T1B

SI says Mario, AA, and Mallet are pretty much gone.

I kind of assumed Mallet was probably going to go but I thought the other two might stick around.

UM fans, what do you think this does to your team? Have any of your backups shown similar capabilities?

They're not going to, but they will be trotting out a team next year that resembles ND in '07, and they are learning an entire new offensive scheme.

Their schedule won't allow them to go 3-9, but next year will be interesting to watch from an outsiders perspective.

I think UM made a bad hire with RR.

RR before White and Slaton - A average coach
RR with White and Slaton - The greatest thing since sliced bread.

I dont see RR getting UM out of 2nd place in the big ten.

Ps. Who didnt see Mallet leaving with the spread coach coming in?

I think RichRod will bring some new dimensions to the offense that will drastically improve the running game. I'm interested to see how he incorporates the WRs into his offense. If he aims to run a similar style offense compared to that at WVU these last couple years, I think the WR production will drop compared to past years at UM. I may be wrong, but I see a change in how UM will recruit wide receivers under RR. Wonder if he can still pull in guys with as much talent as David Terrell, Marquise Walker, Braylon Edwards, Mario Manningham, among others.

Coach Rich will have plenty of talented running backs to work with and I'm sure he'll be sitting pretty if he can reel in Pryor to be the centerpiece to his offense. Wide receivers will still be a valuable part to Michigan but not as much in this revamped system that Rodriguez and McGee will run.

Killian wrote:They're not going to, but they will be trotting out a team next year that resembles ND in '07, and they are learning an entire new offensive scheme.

Their schedule won't allow them to go 3-9, but next year will be interesting to watch from an outsiders perspective.

And how about BC and Nebraska? I'm not saying RR is as bad as BC but this will undoubtedly be hard for some of the remaining players and incoming freshman.

The difference is that the Big 10 is extremely weak.

MSU - loses a bunch
Purdue - Ditto
PSU - Ditto, but they will be better than the two above
Indiana - Ditto
Minnesota - sucks
Northwestern - Ditto
Wisconsin - Decent
OSU - Very good
Illinois - Fraud
Iowa - middle of the pack
Michigan - loses everyone of note on offense, installing a new system.

Their schedule is set up for them to be at worst 7-5, but they will struggle.

Killian wrote:Iowa - middle of the pack

When you lose 85 guys to the NFL every year, "middle of the pack" is a good performance.

i don't think learning a new scheme will be necessarily tough. just b/c notre dame was pure horseshite does it mean struggle is inevitable. it probably just means their coach just can't coach very well. it's not like these guys don't have a playbook they can start studying now and feasibly get around ncaa rules as far as practice/meeting. plus, they ran quite a few spread formations against florida and didn't seem like they were having trouble adjusting to foreign schemes. the point about a weak big ten is the most important, though. they should get out of the non-conference with a worst-case 3-1 record and then compete successfully in the big ten. i don't know what their final record will be, or whatever other struggles they might encounter [uhh... who's our qb?], but i doubt the actual transition to rr's offense will leave them with a mediocre record.

I don't think RR will insist on running the spread in every circumstance. He will have better OL talent year in and year out. He'll be able to take both approaches, a luxury that he didn't have at WVU.

The spread option with Pryor and McGuffie might be pretty damn snappy.

Also, I think his defensive mind is too easily discarded. He's been innovative, people were showing up to see how he was running the stack. He will have much better defensive talent at his disposal at UM than he did in Morgantown.

just b/c rr runs the ball out of different formations does it mean he can't run the ball. this cold weather argument is bunk considering you all think michigan's going to throw 40 times a game. west virginia averaged nearly 300 yards a game rushing this year and only 150 passing. that's more big ten-like than michigan [165 ypg] or ohio state [200 ypg]. those fat hogs osu is recruiting are the type people point out at michigan when they say they're going to have trouble adjusting to the spread.

M Club wrote:i doubt the actual transition to rr's offense will leave them with a mediocre record.

You're right. The transition to inexperienced players is what will lead to the mediocre record.

was that sarcasm? i wasn't claiming michigan will be lights out, just that the source of their struggles won't necessarily be learning the spread. hiccups, yeah, but the standard dialogue had been:

michigan: RR!!! WHOOT!! WE'RE GOING TO FUCKING DOMINATE!!! WHERE'S BRADWOLVERINES?!?!?

ohio st: fuck that guy. the big east sucks. poser.

everyone else: michigan will need 800 years to transition to the spread.

if you weren't being sarcastic, then yeah, experience is going to be an issue. that's my trex and i'm sticking to it.

M Club first said wrote:just b/c notre dame was pure horseshite does it mean struggle is inevitable

M Club then said wrote:just b/c rr runs the ball out of different formations does it mean he can't run the ball.

Huh? Seriously not pulling grammar smack. Is this accurate though? Did you mean doesn't or do people actually talk this way? I've seriously never heard using "does it" in lieu of "doesn't." You're the closest thing we got here to an Illuminatti. Say it isn't so.

Michigan will be replacing a 4 year starter at RB, WR and at least a 3 year starter at LT, WR, and another 2 year starter at WR. I thought the TE was leaving as well. ND lost a 4 year starter at QB, LT, 3 year starter at RB and WR and a 2 year starter at WR. Very similar, no?

I don't think UofM will struggle with the spread because of any of their skill position players. DickRod is a good enough coach to know what works with his players and what doesn't. Where they may struggle is with their offensive line. That Oline was recruited to run the same type of program (more or less) that UofM has run for the last 367 years. I wouldn't be so concerned if a skill position player hasn't played in the spread before (i.e. high school), but an Olineman would worry me because it starts and ends on the line. Your line suck? See ND circa 2007.

88 wrote:Your head will stop hurting.

No it won't.

Sin,
Jack and Coke

Yeah, I almost hate it when I have a great day at work and have to celebrate.

That's my trex and i'm sticking to it.

88 wrote:I'd like to see Terrelle Pryor play for Ohio State because from what I've seen he's got that freak ability that only comes around every decade or so. But I can't see him being happy handing the ball off 25-30 times per game.

Screw that. The young man needs to go play for an established spread-option offense, with a very experienced O-line, a stable full of WRs, a bunch of power-runners and a gambling defense that can get the ball back quickly. He could throw up some gaudy numbers and get national accliam very quickly. At such a school, he could potentially compete for a championship as a freshman.

He should also consider a school whose boosters would give his parents some really high paying jobs up the highway from the school he'll be attending (although I think the NCAA kinda frowns on that, but the NCAA dude is a pawn of said boosters, so fuck'em).


And there just happens to be an opening at a certain PAC10 school in the Northwest. Seems pretty simple, to me anyway.

the only difference isn't scheduling. give michigan this gauntlet to run through next year and they'll come out well above .500, let alone 3-9:

gtech
msu
psu
ucla
bc
navy
air force
stanford
purdue
usc
duke

notre dame is bad team. their coach is a bad coach. whatever your issues, breaking in new players isn't an excuse for dropping off the face of the world. it's college fucking football. sometimes the players actually graduate and can't beat up sub-par competition for you anymore, get pants raped by anyone decent, and earn your school $5 billion b/c you get a free pass into the bcs.

michigan has question marks next year b/c the starters are gone and their replacements are wild cards. tell me a year that isn't the narrative for nearly every cfb team. the difference is we consistently lose three or four games every year while notre dame talks about tough wins against duke and stanford as proof they're turning things around.

sorry about my syntax. it's still viable.

i'm not too worried about michigan getting run over by that steep juice learning curve that had nothing to do with a slate of easy games and pulling a single miracle out of roon zook's arse. illinois will return to 2-10 next year. i'm also not very worried about psu b/c lloyd can probably put the book down for a week and coach one final game against joepa. toledo, perhaps. i can't really tell the difference between toledo and pittsburgh [the cities], and perhaps rr can't either.

that schedule's actually really nice considering there aren't any sustained sec-type stretches. a couple back-to-back games that look tough right now, but the grinder is interrupted quite often. that notre dame-through-purdue slate might normally be cause for concern, but weis is still coaching notre dame, msu still has that bald qb and a bow-down complex, illinois will still be trying to develop juice, and purdue will still be looking for a coach b/c no one realized joe tiller isn't there anymore. i think we finally lose to psu next year, the only reason that i don't remember how long the winning streak's at right now so we might as well just reset the counter.

[nevermind, tiller's resigning after next season. same difference. not like anyone knows purdue even has a football team.]

Losing a player here and there, yes, it happens to every college football team. Losing players at the top 5 positions? That doesn't happen too often and when it does, it's usually not pretty.

Look, I'm not excusing Notre Dame or the job that Weis did last season. It was fucking awful. Based on talent alone, they should have been above .500. Weis trying to install that stupid fucking spread for a QB he knew wasn't going to be the future set the team back a looooong way. But if you look at the GaTech game, that's how the spread looks when you have a first time starter back there with an oline who doesn't know what the fuck is going on. I expect Michigan to do better because Rodriguez is considered the father of the spread, so he knows what he's doing as opposed to Weis's grab ass approach.

Stanford's Shafer hired as Michigan's new defensive coordinator...

http://mgoblue.com/football/article.aspx?id=104682" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That means no goofy 3-3-5...that's the big thing. The guy figured out how to beat USC last season...gotta be a decent coach to do that. He's got local ties with coaching at Western Michigan in '05-06, Illinois in '04, was Bill Mallory's grad coach at Indiana in '91-92 and he had a long run at Northern Illinois.

As for analyzing next year's schedule...let's wait until after signing day. Not to sound like a broken record but it all rests on if he can lure Pryor to be his QB. With Mallett leaving, he could come in and start from Day 1. His arrvial could singlehandedly change the way teams will approach playing Michigan. Never did a team have to scheme against a multi-dimensional QB during the Lloyd Carr days.

Before the season UMfan pretty much knew this would be Mario's last year.

Mallet was out as soon as RR became the savior.

Arrington is a bit of a surprise. He was more a clutch first down possession guy until the middle of this year. I think it makes sense for him as his stock will be at its highest in this draft.

Not worried about the wr position. UM always has the cupboard stocked at the position. Matthews and Hemingway should top the depth chart with a stud or two coming in.

RR is checking out some Juco qb's (jucos are extremely rare at UM) as insurance policies. I don't think there is anyone on the roster that RR would consider to run his offense. Like Shoalzie said Pryor becomes the key. He likes RR, loves the spread, could instantly become "the man". I'd say it's 50/50 right now, but you never know with teenagers.

When is signing day?

WolverineSteve wrote:When is signing day?

February 5 if I'm not mistaken


RACK Coach RichRod...rockin' a hockey jersey of the #1 team in America

Killian wrote:Losing a player here and there, yes, it happens to every college football team. Losing players at the top 5 positions? That doesn't happen too often and when it does, it's usually not pretty.

Look, I'm not excusing Notre Dame or the job that Weis did last season. It was fucking awful. Based on talent alone, they should have been above .500. Weis trying to install that stupid fucking spread for a QB he knew wasn't going to be the future set the team back a looooong way. But if you look at the GaTech game, that's how the spread looks when you have a first time starter back there with an oline who doesn't know what the fuck is going on. I expect Michigan to do better because Rodriguez is considered the father of the spread, so he knows what he's doing as opposed to Weis's grab ass approach.

so notre dame should've been above .500, but weis coached them to a 3-9 record. weis is somehow a good coach. eh?

Shoalzie wrote:Stanford's Shafer hired as Michigan's new defensive coordinator...

cue this

Every coach lays a shitbomb of a season. The truly great ones learn to come back from said season. We'll see where Weis falls shortly.

Weis can definitely turn things around. The question is - will ND nation run him out of town before then? He's gotta make a HUGE improvement next season.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial wrote:Weis can definitely turn things around. The question is - will ND nation run him out of town before then? He's gotta make a HUGE improvement next season.

This is the key right here, especially your last sentence. If Weis puts up an 8-4 record, people will be okay with that, under some circumstances. Mainly:

1.) The offense has to improve. ND seemed to hit their stride in the last few games, understandable considering the cupcakes they played. Had those teams been at the beginning of the schedule, perhaps the 3-9 would have been 6-6. Either way, if the offense gets better it leads to less time the defense stays on the field, which leads to:

2.) Stop getting blown the fuck out. A lot of games were close, and teams pulled away in the second half because the offense couldn't do shit and the defense lacked depth to sustain early success. No excuses now (pun intended) because all of the depth was recuited by Weis.

If he lays a 7-6 record, it would be hard pressed for ND to retain him. I would have to see how the 7-6 occured. .500 or worse, he's gone.

Regardless if Weis succeeds, the coach in 2009 and 2010 will be taking over a shit load of talent.

I think ND needs to do the following next season:

1 - Get to and WIN a bowl game
2 - Beat every team they SHOULD beat on their schedule
3 - Beat a minimum of one team that they "shouldn't" beat

I'm not sure what the record will look like under this formula, but I think this is what needs to be done in order for a "HUGE" improvement to take place.

MgoBlue-LightSpecial wrote:I think ND needs to do the following next season:

1 - Get to and WIN a bowl game
2 - Beat every team they SHOULD beat on their schedule
3 - Beat a minimum of one team that they "shouldn't" beat

I'm not sure what the record will look like under this formula, but I think this is what needs to be done in order for a "HUGE" improvement to take place.

The bowl streak sucks, but honestly, I couldn't give a rat's ass about that streak. But I admit, as you stated, that would be a huge improvement.

In his first two years, he acomplished #2 with the exception of possibly MSU in '05. #3 really hasn't been acomplished when you view it at seasons end. Before '05, no one really thought they would beat UofM and a couple of othe teams on the schedule.

Killian wrote:Every coach lays a shitbomb of a season. The truly great ones learn to come back from said season. We'll see where Weis falls shortly.

i'm also sure weis can turn it around, if only b/c of the talent he's bringing in. one of those five- or four-star recruits has to pan out, right? the thing i don't get is why everyone's so assured he's a good coach. he hasn't done much in his first three years to suggest he's anything other than an average guy running notre dame. at the very least it'll put to rest claims made by the proletariat that "i could even coach this team."

M Club wrote:

Killian wrote:Every coach lays a shitbomb of a season. The truly great ones learn to come back from said season. We'll see where Weis falls shortly.

i'm also sure weis can turn it around, if only b/c of the talent he's bringing in. one of those five- or four-star recruits has to pan out, right? the thing i don't get is why everyone's so assured he's a good coach. he hasn't done much in his first three years to suggest he's anything other than an average guy running notre dame. at the very least it'll put to rest claims made by the proletariat that "i could even coach this team."

He DID almost beat the greatest team to ever suit up so he's got that going for him.

M Club wrote:

Killian wrote:Every coach lays a shitbomb of a season. The truly great ones learn to come back from said season. We'll see where Weis falls shortly.

i'm also sure weis can turn it around, if only b/c of the talent he's bringing in. one of those five- or four-star recruits has to pan out, right? the thing i don't get is why everyone's so assured he's a good coach. he hasn't done much in his first three years to suggest he's anything other than an average guy running notre dame. at the very least it'll put to rest claims made by the proletariat that "i could even coach this team."

I think a lot of it comes from the '05 season when everyone thought ND was going to start out then the same way they did in '07. Going into the bowl game, he lost his two games by 6 points. Even the fiesta bowl, ND was within a score of OSU with two third and long conversions required before Wells snapped their back.

well, hopefully he does. it was fun to see notre dame so inept this year, but considering their tradition and fan base, it's great of cfb if they were a national player again.

I hope Mallett lands on his feet somewhere else. Tennessee would be a great fit, IMHO. Luckily for him, getting all that game time experience this year will probably speed up his learning curve some when he gets to play again in '09.

RumpleForeskin wrote:I hope Mallett lands on his feet somewhere else. Tennessee would be a great fit, IMHO. Luckily for him, getting all that game time experience this year will probably speed up his learning curve some when he gets to play again in '09.

My guess is he'll end up back home at Arkansas.

WolverineSteve wrote:My guess is he'll end up back home at Arkansas.

official.

I like it. Perino's offense will be a good fit for him. At Texarkana, he ran a lot of shotgun 5 WR sets. Petrino's cup of sugar there.