True colors show in Wolverine nation...is Rich Rod already feeling the heat?

   After a horrible divorce from West Virginia University Rich Rodriguez finds himself feeling the fire heat up once more.Just three games into the season The University of Michigan finds itself 1-2 on the season with Big 10 play getting ready to start up for the young Wolverines.It was a semi-expected start for the Wolverines,though many were predicting 8+ wins (myself included),but the way they have played to some people has left a bad taste in their mouths.Many of which are already claiming the Rich Rodriguez hire to be a huge mistake.

   A loss to Utah in week one was expected but not in the way in which it went.Michigan's defense was expected to be the teams strong point at the beginning of the year,however,after the first half of play UM faithful were already getting ready for the 09 season.By the end of the second quarter Utah had accumulated over 200+ yards passing.This was not the defense that was expected.The offense went nowhere as well with the only first half TD coming off a short pass from walk-on QB Nick Sherridan to freshman RB Michael Shaw.The second half proved to be a tale of two halves though as UM defense settled in and shut down the Utah offense the rest of the way.This allowed UM to get back into the game but the young offense just couldn't get it done.The one positive out of this game was it seemed the Michigan defense had finally conquered the spread-option attack.

   The Miami(OH) game went as expected with Michigan showing obvious improvements on offense.Defense once again was strong allowing Miami to reach the Michigan 6 yard line twice only to get 6 points over the entire game.Freshman RB Sam McGuffie started to show flashes of his true potential gaining over 120+ total yards.

    It was the Notre dame game that made Wolverines fans go ballistic.It was a terrible day for football.A young team in it's first hostile environment,but that wasn't their biggest challenge...mother nature was.It was pouring through most the game and you would have to think it would have had some impact on the team.Turns out it made a huge impact...6 turnovers worth(4 fumbles;2 INT's)It was horrible play by the Wolverines as far as ball protection went.It was because of this that UM fans began to point fingers at Rich Rod.

    Every Wolverine forum seemed to be littered with "Michigan sucks...Fire Rich Rod...Bring back Carr" and blah,blah,blah.How can people be so irrational as to point their fingers at Coach Rodriguez after that?Is it because they feel Michigan players should have been better prepared?Or is it they just need someone to blame but they can't blame the kids that dropped the ball so they go for the coach?It's sad to see how people only saw those negatives when there was plenty of positives to look at.Yeah we turned it over 6 times and had 7 fumbles(4 were lost;3 led to ND TD's) and were embarrassed by a weak Notre Dame offense.But on the positive side Sam McGuffie showed even more of what he can do rushing for over 120 yards and 40+ yards receiving with a TD.Steven Threet secured himself as the starting QB for Michigan at long last.The o-line looked very good.Defense wasn't bad, but again wasn't great.The offense looked far better than from week one.We hit over 300 yards of total offense and out gained Notre Dame in rush and pass yards.However, our special teams killed us and again was something Rich Rodriguez took a lot of criticism for.There were two returns that were three fumbled returns which one of which was lost.Michigan couldn't gain any field position due to lack of returns.Many place this on RR shoulders...should it be?maybe,maybe not.

    Michigan fans are not happy after the ND performance and feel Rich is mostly at blame,which i find ridiculous.There is no way you could ever prepare a young team like that for those conditions wheter your Pete Carroll or Jim Tressel you just can't do it.

     Funny how people have forgotten how we started 1-2 last year and suffered far more embarrassing losses to inferior teams(or supposedly inferior).People forget how Bo struggled his first year.In fact Bo's first year is eerily similar to that of Rich Rodriguez.Both lost loads of players by the end of spring ball,both brought foreward a new attitude and a new style of play,both also brought a huge cultural change.Both gave/is giving Michigan a much needed face lift.Traditionalist find this hard to accept.Many want to keep the dying three yard and a cloud of dust play style.But now days that style is ineffective. Traditionalist also don't like not having a Michigan man as head coach.The term "Michigan Man" seems to be misunderstood these days.People have apparently forgotten that Michigan's greatest coaches were not Michigan men when they arrived in Ann Arbor.Fielding Yost the creator of Michigan football and Michigan athletics was a West Virgina native(like Rich) who was Stanford's head coach before arriving at UM.Fritz Crisler was not a Michigan man he came from Princeton University.Upon leaving for Michigan he brought with him the winged helmet design which is still used today.Bo Schembechler the man who created the term "Michigan Man"was not a Michigan Man himself.He is a son of Ohio,played football at Miami(OH),and served as assistant coach to Woody Hayes at Miami(OH) and then Ohio State before heading up north.

      Fans are ignorant in the fact that they see only negatives but not positives in their teams play and when something goes bad it's the head coaches head they go after.Considering that we are only 3 games into the season people should put up the pitchforks till after the season is over.Give the man a chance to recruit, which he is doing well at thus far, and get players he needs.Michigan does have the current streak of consecutive bowl appearances which adds a little pressure for RR because no Michigan fan wants to see that snapped.Also every Michigan coach since Fritz Crisler in 1938 has beaten OSU in their first year as Michigan head coach.As the season continues Rich Rodriguez will only gain more criticism and if the team fails to make a bowl and beat OSU...well let's say the Michigan  fan base won't be to happy.With conference play starting this weekend vs top 10 ranked Wisconsin after a bye week, giving RR and Michigan an extra week to prepare for the Badgers, we will see what this team is truly made of when the ball is kicked off in the Big House later this week.

       Rich Rod all that can be said is good luck and Rich is a terrific coach and he will get the job done this year and will make Michigan a feared power once again.Final season prediction 8-4(6-2 4th in Big 10) and will beat OSU in a thriller and they will play in the Champs Sports Bowl.Next year expect a lot out of Michigan and Rich Rodriguez for it can be ezpected they will compete for confernce next year.