I have to be honest and say I was not a fan of Rich Rodriguez when he was hired. I am an avid defender of Lloyd Carr and I think he was forced out too soon. But that is neither here nor there.

On Monday, Rich Rod was quoted as saying, "I mean, I want everybody to have patience. I don't have much of it, but I wish our players would" (Warren and Graham look off the field for defensive answers, 11/02/2009). What does Rodriguez mean by this? Does it mean Carlos Brown and Brandon Minor should have more patience running the football? Should Tate have more patience in the pocket or should the defensive backs be more patient on routes so as not to get beat deep?

To me, he is saying that the players should wait to return to Michigan’s dominance and that the players need to be patient till he has his “type” of players in there. Bu, that’s bullshit. Why should Brandon Graham have to wait for Michigan to return to a powerhouse? It’s his senior year. He has three games left in his Michigan career, and his coach is telling him to be patient? I think Rich Rod is sending his team the wrong message by saying that. The talent is there to be winning — the Notre Dame game proves that — but Rodriguez is telling them to wait? He should want his players to want to win right away, go to the Rose Bowl and compete for a National Championship.

This may not mean a lot coming from just an average student, but I say to the players: Don’t be patient or wait for it — go get it. Win your last three games and beat Ohio State. I sure hope Rodriguez doesn’t tell you to be patient when that game comes around, because you guys have earned it.

Matt Kautz
LSA junior