Trouble at Michigan

Nothing has gone well since Michigan started its search for a new head coach. First they did not get Les Miles, whose pro offense would have been a better fit for the current personnel at Michigan. Then the hiring of Rodriguez did not go smoothly. Rodriguez was still under contract, and he tried to get out by saying West Virginia had not fulfilled promises it had made. Even with my limited contract law experience I knew he had a losing argument. Rodriguez was fighting not only his previous employer, but it was also his alma mater and essentially the entire state, since the WV football program dominates the sports scene in the state. Michigan had to be concerned at how Rodriguez handled himself in that matter. The Michigan athletic department eventually gave up and paid the buyout. The next trouble for the team involved the star recruit of Terrelle Pryor. Rodriguez saw Pryor as an integral part of his spread option offense, but Pryor instead chose Ohio State. The troubles continued as players left the program, most notably OL Justin Boren, who was highly critical of the culture under Rodriguez. Not only did Boren leave, but he we went to Ohio State, which is a big deal in the rivalry, especially considering his dad played for Bo. Rodriguez was also accused of recruiting players that had already been verbally committed to other Big Ten schools, and Tressel called him out saying that there was a gentleman's agreement regarding players that were already verbally committed, but that the agreement was only between gentleman.

So, as you can guess, Rodriguez was ready to play some football and get those troubles behind him. Unfortunately the season has not gone well, as the team has lost a record eight games. Gone are the records for consecutive winning seasons and bowl appearances. The one main record that Rodriguez will try to continue is the success of the last six Michigan coaches against Ohio State in the first season. Everyone knew the process of implementing the offense at Michigan would be painful, but I think few expected things to go this poorly. Rodriguez recently criticized fans that had been critical of the program, saying they should get a life. That hardly seems like a way to win over your own fans in your first year, especially considering all of the problems that have surfaced.