Michigan, what was THAT?
Michigan, please, STOP IT! You're not that pathetic. How is it possible, for a team with several really good players, to lose to Toledo at home? There are many to blame, but I really hope the UM fans don't blame the kicker. If there is one figure on which to lay blame for this loss, and season, it's Rich Rodriguez. Yes, we all know how wonderful the spread offense can be, and how it will work in Ann Arbor... eventually.
But for now, what gives? Is Dick Rod really that stubborn and self-centered that he refuses to run an offense that might give this team even the slightest chance to win a game? Great, you beat Wisconsin. No, actually, YOU didn't beat them. They beat themselves. This Michigan offense will rival the vaunted Penn State 2004 unit as the worst ever at a school of this caliber.
There's not much more I can say about today's loss. Penn State once lost to Toledo at home, but that was when the Rockets were a decent football team. Appalachian State would crush Toledo, particularly if the 2007 Michigan-beating Mountaineers took the field. So, effectively, this loss was worse for the program than last season's opener. Feel good Michigan? No, it should feel like you were just shot in the balls.
6 Commented on this story:
Couldn't possibly disagree with you more, if you want to blame the struggles of this team all on Rodriguez you haven't been paying too much attention.
Coaching didn't give up a 101 yard interception for a TD today, coaching didn't lose the turnover battle 3 to 0, coaching can't change the fact that we start one of the youngest teams in the country.
Coaching bears some brunt to be sure, but there's a whole hell of a lot of factors that have contributed to this team's struggles, both today and season long. To say it's just Rodriguez is wrong.
Accidentally deleted this and didn't notice, sorry!
I don't understand the assertion that this team would be playing better with a more traditional system.
This team struggles to execute basic fundamentals of the game. When you can't block, you can't hit open receivers, you can't hold on to the football and you can't tackle, it really doesn't matter what system you're running.
A pro style set doesn't turn Steve Threet into Chad Henne, it doesn't turn our receivers into Manningham and Arrington, and it doesn't turn our patchwork o-line into a road-grating unit.
It's about time that Big Blue fans recognized the obvious: that Rich Rodriguez is a $2.5 million catastrophe. The offensive lineman who transferred to Ohio State rightly understood that the "sandlot spread" offense of Rodriguez was taking the program in the wrong direction. That kind of system is totally unsuited for Michigan, and it's also unsuited for the Big Ten. One can add elements of the spread to a power pro offense, as Penn State and Ohio State have, but adopting a sandlot spread in the Big Ten will result in, well, Purdue. The only thing that needed to be changed at Michigan was to use the power pro sent they've long had in a more imaginative fashion (as the Wolves did against Florida in last year's bowl game) - the old Michigan system was not broken, and did not have to be completely transformed. The fact that Rodriguez didn't realize the potential of the existing system means that he was absolutely the wrong choice for Michigan, as I feared as soon as they announced his hiring. The sandlot spread is for teams with mediocre talent, like Texas Tech and Kansas, not for the premier programs in the country. I don't blame all of the young players for this year's fiasco, but Rodriguez himself for introducing a wholly inappropriate system. (Plus, he seems unable to own up to his own mistakes.) Unfortunately, since they wasted so much money buying out his contract, UM will not fire him immediately (which they should do). Rodriguez is like Bill Callahan, who abandoned Nebraska's old smash-mouth style of play with disastrous results. The sooner Rodriguez is sent packing, the sooner the Wolves can find a more suitable coach. Until then, expect lots of humiliating losses, like the ones to Illinois and Toledo [!!].
Thank you, anonymous. Michigan fans don't seem to understand that we Penn State fans know all to well that the common excuses are just that... excuses.
I'm a huge Michigan fan and have been since I was born, this is almost as big a disaster as what's going on in the economy today. First App State now this, What the F*$%. I agree with the last statement that we can't make any excuses, but atleast you guys still have Joe Pa, we've got nothing. Our offense looks like my sons pee-wee offense. We are outmatched week-in and week-out. Your also right in saying that the elite schools should not convert to this offense. I was never a big Lloyd Carr fan, but atleast we won and played smash mouth football. We did'nt have to worry about (no offense) Penn State, Michigan State and so on. So tell Joe Pa to run the score up on us wolverines we deserve it.
The offensive lineman who transferred to Ohio State rightly understood that the "sandlot spread" offense of Rodriguez was taking the program in the wrong direction.
he left because of family values. the spread is not family values.
One can add elements of the spread to a power pro offense, as Penn State and Ohio State have, but adopting a sandlot spread in the Big Ten will result in, well, Purdue.
Purdue and Michigan are in no way the same spread. OSU is running the same type of spread as Michigan. We ran the same type of spread under Micheal Robinson (before he was good). This statement makes no sense.
The fact that Rodriguez didn't realize the potential of the existing system means that he was absolutely the wrong choice for Michigan, as I feared as soon as they announced his hiring.
So they should fault the coach should change his entire philosophy instead of building in his system which he is comfortable with and has won with? And THIS is why he is the wrong hire?
I don't blame all of the young players for this year's fiasco, but Rodriguez himself for introducing a wholly inappropriate system. (Plus, he seems unable to own up to his own mistakes.)
Yes, like starting with a bare cupboard at linebacker and offensive line. Have you seen their recruiting in those two places the last few years? That's obviously his fault.
If we're going to bash Michigan, let's at least think rationally. Apparently this Threet guy was way overrated. He sat behind the backup to Reggie Ball at Georgia Tech. That is not a good sign. Their defense is some messed up blitz happy but play a soft zone therefore opening up every single screen/dump pass imaginable for 8-20 yards an attempt. The only time that stops is in the red zone where apparently they can't play a soft enough zone due to lack of space. Their offensive line and linebacking corp is comprised of 2 and 3* recruits who apparent they didn't get lucky with as they have with OL in the past.
I can't fault Rodriguez yet. Have you watched a Michigan game closely yet? With the arrant passes, the dropped balls, the fumbles, they have blown themselves out of every game. They can only run 2 plays successfully, one of them only once every 5 attempts (Dump to the runningback and zone read respectively). The average attempt for a pass is around 5yrds (!). Their entire offense SUCKS. Is that the coaches fault? Not really, the players can't execute any better.
As far as changing his scheme, that won't help with the inferior OL play and the abortion of a player Threet appears to be. They aren't going to move the ball any better in a pro-set with DL in the backfield or sailing balls 4 feet over WR heads or fumbling left and right.
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