2008 Michigan Football- The Undiscovered Country

 

Every offseason I spend time watching and re-watching games from the past Michigan football season.

 

While preparing for the Capital One Bowl, the realization hit me that none of what I was watching has any bearing on the future of Michigan football.

 

Every coach except for one is gone next season.

 

On offense, it should come as no surprise that receivers Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington have departed for the NFL.  QB Chad Henne, RB Mike Hart, and OL Jake Long have exhausted their eligibility.  QB heir apparent Ryan Mallett, who filled in this season when Henne was injured, has decided to transfer rather than try and fit his skills into the spread offense.

 

It is completely possible that along with a new offensive philosophy we may see different starters at every position the next time a Wolverine QB snaps the ball.

 

And while I’m excited about the potential of the spread offense,  Michigan fans are facing the great unknown.

 

Even Michigan Stadium will be vastly different as the largest renovation in its history has begun.

 

Ground has been broken on the new indoor practice facility and football weight room has been cleared out in preparation for new equipment.

 

Forget everything you’ve come to know about Michigan football.

 

Between the coaching change and facility upgrades we are oberving on the greatest periods of change in the history of Michigan football.

 

Are you ready?

Rich Rodriguez- The Walls Come Tumbling Down…

 

Things would have very different if Michigan had beaten Ohio State and won the national championship last season.

 

Things might have been different if Michigan hadn’t lost to Appalachian State this season.

 

Things might have been different if Mike Hart and Chad Henne hadn’t been injured for most of this season.

 

But things have worked out for the best.

 

The last three seasons Michigan has a 26-11 record.  For many teams that would be acceptable- but not in Ann Arbor.

 

We’ve seen traditional powers Notre Dame and Nebraska tarnish their tradition.  We’ve seen Ohio State become the dominant power in the Big Ten.

 

This trend coupled with the retirement of Head Coach Lloyd Carr has created something of a crisis situation in Ann Arbor.

 

It’s time for a change.

 

Rich Rodriguez represents a seismic shift in the firmament in Michigan Football.

 

And Rodriguez will need to show results immediately.

 

There are a lot of people in the Michigan family who are still irked that Les Miles won’t be the next coach in Ann Arbor.

 

There are other people who aren’t happy that most of Lloyd’s staff has been let go.

 

Rodriguez will also be making more money than other coach the history of Michigan football.

 

He had a good record in West Virginia but Michigan fans only care about what he does here in Ann Arbor.

 

I wonder if Rich Rodriguez is having second thoughts.

Comrades, It’s true because they tell us so…

 

 

During the cold war, the communist party talked to the world through its official newspaper, Pravda, a Russian word which translates to mean “the truth.”  It’s not that Pravda exactly published falsehoods, ok well sometimes it did, but its main purpose was to present events from a certain point of view. 

 

In the United States the myth of the neutral press has largely evaporated.  Most observers realize that CNN skews to the liberal interpretation of events and Fox news leans a tad to the right.  It’s up to the viewer to decide how much credibility they assign to each network.

 

Wolverine fans have been treated to some interesting coverage of the UM coaching search.  Nationally, we had ESPN declare the coaching search was over last Saturday which turned to be as accurate as anyone predicting victory over Tom Brady and Patriots. 

 

Locally we had Terry Foster of the Detroit News saying that Les Miles to Ann Arbor was a done deal and that he was negotiating with the Miles camp for an interview. 

 

And then Les Miles held a press conference to register his outrage at being linked to his alleged dream job.

 

Which brings us to the Ann Arbor News, which has been leading the Les Miles parade for some time now.  If anyone has a gripe with Bill Martin’s handling of the coaching search or conspiracy theory involving Lloyd Carr’s secret agenda to discredit good old boy Les Miles than the Ann Arbor News is the place for you.

 

Are a you paid employee of Les Miles- say his agent? 

 

Are you a former Wolverine football player who would like to slam Lloyd Carr and a UM regent for having the audacity- the unmitigated gall to not jump on the Les Miles bandwagon? 

 

Then the Arbor News would love to publish your comments.

 

It’s one thing for a columnist to advocate for one head coaching candidate or another.  Columnists are paid for their opinions.  But the one sided coverage of the Les Miles fiasco by the Ann Arbor News is a joke.  For months they’ve pushed Les Miles as the obvious, best candidate to replace Lloyd Carr.  And now the Ann Arbor News is leading voice of outrage against Bill Martin for not agreeing with their choice

 

The Ann Arbor News has crossed the line between reporting the news and trying to influence what events occur. 

 

Journalism has been described as “the first rough draft of history.”  But at some point the enthusiastic coverage of the UM coaching search has become advocacy for a certain result.  In this case the draft seems to have been written in advance.

 

It may sell papers but the sports department has lost any semblance of neutrality. 

 

Eventually, Michigan will have a new head football coach. 

 

And despite his protestations it might even be Les Miles. 

 

And the Ann Arbor News sports department will be thrilled.