• Carr at UCLA, Freep Special Report

    Obviously it was a disappointing finish to the hoops game yesterday, as the UCLA wore down Beilein’s crew and pulled away easily in the second half. The turning point? When they showed the video of coach Carr in the stands. Note the time and the score at the time: And not to nitpick, but if you are going to put an end date on Carr’s coaching career, technically it’s 2008. Two interesting links from the Free Press today: 1. Wow, check out the exchange between Les Miles and Rodriguez, as described by Rodriguez’s mother. It kind of validates the cocktail party theory that the WVU/Pitt game basically determined our next coach: According to her, Miles thanked Rodriguez for losing the game against Pittsburgh. Miles then joked with Rodriguez that the loss cost Miles his dream job. “He told my son that if West Virginia had beaten Pitt, they would’ve been in the championship game, and that would’ve left an opening for him,” she said. 2. Definitely give this is a read. Shawn Windsor of the Free Press put together a special report on the days leading to the Rodriguez hiring.

  • Michigan Tradition 101: Study Guide for Coach Rodriguez

    In his introduction press conference last week, Coach Rodriguez was up front about not knowing much about the Michigan football tradition. He promised to take a book on Bo Schembechler (I assume it was the new one, John Bacon’s Bo’s Lasting Lessons) home over the weekend and give it a read. I think most Michigan fans are concerned about wins and losses and would trade a championship for a coach that knows, cherishes and embraces the previous hundred and thirty years of football in Ann Arbor. Fine. But there are quite a few of us around that the tradition matters. Again, not to say that an outsider can’t come in and embrace it. While I’m growing tired of the Bo references to this situation, you have to consider Schembechler. Bo wasn’t quite a complete outsider as was Rodriguez, but he was an outsider nonetheless and is now the quintessential M man. Count me as a one that will be disappointed if during his Monday press conference on November 3, 2008, Coach Rodriguez fails to recount the history of the Little Brown Jug, as Coach Carr did each year during his tenure. And consider me ‘blue’ if we learn that Rodriguez doesn’t do something each practice to prepare for Ohio State, as has been done by each opponent since the days…

  • Michigan Stadium Renovation Update, YouTube style

    For those of you out of town, a brief YouTube of the current work going on at the Stadium. Gives you a flavor for what’s going on. I even caught them pouring part of the new foundation that will support the new structure. Most of this is from the west (press-box) side of the stadium. To spice it up, I added a few shots of the original stadium construction thanks to the Bentley museum: Here’s some of the photos:

  • Nine Men Out

    Word is out this evening that Coach Rodriguez met with all nine assistant coaches and gave them a simple message: “You’re fired.” This is a little disappointing as I, like I think many Wolverine fans, had hoped that he would retain a few of the coaches to keep some continuity, especially in recruiting. I was hopeful that RB coach Fred Jackson and quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler would be retained. Probably won’t happen. This said, in his introduction press conference this week Coach Rodriguez made an effort to stress that some of the coaches might be “rehired” as part of this process, and he used that term. The Detroit News indicated that D-line coach Steve Stripling might be a candidate for rejoining Rodriguez’s staff. We’ll see if anyone else gets back on the staff. A little disappointing but you’ve got to let this guy do his thing. UPDATE 12/21, 10am: The majority of folks calling WTKA are upset about this. My take: I don’t think this is a done deal. Again, he specifically said in his press conference that some coaches would be “re-hired”. UPDATE 12/21, 2pm: Ok, everyone chill. I was correct in that this wasn’t final: word is out that Fred Jackson will be retained. We’ll see how else soon.

  • Bill Martin calls The Huge Show (audio)

    Bill Martin called The Huge Show, which is broadcast on a few stations around Michigan including 1050 WTKA. Martin talked about the search process: – Said he knew that this would be a hire outside the coaching family from the get go. – Talked about the challenge of convincing Rodriguez and his wife to take this job and move to Ann Arbor sight unseen. – Joked about taking the President Coleman to the giant Cabela’s off of US-23. – Great quote, said Mary Sue Coleman “could sell coal in Newcastle”. He didn’t say that Coach Rod is the dog’s bollocks. – Thought it was 70/30 that he would come to Michigan after Rodriguez left Toledo. – Martin said he was excited based on the emails received about the hire. Perhaps he took his football filter off now! – Rodriguez will be at practice tomorrow. The audio is in two parts, missed a few seconds of the interview in the middle: [display_podcast]

  • Coach, Why are campus manhole covers round?

    Just like they did with the head coaching job, the University is following the requirement to post all job openings to the public. Today they posted the Assistant football coach openings: Market Title: Assistant Football Coach Department: Athletics FLSA: Exempt Salary Range: $130,000 – $150,000 Hours/Week: 40 Shift: Days – Frequent evenings and weekends required Note: This posting will fill multiple vacancies. Job Description and Responsibilities: Assist in the planning, organizing, directing, and implementing of all phases of a Division I football program. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Identifying and recruiting athletically and academically qualified student-athletes, organizing and planning practice and match strategies, participating in public relations and fundraising efforts, observing team members and determining the need for individual or team improvement; determining position assignments of team members; recommending contest strategy for a facet of the sport; insuring adherence to all association and conference rules by athletes and supporting staff; assisting in the monitoring of academic progress and status of team members. Qualifications/ Skill Requirements: Bachelors degree is required, prior participation and coaching in collegiate and/or professional football is required, proven ability to train and motivate athletes, excellent communication and organizational skills, ability to serve as a mentor and leader, thorough knowledge of NCAA rules and regulations, personal computer and related software skills are all desired. Geez, eliminate…

  • We Score Every Play! Really

    Today mgoblog published some great stuff, including a link to the 2005 West Virginia playbook. A lot of the plays involved a wiggle, and waggle and the quarterback taking it to the house. It’s TOO EASY! Run, Ryan Run. Elsewhere: I added a few Big Ten Blog links on the right toolbar. If you’ve got some other suggestions let me know. All these seem to be updated fairly frequently. Funny, after reviewing these I learned quickly that other Big Ten blogs like to talk about Michigan about as much as I do. But sometimes they’re just not very nice about it. A few examples: