New University of Michigan head football coach, Rich Rodriguez has been the biggest football-related distraction since Pac-Man Jones chewed on a toothpick. I say we cut the guy some slack until the season actually begins. Novel thought, I know.
No, he isn't a "Michigan Man". Yes, he is changing the offensive scheme drastically. Yes, there is something questionable about the way he left West Virginia. But let's put this into perspective here.
1. The "Michigan Man" thing.
Rodriguez grew up and spent almost his entire life in West Virginia. The simple fact that he was willing to leave a state he spent 40 years in and a program he lived for says a lot about Michigan. It reinforces the perception we have for the school. It also seems pretty natural. He looks like a Michigan coach. He acts like one, too. His coal-belt upbringing is a close cousin of our rust-belt attitude. He is a fiery competitor that has a lot in common with Bo and Lloyd, including the way he deals with his players. He expects honesty, commitment, and achievement on and off the field. In many ways there are very few changes.
3. The way he left West Virginia.
Think for a second about the rules of corporate America. If I were leaving a job, courtesy suggests that I give two weeks' notice before departing. I don't need to give a reason why. Courtesy on the employer's part would suggest that they give an exit interview with open, honest, and frank assessment of grievances and potential growing edges. On the other hand, many people quit, give one weeks' notice (or less) and employers rarely give exit interviews. Rodriguez, while unhappy at his alma mater, feeling taken advantage of, took an interview with Michigan. He had the audacity to not tell his boss he was looking for a new job. He had passed on Alabama the previous year. He had a buy-out in his contract. When Rodriguez was offered the job, he thought about it, called a recruit or two, then told his boss he was leaving. There is nothing sinister or evil about it: just business. The athletic directer (the boss), the president of the school, and the governor of the state of West Virginia all got involved to force him back and/or to spoil his transition to a new job. Then they sued him. Please. The $4 million buy-out is irrelevant. The truth is that when our coaches are winning we love them, when they're losing we hate them, and when they're leaving we despise them. There is nothing wrong in the way Rodriguez did his business; perhaps the system itself needs changing.
2. The new system
The one question mark left is the new system. I will admit my own sadness at the end of an era we will call "pro-style". It has been a tremendous source of pride at the quarterbacks, running backs, and offensive linemen that Michigan sent to the NFL (wide receivers have been hit-or-miss). The Michigan system did a great job of preparing young men in an NFL-style scheme. My nostalgic side remembers the team growing into a "balanced" team, when passing the football was still a novelty. After Jim Harbaugh helped change Michigan football, it was amazing to watch Elvis Grbac effortlessly sling the ball 50 r 60 yards and right into the hands of Desmond Howard, Derick Alexander, or Mercury Hayes. It was a beautiful and exciting moment surrounded by bruising and sleek running backs such as Tyrone Wheatley who was going to be the next Jim Brown. Those days were magical. Switching offensive schemes to a spread-option no-huddle offense actually feels like a step backwards. It doesn't feel like progress in the face of the balanced pro-style. The option was cast aside long ago--even by Nebraska. This is the one thing that makes me sad.
There is a lot of hope, however, in this transition. Lloyd Carr left coaching, not because he was forced out or we finally got to him, but because he didn't want to do what he was going to have to do. He didn't like the dishonest and quasi-legal elements of coaching today. He didn't want to be the cheater like Jim Tressel or the poor sport like Urban Meyer. He didn't want to be the relentless flatterer that Ron Zook is or the tireless motivator that Pete Carrol is. He wanted to love these kids, help them succeed as athletes and as men, and see them become successful in whatever they do. He was seen as old fashioned, but I see it as championing the heart of college athletics in the midst of a soulless period. Lloyd didn't want to do it anymore.
In this way, Rodriguez represents the person Lloyd couldn't be: a man of integrity and determination. Rodriguez is a good recruiter, has been honest with his players from day one, and has encouraged more/different conditioning training for the team. Returning players will be stronger and faster than they were last year.
There have been a few departures, especially along the offensive line (Justin Boren going to OSU is like Johnny Damon leaving the Red Sox for the Yankees!), and I find any departures troubling, but any transition will have casualties.
Perhaps the most important challenge for the new coach won't be winning football games or winning court cases, but helping the school and its alumni feel he is maintaining the tradition that they love while recruiting the best talent he can find. Otherwise, this may be another Nebraska.
The summer, however, is long. Perhaps we should all take a breath, watch the draft and some baseball and the fall will be here soon enough.
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