Right – shouldn’t we be screaming to fire Rich Rodriguez at this point? Many fans are doing just that and think that Rodriguez has driven a proud program straight into the ground. I get it – the winningest program in all of the land has hit hard times – a rock bottom. Fire the man in charge seems like the only thing to do. Streaks have been broken and people are pissed.

If you are screaming for RR’s head and think he should be fired, you are not accepting the reality of the situation. For you RR hating Michigan fan – please read below:

• Read this from a post on Mgoblog – The Decimated Defense – Part 1 and The Decimated Defense – Part 2
• Building on the first point in my words, this defense is atrocious. Understand that these coaches are working with subpar talent – and have the worst defense in the Big Ten. Two walk-ons are in the starting line up. Tell me when the last time you could have said that about a UM D. The defensive coaches are limited in what they can dial up because the safeties are unbelievably bad. I appreciate their effort as I appreciated the efforts of Steve Threet and Nick Sheridan last year, but as I said regarding the QB’s of 2008, they are not cut out for the level of play that we are used to as Michigan fans. Yesterday, Michigan gave up over 8 yards on first down plays. It’s amazing Michigan can even come close to winning a game when the defense allows an average of over 8 yards on first down plays.
• The offense has improved dramatically in year 2. This is as expected, but I don’t think it’s something you can dismiss relative to “we should fire RichRod” rants. With the exception of the Penn State and Illinois game, the offense has produced this year with true freshmen playing at the most important position. Yes, the running back position is experienced and has depth, but injuries have limited Michigan’s best back.
• Drastic changes don’t always happen overnight. Sometimes, yes. The transition from Lloyd Carr’s program to Rich Rodriguez’s program – not so much. This has been a drastic change in just about every phase of Michigan’s football program. From facilities, to coaches, to schemes, etc. There isn’t much besides the winged helmets that’s the same under RR. I screamed for a change towards the end of Lloyd’s time, and a change is what I got. Success hasn’t happened as quickly as I’d like, but sometimes a little pain up front is necessary for long-term success. The impatience of Michigan fans is ridiculous, because many fans don’t know how to accept the reality of this situation. Coaching only goes so far when there is a lack of talent and depth on one side of the ball.
• More on the reality front. Even if Michigan loses it’s last two games against Wisconsin and Ohio State – Rich Rod is not getting fired. Deal with it. RR is going to get an opportunity to bring his players in to the system and be successful. If you know anything about football, and you understand what is talked about in my first point (the Decimated Defense Mgoblog posts), then you can appreciate RR comments about the process of building this program.
• EDIT: The consequences of Michigan firing RR at this point would be huge, and the program may not recover for many years. What other coach wants to walk into the same situation RR did? On top of that, know that if you do come here to coach and don’t produce one and a half years in – you will be fired. It’s in the best interest of the Michigan football program to give Rich Rodriguez four years to prove himself.

Related Posts:

• 2009, and Looking Ahead to 2010
• Don’t Panic
• Monday Presser Notes – RR