Blueman Rick

Wed, Dec 1, 2010 : 1:04 a.m.

Couldn't care less which bowl this underachiever takes us to. Looking forward to the announcement in early January of a new HC w/ integrity and leadership skills that will return UM to glory. What a miserable three years it's been.

lawrencelaundry

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 7:26 p.m.

OF course Harbaugh wont be in attendance at the banquet. Can u imagine the tension that would be between the coaches and DB himself. The media would be all over it. HIM not showing up means there's a better chance that in fact, he will be the next coach. Let's hope!

15crown00

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 1:28 p.m.

Brandon won't pull the trigger.his yellow and blue brain won't function anymore. Fire Rich the you can hire someone right now.The bowl game takes second place to having the right man in place for next season.

15crown00

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 1:28 p.m.

Brandon won't pull the trigger.his yellow and blue brain won't function anymore. Fire Rich the you can hire someone right now.The bowl game takes second place to having the right man in place for next season.

lawrencelaundry

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 1:12 p.m.

OF course Harbaugh wont be in attendance at the banquet. Can u imagine the tension that would be between the coaches and DB himself. The media would be all over it. HIM not showing up means there's a better chance that in fact, he will be the next coach. Let's hope!

ViSHa

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 1:03 p.m.

people need to not ask what JH wants to do--they need to ask "what does his wife want to do", cuz i bet if she likes CA, there's no deal, lol.

julieswhimsies

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 12:53 p.m.

Good grief! More than 200 posts regarding a football coach and his team!

XTR

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 10:17 a.m.

DB is now playing mind tricks on everyone that will last for a month. He is waiting for JH to finish his hard earned BCS bowl game, JH will not quit on his team until their bowl game is over. For the meantime DB will not RR get off the hook until UM's bowl game is over either. This way everyone is off guard (media included)as to what is going happen with this coaching change. Not unless DB announces that RR will be back because RR is his man, RR is done. Not unless JH announces that he is not interested in returning to UM, he is. Both are just waiting for the bowl games to finish and DB is playing with our minds. lol!

marineblue

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 10:15 a.m.

harbaugh WILL NOT BE IN ATTENDANCE! he has declined the offer for obvious reasons. aa.com staff, you really need to get your facts straight before you print this trash. for the people that read and believe this trash, find another more credible news source. if RR wins in the bowl game he will be back for sure. if the game is competitive, RR will be back for sure. either way, brandon waiting till after the bowl game almost ensures that RR will be retained for 2011. can't wait to read that headline here at aa.com and read all the commments from the haters. that is going to be a full day of amusement...

P U MSU

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 9:28 a.m.

Graduating 4 relevant senior players. 2 true recruting classes. 15+ starting freshmen or sophmores. Spread from pro-style is much harder and anyone is giving credit for. Bad decision to hire. Worse decision to fire after 3 years and 2 recruiting classes. My belief is that if Harbaugh wants the job it's his. (I personally do not see this happening.) Outside of Harbaugh wanting the job, RR is back for another year.

greymom

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 9:21 a.m.

WOW- what is there to think about!!!!!!

applehazar

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 8:49 a.m.

Dave - I see you are waiting until the season is over to make a decision - but I hate to tell you the season was over weeks ago. So what is your decision? LOL

heartbreakM

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 8:28 a.m.

What is this argument that RR's guys are not his guys? When he became coach, all the players were HIS guys. I dont' care if he recruited them or not. Using that logic, then Meyer's, The Vest's and Saban's championships really belong to the prior coach. That is faulty logic. He may not have recruited these players, but the day he agreed to become "coach", he became responsible for them and they became his players. Of course, some like Mallett and Boren left, but those who stayed.......became Non-champions. BTW, I don't think it matters if the talent on the team is "NFL" or not--Indiana basketball under Knight produced relatively few pros yet were tough as anyone. I care about how the coaches make decisions and adjustments; how our coaches actually coach these players. That has not happened on defense at all, and offense stats being what they are, probably has happened on offense, though not in the big games, especially in the first halves. (I will continue to give RR and his offensive coaches props for coaching DR well--he was a way improved player from last year).

Blu-n-Tpa

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 7:56 a.m.

First, Lloyd Carr did nothing but bring a National Championship, a half a dozen Big Ten Championships, an unbelievable record vs Top 10 teams, and the respect and admiration of almost every player who ever donned a winged helmet during his tenure at Michigan. I would like any of you who think the current state of Michigan football is Coach Carr's legacy to stand in a room of past players from the Carr era and bad mouth the man. But, first get up-to-date insurance. LC NEVER led a Michigan team on the field that wasn't properly prepared to play. Players were as ready as their ability allowed them to be and then the coaching staff made them better. Some of you just don't get it. It's about the coaching. Did UM win every game under Carr? Of course not. Some times there were better teams and, at least on that given day, better coaches. But his overall record is one that every Michigan fan can take pride in. RR's number one issue is that he doens't appear to make players better in the context of the team. What are they doing in practices since the defense and special teams look like a keystone cops movie. Leaving your punter at home because of breaking team rules is acceptable, even aginist OSU. Not having someone ready to punt in his place is mind-boggling. As stated in an earlier post there has not been enough improvement, if any, in all three aspects of football to warrant continuing with the current coaching staff. I don't think the amount of time to get better will be any longer than next spring's practice. With the right coaching staff you will see improvement in the very first game. I mean compared to what we have now, how hard can that be?

Stephenb1707

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 6:42 a.m.

DB has already made the decision. He has been thru the wars and knows how to react and when. He is a true veteran and will act as such. RR gave it his best, too bad it was not good enough. I wish him the best in his new job.

saginaw

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 4:40 a.m.

DB is staying with RR -- no question. This is what ND did with Charlie a short two years ago.

XTR

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 3:34 a.m.

Those who support RR are those who thought that RR = Michigan. As in Michigan is NOT Michigan without RR. LOL! There is no reason at all to keep RR! That guy destroyed the program on and off the field! LOL! RR is a failure and UM will remain a failure as long as RR is here!

XTR

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 3:29 a.m.

Spread this, spread that. The problem is not spread this or that, the problem is execution and proper utilization of the scheme with the right personnel. Also the ability to adjust during games. All of this boils down to coaching, coaching and coaching. When a coach cannot get anything from the talent at hand, he is a failure and should be fired! LOL! RR should be fired!

XTR

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 3:23 a.m.

LOL! There are still lots of RR lovers! RR is done guys, DB is just waiting for the BCS bowl of JH, then it is take me home country roads back to West Virginia. LOL!

lawrencelaundry

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 2:07 a.m.

EDWARD R, don't explain yourself. Most of us know hour right. CHAD disagrees because he's Rich Rods lover. U wont be able to change his mind. Lol.

Sevans68

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 1:09 a.m.

HeartbreakM - I agree with your comments about Rich Rod not getting it. He treats the rivalries as just another game and there is not passion from him or the players about the games. I was still supportive(barely) after the MSU game. Too many mistakes, turnovers, penalties. He then comes out and makes excuses. The big game for me was PSU which was a middle of the road big ten team this year with a walk on QB. The team came out and looked unprepared and unmotivated. That is unacceptable when you have 2 weeks to prepare for a team. People are talking about his recruits and he needs more time to fix the D. I don't like the fact that his recruits don't even stay. What recruits (or current players) does he have on the D side of the ball that look to improve and taking big steps next year? It won't be fixed overnight but I don't think it will be fixed next year either. I'm not sure who said it but I agree that Brandon has already made a decision. If he can bring in a coach he is comfortable with (not sure if it will be Harbaugh, Miles or someone else) he will let Rich Rod go. If he can't get something in the works he will stick with Rich for 1 more year. Not sure a new D coord will help much though. 3 DCs in 4 years is ridiculous and that definitely falls on Rich Rod (unless Martin made him hire GRob). @Chad - your entitled to your opinion but calling everyone else out for not supporting Rich doesn't make any sense. I thought Carr was an average coach with very good talent and under acheived. But Michigan was always competive in the conference and with our rivas, even though Tressel had his number. I just don't see that ever happening with Rich Rod and that's the biggest reason I think he needs to go. And you probably are right, he didn't get the support for the media and Alums when he first got here and that may have hampered his recruiting. But winning usually brings people to your side unless you get the program on probation for NCAA violations. If he can't recruit because he doesn't have the support the he has to go. Is it fair to him no, but he could have done things to win fans over early on and he didn't. By the way Steven Threet doesn't look too bad at ASU.

treetowncartel

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 12:30 a.m.

One other thing, considering the fact most defensive players in the draft are 4+ year players in college, RR would not have the opportunity to put one of his recruits in the NFL.I'm not a huge fan of the schemes on either side of the ball, but skewing something like defensive pros under his tenutre is a little disingenious at this point in time. On a side note, I long for the drop back pro set and could truthfully care less about the defense. I mean I did have to suffer through Dion Johnson when we had a brilliant offensive scheme going

The Slayer

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 12:27 a.m.

Heartbreakm You forgot the following players that played in the NFL John Elliot Jamie Morris Bubba Paris Anthony Carter Butch Woolfolk Keith Bostic Stefan Humphries John Kolesar etc, etc...do we need to go on?

treetowncartel

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 12:22 a.m.

Pretty good Heartbreak, but none of those players were stellar year inad year out pro bowl caliber players Our offensive lineman were the NFL staple during those periods, and a few skill position players. I'm just pointing out that while we have had good defenses at Michigan, it is not what we are known for when it comes to the NFL. On a side note, almost all of our Quarterbacks in the last 30 years have done some time in the NFL, with Mallett the most likely future prospect to keep that streak running.

theteamtheteamtheteam

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 12:13 a.m.

And I quote: Former OSU coach Earl Bruce after the game: "Theyre just not very good, he said. They werent prepared and their defense isnt any good. This is the worst Michigan has been in my career. And its been that way for a few years now. Specifically, three years Jim Tressel after beaing Michigan: "We have half the senior class that has five Big Ten rings and five pairs of gold pants (for beating Michigan), which is a huge deal. It won't do anything for us in a bowl game, but it will do something for us in our dresser drawer or wherever you keep your stuff. It's a feeling of accomplishment." OSU senior wide receiver Dane Sanzenbacher: "We always take this game seriously - we work all year for this game. I don't know how it feels for this game to go the other way. I always came out on the winning side, and I'm glad it went that way. I'm proud to say I'm leaving here never losing to (Michigan)." Rich Rodgriguez: I wish we would have played better, and I expect better out of this team. Im going to be angry for awhile. Its going to sting for a bit, but its not something that we can go back and replay. Rich Rodriguez: Im not used to this, these coaches arent used to this. Theyre used to playing in championships and bowls, and its as frustrating as heck Rich Rodriguez Im not deterred, because I know where were at, he said. Ill evaluate everything again tonight, tomorrow and well start getting better next week, next months and next year, and we will be better. Rich Rodriguez: "I reassure Michigan football fans that his program is on the right track and the worst is behind us I know it is. Michigan defensive tackle Mike Martin: Theres a lot of good things to come and I feel Michigan has been resurrected. But a lot of things, a lot of it hasnt shown yet. We have a lot of young guys coming back, the d-line will have all seniors next year, and well be ready to go. I feel so much refreshed after reading RR comments. He finally found his crystal ball and expect smooooooth sailing and the Program is READY to win the B10 n NC. The words of wisdom from a TRUE MICHIGAN LEADER after all "Those Who Stay Will Be Champions of Mockery, Pathetic and our final game with OSU will be nothing but a practice for the Buckeyes before their usual BCS Bowl game"

The Slayer

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 12:11 a.m.

I don't see why everyone is up in arms about Harbaugh's comments regarding the academic requirements of the Michigan Football program. He was correct...Michigan IS accepting borderline students and steering them to easier coursework. When only 3% of the general student population majors in general studies and 82% of the football players major in general studies (rather than a declared major) something is wrong. Most of these kids will not go pro and by not having them in a major that is worthwhile, they'll be unable to find a decent job upon graduation. How is that doing a service to the University. The point he was making is that it is possible to build a winning program with STUDENT-athletes...not borderline students and great athletes. Stanford has stricter academic requirements and Harbaugh seems to have done very well there. RichRod has done nothing but embarrass the University of Michigan during his tenure. The messy divorce with WV, the probation, and the product on the field. This team is no closer to winning a Big 10 title than it was when he started...the defense is abysmal, the offense can't score against good teams. He needs to go sooner rather than later...and Harbaugh would bring back the class and swagger that we're all accustomed to and miss.

heartbreakM

Tue, Nov 30, 2010 : 12:09 a.m.

More than 5 defensive players for you: Tripp Welborne (Minnesota Vikings) Andy Cannavino (Det Lions) Garland Rivers Mark Messner (brief but still NFL) Jarrett Irons (brief but NFL) Corwin Brown Bobby Abrams Mike Hammerstein Kevin Brooks Steve Morrison There are others. And your point is?????

treetowncartel

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 11:55 p.m.

Name more than 5 U of M defensive players that went on to have NFL careers from 1980 to 1995.

heartbreakM

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 11:45 p.m.

A lot of comments refer to the lack of NFL talent on the last 3 years defensive squads. All of which leads to these thoughts: Do players come into college "NFL ready"? Even after 1-2 years of playing, are most of these players "NFL ready"? How do college players get "NFL ready"? How much is coaching vs. innate ability? I for one think that coaching is responsible for 75-80% of pro potential, and the other quarter is innate (Brandon Graham for instance was a great competitor no matter who coached him). So, if after 3 years, RR has produced no NFL talent on his defense (or marginally on offense, too), should we blame the players or the coaches? Coaches may complain about the lack of talent, but that is on them as much if not more than the players. And he has failed the players big time.

treetowncartel

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 11:41 p.m.

Oh, and while we are at it, I think we should score Jimmy Johnson instead of Harbaugh.

treetowncartel

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 11:40 p.m.

Gary Moeller should still be coaching this team. If all of our jobs were on the line for having one too many and telling a pretty girl she is pretty, the unemployment rate would be really high in this state.

heartbreakM

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 11:25 p.m.

@man of bluue: You make a lot of valid points over time needed, etc. I do think, though, that RR has been a forced fit since day one, and not a good fit for Michigan. I look at it like I would look at any large corporation. If you hire somebody who is a complete outsider, whose ideas are contrary to the organization, and who is a complete cultural shift from what you have, you have to give the person some time. But if that person proves no better after a set of time (to be determined by the overall person in charge), you have to rid yourself of that leader and "right the ship" so to speak. I have thought RR was the bad person from day one, before he lost a single game. I think it was a desperate move, made Michigan and RR look bad, and was wrong for all sorts of reasons. Nothing that has happened since then has convinced me I am wrong. I don't personally like "system" guys. I like "fundamental" guys (not religious LOL). I like leaders who adapt to the situation, who understand where they are, and nothing RR has done proves that. He does not speak passionately about our rivalries. He has lost any big game he coaches in, without any sign of improvement. (Notre Dame as a notable exception though ND is not great shakes). He refuses to take accountability for poor coaching, even though his coaching has been atrocious. He seems to blame the players for not being good enough, and has repeated this through his three years. He has not shown himself to be a leader in any aspect of the word, and he gets paid a ridiculous sum of money. Do you have to wait until you are completely dead before making a change or do you cut off the bad limb and move on? Brandon should understand this. There are some things that time will not fix, and RR "getting these things" will not happen if it has not happened by now. Why in year 3 do we still hear the stupid "I didn't win the lottery and get to be the coach by chance....I didn't get stupid overnight...it's a perfect storm"? Unless there is no succession plan, he should be replaced. He has not proven to be worthy as our coach, and I frankly don't care about what gaudy offensive stats he has supposedly produced. They are meaningless when you are getting shellacked week after week.

tegel

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 11:15 p.m.

Lots of great posts. I was with RR until the PSU game. IMO, that is when the season took a turn for the worse. Before that game we won a few that we might have lost last year (sign of progress), but the coaching staff had 2 weeks to prepare for a down PSU team and UM laid an egg. After losing that one, the team seemed to also lose confidence. All the comparisons in this thread between LC, JH and RR seem pointless. All that really matters is improving UM. We certainly saw some improvement in the record/box score/standings but much less on the field, so DB seems to have plenty of wiggle room to justify a decision either way. Will we be in worse shape if a change is made now? I'm not so sure. In the words of poster on another thread I think it's time to "flush the toilet" and move on.

man of bluue

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 10:32 p.m.

Instead of listening to the repetitive back and forth about RR going or staying lets get into the mind of Dave Brandon and listen to what he is saying to get our answer. Brandon was a Bo disciple, played under him in 3 championship years, and credits him for much of his success both personally and professionally. Bo said all new football coaches should have 5 years before being finally judged. Bo was very angry after Gary Moeller was fired after 3 years at Illinois. Moeller had a losing record for 3 years and the 3rd year was worse than the first. Last week DB, in Lynn Henning interview talked about the risk of change, and that everyone wants to believe theres no price to be paid for change. Using this, Harbaugh could be a substantial risk looking at his Stanford record which in first 3 years was nearly identical to RR, 4-8, 5-7, 8-5 with bowl, 4th year ranked. he will lose people, use Denard differently etc. so 4 more years to get back to top. DB said last week to Cleveland alumni that he is excited about a senior Denard against Alabame in 2012. In talking about the defense to the Cleveland group, he said there is no quick fix. He said "18 year-old kids who just went to the prom are trying to stop 22 and 23 year olds on a team with 19 seniors. He said he doesn't Michigan to be known for changing coaches every three years. He talked to have the wow factor at Michigan, such as night games, Alabama matchup, game ball parachuted in etc. I think he believe he thinks Denard and the spreaf are wow factor. Harbaugh doesn't fit for both personal and coaching philosophy at this time. But forgetting Harbaugh RR will be 5 years anyway because that is what Brandon wants and it will happen barring a complete collapse next year.

mrbill52

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 10:14 p.m.

I took my son to the Youth Football Summer Camp run by Rich Rod and his staff. Coach Rodriguez did not look at all comfortable in his surroundings. Neither did his coaching staff. These middle school kids enjoyed the camp, regardless, but I didn't hear very many positive opinions about him. I always got the feeling every time I saw him on the practice field that he was looking over his shoulder. You would expect a Head Coach to emanate confidence. Not hardly from this guy. You can't sell a product when you don't believe in it yourself. He can't coach a Big Ten team, he definitely can't recruit, but he certainly can collect a rather handsome buyout, unemployment check next month. So, the writing is on the wall.

Hebner

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 9:51 p.m.

Many great posts here! As a UM fan I read postings for and against changing our coach, and I agree with the ones that say a change is needed. An OSU fan wants us to get better so that we can compete with them and bring back the rivalry...because we all know it is gone, even ESPN Gameday didn't show up at our game Saturday. The game was so lousy and boring, our Big East style small ball(small players) doesn't work in the big 10. Fumbles!spell poor coaching, as Denard Robinson continues to carry the football in his left arm while running to the right sideline area. RR blames the players for fumbling, but it's his fault it's been happening at an alarming rate the last 5 or 6 games. Who's developing the confidence of these young men? Where's the motivation? Where's the hunger? I didn't see any player who put his body on the line! I didn't see any Ray Lewis types out there. In my opinion we need a great coach who commands respect; who exemplifies integrity. If we don't shop for head coaching character we will only continue to get 2nd tier recruits to come to Michigan who will only go so far in battling on the field. RR cant coach at a big time program; Like someone else said,'take all your hicks with you'-especially your gymnastics and yoga trainer Boris-whatever his name is. RR is an average offensive coordinator; has a shady past; probably isn't respected in several circles at the University including his coaches and players. For the sake of our football tradition, fire his @#$!

Terrin

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 9:39 p.m.

J. Dean: I don't buy that. Harbaugh is a talent coach as opposed to a systems coach. Harbaugh looks at the talent he has and molds a system to that. So, he could work with a spread offense if needed. RR on the other hand is a one trick pony: namely the spread offense. Further, I think the right coach can use RR's same talent and obtain better results. When a team turns the ball over as much as Michigan and has as many personal fouls, something is wrong in the coaching. Michigan would have won many of the game it lost if only the players understood the fundamentals better. Ohio State's talent wasn't phenomenally better, it just made far fewer errors. In addition, I do not think RR inspires loyalty and commitment as well as he could. If he did, you wouldn't see as many defections and players exposing NCAA violations.

BigWolverine13

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 9:13 p.m.

No one here has mentioned RRs poor game management. All year weve heard that the problems on defense are due to having 7 freshmen playing on defense. That being the case, why would RR run a hurry up offense, thereby quickly putting the defense back on the field? Whether they scored or had a three and out, the defense was back out there struggling. The point here is that there is no compromise in this man; the spread could be run at a slower pace but he would not do it. He lost good players (like Mallet) because of his insistence of running his offense. Even when his own defense had to stay out on the field for 40 out of 60 minutes, he would not modify his pet methods to try to win a game. He is a stubborn, egotistical and unethical man, who should be run out of town. Harbaugh or Miles may be good, but there are many other good coaches out there, who know how to go with the strengths of their players, and not force a system on players not suited to their abilities.

yourdeadtomeRR

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 8:39 p.m.

It seems like quite a few people now seem to think that rich rod is better than the alternatives. I don't know how you come to that conclusion. What on earth could point to that? The worst defense in Michigan history. He keeps breaking his own records for that. Apparently cannot recruit a kicker to save his life( or his job, as it may be), and the only reason he won any games this year was the emergence of denard robinson. And the only reason he even got him was Florida and all the other schools recruiting him wouldn't let him play qb. So what do we have here: an absolutely atrocious defense, which might spike up to # 85 or 90 in the country next year with all the returning starters, absolutely no kicking game, and an offense that obliterates big east schools, and patsies, but against anybody with any beef up front, can't do much of anything because rich rod wants light and quick o-lineman, has almost no use for a tight end( this kid koger might have been pretty darn good). So what is your argument that he should stay? Because Lloyd Carr couldn't beat USC and Texas? Because we had trouble with mobile quarterbacks? Has any of thy gotten better? Or even stayed the same? No, it has in fact gotten much much worse. RR is a coach of the year candidate in the big east, but here he couldn't put a winner on the field in ten years.

Chad Williams

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 8:32 p.m.

@Ghost.. You brought up 2007 season, r u serious the same team that got beat by app st and oregon at home. That defense was better what a joke. That defense proved that it couldnt handle speed. Yea they could match up to the slugs of the big ten. but not against the anyone else

Chad Williams

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 8:27 p.m.

@yelmonian.. Its not support its logic, finish what we started we didnt want carr so we got rich. Bailing out after he did what people said he had to do which is win we all knew a 10 win season wasnt happening. Thats a coward move and we shouldnt go out like cowards. Outta those 49 other coaches how many can take this team thats only a 7 win team this year and make sure they dnt become a losing team next year. You say any jus to be smart but really how many can take this team not and still be successful...factor in not many of those coaches wanted d rob as a QB so thats problem one. More than likey wont want forcier. Gardner most likely will be our qb but another first year starter thats 4 in 4 years. We starting over again which is pointless. The only thing a coach can do is coach Defense but i said before we were never that great on D jus better at stopping the run. Secondary has always been a michigan defense weakness its a fact. Fire RR you better have a guy that can come in keep this team above 7 wins beginning next year cause with RR they will improved so firing him to bring a new coach that will lose next year is retarded in every way possible.

Chad Williams

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 8:16 p.m.

yelmonian. I bring that up because we are michigan the leaders and the best right? Thats what the big problem with 7-5 record this year. but them. If we r the leaders and the best i havent seen that on the field from 98-07. %75 is a 9 and 3 record nothing dominating about that. Nothing great about that. I never cared for shared titles big ten or NC. But we are a program that expects to win National titles every year. %75 percent doesnt do it any more than %58 percent. Carr was good against the big ten but thats all he could do. He won bowls, but how many bowls did he win against elite level opponents. Carr won a NC with moeller players after going 8-4 his first year. from 2000-07- no bcs,2 wins in 8 years against osu, embarassed by Tennessee, USC x2 he did nothing against the nations elite this decade. Sure he beat up on the big ten and 4th and 5th place sec schools. These r facts not stats. Carrs team would have trouble agaisnt this team cause of speed and a mobile QB. No matter how sorry this defense is carrs defensive had one outstanding 11 game season in 2006 and look like the old D the last two games. Secondary getting burned by ginn and jarret.

StarZone

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 8:14 p.m.

@John: And as I recall, UM also held OSU to 14 points in that 2007 game. That is 23 points less than the 2010 team. Taking this further... Henne and Hart were hurt in the 2007 game, yet they still scored 3 points. Take DRob out, and Michigan scores zero points in 2010. Continuing the same logic, Michigan kicked for three points in that game. Something the 2010 team only did four times the entire season. Would you take the 2010 or 2007 team again, given the chance? We all know the answer.

Yelmonian

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 8:01 p.m.

Chad, Thought you would like this link. It ends after 2009 season, and hopefully will be updated at the end of 2010. RR has the 50th best winning percentage of active coaches. 50th. http://coacheshotseat.com/coacheshotseatblog/?p=1633 But wait... could it be... Harbaugh is ranked 36th. Even if people don't want Harbaugh, there are 49 coaches that have a better record than RR. I just don't understand the support for RR.

Chad Williams

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 7:58 p.m.

One more thing ask ND how that 3 year thing went with willingham and what happened to he coach after that. You have to give a guy 4 years to put his system in place and his players. Harbuagh's fourth year 11-1. Or be like ND fire him after three years bring the big name in guy for 5 years jus to fire him so therefor we will have our 4th coach in 15 years. If Denard Robinson name as a heismna contender for next two years is a better marketing tool than any coach. He made michigan matter on his own, bring a new coach he might be gonna. By the way Congrats D Rob Big ten player of the year. Now thats progress lol

Jaxon5

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 7:57 p.m.

John, For the sake of argument, let's accept your flawed logic that Michigan was "crumbling" under Lloyd Carr. That leaves one critical question with only one answer. Question: Is the team better now than it was then? Answer: No, it's worse. 3 consecutive losing seasons in the Big 10, and the inability to beat any teams with a winning record is worse, much worse.

Chad Williams

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 7:44 p.m.

@mr007. You trashed what again? all it u did was sack ride harbaugh and carr. and its sad we r rooting for a guy that trashed our program when he got a lil spotlight. Thats more pathetic then begging for carr to come back. UofM has no back bone. We treat richrod as if he asked to be hired. We wanted him more than he wanted us. Thats the problem with all the fire RR, you got what u want but you dnt wanna swallow it with pride.

Yelmonian

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 7:37 p.m.

Chad, OK... now you are going overboard. Why only 1 undefeated season in 13 years for Carr? The man won 75% of his games. 75%! RR has a lifetime at 58% in Div 1. 58%! Do you see the difference? NC Champions in the past ten years... Florida (2008) 1 loss, LSU (2007) 2 losses, Florida (2006) 1 loss, LSU/USC (2003) 1 loss. Teams don't go undefeated every year. And more to the point, the best year RR has had in the Big Ten is 5 losses. Overall... he has only had (1) one loss season in 11 years. His typical is 4 to 5 losses a year. Why would you even bring that up as a defense for keeping RR?

Chad Williams

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 7:36 p.m.

I just wanna know when was was michigan so great with carr... By the time all the players from moeller squad left so did athletes and speed. 1-6 against tressel, 1 bcs bowl win, heck tressel lost more title games than we won. he did that within 5 years lol. Again what was so great bout being ranked 5 to losing to app st the greatest most unpredictable upset in college history. ok 2006 we were 11-0 until we met our weakness that never got fixed under carr. Stopping speed and a mobile quarterback. OSU and USC torched our secondary and app st and oregon did the next year and florida did as well... As i think more as much as we talk about true freshman playing bad in the secondary... I remember them chasing after a FBS team and thats what you call talent and a dominating program. The secondary has been a weakness since woodson

InsideTheHall

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 7:33 p.m.

Ask yourself the following questions: 1. Will we better off with RR or Harbaugh 5 years from now? 2. Do you want RR or Harbaugh to be the most visible Ambassador for the University? 3. Is 1-12 against MSU, OSU, PSU, Iowa, & Wiscy acceptable? 4. Can a smurf offense compete in the power footall laden Big Ten? One other note: Harbaugh is flexible in philosophy to the talent he has. He ran the spread offense at San Diego and now runs a more conventional pro offense at Satndford.

Jay Allen

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 7:30 p.m.

@Chad Williams: 1. I already thrashed your first post. 2. I am not going to sift through another text. 3. Ask your dad about UM Football. There was football before texting. Common sense is not too common anymore.......That statement applies to this thread.

John

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 7:29 p.m.

For those with short-term memories, a senior-stacked, talent-laden 2007 Michigan team, ranked #5 in preseason polls, scored just 3 points against Ohio State. That was Henne, Hart, Minor, Manningham, Arrington, Long, Kraus, et al. And Lloyd's last year and all those players left before RichRod arrived the next year... They scored 4 points less than RichRod's young team managed this year. Just thought I'd point that out since people here are pretending like RichRod destroyed some powerhouse in 2008. Things were already sadly crumbling before he was even hired.

Chad Williams

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 7:25 p.m.

TheAnnouncerman007: Plenty of what. Mallet and Graham were the only players that where 1st round worthy from what carr left. He lost to App state. I dont care who we beat that year we lost to them and thats far more unacceptable then anything RR has done on the field. 34 points with that senior class and we talk about the umass game be forreal stop setting double standards. How is it Apples and Oranges? lets see cause harbaugh is a michigan man? or you dnt like rich rod? Yea stanford has higher academic standards than most schools so he cant get top talent that easy, BUt seeing how Demar Dorsey wasn't admitted after he was cleared by the NCAA shows that its hard to get Top Talent to come here as well. Needing 3 ot to beat a 7 win team means you suck now these days. The past years pac ten have own the bowl games, but oh yea that means that had winning season to play in a bowl. Fast forward to this year only three teams will play a bowl game. So much for that arguement. As far as the team going backwards on Defense is so untrue... They werent all that good before RR. There were physical, but OSU still beat us 6 out of 7 we were blew out the water by USC twice, Looked stupid agaisnt Vince young... If we had such a great defense why only 1 undeafeated season in 13 years, y so many 8-4 and 9-3 records with capital one bowl and outback bowl victories. Im not gonna argue back all your point cause i see you missing the point. Arrested players lol r u serious, manningham was RR recruit too huh... Carr never had back to back ten win seasons... Michigan was an anverage team on a big stage. Mobile Qbs and speed on the line where michigans two biggest problems. Didnt get exposed that much in big ten play except a few teams, but nationally year after year they could not match up with the speed and talent of a top 5 team. Sure we beat an 8 win florida team with tebow, sure we beat some 8 win sec teams. RR didnt take michigan from the nations elite they were already gone and app state sealed it and then oregon next week. Those two weeks proved that michigan is vunerable to ANY team with speed and mobility at QB. It was time for a change of course Les was our original choice. its 2010 and Michigan cant be academic and football. Players are choosing the schools now not the other way around. You want brainiacs or football players. If your both u will only be average in both.

RudeJude

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 7:23 p.m.

Assuming that Michigan fires Rich Rod...is waiting until after bowl season too late? I thought "yes," until I found that some of the most-winning coaches of the last decade were hired after the New Year. - Urban Meyer hired by Florida: Dec 4th, 2004 - Won NC in 2nd season - Nick Saban hired by LSU: Dec 7th, 1999 - Won NC in 4th season - Nick Saban hired by Bama: Jan 4th, 2007 - Won NC in 2nd season - Pete Carroll hired by USC: Jan 9th, 2001 - Won NC in 2nd season* - Jim Tressel hired by OSU: Jan 17, 2001 - Won NC in 2nd season * - AP National Championship Clearly, there is no need to rush. Take your time with the evaluating, Mr. Brandon. Go Blue

racer

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 7:21 p.m.

STILL...Only 1 post from Theo212 and none from Tater. Come on guys don't give up on RichRod! You two have been his champions all season. Don't give up on him now, when he really needs you to convince the masses that he should be retained for another year. KEEP THE FAITH!!!

Yelmonian

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 7:13 p.m.

John, Yep. I've noticed the production. Not every team has big losses after a coaching change. Kelley seemed to be able to keep players at ND. MSU lost a few players, but kept the majority. Both of those coaches were able to utilize their talent and make a bowl game in the first year. And please don't insult my intelligence and tell me MSU had more talent Dantonio's first year than RR did. It also appears that RR did not push hard to keep quality players and convince them that he could adapt to utilize their talents. Many players have left that were his recruits, or a year or two into being on his team. That's on him. You cannot give me an excuse after year three to justify the special teams and defense being so bad. Only Marshall in the history of college football, has an excuse that I can accept.

M86

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 7:12 p.m.

Right now Michigan is the Stanford of the Big Ten. Great academically and generally lousy athletically in the sports that matter anyway... football and basketball. Michigan has not put a dime into the basketball program for thirty years Finally, they are upgrading the basketball facilities and Michigan stadium looks great, but we are years behind other top schools. It will take years to realize the benefits of these upgrades. Rodrigeuz has no excuses any more, he has got to start bringing in the recruits. If he doesn't Harbaugh will.

John

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 7:12 p.m.

Ghost, By your logic, since Brandon has stated he will assess coaching performance at the end of the season for all sports, every Michigan coach whose season has not yet ended will be fired. Darn. Looks like the ice hockey, soccer, basketball, football, water polo, volleyball, swimming/diving, and football teams will all be needing new coaches. How many of these can Harbaugh handle?

XTR

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 7:06 p.m.

LOL! Hey Chad, RR took over a winning program and he failed! LOL! He cannot beat MSU and OSU, he has an offense that sucked against good teams, a defense that sucked and special teams that sucked, then he even added NCAA violations. LOL! Then added all of the unclassy behavior of blaming everyone except himself. In short, RR came to a successful program and he destroyed it in just 3 years.

Jay Allen

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 7:05 p.m.

@ERM's Ghost: How are you? Hope all is well. You know to add on to your post, it would be an OK discussion if the topic were: "Is Harbarugh a better "fit" than RR". Better coach? To many variables. Like the admission process at Stanford vs UM. I bet 1/2 - 2/3 of UM team could not get accepted to Stanford. So that takes the talent pool and shrinks it. And I said, there are a few here that get it and understand it. There are a few of us that have remained constant and a few of us that truly see through the 500 yard offense explosions. 7 points against OSU. That is what we have. Enough said.

azwolverine

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 6:58 p.m.

J.Dean, UM is no Stanford. By the way, how did Oregon's 3-3-5 defense fare this season? Oh, my bad. They weren't stupid enough to run it.

Jay Allen

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 6:58 p.m.

@Art: "Actually, if you check the record part of the reason U M got put on probation for started under Loyd Carr. Poor record keeping under Loyd Carr." Okay, if the premise of what you are saying is true and what you are trying to infer, then why when the kids went to the Press and complained about practicing so much, then why didn't they toss Lloyd under the bus? Why did they ONLY toss RR under the AATA? Ponder that one....... I mean if Lloyd was so inaccurate in his record keeping and if practicing all hours of the night was an issue, then why wasn't Uncle Lloyd named? Common sense had better prevail here.

John

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 6:56 p.m.

Yelmonian, Have you actually gone back and looked at Lloyd's "highly rated" recruiting classes? They're actually pretty dismal in terms of production, even when Lloyd was still around, so you can't blame that on RichRod. For example, the #2 ranked 2005 class would not be in the top 30 if ranked on production rather than potential. Factor in the transition departures, which happen under every coaching change, and you have the embarrassment that is the 2008 Michigan football roster. Bo would not have done better with that roster.

Yelmonian

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 6:56 p.m.

Art, You mean like RR did at WVU...where WVU told him that what he was doing was not legal per the NCAA?

Tomas

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 6:51 p.m.

Got a question for all you RR well wishers, what his it you see so special in him?

Art

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 6:50 p.m.

Actually, if you check the record part of the reason U M got put on probation for started under Loyd Carr. Poor record keeping under Loyd Carr.

Yelmonian

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 6:44 p.m.

Art, How many teams did UM beat that are in the top 25? Just curious. Did Harbaugh get Stanford put on probation? Just curious.

Jay Allen

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 6:39 p.m.

@Cy Yoakam: "All the talk about whether Rodriguez should be fired seems to hinge on his win-loss record. What concerns me the most is his ETHICS -- or lack of them. (Read: real estate dealings; way he left West Virginia; his NCAA violations; his "torture Tuesdays"). RichRod could go undefeated, but with his lack of ethics, I would fire him in a split-second.....Cy Yoakam" AMEN!!! In my rant, I mentioned the arrests and the NCAA violation. I too do not think the end result (or final score) is the Holy Grail. What did you do to get there? Excellent post.

Art

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 6:36 p.m.

Hey, Stanford only played one team in the top 25 & they lost. Remember not the top 10 but one in the top 25!! End of story!

Yelmonian

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 6:31 p.m.

Chad, You down play Stanford's schedule. You say that ND barely made it to 6-6. They are 7-5 if memory serves me correct. ND actually got better as the season progressed (I don't believe the same can be said for UM). ND beat a Utah team that was ranked in the top ten at the time, and beat USC at USC. UM only beat ND by 4, and that was with ND's lead QB on the bench for a half. Now was Stanfords schedule easier than the Big Ten's (as a "little brother", you really have pushed my buttons because MSU is left out)... I agree. But! And here is the big one... I believe Stanford would have been competitive in any game they played in. UM WAS NOT! If a team was good, UM got beat, and beat badly. That's the difference! And as an MSU alumn and MSU fan, I have said all summer long and throughout the year... MSU needs UM to be competitive to help the Big Ten Brand. MSU needs to have UM be a decent team, so that MSU's strength of schedule is better. AND I have stated repeatedly, as long as RR is at UM... no Spartan fears the Wolverines. UM will have good years, but they will also have down years. I do not believe that RR can deliver a consistent 8-9 win seasons each year, with a championship year every 3-4 years. He's a mid-level coach. He's not a great coach. Based on that, MSU will win 50% of the games from UM at minimum. And the 3-0 record MSU has against RR just proves my point.

Chad Williams

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 6:22 p.m.

@steve.. it doesnt mean anything? why is the biggest national debate about the bcs is the fact that tcu doesnt play the big boys. as i said 11 wins isnt easy but a lot easier when 8 wins r against losing teams. The only team they played of any importance was a 21 point lost. Im still confused on what stanford has done this season but beating 8 losing teams and 3 mediorce teams. Nothing special worth noting. but they are ahead of wis, msu and osu. how is that so. They r number 4 due to the fact that other teams schedule were a lot tougher so more losses.

Cy Yoakam

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 6:03 p.m.

All the talk about whether Rodriguez should be fired seems to hinge on his win-loss record. What concerns me the most is his ETHICS -- or lack of them. (Read: real estate dealings; way he left West Virginia; his NCAA violations; his "torture Tuesdays"). RichRod could go undefeated, but with his lack of ethics, I would fire him in a split-second.....Cy Yoakam

Steve

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 5:59 p.m.

Yelmonian, I agree with you, Chad's points are meaningless dribble. For him to say that if Stanford played MSU, Wisconsin and OSU that they would lose? What is that based on? Its that sort of argument that gave us the BCS, my computer says that your team is better then there team; what crap. If you line up against 12 teams in the PAC Ten and win 11 you are good, end of story!

Cy Yoakam

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 5:59 p.m.

All the talk about whether Rodruguez should be fired seems to hinge on his win-loss record. What concerns me the most is his ETHICS -- or lack of them. (Read: real estate dealings; way he left West Virginia; his NCAA violations; his "torture Tuesdays"). RichRod could go undefeated, but with his lack of ethics, I would fire him in a split-second.....Cy Yoakam

Yelmonian

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 5:51 p.m.

Chad, Their is no fact or basis for your statements. You really think that Stanford was easier to coach at than UM? It's been shown on this website, can be googled, etc... that Lloyd Carr was bringing in highly rated classes. In the 6 years prior to RR, Carr had an average recruit class rating of 9th (8.67) in the country. Compare that with OSU's (12th in the country). It has been stated many times, that RR's first year was not fair because it was Carr's class, and RR had to save it. OK then. RR left UM with the 6th rated class in the country. RR has only gone backwards since then. Stats are from the UM had highly rated recruits. I don't care what the excuses are... whether they didn't like RR, RR didn't like them, they didn't fit his system, blah, blah, blah. RR either chose to lose to force his system through, or is incapable of actually coaching talent that he was given. No one can tell me that UM had such bad talent, that they can only squeak out 6 Big Ten wins in 3 seasons. That is aweful! MSU GOT 6 THIS YEAR ALONE! I'm pretty confident in saying that Stanford hasn't had a #6 rated recruiting class in football ever! Michigan's was average #6! To say that RR didn't "take over" Carr's football team, he rebuilt it... Have you ever heard the saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it". Maybe some tweaking here or there, but "re-built"? Why on earth would you re-build a team that regulary had 9 wins or more? Again, that is arrogance on RR's part. My simple analogy... You take your Corvette into the shop for new tires... and the mechanic says, hey I tore everything out and am rebuilding it. Should be a Ferrari when I'm done in 6 months, but for now it runs like a Pinto. 1)Why would you believe the mechanic could change it into a Ferrari when it's running like a Pinto? 2)Why did you let a non-qualified mechanic touch your corvette?

Chad Williams

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 5:49 p.m.

@johnnya2.. It is about harbaugh because he is they guy everyone is obsessed with. Have standford play msu, iowa, psu, wis, and osu. 11-1 wouldnt be there record i bet. The simple fact is that harbaugh had a easier road to 11 wins and oh yea a fourth year. His third year was a lower tier bowl loss to oklahoma. My point isnt that RR has done no wrong but dnt over credit the next guy when he has dne nothing better and who had a extra year and the schools support.

Steve

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 5:47 p.m.

Those few (OSU fans I think) that support RR do so with faulty logic. OU's defense is much bigger than Michigan's and their argument that OU's "Michigan style" spread beat Stanford's smash mouth is ridiculous. Fire RR now!!

Yoda

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 5:46 p.m.

Harbaugh is not taking the head coaching position at the Univ of Michigan. He apparently had an offer a few years ago and turned it down. As Harbaugh recently commented, there's good football being played in Michigan, just happens to be in Lansing. May be true, but better left unsaid. We should hope that Rich doesn't decide to leave after the bowl game. There's no replacement in sight. Outside of Miles and Harbaugh, who's next on the very short list of "Michigan Men" to take over as head coach? If not a Michigan Man, then how about Bill Cowher? He can put together a defense, and a winning program.

Chad Williams

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 5:42 p.m.

Stanfords Schedule for there 11-1 season. Sat, Sept 4 vsSacramento State W52-17 1-0 (0-0) Sat, Sept 11 @UCLA W35-0 2-0 (1-0) Sat, Sept 18 vsWake Forest W68-24 3-0 (1-0) Sat, Sept 25 @Notre Dame W37-14 4-0 (1-0) Sat, Oct 2 @#4 Oregon L52-31 4-1 (1-1) Sat, Oct 9 vsUSC W37-35 5-1 (2-1) Sat, Oct 23 vsWashington State W38-28 6-1 (3-1) Sat, Oct 30 @Washington W41-0 7-1 (4-1) Sat, Nov 6 vs#15 Arizona W42-17 8-1 (5-1) Sat, Nov 13 @Arizona State W17-13 9-1 (6-1) Sat, Nov 20 @California W48-14 10-1 (7-1) Sat, Nov 27 vsOregon State W38-0 Now lets examine king harbaugh and the best team in the nation lol. The first thing that jumps out is. oregon is the only team they played with 10 wins or more. Result: ZONA(7 wins) is the next best team they played. 11 wins isnt easy but u guys r glorifying a 11 win team with 8 losing teams on their schedule. ND barely made it to 6-6 and usc isnt playing for anything. This team has ONE quality win to their name, and they r ranked higher than MSU, OSU and Wis... So before we give too much credit to stanford be real for just a second and realize winning 11 games with that schedule is easier than a big tens.

Chad Williams

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 5:27 p.m.

@announcerman007- They dnt save comments for years unfortunately or a lot people on here will be found fake, But i said earlier Tressel vs Michigan 9-1. RR only been here for three years do the math. RR isnt the scape goat for us losing to OSU. Oh yea Touchdowns how many did we score in 07.. Im having a hard time remembering... Hmmm remind who did after u tell me the score of that game.Oh yea that team had the first pick in the draft a 4 year starting QB and one michigans best backs number wise ever. How many bowl wins for that class, how victories against OSU.

johnnya2

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 5:27 p.m.

" Besides arizona how many of those 11 wins were vs. 25 teams this year" Wow, and how many top 25 teams did Rich Rod beat this year? If your argument is that the Pac 10 is weak it actually proves how stupid it was to hire a guy from the Big Least. Debating Harbaugh is not he issue. The only clear choice is to fire Rich Rood TODAY. He is a cheating liar. That isn't even open for debate since he has been convicted of FIVE major violations

Jay Allen

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 5:23 p.m.

@johhnya2: Game - Set - Match Awesome!!!

johnnya2

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 5:22 p.m.

"In case you haven't noticed (and I've noticed that everybody seems to keep dodging this point), spread teams almost always dominate smashmouth teams in bowl games." Really? Are you sure about this? How about this. Alabama runs a pretty smash mouth style of football. Florida ran the spread last year. What was the score of that game? How did Alabama do in their bowl game? Ohio State runs a more smash mouth style than a spread and how did they do in their last bowl game? Oh by the way AGAINST OREGON How about Georgia in the 2008 Sugar Bowl against a run and shoot spread from Hawaii. I must have missed where Georgia lost that game with Matt Stafford 9hardly a Denard Robinson type) at the helm. You are sorely mistaken on facts AND reality. In fact, spread teams lose more than they win. Finally, Wisconsin and their offense threw the ball exactly ONE time in the second half against Michigan. That is called smash mouth football. How did Michigan do in that game? Point not dodged, it was ignored because it is inaccurate

Chad Williams

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 5:17 p.m.

yelmonian... RR didnt take over carrs program as we saw with carr and moeller after bo. he rebuilt it so his first two years as was harbaughs were rebuilding years. I see no difference. harbaugh was 8-5 in his third year rr 7-5... RR hasnt gotten to year four so how can u compare the two. He still has no bowl win, still no conference title. Dnt give harbaugh too much credit jus to discredit RR. Harbaugh plays in weak league a step up from the acc and big east. By the way its a lot easier to win with no expectations.they are satisfied with 8 wins. That helps in recruiting when you can tell a player im not going anywhere i can do no wrong rather than be RR and be on the hot seat every year. Michigan wanted RR to win 10 games year one. Stanford hasnt denied recruits based off the medias feelings about their past. Stanford didnt have current and former players have a tell all to the press about praticing as if you get better any other way. The fact they praticed more is a tribute to him showing how bad he wanted to win and the players didnt want to work for it. As he said from day one we will be michigan when the players deserve it. The local media isnt trying to destroy RR whenever possible. 3 years and the only good reports from the media was last year after 4-0 and this year after 5-0.

johnnya2

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 5:13 p.m.

"I repeat: how did Harbaugh's smashmouth Stanford team fare against Chip Kelly's Michigan-spread style Oregon Ducks?" Is your position that losing to the number one rated team in the country makes somebody not a great coach? So basically the only great coaches as of today are Auburn, Oregon and TCU? That is just stupid. I'll repeat, how did Rich Rid do against a NON_SPREAD offense like OSU? Illinois? How did his vaunted offense do against OSU, Wisconsin. Iowa (a 7-5 team that beat him like he owed them money). UM's offense is not even Top 3 in the Big Ten and only third if you want to INCLUDE the silly games (Bowling Green Umass etc). So let's go down the statistical categories and tell me where you think Michigan falls under this coach 1. Defense? How about TENTH Oh, and by the way, of the top 4 defenses THREE of them finished tied for the title. Wow, funny how that works 2. Offense? Third 3. Kickoff returns? 8th 4. Kickoff coverage? 11th 5. Punting? 7th 6. Turnover margin? 11th 7. Punt Returns? Tenth 8. Red zone offense (this is interesting to me) 8th 9. Time of Possession? 11th So find me positives in these numbers. This is just evidence. He has had THREE years to correct any area, and has failed in them all. A head coach must be able to WORK WITH WHAT HE HAS. He has failed time and time again.

ShadowManager

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 5:10 p.m.

Riddle me this: Would Harbaugh be...more... or less... popular than Les Miles if like him, for whatever reason, he doesn't come here?

Steve

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 5:07 p.m.

annarbor.com do you intended to put out a poll and ask if fans believe that RR should go?

Jay Allen

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 5:06 p.m.

Harbaugh is not coming. That was the word on Campus at 11:30am. It has been all over the net since 2:30. he has no reason to come to a circus.

Jay Allen

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 5:05 p.m.

@Chad Williams. You are DEAD wrong. If M-Live saves comments for years, go and look. I said it on MULTIPLE forums that RR was a fake. I said getting rid of Lloyd was a mistake but it was the BOOSTER that were not happy with 9-3 or 10-2 and a New Year's Bowl. You need to get your facts straight on this one. Don't lump us folks in who KNOW what we are talking about with the wanna be internet gurus that have never played ANY sport at a VERY HIGH level. Well maybe soccer....... [rolling eyes].......A few of us on here KNOW sports and understand more than the final score. You stood up for this offense. The offense that WITH his illustrious QB he "needs" for this system that scored ONE TOUCHDOWN against OSU. Yep, that is something to be proud about!!!

bigfella

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 5:02 p.m.

for those of yous that would like rich to be given another year and bring in a new d coorinator, then you have to realize, you must committ to rich for 2 more years not just 1. you cant have him bring in his 3rd DC in 4 years and expect the new DC to fix the worst D in program history in one season so you have to keep them both for 2 years minimum otherwise what the point to keepin rich around.( read you own logic by stating the cupboard was bare when rich took over, if it was bare then, its plain empty now). Why would the program be set back 3 more years especially if harbaugh is they guy, as some of you say, should rich be fired??? cause the qb's we have dont currently "fit' what harbaugh runs??/ Just remember harbaugh played qb in college and in the nfl, so im just gonna go out on a limb and say the guy knows a lil about the position.... keep an eye on urban meyer..he has former michigan qb coach scott loeffler, who could join him in a move to a2.. and its been long rumored that he (meyer) has wanted to coach UM, ND or OSU.... either way ya slice it...go blue!!!!

Thor143

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 5:01 p.m.

I just heard on WDFN the Harbaugh announced the he will not be attending the ceremony.

Jay Allen

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 4:58 p.m.

@J.Dean: Are you flippin' serious? You are going to attempt to compare the OU Ducks against "our" U of M Wolverines? Then in your mind just because one runs a particular offense then that is the Holy Grail? If you truly believe this, then I am going to go stand at the UM Hospital and just "pretend" I am a doctor. This "spread offense" that you all get worked up about score S-E-V-E-N read that again ( 7 ) points against a good defense. So I am not hearing how there was progress as I see it as regress. Unless we played a crappy team, the U-M offense was average. Go look it up, as I ALREADY have done it. Against MSU, PSU, Wisconsin and OSU, the offense was NOT some top 5 offense you think it is. When you played bottom end D1 teams and a D1-AA school, you looked like Superman. Look at the records of who UM beat and THEN the records of those teams. Folks, we have went backwards. Just because we are going to a bowl game with 7 wins is rubbish to think "we made progress". Under Bo, Gary and Lloyd, that was NEVER in question. Send this idiot packing.

Chad Williams

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 4:58 p.m.

All you fools who want RR out were the same fans who wanted carr out. Look at what that cost us. With the "dream" coach in harbaugh we will be going down the same path. You people boast about michigan as if we were that dominant before RR. What did we do since 97 that was oh so dominant, that made us the leaders and the best. Here's a list. 1. Yearly underachievement, Severall preason top ten rankings no championship. 2. Rose Bowls against USC. I couldnt wait to see how slow we were at the skill positions and on the both sides of the line. 3. Never could stop a mobile QB. The fact is we had more talent and did less. As you guys pointed out we had several high ranked classes. We stunk against teams with speed or any type of player who ran a 4.40. If denard was on the other side with carrs great defenses he would shattered many records against us.

Yelmonian

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 4:45 p.m.

ART, Jim Harbaughs magic.... year before he took over, the team was 1-11. Year one... 4-8. THREE GAME IMPROVEMENT. Year two... 5-7. Four game improvement (from what he inherited). Year three... 8-5. 7 game improvement and a BOWL GAME for the first time in 7 years. Year FOUR... 11-1. 10 game improvement and a BCS (Big Money) bowl game! OK. RR Magic. Inherited a 9-3 club... gone to 40 straight bowl games or something. Year one.... 3-9. 6 game decrease. NO BOWL GAME. Year two.... 5-7. 4 game decrease. NO BOWL GAME. Year three... 7-5. 2 game decrease. A minor bowl game, with low payout. Please tell me how you can tell me that what Harbaugh has done is not over the top impressive compared to Rich Rodriguez? RR has a 58% winning record in Div 1. That's inheriting a UM team that hadn't had a losing season in forever! Harbaugh... just a paultry 68% winning record in Div 1, while inheriting a team that was 1-11! Oh... and just so you all see it... Stanford scored at least 31 points (exccept for one 17 point game) in all their games. Many games they scored 40 points, with one scoring 68 points. Oh yeah, and the Stanford defense, regularly held teams to under 20 points, and had three shut outs this year. And the people that say he won in a weak PAC TEN conference... how tough does the Big East look? Where did RR come from? But yeah... RR is a much, much better coach.... and given 3-5 years should grow into a "Michigan Man".

michboy40

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 4:45 p.m.

I will support whatever D Brandon decides to do. I assume he has more information than I do...and he is probably smarter than me too. If RR stays, I see enough possitives to work with...if he goes, I will rally behind whatever coach DB thinks is best. I suggest we all do the same.

alboo

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 4:41 p.m.

I know it is definitely time for RR to go. The reason I know this is that Matt Millen believed RR should be given another year.

Chad Williams

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 4:41 p.m.

townie54 who you play does matter, what world do you live in. Im impressed with 11 wins but u can compare 11-1 in the pac ten 11-1 in the big ten. After stanford the pac ten falls way off seeing how none of the 8 other teams could beat the top 2 teams. Oregon and stanford are feeding off of no usc. For 7 years the pac 10 was a one bid league to the bcs.

Wolverine Man

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 4:37 p.m.

coincidence? Yes probally, with the arrival of Jim Harbaugh for the players banquet. But Some of you writing not to let him here or to attend, that's BS. He's earned that opportunity, and we can only hope David Brandon offers to set sometime aside after the season ends for a chat and contract with Jim. I'm tired of RR excuses and proformance as many alumni are too. I hear Mary Sue Coleman say he's are man, well he's not ready for the Big Ten, so please turn him lose. He under estimated the Big Ten talent and decied to go for speed rather than having players big enough and able to tackle. This program is in trouble! if you choice to ignore it and continue with RR spread, the big house will have problems filling it's capacity. Bottom Line, David Brandon Please consider another choice and listen to the Alumni and town folks.

trigg7

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 4:33 p.m.

You wanted him you got him.With all the "we are up to date now with the spread." All the crap about how great and fast we are going to be.We got so sick of hearing about it. Honor your contract big mouths and quit crying! Pride before the fall....right Mike!

UMguy

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 4:32 p.m.

How come no one has brought up the thumping that Lloyd Carr's last team (a hard nosed physical team, right?) against spread offense Oregon in the Big House 4 years ago? That was a senior laden MICHIGAN team that got wasted by the spread. It was over by half time. So it's not about the spread vs. physical, but who can execute better regardless of the scheme.

CobraII

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 4:31 p.m.

Country road please take him home......

townie54

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 4:29 p.m.

it doesnt matter who Stanfords 11 wins are against.You can only play who's on the schedule.Your team wins 11 and goes to a BCS bowl it's a successful season in any league.But if your in your third year,dont have a kicker that can make a 20 yard field goal,have the 106 or something worse defense,and are drifting farther away from the top teams in your league,thats bad coaching.I give them credit for going outside the box with RR but it didnt work

Steve

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 4:25 p.m.

I believe that Brandon is trying to negotiate with Harbaugh and if he can get him, RR is out. If he can't get him, I think that RR will be back, but we should be looking hard to replace him next year if that is the case. His defensive philosophy of smaller and faster will NEVER work in the Big Ten. I don't know who they can get at the DC post who can make a difference with RR's stupid approach, but for sure GR is gone. We are in a terrible place, Harbaugh will most likely get the Dallas job (Crap) but I hope I'm wrong and he comes home. RR sucks and was a mistake from the word go!

LGC15

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 4:25 p.m.

I'm sorry this guy has got to go! Not only has he put the winningest football program into the murky depths of ineptitude he has embarrassed himself and the entire Wolverine Nation with his unprofessional no class antics during his press conferences. OMG! C'mon man, this ain't WV its the Big 10 you need to sound like a professional and talk like your educated..."I'm ticked, Sing with the Buckeyes, we are almost there?, making the Michigan program the best in America?" It was and now were not close...Mr. Brandon in a Corporation we have merit increases and performance reviews...if ya don't get a good one...ya get nuttin! The man is NOT what Michigan stands for nor is his image! See ya Rich! Nuff sed.

nekm1

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 4:16 p.m.

U of M doesn't even play Wisconsin or Penn State next year. With a lay down of a "pre season" to the big Ten, and not playing two of the more elite teams, RR goes 9-3 without any improvement. With a better defense, they probably go 10-2 What is it you fans want?

Rabid Wolverine

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 4:15 p.m.

I'd like to know how AA.com knows that Harbaugh plans on attending this as freep indicates just the opposite. Who actually did their homework?

patrue

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 4:14 p.m.

RRod brought in an entirely new system and the first year did not have have a qb suitable for the position. He had a good back, Minor, who was hurt most of the time. Yes, this is mostly RRod's recruits now, but the blows he's had from injuries, transfers, and bad luck have been mentioned time and again. As others have said, what major team has had several true freshman playing full time? I'd like to see another season, luck with injuries, maybe a change either in defensive coordinator or some of the position coaches. I thought the defensive line most of the time played reasonably well. Herron got off a 90 yard run, but his other 20 carries garnered only 60 yards or so. Problem was inconsistent play by the linebakers, and no truly outstanding rack-em-up, stack-em-up linebacker to run the group. Michigan seldom blitzed--for good reason because of their secondary. But they should have several times a game in key third down situations; a hurried passer is better than letting someone stand there for 4-5 seconds before someone finally breaks free. Give RRod another year.

Chad Williams

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 4:10 p.m.

RR will have his chance for his first bowl win and first signature victory in the insight bowl, no one from the big ten is playing a non-AQ team so do your homework people.Matter of fact after the bcs bowls the big ten will be put up against an sec or big 12 school. The bowl name isnt as sexy as the rose bowl but the matchup is what counts. They will play a for sure top 15-20 team from the big 12 because the big 12 doesnt have strong ties for its 3rd its 4th place teams. So we will be playin the 4th place big 12 team and we r 6th place in the big ten. National exposure against a quality team this will be the best win for this school in three years... We are taking this game like its a joke but this is type of game that springboards a team into a good year. Think about the start of next season after a bowl win against a good team with a top 25 ranking. We will have a lot to be excited about. a preseason ranking and a heisman contender for starters... Our secondary will be getting back its 6th year senior and redshirt junior.. True freshman that we have now will be better with a whole year of football. Offense will be even better so its not like we have a bunch of juniors and seniors that suck these are primarily freshman and sophmores out here with a few juniors and seniors. Next year will pretty much be all his players on the field and not a terrible mix of carrs players and his. Truth is the teams that whooped us pretty good except psu were very very experienced teams. Iowa, MSU, Wis, and OSU are all junior and senior led teams. This team hasnt gotten better cause the media doesnt want to see it happen.

Dan

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 4:08 p.m.

NEKM, a good coach takes the talent he has and tweaks his system to fit. Just the opposite of what RR did when he took over look at how many coaches won big in the first couple of years with a new program. I would be ok with a 6-6 record next year with a new coach as long as they were competitive. 37-7 is unacceptable

Joe

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 4:08 p.m.

My take is: RR is responsible for the poor defense, he is in charge Offense is great at times but the play calling is too predicable and leads to Denard being over used. One thing I hate to keep hearing from RR is "I have to look at the video to see what happened". That may be why things go sour as the game progresses, RR doesn't seem capable to make mid game adjustments. Loyd Carr's teams always seemed to be able to. That Penn State flat pass comes to mind! I hate to say it but RR must go on Jan 1 2011!

blairsdog

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 4:06 p.m.

While RR forced everyone to play his way or else; the assumption that a new coach would do the same thing is premature. I have never heard of someone doing that before - which is just part of the arrogance that RR has leading to the failure of Michigan. I can not see any kids transferring with a new coach unless they have no concern for going pro or having a quality education. The best thing a new coach could do is convince DRob to become a running back. It would give him a chance to actually be drafted - which as a quarterback no one would touch him. As far as defense - No One could recruit with this horrible 3-3-5, so a change in coaching would help correct this issue right away. While I keep hearing about this "high powered" spread offense of RR - 7 points is not high powered. He has failed in all aspects. He does have a lot of young players, but how many kids want to keep being thrown under the bus by their coaches?

Kal Kelley

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 4:05 p.m.

I am very fearful that someone like Miami will steal Coach Rodriguez from us. Until they hire someone new, I will sweat bullets.

nekm1

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 4:01 p.m.

You fans are amazing. 3 years and your out of here! Give the guy a break, and let him build his team. Someone new comes in, and you are looking at another 4 years of recruiting the team that fits the new coaches scheme. You ran Lloyd Carr out, how about showing a little class with Rich Rod?

BlueGator

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 3:55 p.m.

@Bill, I think that's why all these contracts have buyout provisions, which allow either party to terminate the contract early. Thus, you can still "honor the contract" as long as you also honor the early termination provisions.

John

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 3:55 p.m.

XTR, you are poorly informed or just not paying attention. Harbaugh came to Stanford--with as good or better talent than RichRod received from Carr at Michigan--and went 4-8, 5-7, and 8-5 in his first three seasons. Sound familiar? Almost identical records as we've suffered through these past three years... so don't pretend like Harbaugh achieved some miraculous change overnight. Want a good laugh? Check out Lloyd's 2005 recruiting class that was ranked #2 in the country. This is the class that should have been Seniors or Redshirt Juniors in 2008 under RichRod. Eleven of the 23 recruits--nearly half the class--never qualified, transferred, dropped out, or were expelled under Lloyd Carr. This includes DT Marques Slocum (academic), OL Cory Zirbel (injury), OL Justin Schifano, DT James McKinney, QB/WR Antonio Bass (injury), QB Jason Forcier (transfer to UCLA), LB Chris McLaurin, DB Chris Richards, TB Mister Simpson, DE Eugene Germany, and DB Johnny Sears. This doesn't even include busts like 5-star RB Kevin Grady and 4-star WR Laterryal Savoy, who never developed under Lloyd. RichRod has never had the luxury of a mature Michigan team with upperclassman leadership... and the results have been disappointing but not unexpected.

Brad

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 3:50 p.m.

" The worst of the investment in him is behind us" Also known as "sunk cost".

Dan

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 3:49 p.m.

You people supporting RR are amazing. Name one thing he has accomplished during his time at Michigan? For the first time in my life I was embarresed to be a Michigan fan on Saturday. This guy has got to go. It is not working and it wont work. This is Michigan for god's sake not indiana or illinois. 3,5,and 7 wins are u kidding me? If you support this coaching staff u are a moron and need to learn the game of football and look at the history of michigan and how this staff has destroyed it. WAKE UP PEOPLE. RR MUST GO!

NoviWolverine

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 3:44 p.m.

RichRod has reached the pinnacle of his ability. At West Virginia he built a competitive Big East squad. This year Connecticut controlled their own destiny in the Big East. Michigan was very competitive with Connecticut. RichRod has built a Big East Champion in Ann Arbor. Problem is, a Big East Champion doesn't cut it in the Big Ten. RichRod is not a Big Ten coach. He has performed to the peak of his ability. End of Story.

Chad Williams

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 3:40 p.m.

ART- Good point it seems everyone is so stuck on firing RR before they look at the facts on both sides. RR before Michigan had the most impressive resumes for a coach on the move.

Chad Williams

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 3:35 p.m.

XTR.. It took him 4 years to have a winnging record... He beat USC once in their hay day as 30 point favorite the next year got crushed. 11 wins against who??? Name a team of importance the he has beaten this year. How many wins against winning teams.. USC, Arizona, or ND? Thats a real dominant team.. Oregon pasted them outscoring them 49 to 10 after being down 21-3. Harbaugh has made improvements no doubt about that, but he still has won with the target on his back. Stanford wasnt the favorite to win the pac 10 lets see how they fare after this year and if he keeps it up and RR fails to win 9-10 games then make a change. But his two winning seasons doesnt compare to RR winning seasons and bowl wins over Georgia in the sugar bowl and Oklahoma in the fiesta bowl(he wasnt coaching that game but his players.)

ChelseaBob

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 3:34 p.m.

Brandon is waiting because that's the right way to do it. Harbaugh wouldn't even talk about it until he's done with his bowl. He owes that to his kids. The single most important factor in hiring Harbaugh is his integrity. The second most important factor is that he knows how to restore the hate to the Ohio State/Michigan rivalry. Look for Jimmy to go for two next year.

Bill

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 3:28 p.m.

It is unfortunate that U of M would have to buy out the remaining contract for RR. Why do these contracts not include performance related clauses, you and the team perform, you stay and make money, you don't perform, you go. It should be that simple.

Art

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 3:27 p.m.

I don't hear about anyone complaining about the record Harbough produced his first three years: 4/8, 5/7, 7/5. Where was his magic early on?

drtmkemnitz

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 3:24 p.m.

As long as the team keeps improving, I am in favor of keeping RR. The worst of the investment in him is behind us; now let's see if there is a best that is BCS level. I have been watching Michigan football since 1949, and there have been more than a few dreary years in that time. At least these days it is not dreary and hopeless.

westsidemaizenblue

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 3:22 p.m.

Why is Greg Robinson getting a free pass?He stunk as a head coach at Syracuse,and has proven to be a horrible D-Coordinator.Although RR is the head coach,Robinson has to take some responsibility for the defense.I am sure that Rich would have liked to bring his coordinator from West Virginia,but that wasn't an option.I would like to see them try and lure Ron English back.If not English,Iowa State has a coordinator that is regarded as one of the best in the business.I have to believe that He would jump at the chance to go from ISU to Michigan.

timeatwork

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 3:17 p.m.

if the basketball team is any indication than richrod should be expecting a contract extension any day now.....

vern

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 3:15 p.m.

so you people want Rich Rod gone ok fine so when Jim Harbaugh goes to the NFL, because that is were he is going so who do they get for wolverines and don't forget they will lose more commitment and some will transfer like DR and other so the new coach will have to start all over aging this is what you people want. GO BLUE, oh wait it won't be go blue it will be blue is gone.

XTR

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 3:12 p.m.

Chad - What has Jim Harbaugh done? He took over an 1-11 team with 5 years of losing record, with no top talent, with a low 700k pay, with a fan base which cannot fill their 50,000 seat stadium and turned them into a winning 11-1 BCS team with a loss against the #1 team with self discovered talent which he developed into a Heisman finalists and NFL draft favorites. What has RR done? He came to a program with a 40 year winning tradition, multi co Big Ten championship winning in last 5 years without any NCAA sanctions and RR turned it into losing season plague inept team who's best performance is to barely beat lowly teams and suck against the big boys and then gave the program the shame due to the NCAA violations. JH is a winner and RR is a loser!

Old Salt

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 3:10 p.m.

Sometimes the truth hurts, What Harbaugh said is a fact.. Sorry

Chad Williams

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 3:09 p.m.

And one more thing.. Go find a team who starts 6 to 7 freshman on D.. It doesn't matter how good the recruit is (ask bama who had to replace 9 starters or even texas or florida) young players are young players. Half the defense wasnt here in the spring or summer and we expect them to be osu type defense. Look at osu's starting defense how many sophmores are starting. not many... You can say he cant recruit but i beg to differ when 5 star DB wants to play for michigan and the media made him into Tupac Shukur and all the sudden he was good enough for michigan but we sit here and complain about talent right? Face it local media has destroyed RR rep. He cant recruit good players if we all want him fired but he doesnt get fired so he is stuck with so so talent. Recruits see this and schools use it against us and so far it has worked cause all this rr on the hot seat talk has scared away talent. Michigan is relavant anymore to jus show up at the door and get a 5 star player. The SEC is where all the talent is going because of the trend thats going on there 5 years 5 potential National Champs. The big ten has become the slow footed sec through perception.

Ignatz

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 3:08 p.m.

I'm on the fence about releasing Coach. While I don't think he's made enougbh progress over the years/season, I don't know how you can coach not hanging on to the ball! Also, the lack of any collegiate level kicking and punting and poor play by special teams should be put on him. Defense would be better if he would have placed more emphasis on it. As far as actual coaching during the game goes, I feel that he leaves Denard in too long. If you see him not making his breakaway runs, pull him and put in Tate, who is a superior passer. I was hoping that both of them would have played at the same time during the OSU game. The rebuilding argument is secondary to me, if we can get an excellent coach. Who might that be? Forget about Harbaugh. He'd be crazy to leave Palo Alto to rebuild yet another program in this crappy climate. If he goes anywhere, it'll be to the NFL. He's probably hoping the SF kicks Sinlgletary into the bay soon, so he coud go there. Who's left? Please don't say Millen.

Chad Williams

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 2:54 p.m.

And for the jim harballs fans, Besides arizona how many of those 11 wins were vs. 25 teams this year. The pac ten is watered down because USC isnt in control. Oregon has lost to Boise twice in a row which is why they wouldnt play them this year. Stanford didnt get bowl eligible until USC didnt win the pac-10. Jimmy has done an ok job but hasnt wont games that counted for something. Got pasted by oregon, beat in the sun bowl.. How will stanford fare after this year with higher expectations for the next year or have to reload after a large class leaves. He has only two winning seasons believe it or not. They havent beat anyone of importance this year, ummmm no bowl wins, what has he done except beat sorry pac 10 teams and a down usc team. The pac ten is a 3 team league this year. Stanford would be 7-5 in if they played osu, iowa, wis, and msu. He is not even close to les miles which is the closet coaching style to our personnel, oh yea he didnt go ahead and diss our school unlike ya boy jimmy did. but u fans r so pathetic and desperate which will lead to more falure. Tressel is 9-1 against us, 6-1 was before RR cant blame him for everything people.

Stephen Landes

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 2:50 p.m.

Prescription for Rich Rod for the next two years: 1) Focus on the offense which he does VERY WELL. 2) Give Coach Robinson a free hand with the defense including allowing him to replace position coaches and defining the base defensive scheme he will use. 3) Recruit by emphasizing Michigan rather than yourself -- that what is important is Michigan, its history, reputation, and ability to provide an education for one's future; that the TEAM is greater than one player or coach. 4) Do whatever you have to do to get the Athletic Department to find us a replacement flagship radio station to get your message out every single day the way MSU now does with our former flagship WJR (the current "we're better because we're on all these little stations" approach is a disaster).

XTR

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 2:45 p.m.

I'm still reading about the "great high scoring Michigan offense" - That offense is a fraud! LOL! That offense scored 7 points against OSU! What offense? LOL! If that offense was the real deal and they would put 70 points in every game, then we will be 12-0 right now with same defense! LOL! RR's offense is a joke! just like his coaching, defense and special teams!

lawrencelaundry

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 2:39 p.m.

Some of u that want to keep RR are unbelievable and are living in a dream world. RR is not a players coach. HE BLAME the kids for everything. If Harbaugh would come it would be devastating for every big ten team we play because Harbaugh will mop the floor with them. AND NO!!, if he comes here there will not be another 3 yrs of terrible football. In Harbaughs 1st or 2nd yr, he beat possibly the best USC team ever by Pete Carroll. Harbaugh is a master recruitor,motivator and brings hardcore defense anywhere he goes. 3 shutouts against respectable pac 10 schools. He also brings a ton of support in his father and brother. HARBAUGH will restore order in AA and bring it back to what everyone wants. Let just hope it happens. RR is a good OC and that's it. All he brought to AA is slop unorganized football.

XTR

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 2:38 p.m.

DB will not fire RR now because the media will be all over the search just like in Bill Martin's mess. There will be pressure. Also, the new guy, has a BCS bowl game to prepare for and the new guy will not leave his team with a BCS bowl. DB is also waiting for 2011 so that the buyout is less cheaper for RR. RR will be gone and JH will be hired after their bowl games in early January.

Chad Williams

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 2:34 p.m.

Face it Dave Brandon has this guys back unlike Bill Martin who is a coward and couldnt stand up to alumni and keep carr around. Brandon fought to make sure RR didnt get hit by the Ncaa, which would of gave the univeristy cause to fire him. 3 wins to 5 wins to possibly 8 wins is called progress. The D was terrible once again but with very young guys. Unlike the last two years with experienced players and the D was still bad. The offense will spring board from the bowl game to the spring and will feature a heisman canidate. When is the last time we had a preseason heisman canidate. How many defensive starters will we return? A bunch 80-85 percent will be back. The only senior starter worth noting is mouton. Second tier bowl against a top 25 team from the big 12 isnt bad considering MSU is big ten champs playing in the capital one bowl and not a bcs bowl. We will most likely play okla st, mizzou, or texas am. Very good teams high powered offenses and no D so game will be exciting to watch.

Wolvdoug

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 2:27 p.m.

AnnArbor.com Staff do you have confirmation that Jim Harbaugh is going to be in attendance at this Thursday's banquet?....Last I heard numerous media sources were unable to get any type of comfirmation from Jim harbaugh or Standford. Just askin....Putting it out there like that without confirmation is just pain poor reporting and feeding the rumor mill.

loco123

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 2:26 p.m.

Did anyone else notice that Minnesota fired their coach and then won their last 2 Big 10 games after losing 6 straight?

dacianman

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 2:26 p.m.

ESPN was allowed to kill the Les Miles possibility - Herbstreet, the OSU ex player took care of that, because he was allowed to lie again and again. The longer Brandon takes, the more likely ESPN will insert itself in the process again - Chris Fowler too. What's wrong with those jerks? Why hasn't Robinson been fired yet, at least? Show some gumption DAVE - at least Bo taught you that, didn't him?

Meg Geddes

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 2:25 p.m.

Ah the hell with it. I'm switching to hockey.

toofmullets

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 2:19 p.m.

Michigan's Oregon-style offense put up less points in Columbus than EMU earlier this season.

dacianman

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 2:19 p.m.

I am assuming that Dave Brandon is better than his predecessor! He is a Michigan man, played football and knows all too well what the recruiting season means. No coach can recruit waiting for the ax to fall, or waiting to be offered another job. Four weeks is an eternity during this crucial time. So Dave - get your act together, be fare to all coaches and potential recruits, not to mentione the fans and supporters, and make the executive decisions you were hired to do!!! ENOUGH of this Mamby Pamby meandering. Bill Martin was clueless - or Harbaugh would have been hired instead of Rodriguez. Whatever you end up doing, make it a Michigan Man, even if it's a deffensive Coord., and do it NOW! Don't kill a few more seasons with indecision and political correctness. The Michigan Nation desearves better - certainly more than night-time games and hockey games, don't we?

58-44-6

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 2:17 p.m.

Josh Furman

golden

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 2:16 p.m.

Brandon has 1.5 million reasons to wait, literally. RR's buy out drops from 4 mil to 2.5 on January 1. To all those RR supporters who feel switching coach means another few years of rebuilding, have you not been watching the last 2 weeks? The revered offense scored 7 points! This team isn't anywhere near Wisconsin or OSU and aren't going to be anytime soon. Harbaugh, has done an incredible job. He's taken an absolutely abysmal program and made into a national power-house. He's taken lightly recruited prospects (Luck and Gerhart) and developed them into Heisman candidates and potential NFL stars. Lastly, Stanford, who couldn't get anyone to go there, is now ranked as a top 10 recruiter for 2011. Michigan is not even in the top 25! That said, remember when ESPN said UM signed Less Miles? They just speculate like the rest of us. They just do it in nicer suits. There is no guarantee Harbaugh is even coming here. The question we might be asking is; whom would you rather have RR or Brady Hoke? if he hasn't already signed with Minnesota.

Julius

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 2:16 p.m.

Someone posited a cause and effect relationship between playing real football and getting clobbered by spread teams. It's hogwash. Look at Stanford's record this year. Consider they're perceived position in the college football world. Harbaugh is a great coach. The RichRod scenario is eerily similar to recent political history. Things may or may not have been in motion that were bad for the organization. The guy who happened to be there saw some of these things start to go down (Michigan's D, the US economy). When he left his position, the guy who filled it only made things much much worse. It's not three more years of rebuilding to bring in someone who may not run a spread (it doesn't have to be Rich Rod's offense, BTW). It would be fewer years of misery. They should at least be adaptable and competent.

baitm

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 2:15 p.m.

j dean...how has RR done against MSU or OSU? how many osu championships were won with spread offenses. RR doesn't get it...he won't change that godawful defensive scheme. got to go now! can i mention PROBATION PAL? got to go now! i'll take 11-1 and lose to the offensive jugerrnauts and get championships and at least contend for a national title sometimes. all the doomsayers about rebuilding in 3 years need a dose of reality. many coaches (BO IS ONE) have had success with fired or departed coache's players. let's just say RICROD was stupid to distance himself from the talent he had here and try to do it his way or the highway. his way has not worked. now his way is THE HIGHWAY TOO>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

ViSHa

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 2:14 p.m.

"yourdeadtomeRR"-------best name ever, lol! also agree with bugs bunny---is RR's future strictly riding on the Bowl game??

XTR

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 2:13 p.m.

C'mon! Give Oregon a break! They are not like RR Michigan. Oregon's team is coached well, they are disciplined, they execute well and they are polished in the aspects of the game. RR's Michigan teams are in a mess, they are just poorly coached.

XTR

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 2:08 p.m.

Harbaugh will not be going to the banquet. That's going to put too much spotlight on. One thing for sure, RR can't coach, his offense sputters (7 points against OSU? I thought it was a high scoring offense?), his defense sucks and his kicking teams suck. Oh, he also officially violated 4 major NCAA rules. Other than that, RR is a good coach! LOL! RR should and will be fired after the Stanford BCS bowl!

trigg7

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 2:07 p.m.

Wow, with all the crap about We cant be stoped with offence this year.We need a year for our players,bla bla bla. The O blows against any team with a wining reckord. Denard is going to get broken in half next year. Idont know who told you guys you have team speed but thats the biggest lie yet.You are what you are, a CUP CAKE to the rest of the contenders.I dont see a quick fix,to small,not fast, no beef. What was that cry "All in for michigan." What a joke! have fun West arbor cuz God knows I cashed in big time on you guys. Pride before the fall. right Mike...

Sallyxyz

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 2:03 p.m.

Well, given all the media speculation, DB did make an announcement today, in spite of making multiple denials recently that any announcement was forthcoming today. Unfortunately, it wasn't what a lot of people wanted to hear. He didn't fire RR. However, he didn't say he supported him, which is revealing. He's going to wait until after the bowl game, and hopefully, he'll line up a replacement this month. Whether or not he lines up a replacement, DB needs to take action and fire RR, regardless of the outcome of the second rate bowl game the wolverines will find themselves in. Let's see. The Insight Bowl is Tuesday, Dec 28, so I'm betting an announcement comes Wed, Dec 29. Happy Holidays! Oh wait. There's that pesky clause in RR's contract, thanks to Bill Martin, a firing will cost far less after Jan 1 to the tune of 1.5 million $$. So, Monday, Jan 3, the announcement comes. Hooray! RR is history!

Gobucks21

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 2:01 p.m.

As a long time buckeye fan it actually sucks for me that you guys are this bad. The Game is not even fun anymore. The crowd on Saturday was actually laughing at the poor defense and special teams. Litterally we weren't cheering or booing but laughing. You guys must remember that spread offenses will not win you big ten titles and will not win you national championships. SEC teams, National champions from the past and winners this year in the big ten all have the same thing in common and that is they are fast and physical. We beat a "spread team" last year in Oregon because we were physical. Get rid of R Rod now, hire Harbaugh and get this rivalry respectable again. It may be an initial small step backwards but in the long run it will be worth it.

loco123

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 1:57 p.m.

RR turned Michigan football into a circus the day he stepped on campus. Fitting if it ends as a circus.

toofmullets

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 1:52 p.m.

lol @ comparing Oregon's "Michigan-style" spread. That's truly hilarious.

Disthekey

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 1:37 p.m.

Win your division, only to be laughed offstage in the national spotlight? Who are you talking about, Michigan? I must have missed something, what division did we win?

GoBucks

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 1:34 p.m.

RR and his showboating DR need to hold hands and sing "Oh Lord, kumbaya", as they jive into the sunset. Only then will the UM program come out of this nightmare. Go Bucks!!!

Howard the Duck

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 1:34 p.m.

Four more years! Four more years!

58-44-6

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 1:33 p.m.

We need to hire Jeff Casteel, they were dynomite at WVU... Keep the Faith my babies

Yelmonian

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 1:32 p.m.

JDean, Stanford played with Oregon for 3 quarters. Oregon had to come back because Stanford started wearing down due to lack of depth. Stanford is 3 years removed from a 1-11 season, and has minimal fan support and lacks in facilities. Oregon has some of the best facilities in the country because they have one huge supporter that makes sure they have anything they want. Oregon has been building this team for over ten years. The spread always choked away a game until this year. I'll agree with you though... Harbaugh keeping a Stanford team (that he brought back from the dead) competitive with a team that has been competitive for over ten years, well... Harbaugh should be ashamed at his performance. You keep mentioning Oregon, the best of the spread crop. This discussion is RR. Please explain to me anything that RR has done in the big boy league (Div 1... I won't even embarras you with Big Ten)? Really... I would like to know. He has a 58% winning record in Division 1. Of course, take out the about 15% of those wins came against East Carolina and Maryland (not exactly power houses), and his percentage goes down. Good not great. That's about 17% lower than Carr's prehistoric football method. Umm... ok. How about bowl games? He has taken 5 teams out of 11 to a bowl game. Well, that's impressive. I'm not sure Carr missed a bowl game. But heck... as the joke keeps going... his teams score a lot of points... the team is exciting... his teams score a lot of points. Keep bringing up Oregon, because in case you haven't noticed... they play on the other side of the country and have nothing to do with UM. That's like me stating well Alabama is darn good playing pro formation, so Eastern Michigan should be.

yourdeadtomeRR

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 1:32 p.m.

i wont argue with that. a lot of teams have won with the spread. but what has usc been running the last ten years? its not the spread. what has lsu and alabama been running? it doesnt matter what u run for the most part ( i, however, will never endorse a 3-3-5. i think your players have to be perfect to make it work against good teams, and i dont remember any college team, or pro team ever being perfect.) you have to have the talent to make it work, and a coach who knows what the hell he is doing. to put guys in a position to succeed. RR doesnt do that. and the other thing is, the best way to beat a spread team is to keep their offense off the field. if you do that, its your advantage. RR's offense only searches for ways to quickly give it back to them. if you revel in shoot outs, then thats the style you should play. but if you want to crush teams, and be great, than you need to stay away from that. and one more thing, the best qb on our roster is devin gardner. if you think he will ever see the field under RR, he wont. he is in love with having a running quarterback, instead of just a mobile quarterback ( can anyone say terrelle pryor?)

Disthekey

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 1:32 p.m.

J. Dean, you are the one who is missing the point. It isn't just smashmouth against the spread. The most important factor is whether or not a particular defense can stop the other team's offense. Oregon has a tough, fast defense that has proven able to stop almost any kind of offense. Meanwhile RR's team's have shown just the opposite.

Salinegoblue

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 1:31 p.m.

I've never been a fan or RR due to character issues and weak defense but I feel for his family. It has to be a horrible time for his wife and children. They left their home to come to AA and it hasn't gone well at all. They have to be the loneliest people in town and have no control over their future.

J. Dean

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 1:25 p.m.

"Personally, I don't care how good we play in the bowl game!" You're kidding, right? Win your division, only to be laughed offstage in the national spotlight? I don't know about you, but winning the bowl game is just as important as getting there. Some of us don't want to always be just a bridesmaid and never the bride.

BornInA2

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 1:22 p.m.

Yeah, it would so suck to be a Stanford fan this year: Andrew Luck and Owen Marecic are no fun to watch and being ranked #4 with just one loss to the #1 ranked team is just an awful result. I'm so much happier being 7-5 with no wins against currently ranked teams, a berth in the Wesuck Bowl, and NCAA sanctions. Harbaugh calls it like it is. If you don't like how it is, change it, don't shoot the messenger. How many RR recruits have flunked out or been denied admission now?

wvtroll

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 1:21 p.m.

One other thing - RR felt it was OK to leave WVU just before it's bowl game. His feelings wouldn't be hurt, I'm sure, if he were asked to leave just before UM's bowl game. I don't see what you have to lose by finding a new coach and getting the publicity that it would bring during bowl season. Who, in their right mind, would want to play for a team managed by RR? Only those who wouldn't make the cut elsewhere as a starter. Of course, freshman seem to have priority at UM as of late. I don't know whether that it's because it provides an excuse for a coach who can't make it work, or RR keeps unteaching the ones who can play over the course of a year or two.

Disthekey

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 1:20 p.m.

Personally, I don't care how good we play in the bowl game! All I have to say is, if Mr. Brandon does not at least offer the head coaching job to Jim Harbaugh, then even he must go....

J. Dean

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 1:17 p.m.

yourdeadtomeRR, You're missing the point with regard to Oregon and Stanford. Harbaugh runs a smashmouth team. He'll be bringing that smashmouth approach back to Michigan. In case you haven't noticed (and I've noticed that everybody seems to keep dodging this point), spread teams almost always dominate smashmouth teams in bowl games. Whether or not Harbaugh can bring Michigan back to a winning record is irrelevant to the point I'm trying to make. Harbaugh very well may be able to do that. But have you noticed that spread teams run all over smashmouth teams in bowl games? In almost every example, the spread team wins. Last year's Rose Bowl was a VERY rare exception. Tressel got lucky; prior to that, he's not done that hot. It's like constantly getting to the super bowl and losing the big game. Yes, I want to win Big Ten games. Yes, I want to dominate during the season. But I get tired of using a system (smashmouth) that falls short when the Bowl games are on the line!

Ben

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 1:09 p.m.

Oh dear me! 1. Oregon's offense is "like" Michigan's: Okay, maybe this is true. Oregon has one thing we don't have though and that is a coach who understands what is going on. Oregon vs. Stanford, classic example of coaching. Oregon came back late to pull ahead and win. RR is incompetent in this department and refuses to get away from his "zone read" playbook and incorporate an effective passing game. 2. We would face X amount of years of rebuilding: This is ludicrous. A change in coaches does NOT mean an immediate change in offensive scheme. I suspect whomever replaces RR will build their offense in gradually as their players come into the system. A complete reversal of ways only ends badly! 3. Regardless of who DB chooses as a coach, the defense is and always will be the staple of the Michigan football team. 4. Why does everyone think that just because your offense utilizes a spread offense that your defense magically will play well against it? Sure you can argue that you'll have speed all over, but having a defense which is more adept to stopping a spread is no better than having a defense which is only effective against a pro style. My point here is that regardless of who the head coach is, the defense has nothing to do with the offensive scheme. 5. My last point - special teams. We, at Michigan have been spoiled by quality special teams. We have almost always had the best in place kickers, punters and the likes of coverage. Today, we can only look back on "the good days" and wish for them to return! In conclusion; regardless of who DB chooses to lead our fair team, a 7-5 season will no longer be tolerable!

lawrencelaundry

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 1:07 p.m.

Some of u that want to keep RR are unbelievable and are living in a dream world. RR is not a players coach. HE BLAME the kids for everything. If Harbaugh would come it would be devastating for every big ten team we play because Harbaugh will mop the floor with them. AND NO!!, if he comes here there will not be another 3 yrs of terrible football. In Harbaughs 1st or 2nd yr, he beat possibly the best USC team ever by Pete Carroll. Harbaugh is a master recruitor,motivator and brings hardcore defense anywhere he goes. 3 shutouts against respectable pac 10 schools. He also brings a ton of support in his father and brother. HARBAUGH will restore order in AA and bring it back to what everyone wants. Let just hope it happens. RR is a good OC and that's it. All he brought to AA is slop unorganized football.

yourdeadtomeRR

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 1:06 p.m.

jdean, you need to step back and think about things for a minute. whether they bring in harbaugh or not, rich rod needs to go for a litany of reasons. by either incompetence or neglect, he has destroyed our defense and our special teams. and if not for the emergence of denard robinson, who had the ability to beat the first 5 teams on our schedule almost by himself, we may well have not even won 3 games this year. this is another way to look at it : he has had 3 years here. he wants to play this ridiculous 3-3-5, but has not the players to do it. he starts what, 5 or 6 true freshman on D? so that means that the people he recruited last year, other than Roh, are all complete garbage, as they must be worse than what hes putting on the field. that should not be possible. so what in God's name is going on under RR? one more thing. you cannot sit there and say "how did stanford do against oregon's spread, which is like michigan's spread". because it has absolutely not relevance. ask yourself this. how would michigan do against oregon's spread? its a thought that makes me shudder, just like the thought of whats going to happen to michigan next year against alabama does, unless we get rid of this pariah.

Jatra

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 1:05 p.m.

@ms. Steelman and all the other Michigan fans who are so upset over the comments Harbaugh made you need to accept the reality of college football at the majority if schools today. The fact is that there are many players for Michigan and a number of other schools who would not be in the school if they where no-good athletes. I believe Harbaugh is pointing out a huge flaw with college athletics, especially in major programs, in which kids are brought in to sell tickets and make money for the university and are pushed towards easier academic programs to keep them eligible and free to practice. These kids deserve an education to fall back on if and when the NFL dosent work out. And before I am accused of being a Michigan troll or hater I want to say that I love the school and program, I played under Carr in the early 2000's. I just have to stand up and say something when a guy is getting ripped for speaking the truth.

Bugs Bunny

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 12:55 p.m.

Waiting until the bowl game won't help. Can only hurt. For one thing, the bowl game is a good place to recruit and showcase your program. if the head coach's status is in limbo, why would any recruit who is undecided commit to Michigan? Second, the time between the bowls and signing day is short (shorter than when Brandon played - altghouh he probably knows this). So it will be very hard for either Rodriguez or his replacement to get a decent class. Third, what exactly is Brandon wanting to see at the bowl game to make his evaluation? If Michigan ends up playing a school from a non-BCS conference and wins by 7 points, is that good enough to save Rodriguez? I have to say I am puzzled by this approach.

bluenuts

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 12:54 p.m.

@kenny I think he would be more adaptive than RR. I feel that RR's attrition was due to his hard-headedness and ability to bend to the talents of his players instead of the other way around.

wvtroll

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 12:52 p.m.

One of the things that seems fairly obvious to me is that you have a coach that is so one-track, blinders-on to his scheme of football, that he can't seem to find a way to use what he has to enable the team to play better football. UM is one of the few teams I watch that has a reversal after halftime instead of a positive adjustment. As far as any other coach, I don't think all fall into the same category as RR when it comes to taking forever to build a team. A lot of coaches know more that one set of playbooks and might be able to use some of the very talented players you have in a more productive way. Seems RR only has the one set of plays, keeps using them until the pages are worn out, and then gets a fresh copy from the printer for the next game. If RR were to be replaced, I wouldn't count on it taking four years to bring respectability back to UM. Perhaps RR could be an offensive coordinator for Mr. Harbaugh or some other coach. Now that might work.

tzgoblue

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 12:51 p.m.

Kenny The answer to your question about how many more years of suffering if we brought in a new coach Answer: Less years that we will suffer we keep RR and his band of idiots he brought with him from WV. At least with a new coach there will be light at the end of the tunnel. With this group all we get is excuses and false promises.

JAG

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 12:47 p.m.

I'm an OSU grad/fan and for the sake of the rivalry, RR has to go. Beyond the technical Xs and Os issues, he's just doesn't fit your program. It's like when we had John Cooper. He never fit, and he never understood the rivalry. Your next coach should have ties to the program, and preferrably have that quirky Michigan/Wisconsin accent. By all means, no southern accents.

Greg

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 12:44 p.m.

Oregon's scheme is similiar to Richrods, with the slight difference that it also works against good teams.

Kenny

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 12:41 p.m.

I am confused we all continue to talk about Jim Harbaugh, and he is a good coach but how many years would we have to suffer in we bring in a new coach that would change the system, kids would transfer, and what would we do with Denard Robinson? Tate has shown he does not work hard

Greg

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 12:39 p.m.

Harbaugh's team is scoring an average of 42 points a game and giving up an average of 16 points a game. Sounds pretty good to me.

J. Dean

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 12:37 p.m.

ex734, Chip Kelly has said that Oregon's offensive scheme is a lot like Rich Rod's offensive scheme.

r treat

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 12:32 p.m.

What is it that "WE" dont understand? My high school team kicked field goals, didnt fumble 3 times a game, and didnt muff punts. "I have a feeling that people will leave!" Good, go fumble somewhere else and take your fumble leader with you!

treetowncartel

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 12:32 p.m.

Defense? It was abysmal on both sides of the ball this weekend. Although, the mistakes seen Saturday on offense are really on the players, not the coaches.

ex734

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 12:31 p.m.

Oregon is a spread team, essentially Michigan with a real defense. I fail to see the connection besides having mobile qb's. If this were the case, would oregon only score 7 against osu? If RR could build michigan's offense to his liking in 3 years, why couldn't he do that with the d in 3 years? So he fires grob at the end of the season giving us a third d coordinator under him in 4 years, recruits love that.

J. Dean

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 12:30 p.m.

I repeat: how did Harbaugh's smashmouth Stanford team fare against Chip Kelly's Michigan-spread style Oregon Ducks?

newe82

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 12:29 p.m.

My hope is that Brandon will have a deal in place with Harbaugh so as soon as the bowl game is over harbaugh can be announced as the new HC. Off course this should be done behind closed doors for the good of the Standford and UM players. The bad part of the scenario is that the players have to spend another month of being "coached" by this staff. All out if RR stays!

Dan

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 12:24 p.m.

Yeah that offense is great, 7 points on Saturday! This guy has to go now. Step back and look at the wins, barely beat Indiana, barely beat UMass, Barely beat Illinois, barely beat Purdue...on and on and the losses were not even close. I don't know who the next coach will be (please get Harbaugh), but anyone other then RR. He has failed and it is time to move on.

Greg

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 12:24 p.m.

Sigh... some of you still don't get it. Rodriquez staying would mean... 1.) ANOTHER three bad years. This is a spread offense that completely relies on the QB running, which results in him getting hurt, which results in few points against good teams, and I fear we'll continue to have a bunch of transfers 2.) ANOTHER streak of having awful Big 10 seasons and ending up in lower level, non-BCS bowl games. And I'm still not convinced that Richrod's on good terms with Michigan's Alumni & fan base. He seems quite happy sticking with a defense that doesn't work in the Big Ten.

NoBowl4Blue

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 12:23 p.m.

The smartest thing Brandon can do is offer Harbaugh the job but would Harbaugh that the job? Offensively we are just fine but light years away on defense and special teams. Rich Rod blew his opportunity and Harbaugh is the perfect choice but will he take it? I dunno but someone has to as Rich Rod doesn't deserve another year. BTW my co-worker an ex-player (2nd teamer)under Bo told me this morning his 13 year nephew wants an OSU jersy for Christmas. Unthinkable but then should we be surprized?

bluenuts

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 12:22 p.m.

@j. dean. I don't know. I think some maneuvering could easily be going on right now. I think the bowl game is irrelevant regardless of what Brandon's saying. This is pure conjecture of course.

ViSHa

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 12:14 p.m.

Yes, keep Harbaugh away! How dare he show concern for any player's futures who might not make it to the pros. Who does HE think he is!! LOL........and i agree, the vultures will be circling Thursday night.

paperstreetsoap

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 12:14 p.m.

@lorain...what you need to ask is 'how did ND do this year?' Didn't they also completely change their style of play? They also don't have the athletes to run the "spread". The difference you are looking for is in the coaching or in Michigan's case the lack of. I feel sorry for the rr lovers, they will never understand that "it" is about more that wins and loses when it comes to their "king".

J. Dean

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 12:14 p.m.

bluenuts, I think it's going to hinge on the bowl game. If we win, Rich Rod stays. If not, either he goes, or Brandon is going to step in, grab Rich Rod by the collar, and say "Get this defense working, bucko."

bluenuts

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 12:14 p.m.

@J. Dean That's a very good point.

J. Dean

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 12:07 p.m.

One other thing: how did Harbaugh's Stanford do against Oregon this year? Oregon is a spread team, essentially Michigan with a real defense.

bluenuts

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 12:06 p.m.

I'm not even going to get my hopes up about that banquet. The last 3 yrs have been too devastating. I'm just going to assume that we won't get JH (or a winning coach) and keep RR for another disappointing yr. Hope is dead...

J. Dean

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 12:04 p.m.

Sigh... some of you still don't get it. Harbaugh coming in would mean... 1.) ANOTHER three bad years. This is a spread offense, and Harbaugh will have to work through this batch, and I fear we'll have a bunch of transfers 2.) ANOTHER streak of having decent Big 10 seasons but end up getting clobbered by elite SPREAD teams in bowl games. And I'm still not convinced that Harbaugh's on good terms with Michigan. He seems quite happy with Stanford right now.

Lorain Steelmen

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 12:02 p.m.

I think Harbaugh should be excluded from the banquet Thursday night, based on his negative comments about the university. Let him attend the awards banguet at Stanford...that is, if he is smart enough to intelligently talk with the brilliant explayers from Stanford. Meanwhile UM is 7-5, as is, Penn State, Iowa, Northwestern, and Illinois, IF, the Illini can win their last game. I wonder if the AD's at these schools are being hounded about dumping their coaches. By the way, how did Texas, USC, and Florida do this year??????

The1Cool

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 11:58 a.m.

From a real persepective (not a panicky always complaining "fan's" perspective) 60-65% chance RR is gone. If he stays, which part of me wants him to, he needs to step away from that 3-3-5. Our defense seemed to have more success rushing 4 yet he and/or GRob failed to adjust. If not RR, then Harbaugh. If Harbaugh can come in without needing 2 years of rebuilding it may be worth it. If we have to suffer through more rebuilding and sucking...

clarklaker

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 11:52 a.m.

Lets all hope that Dave Brandon has already spoken with Jim Harbaugh.

81wolverine

Mon, Nov 29, 2010 : 11:43 a.m.

Wow, that's quite the coincidence that Jim Harbaugh is going to be here Thursday night. I imagine IF David Brandon had any interest in looking for a new coach and Harbaugh WAS at the top of the list, DB won't get a better opportunity than that. Of course if he even gets close to Harbaugh during the evening the reporters are going to swoop in like a flock of vultures!