He's the Wiz...and Nobody Beats Him

​What do you know about Michigan Football? Not much. No, seriously. You may know stats, you may remember games, you may match numbers with players with the best of them...but what do you really know? Ever been to a practice? Probably not. When a player is dismissed from the team for "violating team rules" do you know what he did? Not for months. Did you know that Henne/Hart/Manningham was/wasn't going to play in (fill in 2007 game here) because they were injured? Nope. You were always guessing.

That's all going to change. It's time for funny. It's time for that great Michigan arrogance, and boy do we have a guy that is ready to put up that middle finger.

In a way that no leader of the Maize and Blue has in 40 years, RichRod opened up on WDFN this afternoon, responding to the comments of Joe Tiller last week:

I don't have any snake oil either. But maybe I'd be good at that, I don't know."

Then comes the obligatory backhanded compliment:

"(Tiller's) a great guy. Great coach."

He also covers a little game planning and strategy. My god, not the strategy! It's odd. We used to have a gameplan that I could recite to anyone in passing in about five minutes. I could routinely call the plays from the stands. Outcomes were easy to envision...minus that last bowl game.

Now we've got this complicated, unpredictable system...and we are willing to tell anyone that will listen. Hell, were even hosting a camp to teach our system to the locals.

Anyway, the audio is available over at MLive, which is where I stole the bulk of the above quotes from too. It's a good interview, worth a listen.

Jake Long on Sportscenter

​Projected top-5 pick Jake Long was profiled at combine training on the 6:30pm Sportscenter today. Jake is only the 5th lineman ever to be a two-time Big Ten offensive lineman of the year, and the first Michigan player since Trip Welbourne (Johnny Cleveland's favorite) to be a two-time All-American. I'm pretty sure that's because he should have gone pro. Jake's trainer at the combine made it clear that this is no ordinary man and that Jake has "mits the size of a polar bear." Which for starters is poor grammatically, but is probably not far off from the truth.

An interview moment with Jake shows that in his post-Gittleson life he has "leaned down a lot." He continues on revealing that the "lifting we did at school was all slow, pausing at the top." From the looks of the rigorous training regiment Jake was enduring, and the speed at which he was required to do it, I think it would be safe to say that Gittleson's methods don't translate well to the NFL system.

Jake goes on to say that he "thought he was eating healthy" before he arrived at the training. But they've got him on a stringent nutritional plan now, which begs the question: Do we not have nutritional plans in our program?

Weekend Roundup: A Time To Kill Edition: February 11, 2008

​What you missed this weekend while creating the ultimate pile of swine:

• The man himself speaks... RichRod on Sportscenter courtesy of Varsity Blue. Tears included, so beware if you are looking for your coach to be too tough to cry. Oh, and West Virginia is a bunch of assholes. Leave those kids alone.


• The most overrated recruiting class of 2008 goes to Michigan State. MGoBlog breaks down how what Drew Sharp calls "a great foundation" class is actually somewhere in the bottom quarter of the Big Ten.


• Stop the presses, as I somewhat agree with a Buckeye. Bob Hunter, who has no neck whatsoever, wrote a little article stating that we all may need to check ourselves and back off of Terrelle Pryor. Ya, maybe. As long as he agrees to stop calling press conferences.


• That limited legal skirmish you all know so well, Rod v. WVU, looks like it will be presided over by a jury of our coach's enemies. Despite motions to move it out of the backwoods and into civilization, it will take place in West Virginia. I hope he goes all Carl Lee Hailey on 'em. Yes they deserve to be coached by Bill Stewert and I hope they burn in hell.


• This class we got...this is some kinda class, with or without TP. From the Bleacher Report:

Ricky Barnum(OG) Rivals 5th Center, ESPN 4th Guard, Roy Roundtree(WR)  Rivals 44th Wide Receiver, ESPN 104th Wide Receiver. Michael Shaw(RB)  Rivals 7th Running Back, ESPN 77th Running Back. Barnum, Roundtree, and Shaw are three signing day steals by Rodriguez and the Wolverines. Barnum was set on Florida, Roundtree with Purdue and Shaw with Penn State.

• I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Michigan won a basketball game. Tarek says I'm fair-weather. Tarek also cheered the Spartans when they played against Wisconsin in 1996.

Champ vs. Champ, and Make It 3 from the Sunshine State

​There will be so many Michigan references leading up to this one that they might as well televise it on the BTN. On college football opening weekend (8/30), our old friend Appalachian State will take on our other old friend Les Miles in a battle of National Champions from the two D1 subdivisions.

Chances of an upset? Zero. Just like when they played us.

I don't know what LSU is thinking with this. Did we not give them the best example of a worst case scenario with what happened last year? There is nothing to gain from playing the Mountaineers.

On the recruiting front, Michigan got their 24th commitment...their third from Florida. It's all about the speed baby. An article from the Sun Sentinel announces the LOI from wide receiver Martavious Odoms. (via MGoBlog)

We're Out of the Running For Pryor? Fit to Print?

​Varsity Blue uncovered an article in the Madison Capital Times entitled "Pryor Down to Ohio State, Penn State." Phil Fritz, who is on the recruiting beat for the Badgers, seems to have no sources that back up the title of his article. He found it necessary in this article about Pryor to say that Rodriguez has "offended the entire conference" with his recruiting tactics. He also seems to have thinning white hair, a heavily wrinkled face, and a general crypt-keeper-like appearance.

Varsity Blue also points out that he is dumb, which may also be true.

While I believe deep down that we really are out of the running, I don't believe that Phil Fritz knows any more than you or I on the subject. It's difficult for me to believe that Captain Droopy Nuts has the inside track on Terrelle Pryor.