Scott Shaefer speaks...

“I just didn’t fit,” said Shafer, who is succeeding Doug Marrone, who left for the NFL’s Buffalo Bills. “I went to Michigan because it was Michigan. I’m from Ohio, and when I was young, I thought there were only two colleges: Ohio State and Michigan. And I didn’t practice what I preached through the years to my recruits. I said, for years to my recruits, 'It’s not about the buildings, it’s not about the stadium, it’s not about the uniforms. It’s not even about the tradition. It’s about the people you’re going to be with for the next 4-5 years.' I just didn’t fit. I wish I would have researched it a little bit better to know I wasn’t going to fit in with that group.”

 
And as later with Greg Robinson he had a major off-the-field distraction.
 

“Shortly after we got there, we found out she had some melanoma cancer, and she had some procedures, and we had some very scary moments. But the greatest thing about being in Ann Arbor for us was that she had ... arguably the best doctors in the world for melanoma, both research and curing it. 

 
http://www.freep.com/arti...higan?odyssey=obinsite

Phil Callihan    Editor-in-Chief   UMGoBlue.COM

2 DCs with past histories of success failed at Michigan and there's only one common denominator...

I was excited about the Shafer hire and his problems probably had more to do with his D always being on the field and trying to help one of the worst offenses in the country. He was in a no-win situation.

Go Blue!!

Ohio St.'s actions are not unlike their lower intestine: stinky and loaded with danger.

ScottsdaleBlue


2 DCs with past histories of success failed at Michigan and there's only one common denominator...

I was excited about the Shafer hire and his problems probably had more to do with his D always being on the field and trying to help one of the worst offenses in the country. He was in a no-win situation.

Go Blue!!

They both dated Taylor Swift?

http://espn.go.com/colleg...coach-college-football

When you've worked in an industry for 20 years, you learn the things that no one tells you. You learn the importance of working with coaches who teach the same way you teach. You learn a lesson that Shafer tells recruits at Syracuse who may be wowed by competitors with nicer facilities.

"The people behind the buildings are far more important than the buildings," Shafer said.

And when Rodriguez contacted Shafer, he forgot every single one of those lessons.

"Regardless of how mature you become," Shafer said, "and how you look at things with wisdom over the years, when the call came, I heard Michigan across the line. Nothing else. No one else. And that was probably the biggest mistake I made."

The maniacally competitive Harbaugh said to Shafer, "We can and will be better than Michigan.'

But Harbaugh had a soft spot for Michigan, too. He had played there for Bo Schembechler.

"I do remember telling Jim I was going to Michigan for the same reasons he went to Michigan," Shafer said.

"If that's what you want to do, I support you," Harbaugh replied.

It was the perfect storm of bad career decisions. Rodriguez thought his defensive staff would come with him from West Virginia to Michigan. But at the last minute, coordinator Greg Casteel remained in Morgantown. Rodriguez needed a coordinator who would be comfortable coaching a staff of strangers. In a business of relationships, filling that job under those conditions is like filling an inside straight. Shafer wasn't the right card.

"A lot of that was my fault," Rodriguez said last week on the phone from Arizona, where he is starting his second season as head coach. "He's a very good football coach. … Scott took the blame for things that weren't his fault. The other [defensive coaches] didn't know his system. He was a teaching a whole new system to players and coaches. It wasn't really fair to him."

Rodriguez learned that when you hire a coordinator, you should bring in at least one other coach who knows his system. Shafer learned how long one season can last. The Wolverines went 3-9. They gave up nearly 29 points per game. And shortly after the season ended, Shafer needed a job.

"After the Michigan situation, the whole goal was to find the best person to work for," Shafer said. "And it had very little to do with the university, to be quite honest with you. It was about trying to align myself with somebody of high character who had similar philosophical viewpoints of what this profession was about."

Go Blue!!

Ohio St.'s actions are not unlike their lower intestine: stinky and loaded with danger.

wow, Rich Rod actually took a little blame.  Shocking

I know he was dealt a bad hand, but I'm sure glad those defensive days are in the rear view mirror now. I wish the best for him, I could see his potential showing even in these terrible circumstances he was in here. He will be fine.

Michigan vs tsiO rivalry: 58 wins, 36 losses, 6 ties, & 9 CHEATS  Hoke: 1-1  Urban 1-1 vs. UM

WolvyMike


wow, Rich Rod actually took a little blame.  Shocking

What he's basically saying is that I completely screwed him over and just glad I didn't totally mess up his coaching career...haa

Go Blue!!

Ohio St.'s actions are not unlike their lower intestine: stinky and loaded with danger.

ScottsdaleBlue

WolvyMike


wow, Rich Rod actually took a little blame.  Shocking

What he's basically saying is that I completely screwed him over and just glad I didn't totally mess up his coaching career...haa

Go Blue!!

I think that's also what the athletic department said of Rich Rod.