Final Week. Michigan 7 OSU 37

Thank God I didn't watch the game.  By fluke of family holiday planning, I was driving home from Thanksgiving from Columbus during the game.  But my son, who is a freshman at Wooster, attended the game with my niece and her boyfriend.   He texted me updates until it got too demoralizing to send anymore. 

From what I've read and from talking to Peter this morning, the game was pathetic.  The Wolverines are a pathetic shell of former greatness.  Read these these Tweets from Michigan Greats who play for the Arizona Cardinals and watched the game together (pulled from of Freep.com.).

• @jayfeely: @SBreaston15, Branch, Gabe Watson all if us are beside ourselves watching this shell of what Michigan used to be.
• @JMorris23: We are the Best Big East in the Big Ten....... Bar none!!!
• @jgoody76: This just got even more disgusting. Is it time for a change?
• @SBreaston15: Yikes! Smh
• @desmond_howard As a Wolverine who NEVER lost 2 the Buckeyes, I think U should worry less about a tie and MORE about the product on the field. #wrongfocus

The season is over.  Here's my opinion of what to do (but you probably already know it)

• Rich Rod has to go.  Resign, fired, it doesn't matter.  He has failed miserably as the Wolverine Coach.  We will never be more than a good MAC team with him as coach.  Get it over with now!  
• Admit to the mistake of hiring him.  Sue Coleman and Dave Brandon and Bill Martin need to man up and take the blame for this mistake.  We can't blame Rich Rod entirely.  He tried his best, which will never be good enough.  But someone hired him, without thoroughly checking him out.  It was a desperate reach to an "offensive new age guru" to fix something that wasn't broken.  It wasn't necessary and only made things worse.  The choice didn't respect the Michigan Traditions that our excellence is based on.  It didn't respect the players we had or the ones we recruited.  The team, former teams, alumni, students and faculty all deserve a sincere and heartfelt apology.  This is the way to  move forward.  The "Leaders and Best" know this to be true.  Own up, ask forgiveness, make it right. 
• Hire asap a football coach that respects the Michigan Tradition and understands how to coach young men to be champions.  Doesn't have to be a Michigan Man, but Brandon couldn't go wrong hiring either Jim Harbaugh or Les Miles.  How about Gary Patterson at TCU, although why he would want to leave TCU is hard to understand.  We need a hire like the one OSU made a few years ago.  Like Jim Tressel.  A great I-AA coach at Youngstown State, who knew the OSU tradition and also had been working the Midwest High School market for years, building strong relationships with the coaches and players, recruiting head to head with OSU and Michigan. Brian Kelly, at Notre Dame right now, fit this bill three years ago but he's gone now (expect to see a vastly improved Irish team next year).  Is there another "Bo Schembechler" or "Bret Bielema" in the MAC just waiting for us to tap him on the shoulder.
• The new hire has to be either a defensive genius, or hire a great defensive coordinator right away.  Rich Rod does not respect defense.  We need a head coach who understands the importance of defense and will hire a great set of defensive coaches.  Who will teach basic tackling, and will teach the defense to work as a unit, not as 11 different players.  I think we have the players.  Just haven't had the coaching.
• Run an offense that works with the players we have.  Taking the best we have and building on it.  We have some great offensive players.  Don't ditch the Spread immediately.  
• The entire team and athletic department needs to read and reread "Bo's Lasting Lessons"  one of the best leadership books ever written. The Michigan Tradition is about Leadership.  Football just happens to be the game the team is playing.  
• Turn down any bowl appearance we are offered.  It will be hard on the players who have fought hard to get the bowl game selection.  But it really is meaningless.  Winning a b-level bowl game doesn't help us a bit.  Not even recruiting wise.  Sends the message that we are serious about taking back our place as leaders and best.
   

Still, it's great to be a Michigan Wolverine.  Always better than being a Buckeye.  

Go Michigan, Beat the Broncos (Western Michigan, our first game next season.)

I probably won't be posting again on this blog until just before and after our bowl game.  And if the Michigan Leadership have the guts to turn down a bowl bid, than next season.