A Great Way to Send Out a Great Man

A Great Win!

I sat on the edge of my seat and screamed as loud as I do when in Michigan Stadium. And, in the end, a fantastic victory in a fantastic game. Great performances by Henne and Arrington and Trent and Brandon Graham. And a nice bowl win -- something we needed.

But, this game was about more than a bank sponsored bowl game. About more than the last game for Chad, Jake, Mike and Englemon (and maybe Arrington and Manningham). About more than Hart's career 5,000 yards. About more than assistant coaches going out with a resume builder. About more than the final score (41-35, Crier). This game, after consecutive losses to an ohio state university and consecutive bowl losses, is a fitting way to send out a Great Coach, a Great Leader, and a Great Man.

Try to listen to the audio at Mlive. There are some great quotes. To paraphrase: Crable: Lloyd Carr is a great man. He tought me what I know about being a man. Arrington: Coach is a great man, a great leader. Which makes it unanimous, as Jim Mandich also calls Lloyd Carr one of the greatest leaders he's ever known (see article below; and yeah, Tom Brady and Jim Mandich what do they have in common other than perfect nfl seasons? Uuuh. Guess.) And, listen to Crable on Tebow -- not exactly fearful of a quarterback power running game.

There's some good stuff on the internets about Lloyd. Here's one. Lloyd Carr and Michigan allowed a reporter to tag along for the days leading up to the Citrus Bowl and the pregame, halftime, and post game. It's not a well written article, but it is an interesting account and offers unique access to Lloyd's thoughts and statments. I like this:

Captain Shawn Crable points to the door, signaling for a visitor to leave, too, so that the defensive players can be alone for a ritual they've done for more than a decade under the well-read Carr.

"I've never been in there, but I know they recite one of Rudyard Kipling's poems," English says while waiting for an elevator.

"Do you still know it?" English asks graduate assistant coach Glen Steele, who helped Michigan win the 1997 national championship as a defensive end.

"The strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack," Steele says, ending the passage without hesitating in an elevator.

The Law for the Wolves

A poem. Joseph Rudyard Kipling:

Now this is the law of the jungle, as old and as true as the sky,
And the wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the wolf that shall break it must die.

As the creeper that girdles the tree trunk, the law runneth forward and back;
For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack.

Wash daily from nose tip to tail tip; drink deeply, but never too deep;
And remember the night is for hunting and forget not the day is for sleep.

The jackal may follow the tiger, but, cub, when thy whiskers are grown,
Remember the wolf is a hunter—go forth and get food of thy own.

Keep peace with the lords of the jungle, the tiger, the panther, the bear;
And trouble not Hathi the Silent, and mock not the boar in his lair.

When pack meets with pack in the jungle, and neither will go from the trail,
Lie down till the leaders have spoken; it may be fair words shall prevail.

When ye fight with a wolf of the pack ye must fight him alone and afar,
Lest others take part in the quarrel and the pack is diminished by war.

The lair of the wolf is his refuge, and where he has made him his home,
Not even the head wolf may enter, not even the council may come.

The lair of the wolf is his refuge, but where he has digged it too plain,
The council shall send him a message, and so he shall change it again.

If ye kill before midnight be silent and wake not the woods with your bay,
Lest ye frighten the deer from the crop and thy brothers go empty away.

Ye may kill for yourselves, and your mates, and your cubs as they need and ye can;
But kill not for pleasure of killing, and seven times never kill man.

If ye plunder his kill from a weaker, devour not all in thy pride,
Pack-right is the right of the meanest; so leave him the head and the hide.

The kill of the pack is the meat of the pack. Ye must eat where it lies;
And no one may carry away of that meat to his lair, or he dies.

The kill of the wolf is the meat of the wolf. He may do what he will,
But, till he is given permission, the pack may not eat of that kill.

Lair right is the right of the mother. From all of her years she may claim
One haunch of each kill for her litter, and none may deny her the same.

Cub right is the right of the yearling. From all of his pack he may claim
Full gorge when the killer has eaten; and none may refuse him the same.

Cave right is the right of the father, to hunt by himself for his own;
He is freed from all calls to the pack. He is judged by the council alone.

Because of his age and his cunning, because of his gripe and his paw,
In all that the law leaveth open the word of the head wolf is law.

Now these are the laws of the jungle, and many and mighty are they;
But the head and the hoof of the law and the haunch and the hump is—Obey!

And obey many have done. Perhaps the best example: Adrian Arrington. After a horrendous off season, in which Lloyd in his press conference acknowledged was pushed to his limit, got his act together, and performed for the entire season as Michigan's most consistent wide receiver, if not offensive player. He ran steps. He matured. He became a man. Lloyd said in his press conference the words that he has repeated in recent weeks. That when he became coach, University President Fleming told him that he approaches every day with the premise that college students are kids. And kids will make mistakes.

It is what kids learn from these mistakes, and how they persevere in the face adversity that are the lessons which are the most valuable. These are the lessons that Lloyd Carr, as coach and as leader of the Michigan Wolverine football team, and as a leader of men, has tried and for the most part succeeded to instill in his student athletes.

The Leader of the Pack




The strength of the wolf is the pack. Lloyd Carr has been with Michigan 28 years. He was a defensive coordinator whom many criticized before being named as Michigan's head coach. He entered his leadership in an interim role. He has accomplished much as a head coach. He obtained these achievements and received these gifts because he was given the reigns to the greatest football program in the nation.

And the strength of the pack is the wolf. Lloyd has been the leader of this pack for 13 years. His leadership ends tonight. He led the pack with the grace and tenacity of those who came before him, and continued Michigan's place as the most storied and most successful college program in the nation. The pack is stronger for Lloyd than it was before him. And that strength is perhaps the greatest measure of Lloyd's leadership and success.

Who Will Be Michigan's 4 Million Dollar Man?

Fred Girard wrote a nice article today.

Does Martin have a choice, other than to spend the money needed to compete for one of the handful of white men the media have ordained candidates?

No, says David A. Brandon, a man thoroughly familiar with the business world. Brandon, chairman and CEO of Domino's Pizza, was a U-M regent for eight years.

"The marketplace is one that's easy to identify," Brandon said. "It's very clear to see what you have to pay to get an outstanding coach, and truthfully, you would want a coach who wants to be paid fairly.

"The talent that's out there and capable of running and succeeding at a big-time program like the one at Michigan, that talent knows that it's talent, the marketplace knows that it's talent, and you're going to have to pay for that."

And, Wojo says we should revisit Les:

Martin and others at U-M had much of the autumn to mull their move, knowing Lloyd Carr was expected to retire. The lack of decisiveness is a concern. I don't think it's incompetence; more likely, it's naivete.

And:

Michigan isn't different, and that means it must be more aggressive in its courtship and in its financial commitment. Should Martin revisit the Miles candidacy? He should try. Last I checked, Miles has a team in the national championship game, has a 33-6 record at LSU, has deep Michigan ties he proudly extols, has the same $1.25-million buyout clause in his amended contract and has the rabid support of many former players and alums.

Again, it would take incredibly tricky maneuvering, and it's a longshot. It's also silly to think Miles is the only ideal candidate. There are others, although U-M is learning the hard way they're not so easy to find, or land.

But, Woj, we already have Les wrapped up as our expensive fallback. And, Girard points out that Schiano's contract wasn't 1.6 million, but instead it was upped to 2.3 million last February. The only rumor about salary discussions to have occurred between Schiano and Martin, and it was not a credible quote or source, was that Schiano might have been offered a similar package to what he earned last year. That would be less than he was making at Rutgers.

If Bill Martin is anything, he is a shrewd business man. Do you really believe, that if he wanted Schiano, he would have offered less than he was making right now? I don't. There will be many a cynic that say, "Michigan wants to pay less than the going rate, they're living in the 1960's and relying on the program's storied history.

Or, there is another explanation. There are some regents, as pointed out by Girard, that salary coaches are just too high. That we shouldn't be paying BIG CASH for a football coach. That we should be looking to the Chuck Martins or Brian Kelleys of the world. And, he is right. We should be able to pay less. And, we could probably find another Bo. But, is now the right time to do that? His thought process:

"Any time you go after a top coach at another school who's already making over a million dollars, you're going to pay a lot of money," said another regent emeritus, Muskegon attorney James L. Waters. "There are many coaches out there around the country that could do as good or a better job at less money" -- citing Brian Kelly of Cincinnati, Chuck Martin of Grand Valley State and Butch Jones of Mid-American Conference champ Central Michigan.

"You can get someone like that probably for half the money you'd pay Miles -- even less, probably a third. I don't think I've seen any black coaches mentioned, either. I know there's a lot of top assistants out there, there's some in the pros that would do a good job.

"I think we're missing out on a lot of good people, and for a lot less money. The costs are escalating so high, the season-ticket prices are just unreal. If you want to get into any of that favored seating, you pay a $500 donation, plus a season ticket is $900."

I pay a LOT for tickets. I pay a LOT for golf course tailgaiting. I understand and to some extent agree with his position. But, Michigan Football is the flagahip of our school. It is, as Bill Martin pointed, the first thing people think of when they see the UM.

By the way, Regent James L. Waters, from Muskegon, that's the same Brian Kelley that just wanted to renegotiate his Cincinnati contract (a five year deal) after ONE year. Yeah, that's a guy we can count on! But, he's really only representing his constituency in West Michigan by plugging the former and current GVSU coaches. At least he's not hiding it.

The major media, and many blogger fans, (a/k/a "blog fags" -- a term I just learned that aptly describes my incessant need for updates on the coaching search) are taking this coaching search as a royal clusterfuck. I'm not so sure.

Martin has spoken to or visited with the following:

Ferentz. Who is paid about 4 million each year, and is friends with Mary Sue Coleman. A favorite of Bo and Lloyd. He was contacted in deference to those three, and likely has also been used as a source by Bill Martin to evaluate coaches, and even perhaps as a contact point with other coaches. Mary Sue and Lloyd both trust Kirk Ferentz, and know his reputation to have a tight lip. Expect Ferentz to have been involved in discussions with the lady who hired him about how to structure an attractive deal for a top tier coach. Ferentz would also speak favorably of the UM and Mary Sue. So, who would Kirk contact on behalf of Michigan? What pro or college coaches does he have relationships with? Who is he in a position to evaluate?

Les Miles. Through backchannels -- mainly Johnny Wangler I assume. According to Scoop Herbrsteit, the salary and coaches were already worked out with Les. This is normal operating procedure, and does NOT reflect that an offer would be coming. That salary discussion: 2.5 million. Now, Les probably didn't think that was enough. And, it is certainly not beyond Les to try to up the ante. As Les has said, he loves Michigan, and he would leave, but he does want to be fairly compensated (actually I believe that was a quote from Wangler about a month or so ago). Les' comment that the AD here wants me is an obvious reference to Bill's alleged unavailability on the night before and morning of the SEC championship game. But, was probably also a reference to Michigan to come to the table and "pony up". Of course, if you're Michigan, why pony up at that point if you're not even sure you want him? Pay is relative. Does Michigan want to make Les Miles one of the top ten paid coaches? Top five? Is he really worth that cash?

Brady Hoke. With Brian Kelly out of consideration, for relatively obvious reasons having to do with his tenure at CMU and penchant for constant politics, he is not and will not be a candidate. Lloyd nor Bill could trust him. Could you imagine Lloyd Carr or Bo Schembechler asking to renegotiate their contract after the first of a five year deal? I don't think so. This is an effort, hopefully to find out what an opponent thought of Schiano, and, perhaps, contact to the equivalent of a Brian Kelly/Chuck Martin candidate. And, Lloyd and Bill know and trust Hoke and Terry Malone. They can certainly be a source used to evaluate and contact other coach candidates -- much as Kirk Ferentz.

Greg Schiano. A good coach. A coach who cares more than just about winning, and has a track record Michigan would strongly consider. I would have been happy with a Schiano hire. I've watched that team interest for 3 to 4 year, and saw a Mini Michigan. The Schiano interview was likely a serious interview for Bill Martin to evaluate him. Dollars were not discussed, but it was probably made clear to him that any offer that might be made would be in the ballpark of Miami and his current salary. Why? If Michigan is stuck paying 2.5 to 3 million, shouldn't you know who else will be willing to take that job for the same amount that's on your list? In other words, for approximately the same money, would Michigan want Miles or Schiano? While blog fags seemingly would choose Miles, I don't think Martin or Lloyd would see that the same way.

Ron English. A must interview, out of respect and to satisfy the minority requirement, if nothing else. If the coaching search is as bad off as Colin Cowherd and the rest of the media wacks make it out, he could end up as a permanent coach. As for me, I don't think so. I have confidence that Bill has been working on this for some time, and may have this thing already wrapped up. You can't announce a coach has taken a job who's in the NFL or a BCS bowl until after the bowl. If Ron English is named coach, it will most likely be on a temporary basis, until January 8 or upon conclusion of the NFL coach's season.

Mike DeBord. Well, yeah. He was interviewed out of loyalty to the program. For nothing more or less. He deserved the opportunity for his service here. He will not be the coach.

So what to make of this.

Either this: Michigan has formally interviewed, in Schiano, one of its 7 candidates. He is now off the list. Doubtful, though I think he would have been a good hire, that he was in the top 4. Les will be interviewing this weekend, or may already have done that. Les is probably in the 4-5 area on that list, depending on who at Michigan is doing that ranking. Ferentz was on the list, and removed his name -- though Ferentz may also be acting as an intermediary and is consulting with Michigan in landing a really big coach. Who are the remaining top candidates? And to those of you who doubt that Lloyd Carr, who reveres this program as much as a man could, who would NEVER put himself above the program, then call me a Lloyd apologist.

Or, for ye of little faith this: Ferentz and Les Miles were Michigan's number one candidates. A split in the AD was between Ferentz and Miles, and Lloyd has done everything possible to avoid a Miles hire. Lloyd and Mary Sue pursued Ferentz hard, but couldn't sway him to leave Iowa. Martin wanted Miles, but boondoggled the inteview process by sailing in Florida when he should have been assuring Les that he was THE GUY. Martin got frustrated and moved on. He's now seeking second tier candidates.

And, in light of David Brandon's comment, who by most accounts is quite involved in this search, Michigan IS going to pay a competitive salary. This comment is not out of line with what Bill Martin said at Lloyd's retirement presser: That he willing to consider big cash, and that to do so would be a change in the culture around here.

If we are really going to pay the big money, the top candidates appear to include: Stoops, Gruden, Meyer, Rodriguez, maybe Cowher? (though we would not have waited this long if he had interest since he's not currently employed). Does Les really deserve to be paid that kind of money? Probably not. He's a wrung below, and we can probably get him for the 2.5 to 3 million range, even if he wins the MNC.

It is worth remembering the way Bill Martin conducted the hoops search less than a year ago. Michigan fired Tommy. Bill Martin had identified Beilein as a coach he was interested in even before firing Tommy. As he said, he filed the information away. When it came time to fire Tommy, we conducted a search, but, the search wasn't really a "search". We got the guy Martin wanted all along. But he WAITED until after the coach's season was over to pursue that interest publicly and nail down a deal. When it was said and done, Michigan agreed to pay Beilein twice what it was paying TA. All the while, fans saying that Michigan won't pay its basketball coach. Michigan isn't committed to the basketball program, etc. etc. Martin surprised many with that hire. He surprised many with the salary. I think it was a great hire, and so do most others.

Do you really, after having any rational thought (no, I don't mean the emotion reaction that, holy bejeezuz, we're screwed because we so and so withdrew his name)think that Bill Martin had names filed away in his head for this job. That Bill Martin, the guy that agreed to double TA's salary, would not AT LEAST double Lloyd's to get the coach that will define Martin's legacy here? And if we're talking about at least doubling 1.6 million, where does that put us? In Ferentz territory. And who will be Michigan's 4 Million Dollar Man? Oh, and you don't believe we're going to pay that, do you. Remember that Adidas contract? 8 Million annually. It wouldn't surprise me to see us lock in that top tier coach now, for at least a five year contract to coincide with the Adidas contract. Maybe up to ten years since Michigan can extend that contract, at its option, with a guarantee of nothing less than that 7 million, but with the upside of annual cpi adjustments and a GUARANTEE that Michigan will receive more money than ANY OTHER SCHOOL with which it has a contract.

About that contract, according to Bill Martin:

I'll name some of the unique features in this contract. There is a $6.5 million signing bonus. There is never a signing bonus. We're going to get it in two weeks. What am I going to use it for? I have to finish up this facility stuff and get Crisler going. If I had any spare bucks, it'd go into endowing scholarships. It's pretty simple.

We've got an annual (Consumer Price Index) escalator. Annual.

We got a most favored program clause. There's never going to be an Adidas school that gets a nickel more than us, either in product or money.

And, Bill negotiated the deal so that we've got that amount locked in for up to 13 years.

Q: It's interesting to me how much that particular clause has meant to your fans. It's gotten a lot of buzz.

Martin: Did it? That's a pride factor. Nobody is going to be better than us. I'm glad they recognize that, because it was important to me. It makes me feel like I did my job.

The other thing we received is that ... you know, markets go in cycles. Eight years from now, who knows what the situation is going to be economically. The market may be way below where it is now. I've seen that happen in my business career. Well, guess what? We have the option to extend. It's no lose. If the market's gone up, we negotiate a new deal. If the market's gone down, we say we like this deal and we'll keep it another five years.

So lay off of Bill. Dufek, Leone, and all of you former teammates of Les Miles: Knock it off. Les is campaigning for a job for which he is not the best candidate. I don't blame him. I would do the same to return to my beloved alma mater. But, Les, I don't think you're Michigan's 4 million dollar man. He's already told you that Miles is campaigning for the job. Lloyd has already told you that Michigan was going to hire the best coach in the country. Write that down, and take it to the bank. Call me after our hire, and I won't say "I told you so", but I will ask you to apologize to Bill Martin, Lloyd Carr and Mary Sue Coleman.

As to who that $4 million dollar coach is for Michigan, I think Bill, Lloyd, and Mary Sue already know who it is, and it's not Les Miles.

The Smoke Is Rising

Les Miles wants nothing more than to win. He wanted his players to play hard yesterday. He didn't want them distracted. Which looked good until Kirky's report. Then, the distraction set in:

I go down to chapel and when they see me, they're sitting there going, 'Coach, sounds like you're catching a plane on Monday.' That's not true. I had to tell them.

He did what he had to do to get them ready to play. LSU played hard, and they won. His strategy worked. Here is Perriloux's quote:

"Well, it's definitely good to hear things like that," said Perrilloux, the heir apparent quarterback with injured starter Matt Flynn in his senior year. "We know coach is here with us, and we know coach has been sticking by us from the beginning. And for coach to say that, that definitely put ease on a lot of our people's minds and hearts. We just went out and played for coach, and coach coached for us. And we won as a team — SEC champs."

Les now has won the SEC championship, which guarentees him to be one of the top 3 paid coaches in the SEC. And, he gets a shot at being one of the top 3 paid coaches in the entire country when LSU is in the title game, and if they beat OSU. With Michigan out there, and a title shot on the way, I'd be surprised if that deal gets signed before Martin meets with Miles.

The details of the agreement (unsigned of course) that Bass (Miles' agent) and LSU negotiated has not been disclosed. Supposedly it's about 3.4 mill or so per year. So Les has got himself a sure fire wad of cash, if he wants it.

But there are some serious inconsistencies in the LSU story. This is a pretty good capsule of the events that went down with some quotes that are far from definitive.

Bertman said Miles told the team Friday night of his intentions. LSU receivers coach D.J. McCarthy told WBRZ that Miles addressed the issue with the Tigers at chapel services Saturday morning shortly after a report by ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit said Miles would be named Michigan’s coach next week.

I'm sure that Les' conversation with players on Friday went like this: "Men, I'm the coach at LSU. I love this team. I love this University. I am the coach of LSU and will be the coach of LSU. Let's go out and win the SEC championship tomorrow."

Then, Saturday a.m. Kirky Herby comes out with this new story. Even though there really wasn't anything new in, other than Tenuta. All he really said is that Miles will take the job at Michigan. Herby couldn't report that Michigan had offered, because Martin hadn't even met with Miles yet. So, really Herbie's report was just the same thing Wangler and others had been reporting for weeks, other than Tenuta.

The Tiger players wake up Saturday a.m. to hear this and are crushed. They already know that Pellini is leaving. And now, the way the Herbie report is presented, they think they're losing their head coach, too. This righfully so pisses off Miles. So LSU holds a presser to report what everyone knew, and or should have already known after learning the Bass met with LSU officials on Thursday and Friday: that he negotiated another contract as LSU best counter to the upcoming Michigan offer. This information was given by BERTMAN to the media. Not by Miles. It is important to remember what Miles said, "I represent myself". Which, in this case means, I have not agreed to an extension. My agent has negotiated the best deal he can. But I have not agreed. And, the manner of this presentation by LSU pissed off Miles, so that now he is stuck in the middle. He wants his players to have focus after Herbie's rumor. He is pissed at Bertman for the false presentation of info.

Check out the glare that Miles gave Bertman:




So after the game. Here is what is said after the victory:

"To think that there's anything less since than the relationship that I have with my team — there's nothing more important," Miles said. "The school here wants me to stay, and this is a great place and I've got a great team. I've got a great recruiting class started, and it would appear that we'd be able to finish it very strongly. There's a lot of plusses right here."

Game day morning did not start out quite so positively, though. An ESPN report said Miles was indeed headed to Michigan as head coach.

"I've got a team that's sitting there and they see me," an angry Miles said. "I go down to chapel and when they see me, they're sitting there going, 'Coach, sounds like you're catching a plane on Monday.' That's not true. I had to tell them. I was embarrassed. I was embarrassed that my name was on ESPN. I was embarrassed for my team."

The Team. The Team. The Team.

Les would not put himself above the team. He did what he needed to for them to win. He still wants to coach Michigan. He still has not received an offer. He has not rejected or denied interest in an offer if made.

The question which remains: Will Michigan make him an offer? We'll see in the next week and a half to two.

What is Old?

I don't buy at face value the Iowa AD comments. There have been many rumors today that no offer has been made. I agree, and have agreed, that no such offer has been made. However, I don't buy that he has not been contacted.

DeBord has been contacted. By now English has been contacted. It sure looks like LSU AD was contacted last week -- leading to the comment about ok to coach LSU for MNC game.

The Iowa AD said that he had not been contacted in an article published in an Iowa paper on 11/19. That's old news. The quotes from Mlive and the Demoines paper today don't state explicitly when the Barta quote was given. Are the Mlive and Demoines quotes merely a rehash of something last week?


In fact, the Iowa paper which deflects contact attributes only ONE quote from Barta today:

Any discussions I've had with or about Kirk have been focused on
improving the Hawks in 2008,? Barta responded today.

Well. Okay. But what about your contact with the Michigan athletic department? And the Mlive blurb says nada, with no dates.

Mgoblog is sticking by its sources. The poster on RCMB (dantonizzo) sounds legit regarding multiple sources. So, my bet, there have been informal coummunications and a statement from Michigan AD to Iowa AD regarding contact. The Iowa AD denial is probably old. It may also be based on semantics regarding a "request for permission" as opposed to a call indicating that reps of Michigan would be contacting Ferentz.

I bet we've contacted LSU and Iowa by now. No offers. And, Les is choice 1A or 1B depending on whether you're talking to Bill Martin, Lloyd Carr or Mary Sue Coleman. Choices 1C and D: Gruden and Chuck Martin or maybe, just maybe (--calling out Brian now -- ) Tedford? Cuz, dude, if we're up to paying the cash for Ferentz or Miles, we're also up to paying the cash for Tedford or Gruden.

Gruden in the Mix?

AP reports that Gruden and Pettrino are possible candidates. Sure they're both on the list of 20, but are they actually possibilities? In Gruden's case consider the fact that he was identified as an option when Tressel was hired at OSU:

Oakland Raiders coach Jon Gruden joined Oregon’s Mike Bellotti in dropping out of contention, following in the footsteps of Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops, Stanford’s Tyrone Willingham and Pittsburgh’s Walt Harris. Ohio State assistant head coach Fred Pagac and former OSU and NFL linebacker Chris Spielman interviewed for the job, but neither received a call-back.

Does Jeff Backus quotes below sound more like Les Miles or Joh Gruden:

Backus, on his favorite Carr story:"I have a lot of things, but more than anything, just the guy. He’s a stand-up guy through and through. I love the guy. He gave me a chance to have somebody to look up to every day. I was 1,000 miles away from my dad. My parents were in Atlanta, Ga. So he gave me somebody to look up to, to follow, to learn what it takes to succeed in this business and life. That’s one of the greatest things a Michigan player experiences when they’re playing for Lloyd. It’s not just X’s and O’s and football. I mean, he’s teaching you how to live life and live life the right way every day. I don’t think he gets enough credit for that.

Backus, on the next coach: No. 1 thing, integrity. Have strong moral beliefs and stand behind them. Run the program the right way, just like Lloyd and Bo did. Just carry on the tradition. I’m not saying he can’t freshen things up, but the integrity they had, the moral standards that they had, was undeniable. They carried it throughout the way they handled their job and the way they lived their lives. I think that’s so important, because that’s the tradition of Michigan football, and that’s a big part of the tradition there. He might have lost his last game, but you can never take away the type of man he is, and that’s more important than any football game.

Do Wheatley's comments regarding Gruden sound more like Lloyd or Miles:

"I'm not going to have any magic; I'm no guru like the guy with the Lakers," Wheatley said, referring to Phil Jackson. "I don't have any Zen books. But what I do know is coaches."

Wheatley was more than just a player who carried the ball. He was a student -- a student of the game and a student of coaches like Tampa Bay's Jon Gruden.

"I've been watching coaches for 20 years," he said. "I've been watching motivational styles. I kept track of what worked for me and what worked for other players.

"The biggest thing is to get them to believe in themselves."

That was his challenge after taking over a team that never enjoyed a single victory last season.

"You've got to get them to trust you," Wheatley said. "If you have the experience, they will trust that. I speak a bunch of mumbo jumbo and they'll do it if they think it works.

"I tell them we've got to do things right. Gruden used to say: 'Do it my way because it's my way. It's not the right way because it's my way. It's the right way because it's right.' "

Link here. This from my earlier post 10/14.

I'm not saying it's going to be Gruden. I think it'll be Miles. Hell, I think it already is Miles. But, maybe, just maybe Gruden is on the short go to list. And if so, I for one am in favor.

OSU wrap

The Game:

I am disappointed. I had hoped that Chad Henne would be healthy. He was not. While the first pass left me thinking he might be healthy, a bomb down the west sideline, the next floated pass as quickly proved he was not. The Game continued that way. When Chad threw the ball was high. It was also thrown with virtually no velocity. Chad has a great arm, but there was just no "pop" in the passes.

I am also disappointed that Jake, Henne, Hart, and mostly Lloyd couldn't go out with a win. I really wanted Lloyd to go out with a win. Really. Badly. He deserved it.

In the second half, Chad came out. Mallett came in. There was such a difference in the velocity of the passes, it was really amazing. Mallett has a strong arm, but no stronger then Henne when healthy. Of course, the coaching staff doesn't trust Mallett, nor did I, and I cheered with the rest of section 6 when Chad came back onto the field from the tunnel. (Speaking of tunnel did anyone notice the extended video of the lockerroom to tunnel to field before the game -- pretty cool). While I hoped that the cortizone would help, it didn't.

Of course, neither did superimmatureMario. But, despite superMario's failure's it is doubtful it would have made a difference. Henne's subpar health gave us really no chance. Michigan has been woefully bad at sustaining the run this season. With a gimpy Hart, that ineffectiveness was amplified.

The offensive and defensive lines crushed Michigan. I was a little surprised not to see more of Minor and Brown after it was clear that Hart wasn't 100%. But it would not have mattered without a passing attack. Our line simply couldn't effectively run block. Which is something that will certainly change next year once we abandon the zone blocking scheme. So, next year, I look forward to greater confidence in the run game, particularly short yardage running.

Said and done, the story of the game was told by the offensive and defensive lines. We were pounded. Our sole chance of success in light of that pounding was our passing and outside skill players. Chad wasn't up to the challenge, as you saw.

The Good

I give Ron and the D credit. While tofu blew up out defensive line on numerous occasion, we actually held tofu to a respectable yardage and point total. Some of that was due to conservative playcalling (2 passes) some due to the rain, and some due to the D. The only big play of the day was Wells run. A run that could have been stopped without a missed tackle (subject to my review of the replay, it looked like the backer should have had him, or at least slowed him down enough to allow help). So, Ron, I again spare you the spankboard. I also must mention the Englemon interception, which was a nice play and should have set up a score.

Zoltan the Inconceivable. I am buying a shirt for next season.

The Crowd. I stood (with the rest of my section) the ENTIRE game. While we stand a lot in section 6, it is typically only OSU for which we stand the entire game, and stand and clap and yell we did. Even the 3rd and 4th quarters, which all things considered for this game, was pretty damn good.

The Bad

Line play. Mike Hart. Mario Manningham. Carson Butler penalties. The weather. Uggh.

The Ugly.

Ghoston is ugly good. How did we let him get to Colombus. Not good. Oh yeah, and the twelve Buckeyes in the three rows either side of me, really ugly. One dude, who called Zoltan the Inconceivable a "European Gypsy" on 13 separate occasions during the game. Zoltan proceeded to kick a 70 yard punt inside the Buckeye 10 yard line. This guy was wearing 70's style white rimmed glasses with red tinted lenses -- LLLOOOOOOOSSSAAAHHHHH!!!

Observations.

The coaching staff does not trust Ryan Mallett. He got his head chewed off after the only series he played. By looking at Henne, you know that if they had any faith in Mallett, he would have played. They don't. He didn't. While I hope he can get his head out of his ass because it appears he has all the physical tools to become an exceptional quarterback, I doubt his mental and emotional ability match his physical skills. Steven Threet may be competition next year, which would truly be a shock considering the fanfare with which Mallett entered.

There is a realistic chance that tofu will be in the MNC. They are not that good. They are a shadow of an Oregon team with Dennis Dixon. That said, I would like to see our future coach kick some Buckeye ass in the MNC. Would be nice, wouldn't it.

If Penn State gets taken ahead of us after losing to us and to little brother, there is something seriously wrong. I will boycott the Outback Steakhouse or Capital One if that happens. In the case of Outback, I would actually be kind of bummed because their sirloin, filet, and tuna appetizer are all very good. As for Capital One, not so muc . . . . Wait! I mean I control millions of billions of dollars, capital one. Yeah, and sure, they happen to all be stuck with a foreign bank in Nigeria, but I have a way to get that out if you can just send me a check. Not that San Antonio is all bad -- they really cook some fabulous food down there. And, hey, the odds in are in our favor this time if we need our tight end to do anything other than run out of bounds on the last play of the game. On second thought, our tight end is Caron Butler.

BEAT OSU v3

In 2004 Michigan enters the Tofu game 9-1, and having already earned a Rose Bowl bid. Upon arriving at Huntington Bank Stadium, and departing the team bus, Michigan is met by bomb and drug sniffing dogs courtesy of Jim Tressel. The buckfucks initially claim that all teams are sniffed as required by Homeland Security. This claim is refuted, and other coaches interviewed deny their teams were sniffed. A security guard tells Lloyd Carr that the search is ordered by the tofu athletic department:

Carr said an Ohio State police officer told him the athletic department was behind the sniffing.

"He said, 'Coach, I want you to know that we were only following orders and they were not the orders given us by our superiors.' I said, 'Well, who decided it then?' He said, 'The athletic department,'" Carr said.

Miles Ahead

Les Miles was interviewed by Tirico yesterday. As you know, Tirico is an Ann Arbor resident, and relatively close to goings on in Ann Arbor. It's no surprise that he would do an interview, in which he professes his love for the University of Michigan, calls Lloyd a GREAT coach, and says he is doing exactly what Bo would do, on that radio show the same week that information regarding Lloyd's retirement is "leaked". (I doubt sincerely this "leak" was by accident. Lloyd has likley known for some time this would be his last season. He likely promised Hart, Henne and Jake that he's stick around through their last year, and he's made good on that promise.)

The full article citing the Tirico interview is by a writer from Louisiana. Here is the interesting part of that article:

Miles, speaking on ESPN’s Mike Tirico radio show
Tuesday, also did his best
Trindon Holliday end run around the issue.
“Well,” he said, “I’ve got to
be real honest with you. I’m doing what Bo
(Schembechler, the late Michigan
coach) would do. He says, ‘Hey, you worry
about the job you’ve got. Don’t
worry about anything else. Coach the guys
and the team that you are
responsible for.’

That’s sensible, except when you think that’s what Miles was doing
right up
to the end of the 2004 Alamo Bowl before he left Oklahoma State for
LSU. “I’m not paying attention to what-ifs,” Miles said, before letting
maize
and blue color his words. “Coach Carr’s a great coach, and he should
stay as
long as he’s able, and I’ll root for that team, not only this
Saturday, but
every Saturday that I’m alive. I give little or no thought to
any other
opportunity.”

Now, I believe, unlike those in denial, that the decisions to offer by Michigan and to accept by Miles have already been made. (Please recall the manner in which Martin "interviewed" and hired Beilien). The comments by Miles are anything but a denial, as they have been all season.

To me, the interesting slip is that Miles said "able". Unlike Martin, who says that Lloyd can coach for as long as he wants. This would seem to confirm the idea that Lloyd does have some illness -- which many have thought for some time.

Despite whatever recruiting rifts may have developed between Michigan and LSU/Miles about Jai Eugene or negative recruiting, I cannot imagine that Lloyd would hold such a grudge against Miles as to not look beyond that to see that Miles, even moreso than Bo is a Michigan Man able to carry forward and communicate to recruits and players the great tradition and privilege to play at Michigan.

Cheese Curds are Gross

In a losing effort we learned some very important things about this team. First, Chad Henne is not only a great quarterback, he's also a great team leader. Anyone who watched the game Saturday on TV saw Henne out there coaching, and encouraging the players on the field, and especially Mallet. I was disappointed that he didn't play, but he's obviously hurting.

This game had "Beat Ohio State" written all over it. Carr thought Henne was ready to go. He sounded genuinely surprised post game that he wasn't. But, if this had been the osu game, you know he wouldn't have left the field. He looked to be saving the shoulder for The Game. Hart never saw the field, even though he lobbied to get in the game. You know Lloyd was saving Hart for The Game.

Wisconsin looked like a game (contrary to what I believed going in) that the coaches and team said, we're going to give our best effort, but regardless of this game, our first priority is to beat the Buckeyes and go to the Rose Bowl. And, while I would like to have seen them gut it out, and play Henne and Hart to get the win, if they beat osu this weekend with Hart and Henne playing, I'll be happy. You know one thing, Hart won't sit out the OSU game. And, if Henne can play through pain to beat Sparty, he's going to play vs. osu.

The fact that these guys didn't play tells me two things. First, that the players are desparate for a win knowing they're 0-3 vs. osu, and are focusing on osu ahead of the game to put an end to that streak. Second, that Lloyd is already focusing on osu. He wants to get the sweater vest monkey off his back, and beat osu in his final game at Michigan Stadium. At this point, I'd rather see Lloyd back next year than not. But it's my bet he's not. There would be no better way to go out than beating osu, winning the big ten outright, and winning the Rose Bowl. Lloyd would be happy, and Bo would be smiling.

So, I'm going to take this loss with a grain of salt.

We probably win the game by two touchdowns had Henne played. As it was, we coulda shoulda. If Mallet doesn't throw that ball up for grabs, we have a hell of a shot to go up by two little or no time on the clock. Mallet looked like a freshman who hadn't played before. It's his first real road game (I'm not counting NW), so perhaps that's not too surprising. But he looked awful. Anyone who booed Henne or asked for Mallet earlier this season should be forced to put the tape of this game in their dvd player and watch that performance before they are permitted to open their mouth about any quarterback at Michigan. Will Mallet be good down the road? Maybe. He certainly is not what Henne was as a freshman.

Mario Manningham needs to grow up. The bickering with Mallet (even if justified) on the sideline was riduculous. It is spartyesque. Yes, Mallet played horribly. But, Mario, encourage the freshman. Act like the leader you're supposed to be. Hell, you're the second best player in that huddle after Jake with Hart and Henne out, lead. Don't bitch about not getting the ball. I understand that Mallet has an attitude and confidence which doesn't match his play. I understand he doesn't always listen real well. But, Mario, you're supposed to be above that crap, and a team player. Take a lesson from Long or Henne. Grow up.

Most concerning, what in the hell is Ron English teaching our linebackers. Crable blew contain on a couple of big plays, and we couldn't stop the run game between the tackles. Some of that is because we couldnt keep our offense on the field, and the D got worn down. But, some of it is on English shoulders. In the end, though, the badgers had 23 points with about 7 minutes left in the game, which our offense should be able to overcome. With Mallet, though, the D needed to play its best game of the season, and it didn't. While the defense didn't play well, the performance is mitigated somewhat by the inability of our offense to stay on the field, so I spare English from adding this game to spankboard.

Yet, with the bucks loss to Illinois, we've got a shot to take the Big 10 outright and have a great season. Lloyd deserves at least on Honorable Mention for that after ASseD and ODD. This game was not in the class of those first two debacles. Michigan plays osu for all the marbles again. And, we've got a chance to be 10-3. In this crazy season of college football, I'd take that.

Oh, and by the way, is Andre Ware not the single worst color commentator in all of college football? That guy should take his complete lack of insight (and, in fact, blatently wrong statements) and go back to Houston where he belongs. What a tool. The only thing I can say in favor of Ware is that of the two worst draft choices in Lions football history, he's probably 2nd behind Charles Rogers.

Lloyd-antastic!

Trev Alberts may be a tool, but he does correctly note the great job that Lloyd has done this year:



On the other hand,

Pimpin' Gruden

Shameless pump for Gruden, along with yet another Michigan connection. BTW, way to go Tyrone -- possible assistant under a Gruden led M:

"I'm not going to have any magic; I'm no guru like the guy with the Lakers," Wheatley said, referring to Phil Jackson. "I don't have any Zen books. But what I do know is coaches."

Wheatley was more than just a player who carried the ball. He was a student -- a student of the game and a student of coaches like Tampa Bay's Jon Gruden.

"I've been watching coaches for 20 years," he said. "I've been watching motivational styles. I kept track of what worked for me and what worked for other players.

"The biggest thing is to get them to believe in themselves."

That was his challenge after taking over a team that never enjoyed a single victory last season.

"You've got to get them to trust you," Wheatley said. "If you have the experience, they will trust that. I speak a bunch of mumbo jumbo and they'll do it if they think it works.

"I tell them we've got to do things right. Gruden used to say: 'Do it my way because it's my way. It's not the right way because it's my way. It's the right way because it's right.' "

Link here.

The Future

You could visit mgblog if you are interested in hearing repeatedly how inept Lloyd Carr is. And, Brian cetainly posts some engaging and thoughtful statistical based observations of Michigan football. But the crux of the site, and many other in the blogosphere is that Lloyd must go, that he should have been fired by now, that M could never be more than a mediocre team with Lloyd.

This is all bologna. The kind with green mold growing in the center.

Lloyd Carr has exceeded the win loss percentage of Bo. He is a great man. A great coach. His players past and present speak highly of the coach. He has brought consistent top flight receivers and quarterbacks to the program (with Loeffler). He's not perfect. Neither is Urban Creyer (who blew a lead last night to LSU). I should look at the blogs in FLA, I haven't yet. But were Brian writing on Florida, perhaps it's time to let Creyer go

Oh, and Pete Carroll, he should be fired. USC eclipsed Michigan's ASseD by losing to the fighting Harbaughs. They were 40 point favorites. Ok, the Fighting Harbaughs' arent DIAA, but, they probably have less talent. (they have high admission standards, remember). Obviously, the game of college football has passed Carroll bye bye.

Don't look now, but Michigan has as good a shot to win the Big 10 as OSU or Illinois. (Illinois -- wtf??) While I don't dislike ASseD and ODD less than anyone else, I'm willing to look at the big picture. At big 1o titles. At national championship contentions and victory. At last years run for undeafeted, and close loss at OSU. Does anyone even remember the 97 team? Did they wing the football over the whole field as did Terry Malone? Did they dazzle the opposition with statues of liberty? No, the ran the ball, and ran play action waggles. I suppose that's not enough to win anymore, though. Right?

There is always room for improvement. Our coaching staff is certainly not perfect. English outcoached himself in prep this year. He forgot about tackling. Forgot about position. Forgot that he didnt have a first round draftpick to call the D and run to the ball, etc. Make no mistake, English ran a complicated D scheme this year -- too complicated. He abandoned the basics in favor of complex schemes. I will agree that Lloyd has trusted English more than he should have. But, it you presume that Lloyd is retiring this year, as I do, it's not too surprising that an effort to allow he and DeBord a shot at the job with increased responsibility.

The arguments that Lloyd has stayed loyal at the expense of the program reeks of moldy bologna. Jimm Hermann was shown the door politely. So was Malone. English was hired. English was not a Carr croney. He was (and could still be) a highly touted up and coming coach. Carr didn't hire English as DC out of loyalty. Were that the case, Jim Hermann would still be DC (and maybe were he, the D would not have collapsed in games 1 and 2 this year).

The point is, many are simply to quick to judge on the last 3 games of last year and the first 2 of this year a man's entire career. With that aside, all signs are that Lloyd does want to, and will, retire following this season. Bill Martin will, and no doubt has already begun, conduct an extensive search. So who, will be on that list: Tedfore? Miles: certainly. Tergovich: probably. Cameron: possibly. Kelly, certainly will get an interview. Weis: not even Spot's can make enough wings for that guy -- no. Ferentz: not likely.

What about Gruden. Certainly. He may live out his desire, or Tampa's, this year. He's an energetic relatively young coach with instant credibilty. He has drafted and coached many a Michigan player. Would he entertain the offer? While at Dayton he described Michigan as his dream job:

While Gruden was at Dayton, he completed just six passes in 15 attempts and never threw for a touchdown. He did score three times carrying the ball in mop-up duty. The most action he saw was as a holder for extra points and field goals.

Filling out a questionnaire about his future back then, Gruden said he planned to be the head coach at the University of Michigan by age 39. As it turns out, the shortcomings he had on the field have been eclipsed by the way he has exceeded the norm as a coach.

Link here. Gruden is now 44. It may be time to move on. He's a just better than a 500 coach at the NFL level, (80-68) but has been to the playoffs 4 of 9 tries, and won a superbowl. For context, Pete Carroll was 33-31 before being fired by the Patriots in 1999.



If Lloyd retires, one of my first three calls is to Gruden.