Rich Rodriguez’s Statement – 1/6/2011
Statement from Rich Rodriguez
“I am proud of the dedication and commitment exhibited by the coaching staff and student-athletes who have represented the University of Michigan football program over the last three seasons. While I am disappointed to depart Ann Arbor before we were able to reach the level of success we had in our sights, I am confident that the players who remain have the potential to do great things and to return the Wolverines to greatness. I would like to thank our fans and our student body for their tremendous support. There is great passion for Michigan football and I have made lifelong friends through this experience.”
What is Rich Rod saying to Dave Brandon?
Day 2 of the Brandon-Rodriguez summit is about to start. Maybe they are just negotiating a buyout, or maybe Brandon is giving RichRod a serious chance to save his job. If so, I imagine it is going something like this:
"Yes, our first season was a disaster, but we knew that was a possibility when I was hired. Lloyd left me with a bunch of big, slow guys that couldn't play my system. I've had to spend three recruiting classes trying to fix that. We got better in our second season, and then look what happened this year. You saw Denard play last year - did you think I could turn him in a Heisman Trophy candidate in one offseason? Imagine what he's going to be like after another summer with me."
"I'm an offensive genius - just ask the teams I clobbered with little West Virginia - but I admit that I've done a poor job of picking defensive coordinators. I understand that our staff on that side of the ball needs to be rebuilt, and that I need some help making those choices. You give me a list of people to talk to, and I'll listen to their advice, and I'll come to you to approve my decision."
"College football is all about the system. We've got the system in place on offense, and we've got the athletes in place on defense. You and I will find the right defensive coordinator with the right system, and we'll beat Michigan State next year, and we'll beat Ohio State, and we'll finish the season in Indianapolis."
"I know the media wants me out, but, Dave, I know you want what is best for this program. The media is the reason we're on probation, and now they are trying to do even more damage to this great university. You saw the games this year. When Denard was healthy, our offense was as good as anyone's, and we know we can fix the defense."
"If you fire me, you are going to end up with some throwback coach who plays a three-yards-and-a-cloud-of dust offense from the 1960s. That's not how you win in the 21st Century. Do you see Auburn playing that way? Oregon certainly doesn't."
"You know Jim Harbaugh's not coming here. He's going to be coaching the 49ers or the Raiders, and good for him. He's done a great job and he deserves a shot at the NFL."
"But that leaves you in a bind, doesn't it? You could hire Brady Hoke - he's a 'Michigan Man'. He had a good season at San Diego State this year, but you know what happened when he played TCU and Utah? His team gave up a combined 78 points. I wouldn't say he's got defensive football figured out, either. Plus we're talking about a guy whose career highlight is taking a team to the Poinsettia Bowl and beating Navy. I took West Virginia to the brink of the BCS championship game."
"That leaves you with Les Miles. Great record, and a national championship under his belt. I don't have one of those. Of course, I never got to take over a program that Nick Saban had built into a powerhouse. I'm not sure if you have noticed, but in the seasons since Miles had to use his own recruits? Hasn't had a top-10 finish. Besides, if he wanted to be here, he had his chance. Why go after him now when he hasn't done as well? Makes you look weak, Dave."
"Oh, and if you fire me for one of those guys, do you think Denard or Devin will set foot on this campus again? Tate's already done. Do you want to be in the position where your unspectacular new coach has to win over the fan base with Jack Kennedy behind center?"
"I know things haven't gone perfectly. The probation looks bad, but you and I both know that every school in the country does those things. They just didn't have a newspaper with a vendetta forcing the NCAA to take action."
"We're on the right track here. We've made a lot of mistakes, but they can be fixed. You've seen how fast a good coordinator can turn around his part of the team, and you and I can find the coach who can do that for us."
"Give me 2011, Dave. I'm going to finish polishing Denard, and I'm going to have Devin on the same path. Michigan's never had a Heisman-winning quarterback, and that's a shame. I'm going to give you two guys with a chance to win that trophy, and win a lot of other things along the way. We've worked together for a season now, and I know we can be a powerful team. I've got my players now, and I've got you to watch my back."
"Let's keep this together. You saw how the Big Ten looked in the bowls, and you know Ohio State is losing all of their cheaters. Michigan State's a one-trick pony. Nebraska hasn't played in a real conference in decades. Penn State - well, bless JoePa, but a 102-year-old coach isn't going to win the Big Ten."
"What do you say, Dave? Let's shock the world."
Michigan: Not Terrible and Not Elite
#13 Penn State 35, Michigan 10
So what did we learn on a cold, drizzly October afternoon? Not a whole lot that we didn't already suspect. Michigan had already proven that they aren't nearly as bad as they were last year, and they still aren't ready to rejoin the top tier of Big Ten teams.
For a few minutes, it looked like Michigan might have a chance to pull off the upset. They took the opening kickoff and marched down the field for an easy touchdown - the first scored before halftime against Penn State this season. That made it 7-0 Wolverines. The score over the last 57 minutes? 35-3 Nittany Lions.
So how did things get so far out of hand? Let us count the ways:
1) Offense: The thing that people need to keep in mind about Tate Forcier is that he's a true freshman playing through a shoulder injury. No, he hasn't looked nearly as comfortable as he did early in the year, but if you watch him closely, you can see that he's still in pain. He's also trying to master the reads in Rich-Rod's spread offense, which takes a season or two.
He also didn't get much help yesterday. His wide receivers weren't getting open, and his tight ends kept dropping the ball. Add an anemic running game and a bad day by the offensive line, and Forcier's poor performance looks a lot worse.
He could probably use some rest for his shoulder, but Michigan certainly can't count on Denard Robinson. When he's in, the offense looks a lot like the Miami Dolphins' Wildcat - a lot of running plays and one or two inaccurate passes that fail to keep the defense honest. Robinson turned the ball over twice Saturday - a interception and a fumble - and didn't show any sign of moving the team.
2) Defense: Brandon Graham was very, very good. The rest of the team? Not so much. Darryll Clark shouldn't look like Colt McCoy against a defense that wants to be competitive with the Big Ten's best. Every time he needed a big play, he had a receiver breaking open in the end zone. Usually, it was Graham Zug two steps ahead of the defender on a crossing pattern, but on one ugly play, it was a tight end going 60 yards because he was being covered by Obi Ezeh with no downfield help. That came seconds after Penn State got a safety on a botched snap, turning a 10-7 game into a 19-7 game, and Michigan never got within one score again.
So a bad day against a very good team. Are most Big Ten teams going to manhandle the Wolverines like that? No. But there's still a long way to go if they want to win a conference title any time soon.
Perspective
The Red Wings are hosting Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals on Saturday. At the same time, the Pistons will be hosting Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, and the Tigers are playing a home game against the Twins. It's already being called "Super Saturday" - the biggest day in Detroit sports history.
But here's a different way of looking at it. If all three games sell out, which they probably will, the combined crowd will still be more than 20,000 fans smaller than Michigan draws for every home football game.