We "sh[ot] ourselves in the foot" by ... allowing a player from one school to transfer to another to school? Doesn't that mean every single school other than Georgia just "shot itself in the foot" too? That's a lot of shot feet!
You do realize that not everybody dreams of playing at Michigan, right? And that not all the coaches at Michigan agree with your particular recruiting strategy?
We just won a National Championship! Why not assume our coaches know more than we do about what they should do, and enjoy it? Yes, Harbaugh's not there, but if you're going to get upset every single damned time a good player ends up somewhere other than Michigan, you're going to be very upset, a lot of the time. Doesn't seem like much fun.
Always cracks me up that people remember that game as "Penn State couldn't stop our offense." They stopped us just fine in the second half: We got 10 points, 3 of which came after a fumble on their side of the field. The Penn State defense was good.
It was our defense that dominated that game, and what Sherrone Moore "observed" was that with our defense against their offense, we could play extremely conservatively on offense and still win.
Every time I hear people whining about Michigan being cheap with NIL I wonder how many other schools need to support/recruit/retain athletes at a superior level in at leastthree major sports: football, men's basketball, and hockey. Does Connecticut have to allocate NIL money to its football team? Does USC have to allocate NIL money to its hockey players? Does Ohio State have to allocate money to its basketball players?
We all expect Michigan not only to compete, but to win, in those sports ... and others. But there is a limit to how much $$ our athletic department has to spread around. How many of us are willing to sacrifice the basketball program so we can keep all the stars on the football team happy? Not many, based on this board.
And yet every time we lose out on a player to anybody because of NIL money we moan about how cheap Michigan is. Despite our continued and incredible success at getting big-time players in all three.
But some sacrifices have to be made.
Eh, I don't know. Hard to be strong in every single sport — I'm literally unaware of any team that can match us for historic success in football, basketball, and hockey. But it's sure easy to spend other people's money, isn't it?
No, this is dumb. You saying we shouldn't have given Jim Thorpe his gold medals? We shouldn't recognize Bobbi Gibb for running the Boston Marathon? We should keep kids in jail for decades for possessing a joint? (I won't even get into escaped slaves).
If a rule is dumb, or turns out to have been interpreted and applied unjustly, those who break it are allowed, eventually, forgiveness.
If it helps, think of it this way: The actual rule is, "this is the rule at the time, but if at a later point we decide that it was created in error, those who suffer from it will be excused."
Geez, the levels of sanctimony and the eagerness to see others punished by commenters on the Internet is scary.
The Warde-hating reflects a massive lack of imagination. People only take what is, and think how it might possibly be even better, without once considering that it might also be worse. The idea that so many people on this blog would risk the success our school's athletic programs have had over the past decade — remembering, again, that not one coach or athlete has leveled one public criticism at Warde for anything, including those who have left (and who therefore could have done so fairly easily) — for the possibility of something better is shocking, given that this has been possibly the most successful decade of Michigan sports in my increasingly long lifetime.
Not me. Thanks, Warde, for all you've done to make us the most successful school across multiple varsity sports I know of.
There's a reason JJ is considered a bit of an enigma, though. Michigan simply didn't rely on him to win games the way the other QBs were relied upon, and with our stellar running backs and tight ends and award-winning offensive lines — not to mention some seriously questionable throws in the playoffs (the first pass of the Alabama game, for instance, as well as his third down pass on the last drive of regulation, and even the downfield throw to Wilson which was so close to being picked off) — our offense simply didn't need him (or allow him) to put up massive stats. I can understand why nobody's quite sure what to make of him.
He's a phenomenal athlete, however, with simply every tool you could ever want, he led Michigan to three straight playoffs and a national title, and he seems fully committed to the team's success, whatever it takes, which I would imagine NFL scouts would really value.
It's funny. I could legitimately see him being drafted anywhere in the first 15 picks ... including No.1 — except that no coach and general manager would dare risk the fan backlash by drafting him first. It's going to be fun to see where he goes and watch him in the NFL, but I'd be lying if I said I knew for sure he'd be a great success.
As for what the journalists say ... why does anyone care? Everything meaningful that can be said about these players has already been said, so their job, at this point in the process, is simply to grab attention and generate clicks about the upcoming draft. The idea that so many Michigan fans get actively outraged about this stuff is highly entertaining.
Remember, kids: Anytime any player chooses another school over ours, for whatever reason, it means we have "officially become a minor league team." If we don't get everybody we want, we are "officially" a minor league team.
Remember, we cheer for Michigan because it's got higher standards and isn't just another bullshit diploma factory like other schools ... but damn we wish it had lower standards and was a bullshit diploma factory like other schools!
But it's crazy for people to think Michigan doesn't have tons of lawyers advising the administration and the athletic department on the best strategy. I love how many of us commenters are sure we know what the right thing to do is, while assuming that somehow Warde, et al, are acting without any knowledge, advice, or input.
Jesus, comments on websites like these are insane. None of us are experts in this, nor have special behind-the-curtain access to what's going on. And, again, whatever choices they all made allowed us to win a national championship.
But that's not good enough. Fire everybody(!), for some fucking reason.
I don't think anyone thinks he's "allowed to put people's lives at risk with dumbfuck behavior." Is that really what you think the negs mean? Seriously? That there's a major contingent of us thinking he should be allowed to drive drunk whenever he wants?
Nice write-up, and good perspective in the "Final Thoughts," David. Agree on all counts. A Frozen Four for this team, this year, exceeded almost all expectations. Disappointing in the moment, but definitely a surprising and exciting last few weeks to the season. Way to Go, Blue. Let's get back next year!
This is a serious question: Are you saying Michigan should pay WHATEVER he wants? Remembering that we actually have to pay everyone else on the roster as well -- a whole roster of players who have no connection or loyalty to Michigan?
I mean, maybe. But I like how this board goes back and forth between "we shouldn't just be one of those schools who take players only looking for money like [fill in rival school X here]" and "if we don't pay whatever it takes to get player X it's an embarrassing failure."
Eh. We got caught cheating, whether or not we profited much from it, and I'm not surprised other Big Ten coaches were pissed about it. We served our penalty and moved on. Seems to me like those continuing to whine about it are making a mountain out of a molehill. We won the National Championship, so who cares what the Purdue head football coach thought, or thinks?
They also hope we lose every game, because of course they do — same way I hope OSU does. Doesn't make them assholes.
Anyway, whatever. I've always liked Purdue. I don't think they have much of a chance against the juggernaut that is UConn, but I'll be pulling for them. Give 'em hell, Boilermakers.
I mean ... not 105. Reached 100 a few times early in his career, this says. A hell of a talent, obviously, but according to this, only two players have ever recorded pitches as high as 105 (each of them once) ... and neither of them is Strasburg.
Sounds good. Weird to me when people rip on stuff like this. Like people who whine that there are too many football bowl games at the end of the year, and some team or another doesn't "deserve" to play. As if only the best of the best should be allowed to play exhibition games.
Don't want to watch? Don't watch! Who cares? But if your team is playing, and you enjoy watching them ... what's the harm? Why ... I mean, why do we follow college sports anyway?
Like, I don't understand why Indiana, this year, among others, decided not to play in the NIT. What's that? Weird ... pride? They have better things to do? Why not get some extra practices in, let the fans watch you a little bit, and maybe even improve a bit heading into next season. What's the harm? You're a basketball team ... and now you're too busy to play basketball? Gimme a break.
I kinda like it. I like having standards that other schools can only dream of. Makes our degree mean something ... and any event, it's just fun. "Oh, you went to Stanford?? We're going to need to teach you how to write." :-)
I joke, but I don't. It's absolutely possible to win and maintain high academic standards. We've done it before, and we'll do it again. Meanwhile, how many national championships have MSU and Rutgers had in recent years?
Don't dumb down the school. Have some fucking standards, and demand that incoming students meet them.
I'll keep my anger and death-wishes directed at the people who actually committed the crimes, not at the people who failed to understand their significance. Was that a mistake? Yes. Was it egregious? Maybe. But sanctimony doesn't help.
He fucked up. No doubt. Good thing the rest of us are perfect, I'd say.
Everyone's telling the OP it depends on the roster, but I'm pretty sure he knows that. After all, if we somehow have 8 5-stars on the team, our expectations are going to be much higher than otherwise. I think he's asking, keeping in mind that we don't know the roster yet, what are the expectations?
For me, I'd say, win 15 games, be competitive in the Big Ten (even coming in 10th-13th would be great), and bring some exciting play back to Crisler. That may not happen ... but man, I'd be satisfied. And if May somehow crushes the portal and gets us to 20 wins? Sainthood!
Well, I'm not sure. We may give him five years, but ... in today's world, with the transfer portal, it's much easier to come up to speed quickly. I'm not saying it'll be in Year One (though it might be!), but I don't think it's unreasonable to at least hope for a tournament bid in Year 2.
But if he's so incompetent, why isn't the President saying so, why aren't the regents pressuring to get him out, why aren't any of the coaches — current or recently-departed — saying so? Seriously, nobody inside the University of Michigan is voicing criticisms (even subtle, deniable) criticisms of the AD. Only fans who insist that they know what those coaches really think.
Is it possible that we don't actually know the inner workings of the athletic department, nor the specifics of the relationship between Ono and Manuel, and that maybe individual fans shouldn't be so quick to assume they have all the facts and know best about such things?
I have my complaints. Personally, I wish, among other things, that they would remove the crazy-loud music at Michigan Stadium. And to the extent that falls within Warde's purview, I'm happy to lay that complaint at his door. And if enough of those complaints accumulate, then I would suggest he should be replaced.
But it's crazy how many of the complaints here are that we don't like his communication style. What do I care about his communication style? That has nothing to do with the success of the teams or the fan experience. And, as far as I can tell, people seem generally satisfied with both. Isn't that ... isn't that what we want from an athletic director? Success of the teams and overall fan experience? WTF are we screaming at him about?
Would you trade? Have our teams suck, but have an AD that screams at the Big Ten Commissioner in public when he makes decisions we don't like? I fear that is what people want, these days, in politics as everything else. Who cares what policies or programs you actually endorse, support, and create. Just scream loudly at people and institutions that make decisions you don't like, and you'll remain popular.
"Look out?" "Look out?!?" What Michigan athletic director in at least the last 25 years has had anywhere near the success Warde has had in his past ten years!!
Jesus, this is exactly the craziness of the argument. No matter how freaking well the teams do -- a national championship in football, appearances in the title game in baseball, hockey, and basketball -- the assumption is that with a real AD we could do so much better!
What kind of results are you expecting? What school in the country can match our success in multiple sports? (Not including tennis, softball, gymnastics, etc.).
If you don't like Warde, ok, I guess. But fuck, man, to suggest that the teams aren't successful enough is crazy.
I mean ... all of his supposed fuck-ups did drive the football program straight into the basement of ... three straight Big Ten titles and a National Championship.
I get that you guys don't think he deserves any credit for that, and ok. But ... what objective metrics do you want to apply to his oversight beyond "I, the fan, don't like some of the things that happened?"
And ... why does a National Championship not fit into that equation, somehow?
And we just don't know what was going on behind the scenes! Was there even more evidence, of even greater malfeasance? Did Warde agree to accept the Big Ten's sanctions in return for a promise that the additional information wouldn't be revealed and even greater sanctions not levied? Is it possible that there was a negotiated settlement?
We. Just. Don't. Know.
(But of course, everyone here is convinced they do know).
Nah. Truth is, what was really amazing was Michigan staying essentially injury-free all of last season. Injuries — even major injuries — are a common part of football, and the fact that no starters (that I can remember, at least) missed significant snaps last year due to injury is flat-out amazing.
That being said ... it would sure be nice to hear Moore's injury isn't that serious, or that he can somehow come back during the season. We need you, Rod!
But that works both ways, no? His teams win national championships, but he gets no credit for it, but when coaches leave for SHITloads of money or to fulfill dreams of coaching in the pros (a dream that also pulled Jimmy Johnson, Nick Saban, Pete Carroll, and nameless others, FWIW) it's his fault.
And by the way ... NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS. I'm not just saying, "the teams in the athletic department do well." I'm saying they win (or contend for) national championships! And people here say he's doing a shit job!
What ... what job do you want him to do? I know, the assumption is that the national championships would come anyway, but we want him to ... um ... make sure that nothing disappointing ever happens to our favorite teams.
Good luck with that. FFS, Tom Brady left the Patriots. Babe Ruth finished his career outside of New York, and Ty Cobb outside of Detroit. Lombardi finished coaching with the Redskins. Sometimes beloved players and coaches leave, and it's not always the management's "fault." It's part of the sports world.
But winning? WiNNING? Nah, apparently management doesn't get credit for that either.
That's an unfair bar, FWIW. You'll only decide to credit him if it turns out to be the right hire? Not now? So ... he only gets credit if we win?
But ... not if we win in hockey or football? No, no credit for those. (You can criticize him for the hockey thing, but at least he seems to have hired the right coach to replace Pearson, no?).
So ... when we lose it's his fault, but if we win, he gets no credit for it. Gotcha.
Not to mention ... if Beilein hated Warde ... if all the coaches that worked under Warde hated him as much as everyone here seems to insist they do ... wouldn't he stay out of the process, rather than actively recruit May?
Or do you think Beilein is so false that he simply, bald-facedly lied to May about the working conditions at the U of M athletic department?
Yeah, but pretty much every fan base bemoans their team's handling of NIL. I have a friend who's an OSU fan, and he insists they're fucking up the NIL thing.
The echo chamber effect here convinces everyone that Michigan is somehow lagging behind, but that's just not true. Everyone's trying to figure out NIL.
He retained him, though, despite really really loud demands that he fire him. You can't talk about his decisions involving head coaches and ignore that.
In fact, it seems like a lot of people are now claiming that it was so obviously the right thing to do that he shouldn't get any credit for it at all. But that's unfair — if we're talking about him not making the "right" decisions, but then exclude all of the decisions we think are "right," he's kinda screwed, no?
Kinda. But Rich Rod was (and remains) a dick, and Juwan is a pretty classy, respectful guy.
Also, at least one year he had the overall #1 recruiting class in the country, didn't he? Those players didn't work out at Michigan — though, in fact many of them became first-round NBA draft picks — but to suggest his recruiting "never happened" is not quite accurate.
Word. His decision to keep Harbaugh instead of firing him after the Covid year, as so many wanted him to do, is just another example of his incompetence involving head coaches. And hiring Naurato and Sherrone Moore — two more idiotic decisions.
The guy just can't make good decisions involving head coaches for the life of him!
Yeah, he seemed to genuinely love being associated with Michigan — and the sports teams — as much as (or more than) any other coach I can remember in my lifetime. Damn, I wish it had worked out. I was so excited to have him as our head coach those first two years ...
I've been beyond impressed with how well Juwan has handled what has to have been a painful process. Better, I have to say, than I would have. And if he's able to stomach coming back to Crisler to watch a game next year, I think it would be awesome for the fans to give him a big ovation. Let's keep him in the family.
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Better for him to play with a better team, though. May he "slip" all the way to the Lions, sit for a year or two behind Goff, then dominate!
He looked really good against Texas, though.
But yeah, it's a surprising pick.
We "sh[ot] ourselves in the foot" by ... allowing a player from one school to transfer to another to school? Doesn't that mean every single school other than Georgia just "shot itself in the foot" too? That's a lot of shot feet!
You do realize that not everybody dreams of playing at Michigan, right? And that not all the coaches at Michigan agree with your particular recruiting strategy?
We just won a National Championship! Why not assume our coaches know more than we do about what they should do, and enjoy it? Yes, Harbaugh's not there, but if you're going to get upset every single damned time a good player ends up somewhere other than Michigan, you're going to be very upset, a lot of the time. Doesn't seem like much fun.
Always cracks me up that people remember that game as "Penn State couldn't stop our offense." They stopped us just fine in the second half: We got 10 points, 3 of which came after a fumble on their side of the field. The Penn State defense was good.
It was our defense that dominated that game, and what Sherrone Moore "observed" was that with our defense against their offense, we could play extremely conservatively on offense and still win.
But our offense did not "dominate" that game.
Every time I hear people whining about Michigan being cheap with NIL I wonder how many other schools need to support/recruit/retain athletes at a superior level in at least three major sports: football, men's basketball, and hockey. Does Connecticut have to allocate NIL money to its football team? Does USC have to allocate NIL money to its hockey players? Does Ohio State have to allocate money to its basketball players?
We all expect Michigan not only to compete, but to win, in those sports ... and others. But there is a limit to how much $$ our athletic department has to spread around. How many of us are willing to sacrifice the basketball program so we can keep all the stars on the football team happy? Not many, based on this board.
And yet every time we lose out on a player to anybody because of NIL money we moan about how cheap Michigan is. Despite our continued and incredible success at getting big-time players in all three.
But some sacrifices have to be made.
Eh, I don't know. Hard to be strong in every single sport — I'm literally unaware of any team that can match us for historic success in football, basketball, and hockey. But it's sure easy to spend other people's money, isn't it?
No, this is dumb. You saying we shouldn't have given Jim Thorpe his gold medals? We shouldn't recognize Bobbi Gibb for running the Boston Marathon? We should keep kids in jail for decades for possessing a joint? (I won't even get into escaped slaves).
If a rule is dumb, or turns out to have been interpreted and applied unjustly, those who break it are allowed, eventually, forgiveness.
If it helps, think of it this way: The actual rule is, "this is the rule at the time, but if at a later point we decide that it was created in error, those who suffer from it will be excused."
Geez, the levels of sanctimony and the eagerness to see others punished by commenters on the Internet is scary.
Name checks out. :-)
The Warde-hating reflects a massive lack of imagination. People only take what is, and think how it might possibly be even better, without once considering that it might also be worse. The idea that so many people on this blog would risk the success our school's athletic programs have had over the past decade — remembering, again, that not one coach or athlete has leveled one public criticism at Warde for anything, including those who have left (and who therefore could have done so fairly easily) — for the possibility of something better is shocking, given that this has been possibly the most successful decade of Michigan sports in my increasingly long lifetime.
Not me. Thanks, Warde, for all you've done to make us the most successful school across multiple varsity sports I know of.
There's a reason JJ is considered a bit of an enigma, though. Michigan simply didn't rely on him to win games the way the other QBs were relied upon, and with our stellar running backs and tight ends and award-winning offensive lines — not to mention some seriously questionable throws in the playoffs (the first pass of the Alabama game, for instance, as well as his third down pass on the last drive of regulation, and even the downfield throw to Wilson which was so close to being picked off) — our offense simply didn't need him (or allow him) to put up massive stats. I can understand why nobody's quite sure what to make of him.
He's a phenomenal athlete, however, with simply every tool you could ever want, he led Michigan to three straight playoffs and a national title, and he seems fully committed to the team's success, whatever it takes, which I would imagine NFL scouts would really value.
It's funny. I could legitimately see him being drafted anywhere in the first 15 picks ... including No.1 — except that no coach and general manager would dare risk the fan backlash by drafting him first. It's going to be fun to see where he goes and watch him in the NFL, but I'd be lying if I said I knew for sure he'd be a great success.
As for what the journalists say ... why does anyone care? Everything meaningful that can be said about these players has already been said, so their job, at this point in the process, is simply to grab attention and generate clicks about the upcoming draft. The idea that so many Michigan fans get actively outraged about this stuff is highly entertaining.
Remember, kids: Anytime any player chooses another school over ours, for whatever reason, it means we have "officially become a minor league team." If we don't get everybody we want, we are "officially" a minor league team.
Remember, we cheer for Michigan because it's got higher standards and isn't just another bullshit diploma factory like other schools ... but damn we wish it had lower standards and was a bullshit diploma factory like other schools!
But it's crazy for people to think Michigan doesn't have tons of lawyers advising the administration and the athletic department on the best strategy. I love how many of us commenters are sure we know what the right thing to do is, while assuming that somehow Warde, et al, are acting without any knowledge, advice, or input.
Jesus, comments on websites like these are insane. None of us are experts in this, nor have special behind-the-curtain access to what's going on. And, again, whatever choices they all made allowed us to win a national championship.
But that's not good enough. Fire everybody(!), for some fucking reason.
I don't think anyone thinks he's "allowed to put people's lives at risk with dumbfuck behavior." Is that really what you think the negs mean? Seriously? That there's a major contingent of us thinking he should be allowed to drive drunk whenever he wants?
Huh.
Nope.
Nice write-up, and good perspective in the "Final Thoughts," David. Agree on all counts. A Frozen Four for this team, this year, exceeded almost all expectations. Disappointing in the moment, but definitely a surprising and exciting last few weeks to the season. Way to Go, Blue. Let's get back next year!
This is a serious question: Are you saying Michigan should pay WHATEVER he wants? Remembering that we actually have to pay everyone else on the roster as well -- a whole roster of players who have no connection or loyalty to Michigan?
I mean, maybe. But I like how this board goes back and forth between "we shouldn't just be one of those schools who take players only looking for money like [fill in rival school X here]" and "if we don't pay whatever it takes to get player X it's an embarrassing failure."
I don't disagree, but that Purdue player did draw a foul on a flop. Hurley was right on that one. That was a flop.
Go Boilermakers!
Eh. We got caught cheating, whether or not we profited much from it, and I'm not surprised other Big Ten coaches were pissed about it. We served our penalty and moved on. Seems to me like those continuing to whine about it are making a mountain out of a molehill. We won the National Championship, so who cares what the Purdue head football coach thought, or thinks?
They also hope we lose every game, because of course they do — same way I hope OSU does. Doesn't make them assholes.
Anyway, whatever. I've always liked Purdue. I don't think they have much of a chance against the juggernaut that is UConn, but I'll be pulling for them. Give 'em hell, Boilermakers.
I mean ... not 105. Reached 100 a few times early in his career, this says. A hell of a talent, obviously, but according to this, only two players have ever recorded pitches as high as 105 (each of them once) ... and neither of them is Strasburg.
Sounds good. Weird to me when people rip on stuff like this. Like people who whine that there are too many football bowl games at the end of the year, and some team or another doesn't "deserve" to play. As if only the best of the best should be allowed to play exhibition games.
Don't want to watch? Don't watch! Who cares? But if your team is playing, and you enjoy watching them ... what's the harm? Why ... I mean, why do we follow college sports anyway?
Like, I don't understand why Indiana, this year, among others, decided not to play in the NIT. What's that? Weird ... pride? They have better things to do? Why not get some extra practices in, let the fans watch you a little bit, and maybe even improve a bit heading into next season. What's the harm? You're a basketball team ... and now you're too busy to play basketball? Gimme a break.
Eh. Seems fine to me.
I kinda like it. I like having standards that other schools can only dream of. Makes our degree mean something ... and any event, it's just fun. "Oh, you went to Stanford?? We're going to need to teach you how to write." :-)
I joke, but I don't. It's absolutely possible to win and maintain high academic standards. We've done it before, and we'll do it again. Meanwhile, how many national championships have MSU and Rutgers had in recent years?
Don't dumb down the school. Have some fucking standards, and demand that incoming students meet them.
I'll keep my anger and death-wishes directed at the people who actually committed the crimes, not at the people who failed to understand their significance. Was that a mistake? Yes. Was it egregious? Maybe. But sanctimony doesn't help.
He fucked up. No doubt. Good thing the rest of us are perfect, I'd say.
Yeah, no doubt. MSU is legit a really good team. Wonder what that says about us, that we just beat them on neutral ice to go to the Frozen Four? :-)
I mean ...
And I thought he played really well against us, too. OSU losing was not Stroud's fault.
Channel 4, mos def. George and Al on TV, and then Ernie Harwell and Paul Carey on WJR. Those were the days, my friend ...
Everyone's telling the OP it depends on the roster, but I'm pretty sure he knows that. After all, if we somehow have 8 5-stars on the team, our expectations are going to be much higher than otherwise. I think he's asking, keeping in mind that we don't know the roster yet, what are the expectations?
For me, I'd say, win 15 games, be competitive in the Big Ten (even coming in 10th-13th would be great), and bring some exciting play back to Crisler. That may not happen ... but man, I'd be satisfied. And if May somehow crushes the portal and gets us to 20 wins? Sainthood!
Well, I'm not sure. We may give him five years, but ... in today's world, with the transfer portal, it's much easier to come up to speed quickly. I'm not saying it'll be in Year One (though it might be!), but I don't think it's unreasonable to at least hope for a tournament bid in Year 2.
It's a different world.
But if he's so incompetent, why isn't the President saying so, why aren't the regents pressuring to get him out, why aren't any of the coaches — current or recently-departed — saying so? Seriously, nobody inside the University of Michigan is voicing criticisms (even subtle, deniable) criticisms of the AD. Only fans who insist that they know what those coaches really think.
Is it possible that we don't actually know the inner workings of the athletic department, nor the specifics of the relationship between Ono and Manuel, and that maybe individual fans shouldn't be so quick to assume they have all the facts and know best about such things?
I have my complaints. Personally, I wish, among other things, that they would remove the crazy-loud music at Michigan Stadium. And to the extent that falls within Warde's purview, I'm happy to lay that complaint at his door. And if enough of those complaints accumulate, then I would suggest he should be replaced.
But it's crazy how many of the complaints here are that we don't like his communication style. What do I care about his communication style? That has nothing to do with the success of the teams or the fan experience. And, as far as I can tell, people seem generally satisfied with both. Isn't that ... isn't that what we want from an athletic director? Success of the teams and overall fan experience? WTF are we screaming at him about?
Would you trade? Have our teams suck, but have an AD that screams at the Big Ten Commissioner in public when he makes decisions we don't like? I fear that is what people want, these days, in politics as everything else. Who cares what policies or programs you actually endorse, support, and create. Just scream loudly at people and institutions that make decisions you don't like, and you'll remain popular.
100%
"Look out?" "Look out?!?" What Michigan athletic director in at least the last 25 years has had anywhere near the success Warde has had in his past ten years!!
Jesus, this is exactly the craziness of the argument. No matter how freaking well the teams do -- a national championship in football, appearances in the title game in baseball, hockey, and basketball -- the assumption is that with a real AD we could do so much better!
What kind of results are you expecting? What school in the country can match our success in multiple sports? (Not including tennis, softball, gymnastics, etc.).
If you don't like Warde, ok, I guess. But fuck, man, to suggest that the teams aren't successful enough is crazy.
I mean ... all of his supposed fuck-ups did drive the football program straight into the basement of ... three straight Big Ten titles and a National Championship.
I get that you guys don't think he deserves any credit for that, and ok. But ... what objective metrics do you want to apply to his oversight beyond "I, the fan, don't like some of the things that happened?"
And ... why does a National Championship not fit into that equation, somehow?
And we just don't know what was going on behind the scenes! Was there even more evidence, of even greater malfeasance? Did Warde agree to accept the Big Ten's sanctions in return for a promise that the additional information wouldn't be revealed and even greater sanctions not levied? Is it possible that there was a negotiated settlement?
We. Just. Don't. Know.
(But of course, everyone here is convinced they do know).
Always easy to spend other people's money, isn't it?
It's not like they have a budget or anything.
(Grbac…
Pure joy. Good call.
(Grbac to Howard against the Fighting Irish for a similar moment of joy).
Nah. Truth is, what was really amazing was Michigan staying essentially injury-free all of last season. Injuries — even major injuries — are a common part of football, and the fact that no starters (that I can remember, at least) missed significant snaps last year due to injury is flat-out amazing.
That being said ... it would sure be nice to hear Moore's injury isn't that serious, or that he can somehow come back during the season. We need you, Rod!
But that works both ways, no? His teams win national championships, but he gets no credit for it, but when coaches leave for SHITloads of money or to fulfill dreams of coaching in the pros (a dream that also pulled Jimmy Johnson, Nick Saban, Pete Carroll, and nameless others, FWIW) it's his fault.
And by the way ... NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS. I'm not just saying, "the teams in the athletic department do well." I'm saying they win (or contend for) national championships! And people here say he's doing a shit job!
What ... what job do you want him to do? I know, the assumption is that the national championships would come anyway, but we want him to ... um ... make sure that nothing disappointing ever happens to our favorite teams.
Good luck with that. FFS, Tom Brady left the Patriots. Babe Ruth finished his career outside of New York, and Ty Cobb outside of Detroit. Lombardi finished coaching with the Redskins. Sometimes beloved players and coaches leave, and it's not always the management's "fault." It's part of the sports world.
But winning? WiNNING? Nah, apparently management doesn't get credit for that either.
Because Beilein would happily recommend to May that he come work for a terrible, terrible AD, right?
That's an unfair bar, FWIW. You'll only decide to credit him if it turns out to be the right hire? Not now? So ... he only gets credit if we win?
But ... not if we win in hockey or football? No, no credit for those. (You can criticize him for the hockey thing, but at least he seems to have hired the right coach to replace Pearson, no?).
So ... when we lose it's his fault, but if we win, he gets no credit for it. Gotcha.
Not to mention ... if Beilein hated Warde ... if all the coaches that worked under Warde hated him as much as everyone here seems to insist they do ... wouldn't he stay out of the process, rather than actively recruit May?
Or do you think Beilein is so false that he simply, bald-facedly lied to May about the working conditions at the U of M athletic department?
Seems to have worked out ok, no?
Yeah, but pretty much every fan base bemoans their team's handling of NIL. I have a friend who's an OSU fan, and he insists they're fucking up the NIL thing.
The echo chamber effect here convinces everyone that Michigan is somehow lagging behind, but that's just not true. Everyone's trying to figure out NIL.
Or he worked behind the scenes to minimize the damage. We really have no idea.
He retained him, though, despite really really loud demands that he fire him. You can't talk about his decisions involving head coaches and ignore that.
In fact, it seems like a lot of people are now claiming that it was so obviously the right thing to do that he shouldn't get any credit for it at all. But that's unfair — if we're talking about him not making the "right" decisions, but then exclude all of the decisions we think are "right," he's kinda screwed, no?
I know Denny Crum was before the MGoBlog team's time, but they should avoid assuming that nobody was good before they started paying attention.
Wait. You mean UNC was good before Roy Williams, and Kansas was good before Bill Self???
Shocking.
Kinda. But Rich Rod was (and remains) a dick, and Juwan is a pretty classy, respectful guy.
Also, at least one year he had the overall #1 recruiting class in the country, didn't he? Those players didn't work out at Michigan — though, in fact many of them became first-round NBA draft picks — but to suggest his recruiting "never happened" is not quite accurate.
Word. His decision to keep Harbaugh instead of firing him after the Covid year, as so many wanted him to do, is just another example of his incompetence involving head coaches. And hiring Naurato and Sherrone Moore — two more idiotic decisions.
The guy just can't make good decisions involving head coaches for the life of him!
Bearing fruit like ... winning a national football championship? Like ... that kind of fruit? Yeah. We'll have to see if that works out or not.
Yeah, he seemed to genuinely love being associated with Michigan — and the sports teams — as much as (or more than) any other coach I can remember in my lifetime. Damn, I wish it had worked out. I was so excited to have him as our head coach those first two years ...
I've been beyond impressed with how well Juwan has handled what has to have been a painful process. Better, I have to say, than I would have. And if he's able to stomach coming back to Crisler to watch a game next year, I think it would be awesome for the fans to give him a big ovation. Let's keep him in the family.