I think Rodriguez is going to do just fine at Michigan. I don't understand this bullshit about U-M football, the best teams are the teams that can understand that sometimes change is neccesary. Obviously the strategies that worked in 1997 have not been working for a while. Players at every position are getting faster and faster. I remember watching the Kansas/Missouri game last year and thinking "damn, these players are fast. Much faster than anything the Big Ten has." The Michigan fans who have the biggest problems with Rodriguez tend to be major traditionalists. Traditionalists who will shut up if Rodriguez beats Ohio State. Of course Michigan fans who like Rodriguez will have to put up with their bullshit for the first year or two while Michigan makes the transition from Lloyd Carr's team to Rodriguez's team. Once that happens I think Michigan will return to the top of the Big Ten and the NCAA.
Just out of curiosity, why did UM pony up the cash for what was obviously a losing argument (someone needs to teach Mr. Rodriguez the meanings of the words "material breach")? Unless that was part of the new contract (which TFA doesn't say). Because it would be a distraction to him to have taken a better job and suddenly have no money? Waah. Anyway, enough about UM, Coach R, and their woes, does this do anything for the Mountaineers? Coming off an exciting, momentum shifting bowl win and $4M in your pocket could be pretty big for WVU football or WVU athletics, no? Another big bowl win this season, not out of the question, and they should be worthy of some more consistent attention.
Well, if memory serves, the $4m buyout funds from Coach Rod is the same money or close to it as the total value of Coach Stewart's new package at WVU. You'd like to think that Coach Stewart will give the Mountaineers a shot in the arm. But that will have to be seen once the season starts and the recruiting picture under Stewart is further defined. But comparing the Pitt game to the bowl game against Oklahoma, WVU played the Sooners as though a load had been lifted off its shoulders. A lot of folks had not given WVU much of a chance to compete in that bowl game in the post-Rod aftermath. The Mountaineers looked like they were enjoying themselves. They did not always seem to be enjoying themselves when Rodriguez coached them. That's what you're concerned about in part as you ponder what Rodriguez will accomplish at UM. He'll get the talent. He'll add team speed and skill. And have game plans that are imaginative, at least more so than Tressel's. But the intangibles are a concern. Chemistry, conduct, leadership, etc. Coach Rod hasn't gotten off to a good start with how he's represented himself and the university. The word "class" is just not often used in any discussion of Rodriguez. You have to wonder whether he'll be able to get the most out of his talent. He's playing a higher stakes game now. If there was tension in his Morgantown locker room, there'll be double tension in Ann Arbor. Lloyd Carr was allowed to stay on because he was Lloyd Carr. If Coach Rod wins at least two thirds of his games and beats Tressel every other year on average but doesn't upgrade his intangibles, he could very easily be shown the door. If Rodriguez succeeds beyond my pessimistic expectations, I will certainly applaud him and take my hat off to him. Meanwhile back at WVU, if Coach Stewart has only modest success, he won't be held over hot coals right away because there are other things on people's minds at the university, such as the questionable conduct of its outgoing president. And the propensity of the governor for sticking his hand in every jar of jam in the en-tire state.
