Michigan Man To Coach Michigan

Brian over at mgoblog has some strong feelings on a couple of the coaching candidates. I do too and I think it’s time to get those out in the open.

First, I should state right here and right now that I have not, repeat, NOT, been contacted about the football head coaching position at the University of Michigan (yet). I will also state for the record that Michigan’s Head Coach is a place of great honor at one of the most tradition rich universities in the country. But I have not been contacted at this point in time.

So, why did I say that? Well, I’ve decided that Dave Brandon may or may not have a plan at this point. I really thought based on waiting until after the bowl game that Dave in fact had a plan and that plan included a pre-decision/discussion with Jim Harbaugh. And if that failed, well, as I alluded to in a post I made when Brandon was hired, he played under Bo at the same time as Les. And I figured that as a last resort he might take Brady Hoke. But is firing Dick Rod to hire Brady Hoke a “plan”? I mean, I could have drawn that up on a napkin over half a beer at Dooley’s…Er, Scorekeepers.

Really, in my mind anyway, those have been the only two real candidates after we saw what an outsider did to the traditions of Captain, awarding of the Number 1 Jersey to a defensive back, and a number of other traditions thrown under the bus. (Yes, I would love to see Michigan Replay back on Sunday Mornings. But that’s just me.)

But here’s the thing: Whoever David hires, he doesn’t necessarily have to be a Michigan Man, but he CERTAINLY needs to “Understand” Michigan. He needs to respect and embrace certain traditions. And he needs to do all that and somehow keep us on the path that Rich Rod set us on offensively but dig us out of the quagmire that is currently calling itself the Defense and Special Teams. He needs to hire the right O-Coordinator and D-Coordinator (and recruit some defensive players) to put all the pieces together while he’s out glad handing the power brokers of the University and keeping all of them happy.

The college game and recruiting has changed. Yes, players still flock to tradition. But the kids Michigan is recruiting today probably can’t remember the last time Michigan beat Ohio State. I can barely recall it….THAT’S A PROBLEM. Some of them might not be able to remember the last time we beat MSU. That’s another problem. In the sound bite world of twitter, facebook, and all the other what’s going on right now, Michigan’s dominance in the football world is no different than the team Michigan just lost to in the Gator Bowl. Yes, right now, Mississippi State with its hot, offensive minded coach, looks just as good to an able recruit as the old reliable Michigan looks – even better. They have an established coach. All the talking heads on ESPN are saying great things about Mullen and the MSU looking forward to the next 3-4 years in the SEC West. Forget the 110,000 seat stadium in Ann Arbor. Kids want to play for a winner on TV. How many households are you broadcasting to? How often is the team mentioned on ESPN (in a good way)? DeRob making the highlight reels for the first 5 weeks of the season was a great shot in the arm for recruiting. The Defense and the entire team dropping like turds in the toilet for the 2nd half of the season wasn’t so great…

So what do you do and who do you hire to keep the traditions of Michigan alive and also keep Michigan in the mainstream of what’s happening now…

To me, the decision and the pursuit of 1 guy has become obvious.

You need to bring someone here that can “Speak Michigan”. Someone that understands what the Ideal Michigan was (and can be again, if we don’t wait too long). Someone who may have heard his name on a Bob Ufer replay. Someone that embodies Michigan, has proven the ability to change with the game over time (using twitter and facebook) and will not be undone by a few reporters in the press.

Someone that has the battle scars and "miles and miles" of recruiting under his belt that can walk into a living room and explain that tOSU is "less" than what’s being advertised and that Michigan Is MILES ahead of that school down south…Someone with a track record for winning National Titles and not giving two hoots about the odds. Someone willing to take a risk and work with what’s left on the table in the Michigan cupboard.

Les Miles needs to be your next Head Coach. He's demonstrated an ability to work with what he's been given, will recruit his ass off, and will restore pride to this institution. Yes, he might be a cheater, snake oil salesman and there's no doubt he and Lloyd Carr had some issues.

Big F-ing Deal.....

Sorry, Brian (mgoblog), but you need to open your eyes to the history here (both ancient, for you, and recent) with respect to who can come in and get the job done.

Yes, Miles and LSU have some NCAA issues that are about to become known. How bad and what the ramifications are for those infractions is unknown. But I'm a little less trusting of the NCAA at this point, anyway. If they aren't going to enforce or even go after the guys that are doing it wrong (I MEAN REALLY wrong - not just overpracticing), well, then to Hell with the NCAA and a few infractions. Bo might call that "pushing the limits" of the rules.

I'll take Les and the baggage at this point. It can't be any worse than what we've suffered through for 3 years. And a Michigan Man will be selling the pride of this program again. Something that we desperately need at this point in time.