Coach Rodriguez

So, Michigan has a coach.

I know there is much rejoicing among many of the loyal fans to the Maize and Blue. I also hear there is a lot of rejoicing at some of our toughest competitors...

Before I give you my opinion, let's break this down into the X's and O's that we will soon be hearing about.

First, the Bad and Not So Good.

1. Rodriguez wasn't on my short list. To review my assessment from very early in this process:

11. Rodriguez - West Virginia - he turned down Alabama stating he was in his dream job...Or was he just saying that to make WVU fans happy? My guess is he knows that WVU will always be a 2nd tier to the Big Schools, one of them being Michigan. Beline might have paved the road for Rodriguez....No Michigan ties...100-1

So, Michigan landed a 100-1 (my opinion) shot from the Big East, and if everything holds true, it would appear that we paid top dollar, and I do mean TOP DOLLAR to do it. Rodrigues had a $4.5M dollar buyout in his contract. No doubt, Michigan will be paying for two head football coaches next season - Rodrigues and whoever West Virginia hires..

2. About 6 years ago, another Big Ten school was looking for the "hot" coach with an innovative offense. They looked to the Big East at a coach who had led an obscure team to 5 straight bowl appearances and was highly regarded for many coaching positions in the country, but this Big Ten school landed the "coach" and everything in the Big Ten was going to change for the better and the school had "finally gotten it right." That School: MSU, affectionately known here as Sparty. The Coach: Louisville's John L. Smith....So when did the Big East become a hot bed for Big Ten Coaches???? I am not saying that Rich is John L., but the comparisons make me a little ill....I would have preferred paying top dollar for an SEC coach that is playing in the National Title Game....Granted, Rodrigues was one bad loss from that game, but his team still lost...

3. I am not overly impressed with the current WVU hire (Beeline) in the Men's Basketball Program....We have lost to Harvard and the coach we canned and we have now lost to Central - BADLY - and I am beginning to wonder what the heck we are doing...

4. My guess is he is a short term solution if things don't work out immediately (3-5 years) Why? Well, he's too young to let what happened to John L. happen to him. If he thinks his system won't work in the Big 10, he'll be gone to the first opportunity where it will work.

The Good

1. I know many of you like what Rich has done at WVU and think the Slaton and White thing would look SO GOOD at Michigan...Well folks, I am here to tell you that this system with the right athletes is a far cry from where Michigan currently stands today...Whether or not that's good or bad remains to be seen, but I am correct in saying that THINGS ARE GOING TO BE DIFFERENT FROM NOW ON! I believe that the days of the Big Time Receiver at Michigan have come to an end...I know, it's hard to believe that we had the "days of the Big Time Receiver", but this offense is truly a "misdirect and run first" offense, it's just not run off left tackle first down every game.... I think some of the receiving and passing records that were set at Michigan may stay there for awhile, just a hunch....

2. He turned down Alabama and the SEC, meaning he understands that things can go up and down and didn't want to be part of that circus...Yes, that's a good thing...

3. Rodriguez is a proven coach. He will have success at Michigan, to what degree remains to be seen. He will graduate kids and he will run a relatively clean program, if what we have seen at WVU is any indication.

4. His overall record of 104-62-2 will most likely improve.

5. Will he win? That remains to be seen. - Read: Can he beat OSU and win a Bowl Game????

The Questions:

We already know he is bringing his secondary coach with him. That's probably a good thing based on Michigan's secondary. Michigan has stated they want to keep Jackson, Campbell, and English, which prbobably leaves DeBord looking for a job...Another good thing...

The Press conference is at 9:00 A.M. this morning, and I will submit another post after digesting what's said and not said....

Overall, I can say this:

It's a good hire. But the way it was handled (Martin is still a Boob) from the get go after the Rose Bowl last year has to go down in the history books of what not to do when looking to hire a head coach when you have 1 year of warning...

I actually think Mary Sue Coleman deserves a lot of the credit for this. My guess is we are going to hear a lot in the press in the next couple of days regarding how she hired Ferentz and how she got involved to sell the University of Michigan to Rodriguez and get him to come here. Just a hunch...

GO BLUE AND BRING ON THE NEW ERA!!!!