite, just like Michigan needs OSU to be elite. Beat those Tigers!
COACHERS R SOOOOOO LIKE WOMEN ANYMORE-GIVE EM SUPPIN SHINY AND FEED EM AND ####EM-BEING ALREADY MARRIED DONT MEAN ####-IF HE BEATS APPY ST SOMETIME IN FUTURE HES OFF TO PROS LIKE POTATO-ER-PITINO AND THEN COME CRYIN BACK.BUT $$ EASES TH PAIN WHILE TH POOR PLAYER HAS TO SHOPLIFT A IPOD-
Hoit,
I bet. I also heard near top recruit T. Pryor added Mich to his list now, along with PSU, OSU, TX, FL, and TEN. He is a stud... 6'6", QB, or all-purpose guy, runs a 4.3 40. Nasty. Could be huge splash for Rodriguez...
Sucks... as a PSU guy, you always want to hate Mich and OSU if you can... but it just isn't easy with guys like Rodriguez and Tressel around coaching. Much better class-wise than Carr and Cooper (not that Carr was that bad...)
Congrats on home page rumor section... that oughta bump you up to BOTD tomorrow... and to get a lot of attention. Later bro...
Last edited by ksp113 on December 17th at 11:59 AM.
The last coach they stole from WV is off to a wonderful start, 4-7 with losses to Harvard and Central Michigan... Good luck big brother, guess you are no longer the harvard of the midwest, more the west virginia
Last edited by BillClinton34 on December 17th at 12:05 PM.
i've been a michigan fan my whole life.grew up watching bo and lloyd.i would love to see a mobile qb at michigan.i dont know much about rod but he sounds good for the job,i just hope he doesnt throw out the famous michigan running game all together.maybe this change will bring back the glory days of whooping the buckeyes lol. Go Blue Beat The Gators!
I'LL take Rich Rodriguez and all his recruits as well...sources say he already has a few blue chips following...If Pryor (QB) goes to Michigan as well watch out Everyone, and good bye to cocky Mallet!!
Just a short apology to Les Miles for being so ready to lump him in with those other coaches who repeatedly state "I'm not going", just before leaving would also be in order.
What Les Miles will or will not do with LSU is to be determined, but we are proud of OUR COACH for being a man of integrity.
GEAUX TIGERS!
Last edited by lawildbull on December 17th at 12:34 PM.
As far as Rich goes.... you can have him. But, advise him that he and his family are no longer welcome within our borders. Coach B has class, and is a good hire for you. Rod, is a punk. Ask who really help him come up with the spread offense. Just mention Jed, he'll know who you are talking about.
Not sold on this move. The coach is probably a good one, but I think his system will mis-match with the Wolverines like Callahans "westcoast" did with Nebraska. No doubt they needed someone who was going to be more creative offensively than the standard cloud of dust mentality Carr stuck with, but it's defending the spread offense, and not necessarily running it, that Michigan needed. The defensive style also needs an agressive adjustment. Somehow I just didn't see that in Rodriguezs style of coaching.
Last edited by ANUBIS on December 17th at 1:42 PM.
I'm referring to you and all the other bloggers who repeatedly smeared Les Miles' name. It was just last week you were so sure that something was "rotten in the SEC." You and the USC lover girl were so ready to dismiss Les Miles and call him a liar after the man repeatedly said "I will be LSU's coach next year." I guess your not getting that Fox Sports writing full time job now are you?
Sandog1, Guess we can forget about all the smear campaign against Les Miles. Since he would DARE stay in the SEC, and especially at a backwater school like LSU, he obviously is beneath the contempt of the elitists at FOX, ESPN, etc.
Let me put it in the way they would expect from one with my southern roots, "I'm plumb tickled we still got a man's man who shoots straight.
Remember, one thing Michigan is getting is a Liar...Do Not trust this man...he has no ties to you or your state....look what he did to his friends and the people he knew very well. On 12/17/07 I warned you!!!
Don't start thinking you will be back to winning The Game homey. Rich-Rod is a vast improvement over Carr to be sure and he will be a challenge for the Senator. Hell, I might even have to eat some crow next year...naaaaaaaah.
If Tress & Co. don't figure out how to handle running QB's any time soon, Rod will have his way with the Bucks. Goes both ways though.
Pryor is definitely in play for UM now (unfortunately), but the Brew Crew have serious ties with Terrell and he has the option toplay BB for the Bucks in addition to football. Matta already signed off on that. Not that UM wouldn't offer the same thing. They would have to retool their offense for him to play next year. He is that ggod though. Check out his film sometime if you get a chance.
Glad to see your nightmare has ended and even though Miles would have guaranteed OSU at least four more straight, I'm glad the Big Ten has another quality coach within its ranks.
I do not agree that the Big East was better top to bottom though. Piece of #### Iowa blasted the Cuse and they beat Louiville, who beat the patriots...oh forget it, I need a drink.
Why don't you get a bowl pick-em started now that you have all the free time available from helping Martin track down a coach.
But, I can't help but think about another powerhouse school that thought a big change into the 21st Century would lead them back to the promised land. Several years later, they were screaming for the days of old.
No, I'm not talking about Oklahoma. One school that has made a very good transition from one style of football to another.
I'm talking about Nebraska. Hope Michigan can pull it off and not suffer thru 5-6 years of bad football.
Don't compare Rodriguez & Callahan. Callahan has always been a terrible coach that can't coach defense. Nebraska actually had a pretty good offense under Callahan. But when your defense gives up 70 pts a game you wont win many.
Rodriguez will do well in 09&2010 when he gets the speed to run at the slow plodding defenses of the Big 10 (Wisc, OSU, PSU, etc) that can't compete against the spread. We saw w/ AppSt, Illinois, LSU, USC etc. Look at what Ron Zook has done in Illinois.
Rodriguez is also a solid defensive coach but had very little talent at WV. He will change the entire Big 10...you'll see these schools start recruiting a lot more speed on defense cause the spreads of Rodriguez & Zook.
Last edited by shaolin74 on December 17th at 3:33 PM.
I've liked the Mountaineers for a long time since Iron Head Heyweard. SOrry about the spelling.
And you've guys have been a great proving ground for some of the great coaches. R-Rod and Bobby Bowden to name a couple.
But with the times of big money, it's just hard to compete with the big boys.
I guess that's what all the super agents and all this advertising and tv money has gotten us to. I've got a good friend who's a graduate there and he loved it there. A real family atmosphere.
Good Luck! Look on the bright side, you guys can use all this buyout money from UM to get a great coach and hold on to him? Again good luck.
With the recruiting connections that the Wolverines already have in talent hotbeds such as Michigan, Ohio, Texas, Florida, Illinois, Penn, and Cal, they can surely more easily fill his needs better than if he was at WVU. Just the name of Michigan alone will bring in a handful of top recruits by itself.
R-Rod has done more with less talent than the Wolverines who have recruited better over the past ten years than the Buckeyes. While at the same time, the Buckeyes have done more with less talent.
I believe there is a big hypocracy in the college game now with these coaches who all appear to talk out of both sides! In one breath, they say their current job is THE BEST JOB they could ever want, and they preach to these kids to come and give it all to THE TEAM. And the next moment, they are sneaking off to talk to someone about a new BEST JOB while denying they are even thinking of leaving! Is it any wonder we don't trust 'em?!!?
GREAT POST!!! Being a Wolverine through and through, I could not be happier. This is sure to usher in a new era of excitement and anticipation that was lacking for the past several years. I'm not one to ever speak poorly of the Wolverines as I bleed maize and blue. But even I have to admit that it was getting easier and easier to turn the channel on Saturday to watch a game that was sure to bring more energy than that which was being played in Ann Arbor. September '08 can't come soon enough. GO BLUE!!
Has anybody bothered looking at the job R-Rod did as O Coor in Tulane and his other posts such as Salem? He made Shaun King look like a freak. And he wasn't the most mobile quarterback. He use to throw 50 passes a game at one time. Also, Urban Meyer won a National Championship with Chris Leak.
Hey Jonathan "DO YOUR HOMEWORK" You stupid arse!
Iron Head went to PITT (The team that beat DicRod)and RRod went 2-8 at Salem and the next year they dropped football forever! It will weird in the year 2010 and Michigan has decided to drop football.
As a lifelong Buckeye fan, I must admit I am genuinely excited about the hire. Playing (and winning) against LLLLLLloyd was getting kind of old (I assume some UM fans got to feel the same way about John Cooper). Hopefully this will add back more excitement to the GREATEST RIVALRY IN ALL OF SPORTS (something which seemed to be lacking this year, especially with the early losses to Appy State and the Ducks). I hope Rodriguez puts them on a 11-game winning streak (just so the Buckeyes can knock them down - its more fun when UM is winning). Go Bucks!
Born and raised in the great state of MEE-CHI-GAN. Had a one year stint in Indianapolis where I grew to love all things Hoosier and watched the Colts bring home a Super Bowl trophy. My primary teams remain the Tigers, Pistons, Lions, Red Wings, and Wolverines and I wouldn't trade any of them. Still follow NASCAR, but it's not the same without the black number 3. My favorite sport by far is college basketball. I'll watch pretty much any game between November-Febr uary and March is the pinnacle of it all with the MADNESS. It can't be beat.
