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Wolverines lose again. Time for facepalm ∞...and also for patience
Written by Al Beaton   
Saturday, 07 November 2009 16:27

I remember when Saturday afternoons were fun. Joyous, even.

Growing up a Michigan Wolverines fan, I looked forward to Saturdays, seeing them pound teams into submission a crisp Fall afternoons.

Not anymore.

We still have glorious Fall afternoons, but the pounding? Michigan is no longer holding the hammer. They've become the nail.

Purdue wins at the Big House

This sort of thing is seen far too often at the Big House these days...

Today the Wolverines continued their fall from grace.

Michigan lost to Purdue at home for the first time in several generations. I'm not exaggerating. When the Boilermakers last won at the Big House, 1966, Purdue's quarterback, Hall of Famer Bob Griese, was barely old enough to buy beer. He's 65 now. You do the math.

The Wolverines remain one victory short of qualifying for a bowl game. But with Wisconsin and tOSU remaining on the schedule, and both are heavy favorites.

Again, you do the math. If you can't beat Illinois and Purdue...

I never thought I'd be rooting for a Michigan team to qualify for the Motor City Motor City Pizza Pizza Bowl Bowl. or any other  fleabag bowl game destination. Yet, here I am, bitching up a storm over the Wolverines inability to get their 6th win of the season.

Is there such a thing as an infinite facepalm? Or facepalm ∞?

Facepalm - you're doing it oh so wrong

Oh so very, very wrong...

So, now what?

I hate to say it, but I will.

Patience.

The Wolverines are in too deep with Rich Rodriguez to do anything other than give him time. At the very least another year, and what's much more likely, 2.

The administration can't fire him. Well, they could, if they listened to the rising amount of bile and anger coming from the alumni base, but the rebuilding would begin again. (We're long past the "Michigan doesn't rebuild, they reload" thoughts)

What might be a 4 or 5 year rebuild under RichRod suddenly turns into a decade long Notre Dame/Nebraska/Alabama style debacle if he's canned. Another coach would be hired, he'd come with another scheme, needing another type of player. The circle begins once more.

Let's not forget a couple of other things.

Michigan kept Tommy Amaker, the the worst basketball coach in the Big Ten during his tenure, around for 6 painful to watch years. If Amaker can last 6 years, with no real past track record to speak of, how long do you think the Michigan administration would give RichRod, who had proven himself a winner at the D-1 FBS level?

Enough time to know if he's the man to take the Wolverines to the next level, or a monstrous, program killing, mistake. The jury is still out, but you know what directions most fans are currently leaning...

Of course, the timetable is rapidly sped up if the NCAA finds some sort of shenanigans in their probe into the practice time fiasco.

NCAA violations = Rich Rodriguez is out post haste.

Factor in the current athletic director, Bill Martin, retiring as of September 2010. Martin's timing guarantees Rodriguez comes back next season. (Which I'm sure he realized when he set the date) You'd be insane to hire a new coach when your AD is a lame duck.

So that's where things stand. Even after another unimaginable loss, patience is the word of the day for the Wolverines' fanbase.

I'm not happy about it, but as a life-long Detroit Lions fan, I'm sure as Hell used to it.



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Comments (4)Add Comment
$6.5 million reasons
written by Uncle Omar, November 07, 2009
All of the howlers wanting Rodriquez' head should keep in mind the 6.5 million reasons why he isn't going anywhere, the $2.5 million in assistance to buy him out of his WVU contract and the $4 million golden parachute that Barnacle Bill Martin built into his UM contract if he's fired. There really isn't enough money in the State of Michigan right now to get rid of him. Besides, the mortgage on his house in Ann Arbor, actually Saline, is through Barnacle Bill's Bank & Trust and Barnacle Bill isn't going to make his stockholders eat that enchilada. And so, as I have said in this space many times, Welcome to The Bill Callahan Era at Michigan.
...
written by Ian C, November 07, 2009
What might be a 4 or 5 year rebuild under RichRod suddenly turns into a decade long Notre Dame/Nebraska/Alabama style debacle if he's canned.


Exactly. I'm concerned about how Michigan has looked in their second year under RichRod too. And I think he might need to re-evaluate how he deals with the defense as a head coach.

But firing him would bring on a slide much like those other schools you mentioned. Not to mention that you'd give other potential coaching hires pause, knowing they were on a two-year leash.
...
written by Big Al Beaton, November 07, 2009
Omar, I almost brought up Callahan...but I didn't want to become suicidal.

Michigan is now in the same situation as Nebraska and Alabama were for most of this decade. A national power reduced to a conference bottom feeder as they phase out the old guard...for better or worse.

The Crimson Tide had to steal Nick Saban (and pay him the equivalent of the state of Alabama's GNP) to pull them out of their tailspin. It remains to be seen if Bo Pellini can do the same with the Cornhuskers.

You're right about the cash. Michigan is in neck deep with RichRod. Considering the God awful state of Michigan's economy, paying RichRod several million $ to walk away would not go over very well.

U of M has little choice but to stick it out.
...
written by Big Al Beaton, November 07, 2009
Excellent point, Ian. If Michigan suddenly became known as the Detroit Pistons of the NCAA by tossing coaches under the bus every couple of seasons, the Wolverines would end up being coached by the football equivalent of John Keuster.

Keuster might end ip being a great coach. But there was a reason he was a career assistant and the Pistons' fall back option after no big names would take the gig. I'd hate to see the Wolverines fall in the same trap Joe Dumars now finds himself.

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