Looks like a great hire and if Warde was heavily involved, good on him! If, on the other hand, Ms. Whitehead was brought in by Altius and Warde just had to rubber-stamp it as VaBlue suggests, then it is more of the same "whatever is easiest for Warde" M.O. Since details haven't been provided, I'd say no kudos or scorn for Warde on this one.
Absolutely agree. The Chargers are not exactly set up for quick success and the owners are terrible. Jim is not an idiot. He had to know this when he accepted the job, but he still preferred LA to U of M. That, to me anyway, is an indication of how bad things were between Jim and the administration in Ann Arbor.
The "Jim wants to win a Super Bowl so he was never going to stay at U of M" narrative makes no sense when you consider what he has to work with in LA. I would be more than shocked if the Chargers even play in a Super Bowl before Jim gets run out of town. And again Jim, not being an idiot, has to know this. But it's still better to him than is dealing with U of M's administration.
Sucks to see JJ in the same division with the Lions, but probably a good landing spot for him. The Vikings have some talent around him. Hope to see him emerge as the best QB in this draft, except twice a year when they face the Lions.
Definitely a win for Warde. He made the hire quickly and got the right guy, at least from what we've seen so far. Now he only needs a few dozen more of these to be net positive!
Ryan Day might have a good football mind and know quarterback play really well, but damn is he bad at communicating with the public. They should hire him a spokesperson and never let him talk to reporters directly.
Good Lord, Tom. The smaller conferences generally only get one bid. If MSU or any other mediocre P5 school gets left out, they probably weren't too great anyway. Maybe if some of the smaller schools were excluded this year, Michigan could have made it at 8-24.
I immensely enjoy how well our teams are doing. But I worry about the future. As others have noted, it appears that Warde always follows the path that is easiest for Warde. Sometimes the easy choice is the right choice and sometimes it is not. With Warde, it seems like U of M always goes with what is easiest, meaning sometimes we get decisions that are best for U of M and sometimes we do not. Also, I realize that Warde is front and center when it comes to administration of the Athletic Department, but he is not an absolute dictator. In my opinion, the Regents and President Ono also bear responsibility for not retaining Jim, the state of the men's basketball team, etc.
I love to bitch! That’s why I love mgoblog. I can bitch and be entertained by other people’s VERY clever bitching. As for Warde, I assume he only fired Juwan because it was the easiest thing to do. 8-24 has to have triggered some questions from the hierarchy above Warde. That seems to be the key for Warde, whatever is easiest for Warde, not necessarily what’s best for U of M.
But the man is an absolute master at doing nothing. I read something quoting Warde that a decision on Men's Basketball would be forthcoming in short order. Sounds like last fall and Jim's contract extension.
Alford being a good RB coach is important but I'll trust Sherrone's judgment on it, at least for now. More importantly, the ohio people are unhappy and angry! Big win!!!
Spot on. This is classic Warde. He won't dismiss Juwan because that would create additional work for Warde in terms of negotiating an exit, searching for a new coach, negotiating with the new coach, etc. But he also won't fight to keep Juwan because that would ALSO create additional work for Warde. It's just as simple as Warde will always do whatever minimizes work for Warde.
Jim wanting to chase the Super Bowl to the exclusion of all else may well be true and we were absolutely lucky to have him for as long as we did but, from the outside at least, it seems like U of M's efforts to keep him were lacking. If Warde and the others moved Heaven and Earth to retain Jim and he still said "smell ya later", I'd have no problem with the administration. It just looks like they slow-played the negotiations in such a way as to give themselves excuses for losing him to the NFL.
Good points. I was very much a fan of Ono for a while, primarily because of his visibility and public support of the Athletic Department. After the Harbaugh contract fiasco, it appears that he is just a more likable version of Warde. It seems like Ono, Warde, and the regents are all on the same page: minimize effort, don't rock the boat, and just weather any storm that comes up. It would be nice to see some more proactive leadership.
Good point, Bronx. This board is off base sometimes, but all we (and Mr. U. Bacon) can do is take the data available to us and formulate a hypothesis that fits. That doesn't guarantee we will be ultimately right, but we have a tentative explanation in the moment until more information comes to light.
I don't agree that changing coaches is easier than keeping Juwan, though. To keep Juwan, Warde has to do literally NOTHING. Juwan is under contract, so Warde can just let this season end and then allow Juwan to start preparing for the next one. Finding a new coach means working out a buyout with Juwan, identifying and interviewing candidates, putting together a contract offer, and probably a million other things. Also, if the new coach does not perform up to expectations, people will be rightfully blaming Warde for making the wrong decision. By keeping Juwan he avoids all of that.
U. Bacon is probably just coming to the same conclusion as many others on this board. Changing coaches is more work than giving Juwan another year. Warde always seems to choose the path that minimizes his own effort. Ergo, Juwan is back next year.
Maybe a B1G/SEC alliance could be better than the NCAA or maybe it would be about the same. A change means upheaval and an opportunity for different players to seize more power. As it stands right now, U of M gets shit on by the B1G and the NCAA. If a change is made, I hope Michigan will be ready to grab a more advantageous position. What that looks like is Ohio State and others being punished for stupid things like cheeseburgers and grainy iPhone videos. Unfortunately, I don't think the people in charge at U of M will have the "Game of Thrones" mentality if changes do come about.
If I’ve learned anything over the past six months or so, no one should hold their breath on the Athletic Department doing anything, no matter the situation.
Don't know how likely this is to pass with any teeth, but it looks promising. The most infuriating part of the cheeseburgers and Connor Stalions was how the regents, Santa, and Warde were all too willing to let Jim take all the punishment for whatever was alleged in the hopes that it would all just go away. Maybe if they personally had skin in the game they could have found a little more will to push back.
What exactly did Warde do to make this happen? He allocated budget for assistant coaches? What college football program doesn't have a budget for paying assistant coaches? If I recall correctly, Warde himself was talking about the size of the pool for assistant coach salaries. I'm pretty sure Sherrone had to identify and evaluate candidates and convince them to sign up.
Of course they've moved past the friction! Pee-titty is still B1G commissioner and doubtless has the favor of all of his constituents not located in Ann Arbor based on how he handled the Connor Stalions situation. Warde is still U of M Athletic Director and now has a Head Football Coach that will be easier to push around. I think Sherrone is a great choice and I'm excited to see what he can do, but at this point he doesn't have Jim's clout. The regents are still in their seats talking about how there was nothing that could have been done to retain Jim. The only entity that took a hit from all of this is Michigan Football.
Wow! That’s some high level reasoning!
Jim (expensive) + Assistants (increased with Jim) = Sherrone (significantly less than Jim) + Assistants (same as with Jim). Maybe the Athletic Department should consult with the Math Department.
Those are incredible times! Congratulations! When will the track & field/cross country coaching staffs be leaving U of M like our other successful coaches?
I think Warde has done a terrible job as AD and deserves to be out on his keister with no delay. Despite that, in the last few months he has proven his value as a target for scorn. Now I don’t know what we would do if he actually was fired.
No, no, no. He has always dreamed of winning the Super Bowl. What Tom Mars describes is pretty bad, but U of M never could have retained him anyway! Why can’t Tom Mars just savor the National Championship?
Thanks for the informative post. I am squarely in the “Warde must go” camp, primarily because I have no idea what he himself has ever done that’s positive for U of M. He appears to me to be an all-too-typical middle manager who tries to minimize his own effort and responsibility while continuing to cash big paychecks. With that written, there are a good number of reasonable voices here that jump to his defense quite regularly, so I’m never sure if I’m missing something. This post really helped me put everything in context.
Sherrone needs to devise a strategy that includes Warde doing nothing. Any plan that requires help or support from Warde is doomed to fail because Warde ALWAYS strongly prefers doing nothing.
I nominate Warde for commissioner! Everyone could do whatever they want because investigating, punishing, etc. takes work and we know that ain’t happening in a Manuel administration.
Recent Comments
Looks like a great hire and if Warde was heavily involved, good on him! If, on the other hand, Ms. Whitehead was brought in by Altius and Warde just had to rubber-stamp it as VaBlue suggests, then it is more of the same "whatever is easiest for Warde" M.O. Since details haven't been provided, I'd say no kudos or scorn for Warde on this one.
Absolutely agree. The Chargers are not exactly set up for quick success and the owners are terrible. Jim is not an idiot. He had to know this when he accepted the job, but he still preferred LA to U of M. That, to me anyway, is an indication of how bad things were between Jim and the administration in Ann Arbor.
The "Jim wants to win a Super Bowl so he was never going to stay at U of M" narrative makes no sense when you consider what he has to work with in LA. I would be more than shocked if the Chargers even play in a Super Bowl before Jim gets run out of town. And again Jim, not being an idiot, has to know this. But it's still better to him than is dealing with U of M's administration.
Thanks, Warde.
Sucks to see JJ in the same division with the Lions, but probably a good landing spot for him. The Vikings have some talent around him. Hope to see him emerge as the best QB in this draft, except twice a year when they face the Lions.
Definitely a win for Warde. He made the hire quickly and got the right guy, at least from what we've seen so far. Now he only needs a few dozen more of these to be net positive!
I would imagine 11 Warriors loves Warde.
Ryan Day might have a good football mind and know quarterback play really well, but damn is he bad at communicating with the public. They should hire him a spokesperson and never let him talk to reporters directly.
For what it’s worth (zero, actually), I don’t like him.
Upvote for “Brain”.
In other news, Ryan Day's perceived lack of toughness is actually because Lou Holtz is really, REALLY scary.
Good Lord, Tom. The smaller conferences generally only get one bid. If MSU or any other mediocre P5 school gets left out, they probably weren't too great anyway. Maybe if some of the smaller schools were excluded this year, Michigan could have made it at 8-24.
I immensely enjoy how well our teams are doing. But I worry about the future. As others have noted, it appears that Warde always follows the path that is easiest for Warde. Sometimes the easy choice is the right choice and sometimes it is not. With Warde, it seems like U of M always goes with what is easiest, meaning sometimes we get decisions that are best for U of M and sometimes we do not. Also, I realize that Warde is front and center when it comes to administration of the Athletic Department, but he is not an absolute dictator. In my opinion, the Regents and President Ono also bear responsibility for not retaining Jim, the state of the men's basketball team, etc.
Brian Cook for AD?
I love to bitch! That’s why I love mgoblog. I can bitch and be entertained by other people’s VERY clever bitching. As for Warde, I assume he only fired Juwan because it was the easiest thing to do. 8-24 has to have triggered some questions from the hierarchy above Warde. That seems to be the key for Warde, whatever is easiest for Warde, not necessarily what’s best for U of M.
Warde vs. bacon is a pretty one-sided contest. One that Warde would love, though…
But the man is an absolute master at doing nothing. I read something quoting Warde that a decision on Men's Basketball would be forthcoming in short order. Sounds like last fall and Jim's contract extension.
Alford being a good RB coach is important but I'll trust Sherrone's judgment on it, at least for now. More importantly, the ohio people are unhappy and angry! Big win!!!
Spot on. This is classic Warde. He won't dismiss Juwan because that would create additional work for Warde in terms of negotiating an exit, searching for a new coach, negotiating with the new coach, etc. But he also won't fight to keep Juwan because that would ALSO create additional work for Warde. It's just as simple as Warde will always do whatever minimizes work for Warde.
Jim wanting to chase the Super Bowl to the exclusion of all else may well be true and we were absolutely lucky to have him for as long as we did but, from the outside at least, it seems like U of M's efforts to keep him were lacking. If Warde and the others moved Heaven and Earth to retain Jim and he still said "smell ya later", I'd have no problem with the administration. It just looks like they slow-played the negotiations in such a way as to give themselves excuses for losing him to the NFL.
Good points. I was very much a fan of Ono for a while, primarily because of his visibility and public support of the Athletic Department. After the Harbaugh contract fiasco, it appears that he is just a more likable version of Warde. It seems like Ono, Warde, and the regents are all on the same page: minimize effort, don't rock the boat, and just weather any storm that comes up. It would be nice to see some more proactive leadership.
Josiah Allick has GREAT hair, so there’s that…
Anytime I get frustrated with Warde and the Regents at U of M, I should remember things can be much worse, like in East Lansing.
Good point, Bronx. This board is off base sometimes, but all we (and Mr. U. Bacon) can do is take the data available to us and formulate a hypothesis that fits. That doesn't guarantee we will be ultimately right, but we have a tentative explanation in the moment until more information comes to light.
I don't agree that changing coaches is easier than keeping Juwan, though. To keep Juwan, Warde has to do literally NOTHING. Juwan is under contract, so Warde can just let this season end and then allow Juwan to start preparing for the next one. Finding a new coach means working out a buyout with Juwan, identifying and interviewing candidates, putting together a contract offer, and probably a million other things. Also, if the new coach does not perform up to expectations, people will be rightfully blaming Warde for making the wrong decision. By keeping Juwan he avoids all of that.
Will he cut Juwan’s pay in half?
U. Bacon is probably just coming to the same conclusion as many others on this board. Changing coaches is more work than giving Juwan another year. Warde always seems to choose the path that minimizes his own effort. Ergo, Juwan is back next year.
Firing Juwan will take effort, to say nothing of the search for a new coach. Things that take effort are not things Warde chooses to do.
A bad look for the AD? When has the AD not looked bad?
Calm down, Warde.
“Warde Manuel will be run out of town if he tries to bring Juwan back.”
Bring back Juwan!!!
Maybe a B1G/SEC alliance could be better than the NCAA or maybe it would be about the same. A change means upheaval and an opportunity for different players to seize more power. As it stands right now, U of M gets shit on by the B1G and the NCAA. If a change is made, I hope Michigan will be ready to grab a more advantageous position. What that looks like is Ohio State and others being punished for stupid things like cheeseburgers and grainy iPhone videos. Unfortunately, I don't think the people in charge at U of M will have the "Game of Thrones" mentality if changes do come about.
If I’ve learned anything over the past six months or so, no one should hold their breath on the Athletic Department doing anything, no matter the situation.
Firing up the money cannon would take effort, and it’s Warde, so…
Don't know how likely this is to pass with any teeth, but it looks promising. The most infuriating part of the cheeseburgers and Connor Stalions was how the regents, Santa, and Warde were all too willing to let Jim take all the punishment for whatever was alleged in the hopes that it would all just go away. Maybe if they personally had skin in the game they could have found a little more will to push back.
It’s NEVER too early to panic! That’s part of what makes this fun!
Go Blue, robble, robble!
What exactly did Warde do to make this happen? He allocated budget for assistant coaches? What college football program doesn't have a budget for paying assistant coaches? If I recall correctly, Warde himself was talking about the size of the pool for assistant coach salaries. I'm pretty sure Sherrone had to identify and evaluate candidates and convince them to sign up.
Of course they've moved past the friction! Pee-titty is still B1G commissioner and doubtless has the favor of all of his constituents not located in Ann Arbor based on how he handled the Connor Stalions situation. Warde is still U of M Athletic Director and now has a Head Football Coach that will be easier to push around. I think Sherrone is a great choice and I'm excited to see what he can do, but at this point he doesn't have Jim's clout. The regents are still in their seats talking about how there was nothing that could have been done to retain Jim. The only entity that took a hit from all of this is Michigan Football.
Wow! That’s some high level reasoning!
Jim (expensive) + Assistants (increased with Jim) = Sherrone (significantly less than Jim) + Assistants (same as with Jim). Maybe the Athletic Department should consult with the Math Department.
The leadership of the Athletic Department is top-notch!
/s
Those are incredible times! Congratulations! When will the track & field/cross country coaching staffs be leaving U of M like our other successful coaches?
Jaden Smith has always dreamed of playing elsewhere. There’s nothing Sherrone could have done to keep him at Michigan!
Am I doing that right? Why are the coaches expected to retain recruits when Warde gets a pass on retaining coaches?
Jim works for the Chargers now and is doing his best to help them succeed. Warde works for Michigan and…
I think Warde has done a terrible job as AD and deserves to be out on his keister with no delay. Despite that, in the last few months he has proven his value as a target for scorn. Now I don’t know what we would do if he actually was fired.
Is his name Marde like the Mario/Wario thing? Is he slim and hard-working?
I like him more than I like Warde.
They did try to keep Harbaugh, if by “keep Harbaugh” you mean slow play his contract extension negotiations so that they could save face when he left.
No, no, no. He has always dreamed of winning the Super Bowl. What Tom Mars describes is pretty bad, but U of M never could have retained him anyway! Why can’t Tom Mars just savor the National Championship?
/s, all the /s in the world.
Thanks for the informative post. I am squarely in the “Warde must go” camp, primarily because I have no idea what he himself has ever done that’s positive for U of M. He appears to me to be an all-too-typical middle manager who tries to minimize his own effort and responsibility while continuing to cash big paychecks. With that written, there are a good number of reasonable voices here that jump to his defense quite regularly, so I’m never sure if I’m missing something. This post really helped me put everything in context.
Sherrone needs to devise a strategy that includes Warde doing nothing. Any plan that requires help or support from Warde is doomed to fail because Warde ALWAYS strongly prefers doing nothing.
What can U of M do? All the best coaching candidates dream of winning the Super Bowl. Michigan can’t compete with that!
/s
I nominate Warde for commissioner! Everyone could do whatever they want because investigating, punishing, etc. takes work and we know that ain’t happening in a Manuel administration.