Three and Out: Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines...

[Psyblast]

Generally I would just discuss this in the Michigan team thread, but I think a lot of outsiders would be very, very interested in this.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0809094665

http://mgoblog.com/content/three-and-out-questioning

Some cliff notes:

• John Bacon is a very, very credible writer, and is very well-known at Michigan.
• Bacon was given unrestricted, unfettered, 100% total inside access to the football program during RR's three years in Ann Arbor.
• Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, is pissed at him now because of this book. It paints everyone you can think of in a negative light. Rodriguez, Lloyd Carr, Michael Rosenberg, the Athletic Department, everything.
• Bacon has since been banished to the cheap seats in press row in Michigan Stadium, the spot usually reserved for The Worst Sports Writer in America*.
• The UM Athletic Department has put pressure on the M-Den (official UM store) to not sell the book. Try and digest that for a second.

This throws the curtain back from everything that happened from the coaching search in November and December of 2007 to the end of Rodriguez's three years in January 2011. Michigan football's been shrouded in a cloud of mystery (by design) for basically all of our lives. Anyone who's curious about a peek inside will want to read this. General consensus is every Michigan fan that reads it will be angry, no matter whose side you were on during the last three years.







* - Drew Sharp

[Blaxican8504]

Re: Three and Out: Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines...

Consider me intrigued.

[Sportsbuck]

Re: Three and Out: Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines...

I'm very intrigued as well.

[ImTellinTim]

Re: Three and Out: Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines...

*Clicks on amazon link and pulls debit card out of wallet*

[Herky]

Re: Three and Out: Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines...

Looks interesting. Rich Rod seemed like such a weird hire from the start and things never panned out.

I know Kirk Ferentz was a name that Bo wanted before he passed, and that former Iowa president and Michigan prez Mary Sue Coleman did as well when Carr was done. I wonder if that will get touched on?

[NEOPARADIGM]

Re: Three and Out: Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines...

Rich Rod seemed like such a weird hire from the start ...

From a fan's perspective there wasn't anything weird about it. He was the hotshot, up-and-comer, and the fanbase was screaming Michigan needed to "catch up" to the rest of the country. So they went out and got the guy who invented the spread, the very offense that was shredding the Wolverines under Carr. Made good sense at the time.

In lieu of this book, however, I suspect everything I just typed will look naive. Very interested, indeed.

[lonewolf371]

Re: Three and Out: Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines...

From a fan's perspective there wasn't anything weird about it. He was the hotshot, up-and-comer, and the fanbase was screaming Michigan needed to "catch up" to the rest of the country. So they went out and got the guy who invented the spread, the very offense that was shredding the Wolverines under Carr. Made good sense at the time.

In lieu of this book, however, I suspect everything I just typed will look naive. Very interested, indeed.

That's just you. A lot of the fan base was divided over Rich Rod.

[jake44np]

Re: Three and Out: Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines...

From a fan's perspective there wasn't anything weird about it. He was the hotshot, up-and-comer, and the fanbase was screaming Michigan needed to "catch up" to the rest of the country. So they went out and got the guy who invented the spread, the very offense that was shredding the Wolverines under Carr. Made good sense at the time.

In lieu of this book, however, I suspect everything I just typed will look naive. Very interested, indeed.

Invented the spread?? Come on now. RR didnt invent the spread.

[plasticbeast]

Re: Three and Out: Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines...

Invented the spread?? Come on now. RR didnt invent the spread.

Yeah the spread has been around way longer than RR. He is pretty much credited with inventing the zone read option play out of the spread.

[Jr.]

Re: Three and Out: Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines...

I'll definitely give this a read. Sounds very interesting.

[NEOPARADIGM]

Re: Three and Out: Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines...

Invented the spread?? Come on now. RR didnt invent the spread.

Eh, whatever. Guess my source (likely ESPN) was wrong. :shrug:

That's just you. A lot of the fan base was divided over Rich Rod.

Of course it's just me. Most internet posts are the opinion of the person making it unless stated otherwise.

[bvb24]

Re: Three and Out: Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines...

The book doesn't go into the D coordinator situation. That was the only reason I was thinking of picking this up.

[Psyblast]

Re: Three and Out: Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines...

The book doesn't go into the D coordinator situation. That was the only reason I was thinking of picking this up.

There's not much to "go into." RR hired Shafer, RR's cronies staged a coup midway through 2008, Shafer was a lame duck, Shafer agreed to leave, RR couldn't find anybody who wanted the job until Robinson approached him, and the same crap happened, RR and his buddies forcing a scheme on players who didn't know how to run it and a coach who didn't know how to coach it.

[lonewolf371]

Re: Three and Out: Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines...

Of course it's just me. Most internet posts are the opinion of the person making it unless stated otherwise.

You said "from a fan's perspective" instead of "from my perspective." Those can mean two different things. I thought you meant the general fan.

[Psyblast]

Re: Three and Out: Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines...

Bump, reminder that this comes out tomorrow (the 25th).

http://www.detnews.com/article/20111024/SPORTS0201/110240324/1004/SPORTS/Excerpt--Michigan-s-search-for-football-coach-lacked-game-plan