Rich Rodriguez Is Officially A Bad Coach For Michigan, Or Anywhere Else | NCAAF

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11/22/08

Rich Rodriguez Is Officially A Bad Coach For Michigan, Or Anywhere Else

I Bet There Are 100 Other Coaches Who Could Have Gotten More Than 3 Wins At Michigan This Year

NCAAF, Michigan Wolverines

Pat

more posts by author

After finishing up arguably the worst season in school history, Rich Rodriguez now must begin planning for year 2 of his era in Ann Arbor. His first year after defecting from West Virginia has been a disappointment on all levels. Without the advantage of a QB like Pat White, Rodriguez and the Wolverines' failure has been blamed on the lack of players to adequately perform in his spread offense.

While this seems like a reasonable excuse for Michigan to not be contenders for the conference championship this year, there is no reason whatsoever that this team shouldn't have been able to win at least 6 games. Sure, they lose Chad Henne, Jake Long and Mike Hart. Sure, their recruiting class wasn't as great as they would have liked, and they missed out on uber-recruit Terrelle Pryor. But coming off an impressive season in which the team shook off a devastating early loss to Appalachian State and ended up beating Florida in the Citrus Bowl, this team at least had the talent to be bowl eligible. There is no excuse whatsoever that they should be 3-9 right now.

I realize none of this is news, really. Everyone knows that Michigan has been awful this year. But the issue isn't how bad they were this year. The real problem here is that this season is more than just a one year aberration. This is more than just a temporary setback.

This miserable failure of a season is unequivocal proof that Rich Rodriguez is a bad football coach. Yes, a bad football coach. Not overrated, although he may be that as well. He is simply a poor coach. The terrible season demonstrated it, and their 42-7 season-ending embarrassment against Ohio State simply emphasized it, and nailed the point home further than ever.

While many excuses have been made about him lacking the correct players to run his system, that excuse can only go so far. But shouldn't any decent coach be able to tweak his offense a bit, even if only temporarily, to produce results? I'm not talking about winning a conference championship off the bat, taking them to a BCS bowl or any lofty goals like that. But shouldn't 6 wins be a reasonable goal? Of course.

This Michigan team has been on the decline for years now, and last year's draft took quite a few talented players. But Michigan is one of the schools who should never go 3-9. There is still enough talent there that any coach who knew how to properly utilize it could at least win as many as they lose.

Will this last forever? Probably not. Will RichRod improve the team, as he brings in more players who fit into his system? Sure he will. But in the end, is this really the guy that Wolverines fans should rest their hopes in? Absolutely not. Good coaches win some games when the situation is right. Great coaches find ways to win when things don't look so great. Rich Rodriguez has done neither so far at Michigan, and that's a place where they need great coaches, if they want to keep up with teams like Ohio State, Michigan State and Penn State.

After 1 year, things look rough in Ann Arbor. Good luck, Michigan fans.

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11/22/08

PresEmart

0	Pat you really hate Michigan. Thats okay. RRod is not fit for Michigan. We were better off Running the power I all season. We'd be bowl elligable i think.

11/22/08

Pat

PresEmart wrote:

Pat you really hate Michigan. Thats okay. RRod is not fit for Michigan. We were better off Running the power I all season. We'd be bowl elligable i think.

It's got nothing to do with me hating Michigan. I honestly feel bad for them right now. I think we both know that RichRod was a terrible pick, and their awful showing this year proves that he's not a good coach. He might be a good offensive coordinator in a spread offense, but as far as a true head coach goes, he's terrible. That was absolutely proven this year, when he won 3 games, while having at least 7 wins worth of talent on the roster.

11/22/08

gobigblue1960

2	Pat, this is indeed a sad day for the WINNINGEST program in NCAA History.The Michigan Football teams own head coach, admitted today, on national t.v., that he had accepted the job before doing any homework about the player, or the team. What's sad about this is the relevastion that, apparently, the President and Athletic director hired RichRod without doing their homework, either.

11/22/08

PresEmart

gobigblue1960 wrote:

Pat, this is indeed a sad day for the WINNINGEST program in NCAA History.The Michigan Football teams own head coach, admitted today, on national t.v., that he had accepted the job before doing any homework about the player, or the team. What's sad about this is the relevastion that, apparently, the President and Athletic director hired RichRod without doing their homework, either.

Wow, that is absoultley terrible. Michigan needs to find another Lloyd Carr type coach. I was very upset when we hired RRod, he a bad coach plain and simple.

11/22/08

ptk1454

Pat, by next year, when Michigan is bowl-eligible, you will likely no longer be posting this kind of drivel, or anything else for that matter. And in 2010, when Michigan is again vying for the BigTen championship, you will probably have turned your attention to flaming another program in the midst of rebuilding.
Before you cast the aspersions, you should do some research rather than writing a reactionary, knee-jerk piece based upon one season's worth of evidence.

11/22/08

Pat

ptk1454 wrote:

A knee-jerk reaction would have been posting this after one loss. After 9 losses, it becomes an educated opinion. If Rich Rodriguez puts together a team capable of running "his" offense, and they eventually become successful again, it will not change the fact that he displayed terrible coaching throughout the course of this season.

He's a one trick pony. If you have an actual intelligent comment to make, instead of some random hypothesizing, then I'd love to hear it. Please tell me where I said something incorrect... by all means.

11/22/08

gobigblue1960

2010?. That's the point! Michigan fans should not have to go thru this for a Big Ten Title, that would have been one anyway with the previous staff. My problem is with the anti-Carr people, who lost track of what Michigan Football is all about. Those idiots who were anti-Carr would have wanted Bo gone after the 1975 game, having gone 2-4-1 against Woody. This season was unnecessary, and terribly embarrassing for the WINNINGEST program in NCAA history!

11/22/08

100%InjuryRate

(Edited by 100%InjuryRate)
ptk1454 wrote:

What the hell are you talking about? This team SUCKED, and it sucked all season. Man, if that doesn't tell you all you need to know, then maybe the multiple recruits who have backed out of their commitments now will.

11/22/08

woody050681

I expected the offense to struggle with a redshirt freshman and a walk-on quarterback starting, and a totally new and VERY inexperienced offensive line, but the real let down this year was the defense. I mean giving up 48 points to Purdue with their third string quarterback starting (who was playing running back most of the season). So if anyone gets fired this year it should be the whole defensive coaching staff. As bad as this year was I know Michigan will be better next year because if they do an impression of this years Notre Dame team next year and lose to a team like Syracuse I'll be the first one to drive to AA and beg for the Athletic Director to Fire Rodriguez. I'm willing to give Rich Rod 3 years unless there is no improvement next year!!

11/22/08

Marshall

Pat wrote:

Pat, I like reading your stuff but this a knee jerk reaction. Yes you have a season of evidence but with a complete change of systems and culture you had to expect a bad season. This over reaction by Michigan fans and others is due to the lofty however unfounded expectations. (I'm one of those who expected way more then I should have) Now you asked for facts or intelligent reasons why things will improve. I've got a few.
1. Right now both QB's can't run, thus there is no threat of an the option making an offense thats based on misdirection useless. So one would think pass....Sheridan doesn't have D-1 arm strength and Threet doesn't understand what timing is. Tate Foricer and Shav Beaver are on the way. Tate will be your started next year.
2. Rich Rod's first year at WVU.....3-8 look familar? Went to a bowl game the next year and eventually took WVU to within a game of a BCS title game.
3. The impovement of this offensive line next year will be immense. I don't really have facts to prove why but trust me on this theres two redshirt freshmen next year who will continue the tradition of Michigan lineman. David Molk is a heck of a player he just wasn't ready body wise this year to be dominant another year under Brawis and he will be.
4. People will bring up this disappointing defense. Any defense in the country would put up bad numbers when your offense leads the nation in 3 and outs.

Lastly, for those saying if only we'd stayed with with a Carr protege we'd at least be in a Bowl ......SHUT UP. I mean come on. This move wasn't made for this year. This move wasn't made for bowl games. This move was made for BCS Bowls and a shot at a Title game. I beileve Rich Rod can take the Blue to that point. Patience I preach Patience.

11/22/08

Pat

"1. Right now both QB's can't run, thus there is no threat of an the option making an offense thats based on misdirection useless. So one would think pass....Sheridan doesn't have D-1 arm strength and Threet doesn't understand what timing is."

I understand what you're saying... but doesn't it stand to reason that a coach as good as RichRod allegedly is, would be able to find some way to utilize the offense and make them effective?

11/22/08

BestofChicago

Pat wrote:

Out of topic, but damn Pat, you look different!

11/22/08

Heyhey1970

3	What makes Rodriguez's performance unacceptable is the low-quality of football being played by the bottom-half of the Big Ten. You have to be able to find wins against the bottom-feeders. I mean, a very average (at best) Northwestern team finished 5th out of 11 schools. Are you telling me that if you're Michigan, you can't go 4-4 in conference with some of the garbage that's out there.

11/22/08

Marshall

Pat wrote:

But they can't pass either.......how do you make anything effective with that? Its the reason he ran so many screens...they could not throw down the field, people were open but the QB could not hit the mark.

11/22/08

Pat

0	BestofChicago wrote: Out of topic, but damn Pat, you look different! I'm trying.

11/23/08

roytan1947

0	Good coaches look at their players capabilities and build their offense and defense around the players abilities. Great coaches get their players to play beyond their capabilities. RRod didn't adjust to what his team was capable of and certainly didn't get the players to play beyond their abilities. I hope that he stays at Michigan for 20 years. They will become the northern Indiana.

11/23/08

kpx7301

RRod is a very inflexible coach. WV fans saw that in his loss to Pitt last year...you know the one where he ran all night and they had nine players in the box? Michigan got what they deserved...and WV got $3M in the deal. It's looking like a better deal all the time. I hope the ego maniac and his cheerleader wife are stuck in snowy, economically depressed, 3-9 land forever. They deserve each other.

11/23/08

dredizzle40

Pat first of all you don't know Michigan football. Second Rodriguez went 3-8 in his first year at West Virginia. I don't care if your Knute Rockne if you don't have the personell to run your system you will not win. Threet and Sheridan are not Qb's who can run the spread offense Period. Third we have 3 incoming freshman who ran the spread offense in high school Shavodrick Beaver from Texas ranked #8, Tate Forcier from San Diego ranked #6 on Rivals.com. This past thursday another committment from a recruit from Ca. Once he has these players in the spring it will be a whole different ball game. Michigans know this was a transition year for us. Let Terrelle Pryor have his win (traitor LOL) he will not get one next year. In 2 years we will be competing for a national championship, thats right you heard it here first. Wolverine fans be cool we can only go up Peace.

11/23/08

Pat

dredizzle40 wrote:

"I don't care if your Knute Rockne if you don't have the personell to run your system you will not win. Threet and Sheridan are not Qb's who can run the spread offense Period."

Ok... so here's an idea... DON'T RUN THE SPREAD!!!

That's exactly what I'm talking about. A GOOD coach would have been able to temporarily run a different system, and get more than 3 wins out of this team.

Stupidity is doing something once, failing miserably, and then continuing to do the same exact thing, expecting different results. And that's exactly what RichRod did. He may be a decent offensive coordinator who can run a spread offense well, if given the right personnel. But that's it. He's NOT a good head coach, period. He proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt this year, whether you choose to admit it or not.

11/23/08

IlliniBob72

Football is still about running, passing, blocking, tackling, etc. I don't care what formation you do it out of, most players should be able to do it. And as Pat said, if you don't have the horses for the spread, don't run it. And last I checked, the defense hasn't been running the spread. What is their excuse?

There is no way on earth anyone can justify to me Michigan losing at home to Toledo. No excuse. I don't care if he decided to run the double wing for a game.

11/23/08

PresEmart

Okay, Nick Sherdian and Steven Threet aren't spread quarterbacks right? RIGHT? Okay, any good coach would be able to "tweak" his offense just a little bit to better suit the two. Losing to Michigan State,Notre Dame,and Ohio State in the same year is absoulte blastphoemy. And On top of that .. WE LOST TO TOLEDO AT THE BIG HOUSE. That just embarrasses the program. Coach Rodriguez better be able to string together 7-8 wins next year or he's out the door..

11/23/08

dredizzle40

0	You don't change your system because its not working for a year. I can see tweaking it but thats it. We lost to Applalachian State that was THE MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT AT THE BIG HOUSE!!! He will not be out the door next year, maybe in year three. Wow Michigan fans have got to be patient!!!

11/23/08

Pat

dredizzle40 wrote:

You don't change your system because its not working for a year. I can see tweaking it but thats it. We lost to Applalachian State that was THE MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENT AT THE BIG HOUSE!!! He will not be out the door next year, maybe in year three. Wow Michigan fans have got to be patient!!!

"You don't change your system because its not working for a year."

I would agree... if his system had a track record of working in Michigan, with the players that he has right now. But since it wasn't working, and clearly had no chance of working, then it's obvious that it needed to be scrapped. Go back to the spread next year, when the personnel is there. But to continue to run a failing offense when there's no chance for success at all... that's just stupid.

11/23/08

gobigblue1960

MICHIGAN FOOTBALL LOSTS IT'S IDENTITY THIS YEAR!! Any Wolverine fan who disagrees, i feel sorry for you, because you truly don't get it. A 3-9 record is NOT WORTH playing in any bowl game, much less any BCS game in the future. 3-9 is a total failure, at any level, for any reason. 3 in-coming freshman qb's won't help a team when it can't block, can't tackle, can't field kicks, or punts, and can't sustain competetive football for four quarters. The pour mouth, anti-Michigan, poison pen, blasphemous talk radio callers got their just due. Coach Carr ran a clean, winning progam from his heart, as a TRUE Michigan Man, for 13 years, and was wisked away by idiotic, self-glorifying fans. I LOVE MICHIGAN FOOTBALL, WE FANS ARE IT'S LIFE, IT'S BREATH, IT'S HEART AND SOUL. OUR CONDUCT, LIKE THE PLAYERS, AND COACHES, MUST BE HONORABLE, AND DIGNIFIED WITHOUT EXCEPTION, AT ALL TIME. GLORIFY THE TEAM BY CONDUCTING YOUSELF, AS A FAN, WITH RESPECT TO THE PROGAM!! GO BLUE!!