RE-BREAKING NEWS: Not so fast my friend

Upon further review, Michigan coach Rich Rodriguez will has NOT been fired yet. 

I don't want to say the initial reports by Fox 2 News in Detroit who "broke" the story got it wrong but...

All I can say now is...

Breaking News: Rich Rodriguez Fired

He's gone.

It's official. Rich Rod is out.

Oh, and Dave Brandon, I think I speak for every Michigan fan out there when I say...



Now just don't f*ck it up.  Some Michigan fans are already starting to panic...



UPDATE: Herbstreit believes Harbaugh will be next coach...which means we don't have a shot.  &^%!

'Twas the Night Before The Evaluation

'Twas the night before The Evaluation, and here on the 'Web

I was still blogging away when I should be in bed;

The Photoshops were posted on the MZone with care,

In hopes that Jim Harbaugh would come to A2;

It was time for a change after Rodriguez's spread,

Ugly visions of the Gator Bowl still dancing in my head;

So I in my jersey and big block M cap,

Had just settled down to write a long coaching search rant,

When out front on State Street there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from my laptop to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tripped on my M slippers and almost fell on my ass.

The moon on the breast of Schembechler Hall

Caused me to choke up and nearly to bawl.

When, what to my watering eyes should appear,

But a middle-aged man I'd seen on TV for the last year,

Even though it was late and the coincidence was random

I knew in a moment it must be Dave Brandon.

More rapid than Pryor will leave C-bus in shame,

I whistled, and shouted, and called him by name;

"Hey, Brandon!  Yo, Dave!  It's Yost from the MZone!

Let's talk!  Let's chat!  About this decision you postponed!

I know you have said that you are in no hurry.

But many of us Michigan fans are starting to worry!"

So up to my house Dave Brandon did walk,

As we stood on my porch and started to talk.

I'd always seen him as arrogant and a bit condescending

After he tried to move The Game from the regular season's ending.

He was dressed in a suit from his loafers to his tie

I just hoped he wasn't still thinking like some pizza guy.

I said Michigan deserved a real defense again

Not the joke that was mocked daily on ESPN

Next I told him I thought Rich Rod didn't fit

But try as I might, he wouldn't tell me jack shit

Then I flat out asked him, "Is it gonna be Jim?"

But even point blank, he wouldn't give in.

So I tried a new tactic and blurted out, "Drew Sharp is a dick!"

And his body shook when he laughed as he agreed with my quip.
 

Suddenly, a wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

Then he said he must go, he had to get back to his work,
 

And thanked me for the laugh about Drew Sharp, the jerk.

He was going back to his office to finish the evaluation 

That would impact the whole of Wolverine Nation.

So off of my porch, down State Street he went,

While I felt better having gotten to vent;

But I couldn't resist before he walked out of sight:

"Don't fuck this up, Dave!  You better get it right!"

Michigan's Best Two Coaching Options

A lot of talk is swirling around the Internet, sports talk radio and the local newspapers about who is the best choice to be Michigan's football coach.

Like Dave Brandon, I haven't jumped to some rash, knee-jerk decision.  I've done my homework.  I've watched the bowls.  I've thought long and hard about what is best for school and program.

Thus, after careful consideration, here are my top two choices to lead Meeeechigan football forward.

Choice #1:

Choice #2:

4-3 vs. the Oregon Spread - Fire Zones and Blitzes

I cut up all the Fire Zones and Blitzes vs. Oregon from the Boise St., Arizona, and USC games from last year.  I don't have time to diagram and talk about each and every blitz right now, but I will try to get more in-depth analysis at a later time.  Meanwhile, make sure to check out Blitzology's blog, which is back rocking and rolling again if you want to learn about the science of getting after the QB.  Some of the blitzes were ran from more than one front and I named these blitzes without naming all of the fronts as I made the video, so I hope the nomenclature police doesn't get after me too bad. 

The next post on the 4-3 Defense vs. the Oregon Spread will be on LB/Nickel play on Wednesday, Jan. 5, and it will have a full-length article to go along with the video.

Fire Zones and Blitzes

1.  Nod 3 Fire (Nickel - D gap)
2.  Bench Wanda 3 Fire (Will and Nickel)
3.  Nickel Over Cowboy 3 Fire (Corner)
4.  Odd Cow 3 Fire (Corner and Will)

5.  Bench Wham 3 Fire (Will and Mike)

6.  Bench Wham Twist 3 Fire (Will and Mike Twist)

7.  Mac 4 (Mike - A gap)

8.  Bench Nod 0 (Nickel - D gap)

9.  Bench Nod 6

10.  Bear Nam 3 Fire (Nickel and Mike)

11.  Wood 3 Fire (Will - D gap)

12.  Over Wolf 3 Fire (Will and FS)

13.  Bear Mac/Mob 3 Fire (Mike - A/B gap)

14.  Field Wolf 0 (Will and FS)

15.  Zone Blitz - LB Mistake - Bad Aiming Point


4-3 vs. the Oregon Spread - schedule of posts

Jan 1 - DL Play

Jan 3 - Zone Blitzes

Jan 5 - LB Play

Jan 7 - Defending Bash and Midline

Jan 9 - DB Play and Coverage Fundamentals

Jan 10 - (National Championship Game - Oregon vs. Auburn - 8:30 pm)

After the National Championship game, I will have an outstanding series of articles and videos with some terrific guest writers that Brophy talked about in his blog recently.

And now...we wait

According to the Detroit News, Dave Brandon said he "still has work to do" in order to complete his evaluation of football coach Rich Rodriguez:

"I'm going to travel back to Ann Arbor when the team goes back (Sunday morning), and over the next few days will wrap up my work as far as my evaluation that has been a nine-month process.  I will meet with my coach, and I will have more to say on this matter the latter part of the week."

In layman's terms, this means he's stalling until after Stanford's Orange Bowl game tonight in order to "check and see" if Jim Harbaugh is interested and a verbal deal can be struck before Brandon announces his final "evaluation."  He's not simply going to cut Rodriguez loose - if that's his plan (and not much indicates otherwise) - without having a coach lined up and ready to step in immediately.  There will be no "coaching search."

If Harbaugh turns him down (or the administration vetoes the choice based on Harbaugh's past comments about Michigan), Brandon will move on to Plans B, C and so on.  Is one of those options the return of Rich Rod for a fourth year?  Maybe.  But my belief is that happens only if Brandon gets down to the Plan K portion of his list, give or take.  And since I assume that folks like Brady Hoke - who'd donate a testicle to coach in A2 - are slotted in pre-K, it means Rich Rodriguez is not coming back*.

U-M fans wait to hear Rich Rod's fate

And so we wait.

This is going to be a very interesting week for Michigan fans.  Rumors will be flying, Twitter will be atwitter with true and false tweets, and the mods on the Michigan message boards will be working overtime as passions flare.

The last time there was so much on the line for Michigan and its fans that didn't involve a football game on Saturday would probably have to be another January some 29 years ago.  In 1982, Texas A&M offered Bo Schembecher nearly $3 million for 10 years - then the richest contract in the history of college athletics -  to become its football coach and athletic director.  After several anxious days, Bo turned it down saying, "Frankly, I've come to the conclusion that there are things more important in this world than money.  For that reason, I've decided to stay at Michigan."

Now, like then, Michigan fans must wait.

Whatever Brandon's choice, as Greg at MVictors says, I hope it "unites the clans."   The internal bickering between large swaths of the Maize and Blue faithful is unfortunate.  I won't say "new" because I'm guessing such discontent by sports fans whose teams don't win every championship every year has always been there.  The only difference is that now the Internet has given us all a voice.  I bet had the 'Net been around in '79 after Bo dropped his 7th consecutive bowl game, the message boards at LetsGoBellBottoms.com would have been flooded with folks calling for his ouster and some dude would have scooped up FireBo.com, .org and .net long before.

And who can unite the clans - or at least the vast majority of them?  Probably only the selection of Harbaugh.  The return of Rich Rod certainly won't.  And a "surprise" pick like Hoke won't either. 

So until Brandon declares his decision, all we can do is...



* Yes, if Rich Rod does return for a 4th season, feel very free to mock me mercilessly in the comments section.

Now Playing at the MZone Theater: B10 New Year's Day Massacre

Have a new movie playing this week at the MZone Theater.  But we should warn you: it's pretty violent.

Viewer discretion definitely advised if you team used to be is a Leader or Legend.