Michigan football program is not improving

About seven weeks ago I posted a blog that stated Michigan "was back"...I was wrong...I have no problem admitting when I am wrong and this is one of those times...

I am a loyal Michigan supporter, but the fact is, the Michigan football program has shown no improvement over last year's 3-9 debacle...I attended the Michigan-Penn State game and was totally disheartened by the poor defense and lack of offense...then after watching their performance against a 1-6 Illinois team who was 0-5 in the Big Ten, I am starting to wonder if Rich Rodriguez is the right man to lead the once proud and winning Michigan football program...

As of today, October 31, 2009, the Michigan football program is just an average program...Michigan athletic director Bill Martin and president Mary Sue Coleman need to monitor this situation closely...look at what happened to Nebraska...the Cornhusker administration stayed loyal to Bill Callahan and now the Huskers are just a 6-6 or 7-5 team - at that...through today, Michigan is not even at that level...

In this game against Illinois, Michigan's Ray Roundtree failed to score on a 70 plus yard reception as he got caught on the 1-yard-line...why was Roundtree caught?...for two years I have been drinking the Kool-Aid of Michigan strength coach Mike Barwis...Barwis talks about speed, speed, speed...then why did Roundtree get caught?...

Michigan then had it first and goal on the 1-yard line and could not score on four attempts...once again, where is Barwis and his strength program?...Barwis is nothing but a blowhard...he talks a good game, but since he has been in charge, I have seen nothing different in the players strength and speed than when Lloyd Carr was in charge...Barwis is nothing but a fast talking workout warrior who fooled the Michigan fans for the last 20 months...

As for Rodriguez, for two years I have heard about this potent spread offense...if the spread is a high scoring offense, why did Michigan score only 10 points last week and 13 this week against a 1 win team?...in Carr's last game, Michigan beat Florida who was led by Tim Tebow...since that game, the Michigan football program has plummeted faster than the economy did over that same time period...if Michigan played Florida today, the Wolverines would be crushed...

Michigan is sitting at 5 wins...and in reality, it is 4 wins because one of those victories came against a hapless I-AA Delaware State game...through 9 games, I don't see any improvement from this year's team than I did, through 9 games, of last year's team...I see a team that is struggling to score points and stop points...

Rodriguez has 3 games left - Purdue, at Wisconsin and Ohio State...if he does not beat Purdue next week, Michigan will not make a bowl game for the second straight year...after their performance over the last two weeks, there is no way Michigan is going to win at Madison...and there is no way they are going to beat Ohio State...so basically, Rodriguez's last shot to get in a bowl game will be next week...

The fact is, the Michigan football program is getting worse as the season wears on instead of getting better...that is why the Michigan administration needs to make a decision after the season...these next three weeks may determine Rodriguez's future in Ann Arbor...