GBMWolverine: Michigan Football — Tidbits from MaizeMan’s on Michigan
Posted at 6:00am — 10/12/2008
GBMWolverine: Michigan Football — Tidbits from MaizeMan’s on Michigan
Coach Rod after the Illinois game made a comment about the players being “soft”. What exactly does that mean? Who is at fault if that is true? Was he talking about player’s performance on one game or it this indictment of the overall program?
Not sure, what Coach Rod meant, but may take:
1) Michigan’s football program has been soft for a number of years. There are many people to blame and maybe it is true that every program goes through these “stages”.
2) (IMO for what it is worth) this “softening” of the football program started in the bowl game against Tennessee in 2003. Of course what happened at that bowl game and what led up to the collapse started even before that.
3) But that was the start of not only the coaches, the players, the practice structure, the way we recruit, the marketing of the program, the inability to modernize the S&C program you name it even the lowering of expectations of the fans it all started that year.
4) The lowering of expectations from the fans have allowed this downturn or softening to continue notice the arguments. Is this season a result of Coach Carr or has Coach Rod already lost control of program?
My answer who cares? What difference does it make? Program is where it is and there is only way out or one way to get back to being a legit top program. Fans acceptance of mediocrity does not help it only perpetuates the problem.
5) If Coach Rod claims the players are soft (another opinion) it is the coaches fault. When teams do not play well as our defense against Illinois offense it looks like they are slow, they are not playing with passion, etc. However, many times it is just a case of Illinois out scheming either Michigan or players simply not executing properly.
In most cases, it is coaching and way too often Michigan’s defenses over the years have looked “slow” in the Illinois case Shafer even admitted he was out coached an admirable trait as long as it does not become a habit.
6) So calling out the players and calling them “soft” fine as long as Coach Rod also puts blame where in this case it belongs.
7) This very issue is why I have been advocating change in the program for the past five years. People who are around the program enough saw this coming. In fact, Bo himself use to lecture about how tough it was to stay on top and how easy it was to rely on “tradition” as an excuse to allow program to “soften”.
So Here We Are:
Now what? Well, unfortunately and count me as one who is struggling patience is the key patience, but also fans not allowing mediocrity to continue to creep into the program. That means quit making excuses for what is going on there are some reasons for problems, but lack of improvement week to week is unacceptable.
Coach Rod has been hired into the biggest challenge of his career. And for him changes needs to be made. This is not WV! Sure he turned that program around, but WV does not compete in the Big 10 and does not compete against ND or OSU for recruits.
Encouraging signs are S&C program has changed and I am confident in Barwis ability to develop and challenge kids. Coach Rod hates to lose and he will do whatever it takes to get Michigan winning again. But in the meantime lets not throw the kids under the bus. Lets recruit better, lets coach better, lets play those kids who show willingness to do what it takes.
Some of the issues we have had should now be corrected or at least we should be seeing noticeable improvement. If no improvement then Coach Rod needs to re-evaluate what he is doing in practice or even evaluate his system especially offensively. Coach Rod’s job is to win NOW not in 2010 or 2011 and he needs to get the most out of the talent he has NOW! Lets hope we see some of that talent playing better from here on out.
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Written by GBMWolverine Staff
Go Blue — Wear Maize!