Rich Rodriguez: The Right Choice for Michigan?

Correspondent Written on January 16, 2008

As a lifelong Michigan fan, it truly hurts to say this, but I am starting to think that Rich Rodriguez was a bad hire.

I was able to overlook his betrayal of WVU at first, but the strikes against him just keep coming. For reasons unknown to me, he is fighting tooth and nail against paying his alma mater the $4 million he owes them, even when boosters from U of M offered to pay it for him.

He fired Lloyd Carr's entire staff and rehired running back coach Fred Jackson (because he probably would have lost Sam McGuffie if he didn't). Also, as if it wasn't enough to lose Chad Henne, Mike Hart, and Jake Long to name a few, he all but pushed Ryan Mallett out the door while Adrian Arrington and Mario Manningham smartly entered the draft.

I understand that he wants to implement his system and doesn't have the ideal athletes for the spread, but I'm sure those three players would have made the rebuilding year a little smoother.

Instead, he's putting all of his eggs in one basket with this Terrell Pryor kid. What if he decides not to come to Michigan? I guess coach Rod will have to settle for Steven Threet, who is pretty much a Ryan Mallett clone...just not as good (at all).

And now the plot thickens with the news of Rodriguez being accused of destroying player files at WVU. Once again it comes back to his character. If these accusations are true, it's obvious that there was something in those files that he didn't want people to see. I don't even want to know what that may be.

As much as people hate Michigan, coaches and players alike always conducted themselves with class and discipline. Lloyd Carr was, and is, one of the classiest coaches around, which was evident through the way his players conducted themselves.

So far, I haven't seen this from Rodriguez.

I for one am waiting for the truth to come out. I hope, for the sake of the University of Michigan and its players he will coach and that there is more to the story. This guy can't be that bad...I hope.

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written on January 16, 2008 Sports