Elliot Mealer’s father and girlfriend were killed. Sad day. Thoughts and prayers to the Mealer family.

Posted under Recruiting

Rich Rodriguez appeared on ESPN Radio’s Mike Tirico Show this afternoon. Clip Here. Highlights here:

• The biggest surprise to Rodriguez so far is the amount of money being poured into the football program soon, including the stadium renovations, new indoor facility, etc.
• In the next month, Rodriguez will put his staff together (last week through this week), work on recruiting, and determine transition plan.
• Difficult to fire all the old assistants. He is rehiring almost all of the support staff, and has rehired Fred Jackson, no word on whether any other UM assistants will be rehired. He cited loyalty to his WVU staffers as one reason to drag them around.
• The staff is expected to be complete by January 7th.
• The spread can be adapted to fit the offensive skill personnel. Shaun King, etc. have been Rodriguez system guys that have thrown a lot more. He has spoken to the Michigan receivers and quarterbacks about probably throwing it more than he has at WVU.
• Coach Rod understands that the UM/OSU rivalry is a big deal. However, Michigan State and Notre Dame are big rivalries, and the winningest team in college football history is EVERYONE’s biggest game. OSU is the most important each year, but for now, he is concerned about Michigan and Michigan only.
• Lloyd Carr has been very supportive of Rodriguez since he took the job. He will get information about the players from coach Carr.
• Capital One Bowl: Coach Rod will return to Ann Arbor next week, and has observed and evaluated the program and the players. He will attend the bowl game, but does not intend to be a big distraction to the team. No word on preparing his new team for the spread offense of the Gators.

Posted under Coaching

Although it was expected that 2-4 current Michigan assistants would be on the staff of new head coach Rich Rodriguez, Detroit News writer Angelique Chengelis reports that none of the current assistants will be retained.

This is surprising, and upsetting because the assistant continuity was expected to help maintain the current recruiting class.

Posted under Coaching

With Rodriguez’s bringing OC/Running Backs Coach Calvin Magee and DB Coach/Recruiting Coordinator Tony Gibson to the introductory press conference, it can be assumed that those two are near-mortal locks to be on the new Michigan staff. The Charleston Daily Mail provides additional information:

The source said Rodriguez is also interested in retaining defensive coordinator/linebackers coach Jeff Casteel, safeties coach Bruce Tall, associate head coach/special teams coordinator/tight ends coach Bill Stewart and strength and conditioning coordinator Mike Barwis.

This leaves open the Quarterbacks Coach, the Wide Receivers Coach, the Offensive Line Coach, and the Defensive Line Coach. However, other shuffling may take place. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that Rodriguez may want to relieve Gibson of head recruiter duties:

[Rodriguez asked West Virginia to] Hire seven graduate assistants and a new recruiting coordinator, to ease the duties performed by secondary coach Tony Gibson.

Most of the holes in the staff are likely to be filled by members of Michigan’s current coaching corps. A guess at the staff would look like to following:

• Head Coach Rich Rodriguez
• Offensive Coordinator/Running Backs Calvin Magee
• Quarterbacks Coach Scot Loeffler
• Wide Receivers Coach Erik Campbell
• Offensive Line Coach
• Tight Ends Coach/Special Teams Coordinator Bill Stewart
• Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers Jeff Casteel
• Defensive Backs Coach Tony Gibson
• Safeties Coach Bruce Tall
• Defensive Line Coach Steve Stripling
• Strength and Conditioning Coach Mike Barwis
• Recruiting Coordinator Mike Singletary

As of now, it appears as though Ron English will be out, as well as Fred Jackson. Of course, this is just a guess at the staff (and it will need to be whittled down further, as only 9 assistant coaches are permitted by NCAA rules). The only as-yet-unfilled post is Offensive Line Coach. I would love to see someone like former WVU assistant and current Florida State O-Line/Assistant Head Coach Rick Trickett. He is one of the best in the business at that position, but it is likely that he will be looking for promotion to coordinator or head coaching duties elsewhere.

Points of disappointment? The retention of Defensive Coordinator Jeff Casteel. While West Virginia was 4th in the nation in total defense, the caliber and style of offenses in the Big Ten is a far cry from the likes of the BIG EAST. It would have been superior to pull for a big name outside of either program to fill the role. However, it is likely that Casteel can adapt, and his defenses play an aggressive, attractive style.

Posted under Coaching

With a new coach in place, we can start to think about recruiting once more. First off, it’s uncommitted players like Terrelle Pryor, Scout’s #1 Quarterback. Pryor had considered Michigan, then dropped them, leaving him with West Virginia still on his short list. With Rodriguez now in Ann Arbor, you can bet on Pryor considering Michigan once more. Other players who have been considering both Michigan and West Virginia include Shayne Hale and Cameron Saddler, who may be reconsidering his commitment to Pitt, and instater Nick Perry, with whom it is rumored the Maize-and-Blue had recently begun to slip with.

There is also the softly-committed to West Virginia offensive guard, (#1 at his position in the country), Josh Jenkins. When Jenkins moved back from his solid verbal, two of the other teams he had been considering were Michigan and Ohio State. With Rodriguez jumping from one of his favorites to another, Jenkins is a very solid possibility for Michigan.

Of course, there are likely to be some casualties. The first is Tuscola, IL quarterback John Weinke. The uncertainty in Ann Arbor, coupled with the commitment of Steven Threet to the previous class, gave Weinke pause, and he pledged his verbal to not-Michigan Coach Kirk Ferentz of the Iowa Hawkeyes. Who else might leave? Probably some of the lesser-rated recruits will have their offers reconsidered (i.e. Longsnapper George Morales), including an O-lineman if Jenkins begins to favor Michigan.

Expect more updates in the near future, as current commits will either reaffirm their commitment to the new headman, or decommit from Michigan. Of course, which assistants stay will have an effect on this as well.

Posted under Recruiting

The current word on the street? Rich Rodriguez is your man. This changes a lot of things for Michigan.

Remember the fear of the spread? Gone.

Remember Terelle Pryor, top quarterback recruit? No longer gone($).

Names like Jim Grobe and Kirk Ferentz sound very weak in comparison now. All those who have criticized Bill MArtin should offer an apology. Let me clarify. Saying “Bill Martin should have hired Les Miles when he had the chance” is acceptable. Saying “Bill Martin is the worst AD ever because even though he hired John Beilein and kept Rich Maloney and had turned around the Athletic Department’s budget for the positive and got the stadium renovation through, he likes to sail” is not acceptable.

Ann Arbor Torch & Pitchfork stockholders, sell now.

Posted under Coaching

Just a couple days after Jim Grobe was considered the “hot candidate,” Rich Rodriguez of West Virginia was thrust into the spotlight.

During the day yesterday, Rodriguez apparently met with Bill Martin and Mary Sue Coleman in Toledo, and many people figured he would become the next Wolverines head coach. Today, however, the talk has subsided. It now seems as thuogh Rodriguez will remain at WVU.

Where does Michigan turn next?

Posted under Coaching

Who is Jim Grobe? Besides the latest Michigan candidate du jour, Grobe is the current coach of Wake Forest.

Grobe has coached the Demon Deacons since 2001, going 45-31 at the second-worst football school in the ACC. This includes a 2006 season in which Wake went 11-3, winning the conference title. Midwest ties? Grobe’s got ’em, having served as coach of the Ohio Bobcats from 1995-2000.

Biggest drawbacks on Grobe?

1. Age. Grobe is 55. This is only 1 year older than Les Miles, but Miles’s age is easier to overlook with his superior coaching record.
2. Grobe recently signed a ten-year extension at Wake Forest, and turned down the Arkansas job, leading many to believe that he is not keen on leaving Winston-Salem.
3. Grobe is low-key, and many consider him a newer version of Lloyd Carr.

And the positives? His defenses have always played well, and he is a good enough coach to go 11-3. At Wake Forest. No, seriously. Wake Forest. Considering his age and demeanor as another Lloyd, if Grobe were to get the job, one must assume that it would be as some sort of transition-like period, and Grobe would coach for 5-8 years before retiring.

Better than DeBord? YES YES A THOUSAND TIMES YES

Posted under Coaching

This quote from the comments of the last post kind of got me thinking:

ramosa Says:
12/12/2007 10:48:00 AM
simply put, you don’t promote people who underachieve. english has underachieved as the defensive coordinator, so he should NOT be promoted to head coach. the same goes for debord, who underachieved as the offensive coordinator. UM needs change.

Michigan has lost six games in two years with English as its coordinator. Those two years featured very different challenges in creating defensive schemes.

In the first year, it was all about letting his talented players make plays. Everyone who had watched the fairly complicated system Hermann used was amazed at how fast and loose all the defenders played when they were able to just play aggressively. In his second year, I felt it was all about covering up weaknesses, namely the linebackers. With both of these challenges, it seems as though Ron English has achieved, but numbers work better than feelings.

In both of these contests, the defense gave up over 30 points, but as Tim pointed out, these teams were able to exploit the one weakness the badass defense of 2006 had. Going out on a limb, but for part of the 2007 season, the secondary was better than any time in 2006. After Leon Hall there was no one, and Adams and Englemon really stepped up this year. There is no way that Michigan could cover 4-5 receivers with at least 3 quality defenders. Most of the time, the pass rush stopped this issue before it started, but Troy Smith being the Michigan Destroying Robo-QB he is, could run around and toss darts while being harassed, and USC’s offensive line played a hell of a game protecting John Booty (why do only a few players get to go by three names? I’d have liked to hear Leon Lastarza Hall). This isn’t a scheme issue, but rather an”our rock their paper” sort of issue.

Michigan also dominated average to above average offenses in Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Michigan State. I find it hard to say based on the 2006 season that Michigan’s defense underachieved.

First of all, the defense in 2007 was supposed to be merely an afterthought to the OMFG juggernaut offense that will score 75 points each game!!! A great defense from last year lost all of its impact players including one (Branch) once in a lifetime type of player. Michigan surely just needed an adequate defense in order to run the table…

So… the Horror. Michigan’s defense sucked in the first half. Johnny Sears and Stevie Brown combined to smoke a bowl of suck in the first half. The defense allowed 28 points and looked like it might allow 50. Then, English realized that what was out there wasn’t working, changed things up, and only allowed six points the entire second half. If people are worried about in-game adjustments, English has to be considered a pro. The defense didn’t lose this game for the Wolverines. If KC Lopata was the kicker or Shaun Crable understood such complex principles as “blocking,” this discussion wouldn’t be happening.

Next… Oregon. Ugly, Ugly, Ugly game. The defense was completely outclassed and Oregon could have easily put up more points. Two important points though: the defense was out on the field for most of the game; also, who stopped the Dixon-led Oregon offense? USC couldn’t do it and they have more NFL-caliber players than the Miami Dolphins. The lowest UO point total with Dixon was 24 (a mere 17 points north of what the Michigan offense put up). Oregon was simply the better team, and the only way a Michigan coach could have schemed a way to win that game was to go the Tonya Harding route.

On (to)… Wisconsin. This game is proof why a playoff system would kill college football. The result technically didn’t matter for Michigan’s future as a win over THE OSU state University of Ohio would get them to the Rose Bowl and a loss would cause all Michigan fans to simultaneously go crazy. It seemed that for the entire game, the dogs were called off. People were playing not to get hurt and to save themselves for the big dance. From what little I know about Ron English, I doubt this strategy came from him. Throw in Tyler Donovan playing the best game of his life and the fact it was at home so that Official Wisconsin RB On Probation could play, and it was a recipe for a let down.

Finally… Ohio State, again. I’m not really sure what more people could have wanted the defense to do. They were on the field almost the entire game and still held a potent Ohio St. offense to 14 points, and only one really good drive. If the offense could have done anything, ANYTHING, this game most likely would have gone the other way.

In 2007 it was supposed to be all about the offense. It seemed, more often than not, it was the defense who were the unlikely heroes of games. Ron English deserves a lot of credit for this. He took a defense with a mediocre line (Crable undisciplined, BGraham not very effective against the run, Will Johnson disappointing) and horrible linebackers and made it work to an incredible extent. They gave up a lot of points, but with the fumbled snaps, fumbles by every running back not named Mike Hart, Evil Henne interceptions and Mallet forcing throws, it’s almost surprising they didn’t give up more.

I guess people could say “English can prove himself in the bowl game!” I know Hercules completed his tasks, but that shouldn’t be the standard you hold everyone by. Tim Tebow and the Florida offense are very good. They will score points. Auburn (designated spread option stopper) held them to 17 and next after that is Georgia who held them to 30. Both of those defenses have better personnel than Michigan. If Michigan is going to win, it’s going to have to be the offense. Hopefully DeBoard isn’t auditioning.

Posted under Coaching

After my post last week, I don’t think very many people were convinced that Ron English will be a great head coach. Despite possessing many of the qualities that a head coach needs (recruiting, aggressive, media savvy, and dare I say it?: black), while lacking many a coordinator must (X and O proficiency, talent development), people disagreed. A fair amount of them have cited the fact that they believe English is more of a “friend” rather than someone who will “enforce” his players.

My anecdotal evidence to the contrary is as follows:
As many of you know (though some may not), I am the general manager of the University of Michigan student television station, WOLV-TV, as well as the producer of the football show, aptly named “Varsity Blue.” This places me in the unique position of not being an actual member of the mainstream media, while still having some of the privileges of said group. (For the record, I consider Daily writers to be actual MSM members).

Last year was the Year of Infinite Lack of Pain Prior to November 18. During the YILPPN18, I traveled to three Michigan away games (Notre Dame – which I still consider one of the best days of my life, Penn State, and Ohio State – which I did not attend as a media member). This story takes place on October 14, 2006 in State College, Pennsylvania. My companions on the Penn State trip were Paul, VB “writer,” and Danny, my current roommate. Since both of these gentlemen are inadequate at filming from the field, I was entrusted (by myself) to take care of these duties.

At halftime, Michigan clung to a 10-3 lead. Despite the fact that Michigan’s defense had held Penn State to a single field goal, defensive coordinator Ron English was far from pleased. On Penn State’s lone scoring drive, they traveled from their own 14 yard line to Michigan’s 5. On my trip from the (cold) field to the (warm) press box, I had to take an elevator. This is primarily due to the “erector set” nature of Beaver Stadium.

On the trip from the field to the elevator, I walked into a ground-level tunnel (shut off from access to the public), and through the underbelly of Beaver Stadium, towards a shaft that was surrounded by nothing but struts and supports. Nothing, that is, except a press room.

Apparently, Penn State’s visitor locker room is lacking in meeting areas, because the press room was being used by Michigan for a defensive meeting. The door was cracked, and as I walked by, a coach or grad assistant, was lecturing the team, in near monotone, on what they needed to improve. Upon completion of his speech, he ceded the door to an as-yet-not-present Ron English. The instant Random Coach #1 was finished, Ron English burst into the room.

“All right you stupid motherfuckers, listen up,” was the way Coach E started his halftime speech. RC#1 realized the door was still open at this time, and saw that I was outside, enthralled by what I was witnessing. Unfortunately, my education was far less important than the integrity of The Fort, but the point was made.

I almost never consider myself an insider, but in this particular subject I do. People who only see Ron English interact with his player in the public forum are missing out. They may think he tries to play the soft “friend” role, but that isn’t necessarily the case: when he needs to, English can be intense not only to his opponents, but to his own players as well. English is a motivator at heart.

Posted under Coaching