The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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FROM OUR READERS plished two things that Rodriguez did not: they ran spotlessly clean programs and they won most of their football games. How can we forget that Rodriguez gave us the worst record in the sto- ried history of the program with his unworldly 3-9 record in 2008? Or how he presided over the University's first football probation, a matter he cav- alierly dismissed as "accounting er- rors?" Rodriguez was given three full years to turn the program around and he failed to do so. Last year he gave us the worst defense in school history and finished the season with an embarrassing loss to a mediocre Mississippi State team. The argument that Rodriguez was just a year away from turning the program around is simply not viable. This 11-2 team is almost entirely composed of players who played for Rodriguez — the difference is the coaching. Rodriguez is a decent man and a good coach, but his style of play simply didn't work against Big Ten opponents. And that, coupled with the NCAA infractions, is why he's no lon- ger in Ann Arbor. Harvey Dasho Walnut Creek, Calif. Couple of quick observations, Harvey. The 1-7 records in 1934 and 1936 featured seasons with a worse winning percentage than 2008, but we get your point. More importantly, outside agents with a clear goal of ushering Rodriguez out of Ann Arbor played a major role in the foot- ball program's first probation ever, largely over excess stretching prior to practices (per the NCAA report). STUDENT SECTION SHORTFALL Dear The Wolverine: As a season ticket holder of six seats for 40-plus years, the students have always been an insult to U-M. A major- ity of the time your section is empty at kickoff. It's maybe 50 percent full by halftime and empty if Michigan goes way ahead or behind. Your seats should be open to real Michigan fans that pay the full price. Students don't care, and you showed it game-in and game-out, through eight games in 2011. Pay the regular price like the rest of us and see how many of you show. Michigan football pays the entire cost of all men's and women's sports — otherwise you would not even have a program. Remember Bo? Noon or 1 p.m. kickoff, or he went crazy. Now there are 3:30 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. kickoffs. Show your support or give up your cheap tickets and let real Michigan sup- porters pay the big money and enjoy. Ron Bennett Highland Beach, Fla. Ron, before anyone else weighs in (and we've got a feeling they will), let's just stipulate the "empty" descriptions repre- sent significant exaggeration. Students have always been an important part of the crow, and always will be. That said, there's an issue with arrivals for games, and Michigan's athletic depart- ment is certainly looking at it. From Our Web Site Editor's Note: We not only have interesting submissions in our mailbag, we also get daily input on our Web site, The- Wolverine.com. These comments can come from average fans, former play- ers and even parents of present players. From time to time, we'll include a sam- pling from the Web site to supplement the letters section. • Weird thing is, the [opening-series Sugar Bowl] snaps weren't that bad. Maybe Denard Robinson is/was used to a certain location and speed of the ball. David Molk appears to have crisp and accurate snaps. After watch- ing those snaps over I think they should've been caught. Offensively we have major issues with the scheme Virginia Tech and MSU threw at us. Not sure if Molk at 100 percent would have changed the offense that much. Would love to give huge props to Molk, but can't see him fixing a major offensive issue against those defen- sive schemes. curly 156 • Personally, I'm really worried about [the center position in 2012]. Every- thing I've read about offensive line play — and admittedly it isn't much — says that all of the linemen need to be smart because of the complex- ity of their positions, and the center should have a near-genius football IQ (or better) because of his role in mak- ing the blocking calls. It's the sort of thing that's hard to see in the general chaos of line play, but it's critical for getting good results. The one reassuring thing is that I'm confident our coaches (specifically coach Darrell Funk) will have a good solution in place by Sept. 1. Certainly not as good an answer as a healthy David Molk, but good enough to meet the expectation for the position. CCinNH • I think Rocko Khoury is the front-runner, and I think he will be able to do the job. That was a tough spot for him to be put into at the Sugar Bowl. He has some experience there, and I thought did a good job. Give him winter conditioning to get even stronger and then spring and fall camps to work out some kinks and I think he will do a very good job next year. Kevin13 • For those freaking out about the Urban Legend at Toledo Whitmer High, Coach Brady Hoke was at their basket- ball game last Friday (Jan. 6) to watch the game [Michigan commitment] Chris Wormley was playing in. Worm- ley's family was decked out in their Michigan gear. Coach took the time to take pictures, sign autographs and talk to anyone who wanted to say hi. Many, many people were impressed with Coach for his patience and atti- tude towards those that wanted some of his time. Some OSU fans are saying Wormley will flip, and I feel it is just wishful thinking on their end. dlturnct • The coaches aren't infallible, and it's fine to ask questions. What's obnoxious is when people are convinced the coaches are making a [recruiting] mis- take and express their views that way. Because it is basically impossible to know the coaches are making a mis- take when you don't understand the reasons why they made the decision in the first place. Putting their expertise aside, you have to trust the coaches because they have an extreme informational advantage. And frankly, you don't even have to trust them, but to be convinced they are wrong and you are right when you have less than half of the overall picture that they have is just arrogant and stupid. mat139