I've been pro-Rod since Jump Street. But I'm beginning to have second thoughts.
It's not the lawsuit, or the way he left WVU. As I stated before, changing jobs is an ugly business. There's no good way to do it. You would think from the reaction locally to him leaving WVU and coming to Michigan that he had already done something bad to our athletic department. But he didn't. He screwed WVU, not us (and whether or not he screwed them at all is still very much in question). And while you may think that a coach that "screws over" the team he played for has questionable character and is poised to leave Michigan holding their d*cks in the future, he won't. Why? Because (cue Michigan arrogance) Michigan is the best place to play, to coach, and to live. Besides, it's not like he took the job at WVU in the off-season and split because there was better money on the table at UM (it was Lloyd Carr that did that back in 1980, and that seemed to work out).
It's not his lack of respect for The Rivalry during his opening presser. Those of you waiting for the "in 325 days in Columbus, Ohio speech" need a little reality check. That shit is reserved for the Buckeyes. The one thing that Michigan and Ohio State has in common is that they both live and die by Michigan Football. Don't worry about them, worry about us. The Game will take care of itself.
It's not the way he has handled QB recruiting and basically said "see ya" to Ryan Mallet on the Jim Rome show. Despite his cannon-like arm, Mallet is a square peg for our round hole. But more importantly, he was unhappy with the new regime. There are still some options here. Threet, Cone, and Carlos Brown (former spread QB in high school) are on the roster, and with new recruit Justin Feagin, we will survive. Terrelle Pryor has continued his blatent self-promotion to a point that I am done with him (unless he comes to Michigan). Think about this: If Pryor comes, the media will spout that RichRod is a genius, a master recruiter, and Michigan is on the right track. If Pryor falls victim to the Corvette and picks the Buckeyes, RichRod failed to meet his expectations, Tressel just won round one, and Michigan is headed down a dangerous road of uncertainty. I'LL BE DAMNED if I am going to let a seventeen-year-old punk have that kind of power. This is already a great recruiting class, and it's an unbelievable transition class. Even better, it's a national class, and not Michigan-centric. If he comes...great, if not...great. This is no where near make or break.
What is it that HAS made me question RichRod? His mistreatment of Joe Tiller.
I am now speaking directly to Coach Rodriguez: Do not underestimate the importance of Joe Tiller to Michigan football.
Ever since he lead Purdue to the Rose Bowl, his teams have been over-ranked in the pre-season. Then they win some games over inferior opponents, and their stock shoots up to a point where they are considered a national contender. One time, they even made Kyle Orton a Heisman trophy candidate. Then they play us, normally around mid-season, and they play with great passion. They give us all we can handle. Then they lose by less than a touchdown. It's great. Then they blow the rest of the season, usually falling to the likes of either Northwestern, Indiana, or Michigan State, and struggle to make a bowl. But college football is all about appearances people, and each year, or at least every other year, Purdue makes it look like we beat a good team in a good game...when the reality is that we sloppily beat a mediocre team by a slim margin. This is due, for the most part, to Joe Tiller.
Joe had this to say about Coach Rodriguez after hearing about the Roundtree coup:
If we had an early signing date, you wouldn't have another outfit with a guy in a wizard hat selling snake oil get a guy at the last minute, but that's what happened."
You're right Joe. That was unfair. You know what? I don't even want this kid on our team anymore. He's of questionable character. He's all set to go to Purdue to push to break their 9th place tie with Northwestern for all time Big Ten titles (8) and here comes Michigan. Mr. Wizard (RichRod) with his snake oil (scholarship to school with most wins, highest winning percentage, most conference titles, three-and-a-half-decade-bowl streak, and major national media exposure) charming away this kid without a care for Joe Tiller and his program. The only way this can be resolved is by a public apology to Joe. So that's what I expect from you Rich. Sack up and say you're sorry. Wear that wizard hat to the press conference too. I'd like to see that thing.
