Unverified Voracity's Jaundiced Eye
Disclaimer. You probably don't care about any of this but while we wait for an "embattled" Rodrigez to meet with Dave Brandon today and the 7PM meeting with the players that seems like a likely moment for news to break, here's some other stuff. I've gotten a couple oddly-sourced things claiming that the office of Mark Hollis, Esq., Michigan State athletic director, is now telling people Rich Rodriguez is going to be fired today, not like that would come as a surprise or anything.
Also Harbaugh is now apparently a hot candidate for the Dolphins job, which would be a Michigan owner pirating Michigan's best coaching candidate to coach Chad Henne and Jake Long and would be the ultimate FOAD from God. Seriously, just jump.
Nothing to see here. Terrelle Pryor's college career should be over. He's already suspended for the first five games of next year and three(!) times since he arrived in Columbus he's been pulled over in someone else's car:
Three times in the past three years, Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor was stopped for traffic violations while driving cars that were owned by a car salesman or a Columbus used-car lot where the salesman worked, according to traffic citations obtained by The Dispatch.
Amazingly, Ohio State and Pryor spun out a story about car repairs and a test drive to Pennsylvania even after getting wind of a very familiar scheme…
Ohio State examined the relationship between its athletes and Auto Direct in July after receiving an anonymous letter saying that employees were trading use of cars for autographed memorabilia. Archie concluded that there were no NCAA violations.
…and the NCAA was all like "yeah, that makes total sense to me!"
Unbelievable. Michigan gets a "major violation" for niggling details and Ohio State players are bartering memorabilia for services at every business in Columbus and no NCAA violations are occurring. It's completely irrational to believe that if Terrelle Pryor was a 5'7" chemistry major that he'd get a free test drive of a thousand miles, but the NCAA turns a blind eye because logic is hard. Dan Wetzel's crusading about Pryor exposing the "charade of college athletics" and the NCAA can't even be bothered to suspend him for a measly year. I hate everything.
Chaos not limited. Remember a few weeks ago when I mentioned that Penn State's coaching staff could fall to bits in the near future? Yeah, didn't look like it would happen after Pitt insanely hired Mike Haywood. But then Haywood got in some legal trouble and got O'Leary'd and Maryland bizarrely hired Randy Edsall, leaving two prominent Northeast openings.
Meanwhile, Penn State message boards are filled with rumors that would be lurid insanity (mass chaos in the coaching staff, Paterno declaring his return without consulting anyone, threats of defection) if former players weren't talking trash on facebook and the highly-touted freshman quarterback who spent a big chunk of the year starting didn't watch a walk on throw five interceptions against Florida without getting a single snap himself and then book:
A day after Penn State's loss to Florida in the Outback Bowl, the father of true freshman Rob Bolden told Lions247.com that his son will seek a transfer from the school.
"It's true, he's looking to leave Penn State,"said Robert Bolden, Sr. on Sunday afternoon. "He's notified the coaches, that's as far as it's gone so far. We're waiting on the next step now."
With Kevin Newsome already headed out the door (and clearly more of a tight end than a quarterback by this point anyway) that leaves Penn State with McGloin and redshirt freshman Paul Jones. Jones is highly touted but there's probably a reason Bolden won the job in fall.
There are also rumors that much of the Penn State staff could be headed elsewhere. Tom Bradley missed on the Pitt job last time around but right now he seems to be one of two leading candidates along with Marvin Lewis of the Bengals. Lewis is now expected to "work out" his differences with Cincinnati, however, leaving Pitt with one giant blinking locally respected recruiting-class salvaging guy who seems to want to GTFO and take a big chunk of PSU's staff with him.
BSD has a roundup of the various things being said that includes the ridiculous—Bradley will leave PSU to become Pitt's defensive coordinator—and plausibly unsettling if you're a PSU fan; Slow States says that if Bradley does depart that "could and should" end the Paterno era, or "charade," if you will. Misery loves company.
Cheery reminder. FUN!
Robinson was asked after the game if he will be playing for the Wolverines if Rodriguez is not the coach.
"No response," Robinson said.
When asked how he would feel if Rodriguez does not return, Robinson did not say much more.
"That's my coach, that's who recruited me," Robinson said. "That's it."
If there's a new coach he's going to have a lot of work to do to convince Robinson to stick around.
Etc.: MVictors holding onto the Gordon Lightfoot lyrics. HSR writes an elegy. The women's basketball team could actually be good.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:23 PM ^
Nobody knows anything about anything.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^
Is it me or is this the craziest year in CFB. Cam, OSU players, coaches getting fired left and right. All of it, what a mess.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:25 PM ^
what are the odds that it's just a complete defensive overhaul and RR stays?
5%? 10%? more?
January 4th, 2011 at 1:56 PM ^
If he is booted, RR would not even get to graduate a class.
I can understand going out on that limb to get Harbaugh who looks like "the one" we've waited for our whole lives.
The Harbaugh situation is extermely unique. There is no other no-brainer golden boy like that out there wating our call.
So if Harbaugh isn't coming, then we need to get our feet back on the ground and at least allow RR to graduate a class. Somewhere down the road we are going to need to hire a coach again and we don't want ND's rep when we do it.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:28 PM ^
if this turns out to be as much of a clusterfuck as i think it is, DB's gonna have some explainin' to do.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:29 PM ^
of Happy Valley, we can scoop him up.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:46 PM ^
That's funny, but then I've had half a fifth of jameson already so everything's funny.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:40 PM ^
If OSU had a local paper with one tenth of the self-loathing the freep has, they'd be up to armpits in major violations by now.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:46 PM ^
..read.
January 4th, 2011 at 1:17 PM ^
and presupposes that it would stay in business if it printed continuously negative articles about tOSU's football program...
January 4th, 2011 at 12:43 PM ^
yep, nobody has a freak clue what is going on. All we know is a meeting has or will take place at 2pm. I have also heard on the radio the 2 pm thing is when a press release is going to be issued. The flight could be the assistants flying down for recruiting (they still have a job right now), or it could be a university rep flying down to hammer out some details with Jimbo. Who the heck knows. If anyone says they know what is happening, then they are lying. This is the exact opposite of what happened with sailboat willy and his public coaching search.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:46 PM ^
After watching the Stanford Bowl game last night, it became clear to me that there is no way this offense would work with Robinson at QB. It just requires too much precision passing. It has been debated back and forth whether Harbaugh could make use of him at QB, but I think it would require a change in philosophy for JH to make it work. My guess is that JH would gently move him to RB/slot.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:48 PM ^
Harbaugh did run a spread like offense at san diego. He is not locked into a particular offense like Rich. I just hope Denard is more receptive than Mallett was during the last transition.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:54 PM ^
Precisely. And he even got his QB into the NFL. I watched the Toreros play Dayton (my cousin played for San Diego under Harbaugh), and their offense was fun to watch.
January 4th, 2011 at 1:25 PM ^
First, I don't think losing Rodriguez means losing Denard. It might happen, but I think there is a good chance he stays.
But, that being said, even if Rodriguez stays we are likely to lose at least one if not two of our qbs. Tate and Gardner don't want to sit on the bench for two more years. And Gardner probably has the higher upside at qb in the long run. Best case scenario is to convince Denard to play running back and let the other two fight it out for qb.
My point is just that with three viable starters, we don't need to worry too much about a transfer due to coaching change imhe.
January 4th, 2011 at 1:27 PM ^
Harbaugh has played and coached in a number of offensive schemes. He's a better bet to be adaptive than Rodriguez, who has no track record of being adaptive even a little bit on either side of the ball. For good ior ill, he's married to his schemes.
January 4th, 2011 at 1:47 PM ^
He's too talented not to land on his feet.
The guy in trouble would be Smith. He may never see another snap again.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:46 PM ^
Who else thinks the MSU athletic dept knowing RR is going to be canned today is weird??
January 4th, 2011 at 1:06 PM ^
We're hiring Dantonio.
January 4th, 2011 at 1:23 PM ^
Don't even joke about that.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:46 PM ^
I might have to laugh myself to sleep while rocking in a corner repeating "it's going to be OK."
January 4th, 2011 at 12:47 PM ^
That really seems to be crossing the line. This has nothing to do with his university and job speculation is never addressed by other coaches as a professional courtesy. Hollis has confused himself with the rest of the Sparty-slurping Detroit media and, assuming this is true, shown himself to be a classless representative of his school. Grow up, get off Mike Hart's back, and conduct yourself like an AD.
January 4th, 2011 at 1:30 PM ^
I get the sense that Hollis is trying to claim responsibility for the demise of RR at Michigan. They have been beating this drum for a while, and I think this plan will probably backfire.
January 4th, 2011 at 2:06 PM ^
This is so weird, I can't even imagine it's just speculation. Although I have no explanation as to why Brandon would have told him this.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:51 PM ^
Suspend for a season? They can't even suspend Pryor for a game.
Dropping Rich Rod to appease the masses when his replacement is the hottest coaching candidate in a decade makes sense; doing so to launch a freakout search that essentially tanks the Class of 2011 and puts off competitiveness another two years for that reason doesn't make sense.
If Harbaugh's going to turn you down, call up Casteel and get him to Ann Arbor as soon as humanly possible. It won't turn Rosenberg and his army into reasonable human beings, but it buys this thing we've spent three years building another year to show some results. I can't guarantee it'll work, but at least it will have a better chance of working than any other option.
I can't help but wonder if the bowls are what's screwing this all up. Had Michigan won the Gator and Stanford lost the Orange, or even if both games were really close, Harbaugh wouldn't look like such a god and Rich Rod like such a turkey, and we could be going through this situation without the mouth-breathing NFL types who can't see a coach win a game without spooging themselves in the eye or lose a game without assembling a gallows.
January 4th, 2011 at 1:11 PM ^
I agree that keeping RR might be the best plan B, but only if you take the emotion out of it. RR seems drained, and this fanbase needs fresh blood. Keeping RR would likely hurt recruiting as well.
Bringing in a new face, even if he's not quite as good of a coach, might be the best move at this point.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:51 PM ^
I still don't buy the possibility of Denard leaving. It's tough to leave your friends, your girlfriend, and your teammates that love you. The new coach would really have to screw up to not keep him IMO.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:53 PM ^
I've made my peace with the departure of RichRod, but if he takes Shoelace with him I am flatout going to have to buy me a Winnebago and follow DRob around until I work out where he's going next.
January 4th, 2011 at 12:53 PM ^
The OSU stuff blows me away. How does the NCAA clearly not see what everyone else in the world (including Buckeye fans) sees. I read the original story the paper (plain dealer?) put out, and in the comments below (which we know are not always true) was a Buckeye freaking out and claiming to know the guy giving out the cars, and how dirty he is.
WHERE IS THE F'ING NCAA???
I have several Buckeye friends, and i'm always telling them that they know deep down that the program is dirty. No way all those juniors who would be drafted stay in school unless they are being compensated in some way.
It's hard enough to compete with OSU on a level playing field, throw in all the "incentives" OSU has for it's players, and it's near impossible.
OSU is the Don of the midwest. It's like a tight mafia.
January 4th, 2011 at 1:01 PM ^
Steve Ross has been involved in the conversations between JH and UM since the very beginning, and the idea that Ross actually might have become enamored with Harbaugh through that process as a potential replacement for Sporano was floated two days ago right after Miami's ugly loss to NE. ESPN has been slow to report it, but it has been out there. FWIW, if Harbaugh jumps to the NFL (which I doubt), I think it is more likely he goes to an NFC team so that he does not have to coach against his brother every year. And I still think he is coming to UM (we should know for certain in a day or two).
http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports/columnists/hyde/blog/2011/01/hyd…
January 4th, 2011 at 12:56 PM ^
THE BRANDON is in play right now.... everyone's painting up this situation where DB's just sitting back in a chair watching ESPN as all of this unfolds without any prayer to influence it.
At this point, and unfortunately, it's hard to believe that the back-door deal is or ever was locked up.... but I want to, NO, I've got to believe that the AD is earning his check today and is following a well-calculated plan regarding this entire situation.
I have to have faith that THE BRANDON is a player in this situation, not a bystander.
January 4th, 2011 at 1:09 PM ^
Of course, until we have an outcome to argue about, this is the only sane position. But it doesn't leave much to argue.
January 4th, 2011 at 1:09 PM ^
Of course, until we have an outcome to argue about, this is the only sane position. But it doesn't leave much to argue about in the meantime. What are we supposed to do? Work?
January 4th, 2011 at 12:56 PM ^
Like nobody's business.
Woodshed, meet David Brandon. David, this is the Woodshed.
January 4th, 2011 at 1:05 PM ^
My bet, if Brandon's decision is happening today, unlike the "latter part' of the week as previously stated, is that Brandon is keeping RichardRod. No viable alternative remains for the position outside of Rodriguez. Miles, please. Hoke, suspect,..... Petereson or Patterson, redo of the whole Michigan Man learning curve.
Like it or not, Rodriguez is our man and will remain. Probably with limited powers on the Defensive side of the ball.
Brandon can't leave RichardRod hanging there any longer, His "Observation" process was obviously just a stall technique. So he has to make a decision, and if there is no alternative for hire, we already have our coach. .
January 4th, 2011 at 1:15 PM ^
January 4th, 2011 at 1:15 PM ^
The failure of RR's groveling for Big Ears is one of the best things that happened Michigan, and maybe all of college football, in recent years. It opened the door wider for Denard.
January 4th, 2011 at 1:20 PM ^
The just decided to keep Sparano and his sweet sun glasses. Remeber when everyone thought that Les was comming here and all the reports that he was virtully on board the plane already... I think that this situation is very simmilar.
January 4th, 2011 at 1:21 PM ^
"I personally do not do anything that's not aboveboard," Kniffin said. "Under no circumstances did somebody get something they didn't pay for."
About two dozen autographed jerseys hang inside Auto Direct's office, including those from Pryor, running back Daniel Herron and receiver DeVier Posey. A number of autographs have been scribbled on the walls.
Well, there ya go, he got to drive that SUV to Pennsylvania and got to drive that '09 Dodge and they paid for it with autographs - umm, yeah, we haven't heard of any of those guys doing that before...
January 4th, 2011 at 1:23 PM ^
Make sure you all read the comments on the Pryor used car scam. Priceless.
January 4th, 2011 at 1:24 PM ^
Brady Hoke is getting hried and getting as much of the band back together as possible. Bedford, Loeffler, Campbell, Conrflakes, Trovgac
It'll be like the Dead right now with Warren Haynes on lead guitar.
January 4th, 2011 at 1:24 PM ^
Denard staying or not depending upon the coach is the tail wagging the dog.
January 4th, 2011 at 1:25 PM ^
2PM meeting with DB...... 7PM meeting with players.... He is staying.
January 4th, 2011 at 1:25 PM ^
Isnt Hollis's "blurts" just more proof of the little brother complex that affects a good portion of MsU people , Dantonio included .Kind of classless and for sure not very professional
January 4th, 2011 at 1:26 PM ^
I'm rather confident that Robinson is intelligent enough to know that the firing of his beloved coach is easier to do if he says "Well, yeah man, I love it here; I'm staying no matter what" than if he abstains from answering that question as he is. As things stand and until we know more, DRob's "no comment" can be readily interpreted as a his hopeful attempt to make RR's retainment more likely.
January 4th, 2011 at 1:27 PM ^
I am just hoping when this is all over, Captain Hindsight can swoop down and set things straight!
January 4th, 2011 at 1:58 PM ^
who were some of the opening bands for them?
Metal Church? Megadeth? Peter, Paul and Mary?
All three?
January 4th, 2011 at 2:22 PM ^
That Wetzel column is mindblowing. I guess I'm not surprised that this is going on, but I'm a surprised the NCAA doesn't seem to care in the least
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