Ron English let go at Michigan

rjt721 · 12-21-07, 11:15 AM

Yeah, I don't like the decision at all. English took too much heat for the defenses trouble stopping the spread when it was almost entirely a personnel issue. He was by far the best recruiter on staff, and his connections to the West Coast were a huge asset. He was solely responsible for bringing in Donovan Warren, who will be a star. He'll be a successful head coach one day.

Letting go of receivers coach Erik Campbell and RB coach Fred Jackson was also a mistake. Both have been with UM for years, and also serve among the best recruiters on Carr's staff. I love the hire of Rodriguez, but immediately dismissing all ties to the school is not a wise move. In the interim, UM will likely lose a number of recruits from this, including RB Sam McGuffe, who committed largely because of Jackson's presence.

Doc JS · 12-21-07, 01:14 PM

Originally posted by rjt721

English took too much heat for the defenses trouble stopping the spread when it was almost entirely a personnel issue.

He was by far the best recruiter on staff...

rjt,
I'm not trying to be difficult, but I don't think you (or English) can have it both ways.

On one hand, you say he took too much heat for the defenses trouble stopping the spread when it was almost entirely a personnel issue.

On the other hand, you say he was by far the best recruiter on the staff.

So, it seems to me that he either has to take the blame for his recruiting ("when it was almost entirely a personnel issue") or he as to take the heat for not his defense not stopping the spread. But I don't think he can skate both ways here.

Doc

The Seer · 12-21-07, 01:48 PM

Most times, a new head coach will cut ties with the guys there. It is a loyalty issue. He will want to bring in his own guys. I've seen the backstabbing too many times. I had a discussion about this very thing last year at a clinic with Bob Stoops. He said he'd never hire anyone he didn't know and trust. That's why you always see guys hiring guys they coached with before and guys that played under them. They don't want to take the chance of somebody undermining them. Not naming any names but it happened at Ole Miss this past year. It was no suprise to me. I knew the guy for years and what he was capable of. I'm not saying English is anything like that. I actually don't know much about him other than he's from out West. I'm just seeing it from Rodriguez's standpoint.

rjt721 · 12-21-07, 03:52 PM

Originally posted by Doc JS

rjt,
I'm not trying to be difficult, but I don't think you (or English) can have it both ways.

On one hand, you say he took too much heat for the defenses trouble stopping the spread when it was almost entirely a personnel issue.

On the other hand, you say he was by far the best recruiter on the staff.

So, it seems to me that he either has to take the blame for his recruiting ("when it was almost entirely a personnel issue") or he as to take the heat for not his defense not stopping the spread. But I don't think he can skate both ways here.

Doc

I understand what you're saying, but English was responsible for very little recruiting in the grand scheme of things. UM is/was pretty unique in that Lloyd Carr didn't do all that much traveling to recruits homes in the process, instead relying on his assistants. English's ties to California, in particular, were a huge asset, as, while UM has always been a solid recruiter nationally, it hasn't always translated to CA, especially since Carroll arrived at USC. Stealing Warren away from SC and other Pac-10 schools was a major coup, one that English was primarily responsible for. He also played a large hand in landing several other contributing players.

The talent on defense was down this year after the unit was depleted with several players entering the NFL, but after a poor start the defense played quite well down the stretch. They defended Illinois' attack about as well as any other team this season, and it certainly wasn't the defense that lost the game to OSU. English is a good defensive coach and an even better recruiter, yet he often gets lumped in with (former) OC Mike DeBord as doing a lackluster job when I don't believe that to be the case. English will land on his feet somewhere and be successful.

On a side note, looks like Rodriguez has decided to bring back Fred Jackson, probably because he realized that w/o Jackson the school had little chance of retaining McGuffie.

mofome · 12-21-07, 04:22 PM

damn, the talent on this board is not lacking. good points made here. i like english a lot and i hope not to see him end up in the SEC.