I haven't jumped ship yet, but I'll be watching a little closer for improvement this season.

 

I think the improvement between their first game this season and their bowl game will be huge. Yes I said bowl game. I think Michigan some how finds their way to 6 and possibly 7 wins.

Recruiting services in Football are garbage. It's not like basketball where you have AAU. You have combines and camps and tape.

 

For instance:

2002- had Kyle Wright as the Number 1 prospect at QB, and some scouts pegged him as one of the great QB prospects of all-time. I would be one of the many on here who wouldn't even know who he was had he not have played for my Hurricanes. The #3 player on the Rivals list was Whitney Lewis. Does anyone know what school he played for?

 

Does anyone remember when Early Doucet was a CANT MISS PROSPECT? He was okay in college, but hardly an all-timer. Willie Williams had one of the highest LB grades of all-time coming out of high school.

 

Derrick Williams and Patrick Turner were the top players in the '05 class. They were both good in college but I don't know that they should have been top 10, or 20 or probably 40.

 

Tebow was only ranked 22, Sam Bradford was a 3 Star.

 

As a Canes fan I have starwatched way too much. You look at our teams from the last couple of years by STAR rankings and we have a top 5 or 6 team. Which of these players were deserving of the bluechip ranking they recieved?......Dederick Epps, Orlando Franklin, Javarris James, Kylan Robinson, Kenny Phillips, Dajleon Farr, James Bryant, Lance Leggett (a top 10 guy by Rivals have you ever heard of him?), Tyler McMeans, Tyrone Moss, Willie Cooper? Thoser are all 4 and 5 star guys, just to name a few. For instance last years class at Miami had only 3 guys who weren't 4 or 5 stars.

 

This isn't basketball, where players are scouted when they have equal competition (AAU & such). You really can't do it in football. Sure 40 times look good, but that doesn't tell you what that man does when the game is on the line. You can't really evaluate players as well in HS football because you really don't know how much is the player and how much is the competition. For instance, if you put Riley Cooper from Florida at a school in EKY he would look like a future NFL Pro Bowler.

 

Basically STARS in Football have to do with if the player:

a. Makes plays during games

b. Has the measurables

c. Attends that Recruiting sites events.

d. Who is recruiting them or where they sign.

 

It kind of has to be that way. Football season is too short and the teams are too spread out for every D-1 player to be thoroughly evaluated. Just my .02 cents on the Stars.

 

If you watched Michigan last year, your eyes would tell you that they just didn't have the players.

 

Also you have to remember that the players at Michigan weren't brought in to run a Spread Zone Option offensive scheme. That makes a huge difference.

 

I will take my chances with 10 ***** players over 10 *** players any day of the week and I think any reasonable person would. I realize these things are not perfect science, but to completely dismiss them as "garbage" is a little too harsh. Was Michigan down in the talent pool? Sure they were. But let us not pretend they were fielding the talent of a lower Division I team. They were young and introduced to a new system and had a stubborn coach that refused to utilize his talents properly. No excuse not to make at least a low tier bowl game.

Rich Rod is one of the best offensive minds in football. Anybody who has coached football or anyone who has been involved with an actual program knows that it takes time to come in and build a new system from scratch. When Rodriguez got there Michigan was nothing but a low end, virtually no speed, power football team. With the spread that Rich runs, you "must" have speed. You have to have at least two speedy tailbacks, a speedy passer, and at least two burners on the outside. Michigan had neither. It may take another couple of years, but if the Michigan brass stick with Rich Rod, then they will eventually be a power house again. His brand of football is very similar to the types of ball that has ravaged the Big 10 for years now, and if he can finally get that offense established with his players running it, then the Big X will almost be his to own. It takes time to build a program, and that is essentially what Rodriguez is having to do. Each year will be a little better than the last, and if they stick it out with him, all I know is I wouldn't want to play them in about five years.

 

At a football camp/coaching clinic that I was apart of I got the chance to meet with a former OC under Rodriguez. We were telling him that we planned on running a spread offense for the upcoming season, and asked whther or not he could show us some of the old West Virginia stuff. He came back with a 3 inch 3 ring binder that said 2003-2004West Virginia Offensive Playbook, and said that he would make a copy of whatever we needed out of that. After having personal sit downs with this gentleman for three days in a row, you gain the appreciation of Rodriguez and understand the offensive mastermind he really is. I have been around many high school coaches in my day, but the information I was getting those couple days in meeting with Coach was on a whole another level. Trust me, once he gets his type of players at Michigan (and if they allow him time to do so) they will again be perenial powers.

Rich Rod is one of the best offensive minds in football. Anybody who has coached football or anyone who has been involved with an actual program knows that it takes time to come in and build a new system from scratch. When Rodriguez got there Michigan was nothing but a low end, virtually no speed, power football team. With the spread that Rich runs, you "must" have speed. You have to have at least two speedy tailbacks, a speedy passer, and at least two burners on the outside. Michigan had neither. It may take another couple of years, but if the Michigan brass stick with Rich Rod, then they will eventually be a power house again. His brand of football is very similar to the types of ball that has ravaged the Big 10 for years now, and if he can finally get that offense established with his players running it, then the Big X will almost be his to own. It takes time to build a program, and that is essentially what Rodriguez is having to do. Each year will be a little better than the last, and if they stick it out with him, all I know is I wouldn't want to play them in about five years.

 

That there is the problem. Folks at UM are not going to wait 5 years for a return investment when you have a program at tOSU that won a national title 2 years after Tressell was hired. Is it fair? No. But it is the reality of the situation at one of the elite schools.

I will take my chances with 10 ***** players over 10 *** players any day of the week and I think any reasonable person would. I realize these things are not perfect science, but to completely dismiss them as "garbage" is a little too harsh. Was Michigan down in the talent pool? Sure they were. But let us not pretend they were fielding the talent of a lower Division I team. They were young and introduced to a new system and had a stubborn coach that refused to utilize his talents properly. No excuse not to make at least a low tier bowl game.

 

Who said they were garbage? All I'm saying is that STAR rankings tell you nothing about the talent base that a team has in football. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

 

To stubborn? You cannot go into a job and not do what you really want to establish. Would Michigan have won more games running their old offense? Most likely. But, that would stunt the growth of what Rich Rod is wanting to do.

Who said they were garbage? All I'm saying is that STAR rankings tell you nothing about the talent base that a team has in football. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

 

To stubborn? You cannot go into a job and not do what you really want to establish. Would Michigan have won more games running their old offense? Most likely. But, that would stunt the growth of what Rich Rod is wanting to do.

To say ABSOLUTELY NOTHING is a stretch.

To say ABSOLUTELY NOTHING is a stretch.

 

I will say it again, absolutely nothing. Look at Scout or Rivals, look up UF or USC and find a 3 star that they have offered. I am willing to be you that by the end of the season they are a high four or a five star. I guarantee it, it happens every year.

I will say it again, absolutely nothing. Look at Scout or Rivals, look up UF or USC and find a 3 star that they have offered. I am willing to be you that by the end of the season they are a high four or a five star. I guarantee it, it happens every year.

You can say it all you want to but I don't buy it. Obviously they aren't completely accurate and consistent but to say that they mean absolutely nothing is a little out there.

Who said they were garbage? All I'm saying is that STAR rankings tell you nothing about the talent base that a team has in football. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

 

To stubborn? You cannot go into a job and not do what you really want to establish. Would Michigan have won more games running their old offense? Most likely. But, that would stunt the growth of what Rich Rod is wanting to do.

My bad. I just took it when you said, "Recruiting services in Football are garbage" as well, you think they are garbage. Should have read between the lines I guess.

 

In your second sentence you are feeding in to my BCG argument. At what cost do you remain loyal to your own personal system if you lose your team in the process? I realize not all the personnel is in place to effectively run his system, but one would think you try to coach in a way that gives your team the best chance of winning. Just like in Pitino's early years when his teams would launch about 147 three pointers a game... it gave them the best chance of winning.

My bad. I just took it when you said, "Recruiting services in Football are garbage" as well, you think they are garbage. Should have read between the lines I guess.

 

In your second sentence you are feeding in to my BCG argument. At what cost do you remain loyal to your own personal system if you lose your team in the process? I realize not all the personnel is in place to effectively run his system, but one would think you try to coach in a way that gives your team the best chance of winning. Just like in Pitino's early years when his teams would launch about 147 three pointers a game... it gave them the best chance of winning.

 

Well at the same time I still think BCG is a very good coach. Rich Rod's teams never do well in his first season, so I think he is just following the pattern and formula he has set up in the past. It may take a little longer at Michigan because of the type of players he inherited, but they will be fine.

 

And I love recruiting services, I just don't read to much into the football ones. HS football is just too spread out for very many thorough evaluations. Also I would like to say that STAR rankings do not tell the entire story, though you can gauge they types of players a team is recruiting and signing and who else they have been offered by.

That there is the problem. Folks at UM are not going to wait 5 years for a return investment when you have a program at tOSU that won a national title 2 years after Tressell was hired. Is it fair? No. But it is the reality of the situation at one of the elite schools.

 

It may not be five years, just saying. Could all start to happen next year. If the people at Michigan were smart enough to wait then they will be deserving enough to reap the benefits. If they are dumb enough to push him out after a couple of years, and bring in someone who is not going to play the type of ball Rich recruits for, then they will deserve to set themselves back even further.

It may not be five years, just saying. Could all start to happen next year. If the people at Michigan were smart enough to wait then they will be deserving enough to reap the benefits. If they are dumb enough to push him out after a couple of years, and bring in someone who is not going to play the type of ball Rich recruits for, then they will deserve to set themselves back even further.

 

I think they will be smart with it. Rich Rod has a pretty good recruiting base, and I think he can get the type of athletes to really give Big 10 teams problems. I expect OSU-Michigan to get back to where it was.

The thing with football is when you change systems you really have a tough transition sometimes when offenses are so much different. Look at Auburn trying to go from the grind it out too the Air Raid. The Air Raid works but you have to have players to fit the system. I would be frustrated too if I were a Michigan fan but I think there's hope.

I do wonder with Det being the armpit of America right now if that will hurt recruiting because of the perception some parents might have of Michigan with the economy in such a mess.

I also think kids now days are a lot different. They don't understand how good teams like Mich + Notre Dame used to be. They can choose a program like that where it's freezing cold or roll down to Fla where it's sunny, the girls are heading to the beach and the program is on fire.

Here's their schedule: http://www.mgoblue.com/football/page.aspx?id=165448

 

I think they beat Eastern and Western Michigan, Indiana, Michigan State, Purdue and Delaware State. They could possibly beat Wisconsin, but I don't see them beating Ohio State, Notre Dame, Iowa, Illinois, or Penn State.

 

I think they go 6-6 and barely get bowl eligible.