by Magglio Merkin is an ‘06 Western Michigan alumnus who enjoys swearing, Saturdays in the Big House and slaying misinformed Internet commenters. He’s currently pursing a graduate degree at Michigan. He lives by the motto, “Drinking is Fun!”
I know what you are thinking. How can Rich Rod not be the worst at everything imaginable, ever, right? Are you sure he is actually good at something? We haven’t heard about one thing he is good at besides being the losing-est loser ever, LOL. We want Jim Harbaugh and his shitty education!
As it turns out Rich Rodriguez has installed one of the most potent offenses (on a yards per play basis) Michigan Football has had since the 1997 National Championship team, as seen in this wicked sweet table.
| Games Played | Year | Rush Yd/Att | Pass Yd/Att |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 1997 | 3.9 | 11.8 |
| 13 | 1998 | 3.8 | 12.3 |
| 12 | 1999 | 3.2 | 12 |
| 12 | 2000 | 4.8 | 14.6 |
| 12 | 2001 | 3.6 | 12 |
| 13 | 2002 | 3.8 | 11.7 |
| 13 | 2003 | 4.3 | 12.4 |
| 12 | 2004 | 3.8 | 11.3 |
| 12 | 2005 | 3.9 | 11.2 |
| 13 | 2006 | 4.3 | 12.3 |
| 13 | 2007 | 4 | 12.7 |
| 12 | 2008 | 3.9 | 10.4 |
| 10 | 2009 | 4.8 | 13.7 |
| I like Excel and shit. | |||
The only comparable team was one from 2000 led by Anthony Thomas (1,776 yards rushing and 18 TD’s), Drew Henson (2,146 yards passing and 18 TD’s) and David Terrell (1,130 yards receiving and 14 TD’s) none of which were true freshmen. If you are a Michigan fan you will most likely remember those names. You may also be thinking how in the fuck can a first year 18 year old QB and basically no deep threat at WR be averaging equivalent numbers on a yards per play basis?
I figured it out; Rich Rodriguez is as competent an offensive mind as there is in football, not just college football, but all of football. He is doing what he came here to do. He knows more than you do about how the game is played and how to win. You know very little about football although you love to think you know everything. The football program with the most victories in all the land has never won them all, not even with Bo. Every football program has stretches of terrible play and poor records. USC was 5-7 in 2000 and OU was 7-5 in 1999. This Saturday when you sit down on your couch to watch the Wolverines play Wisconsin try to focus on the fact that this offense is one of the best in recent memory with a myriad of true freshman playing big time minutes. If you give this man time, he will succeed.
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1Magglio Merkin on Nov 12, 2009 at 8:24 am:
I am actually a current Michigan grad student. I went to WMU as an under-grad and graduated in ‘06.
/The More You Know.
2cgb on Nov 12, 2009 at 8:34 am:
Fixed, don’t every let me write a personal ad for you.
Nice post Maggs. Do you still think there’s no chance they fire Greg Robinson?
3Magglio Merkin on Nov 12, 2009 at 8:40 am:
I don’t think having three DC’s in three years is the right way to go when you are a team looking for anything positive on defense to sell to recruits. Shafer was fired after one horrid year, but Shafer also had a bad working relationship with the rest of the coaching staff. From what I hear everyone on staff enjoys working with “GERG.” You may see a few of the WVU guys get canned after this year, looking at you Jay Hopson. He has been stripped of all coaching duties outside of the LB corps. and the LB corps. has been getting worse… also, to my knowledge he has whiffed on literally every recruit he has gone after.
/longest comment ever
4Simon on Nov 12, 2009 at 9:21 am:
The job of a head coach is to win football games, no? Not just to have solid numbers on one side of the ball. I’m not saying fire the man or jump off a ledge, but at some point its the head coach’s job is to bring balance to the team. To bring in a competent DC and some defensive recruits and not just make the offense potent. It’s nice that Michigan’s offense is solid but the defense loses game after game after game.
5Magglio Merkin on Nov 12, 2009 at 9:36 am:
@ Simon
We are in agreement. the main goal of the post is for Michigan fans or the general football fan to realize that Rich is not all bad. The defense is what it is. They have been terrible for some time now (I would say 3 years) and until we have the freshmen of note (Campbell, Turner, Vlad, etc.) come in and execute they will remain that way. Rich really has very little to do with the defensive side of the ball. His Shafer hiring was a mistake which hurt us, but I think with some time and consistency the defense will once again show signs of at the very least competency. With this offense I believe competency is all we will need to win football games.
6spencer096 on Nov 13, 2009 at 2:25 pm:
what is it with michigan fans and graphs?
just kidding…but seriously, he needs a DC and about two classes worth of defensive recruits.