Not that anyone has been paying attention, but the football team is currently in the hunt for a new offensive coordinator.
As I am sure you are aware, the Bulls finished their 2010 campaign in poor fashion, posting a 2-10 record in the Mid-American Conference and finishing last in the conference in points per game. This finish came as a big disappointment to first-year head coach Jeff Quinn, who was considered an offensive specialist before he took his current position.
This prompted Quinn to fire former offensive coordinator Greg Forest as well as former receivers coach Juan Taylor. As of yet, there has not been much public talk about prospective candidates to fill the opening. The Athletic Department had decided to wait until after the college bowl season to start its search for a replacement.
Well, seeing as it's supposedly early in the search, I know of a man who is currently looking for a job and would be perfect for the position. He has plenty of experience with the spread offense, he is more than prepared for the level of competition that the Bulls face, and best of all, after his last job, we might be the only school that would hire him. I'm talking about Rich Rodriguez.
Now, I know what you're thinking. Why in the world would our great university spend its hard-earned money on someone like Rodriguez? Well, hold on to your hats, because this well-thought-out and totally serious line of reasoning is going to blow you away.
Rodriguez left Michigan last month after three years of disappointment both on and off the field. He could never seem to get the Wolverines to get to where he wanted them, even when he went so far as to schedule super-secret extra practices (cough) allegedly (cough).
I also can't help but admire Rodriguez's motivational techniques. How can a team not produce results with mottos like "Workouts aren't mandatory, but neither is playing time"?
If you were to ask any student-athlete around campus, they are most likely to tell you that the greatest aspect of Buffalo is the family atmosphere that is upheld by the entire community. The fact is that Buffalo loves its children and will stay loyal to them forever.
There is no one more loyal than Rich Rodriguez – just ask any West Virginia fan. Rodriguez's time in Michigan may have ended rather abruptly, but if it were up to him, he would never have left the student-athletes that he brought into the program.
He would never, say, build a struggling program into a conference powerhouse, bring in a group of young guys who were specifically chosen to fit his style of play, help them reach the biggest game of their careers, and then, hypothetically, bail on them less than a month before kick-off for a bigger program and a bigger paycheck. That's just not the kind of guy that Rodriguez is.
The biggest reason Rodriguez is the right choice for the Bulls is the fact that he might be able to bring Denard Robinson with him. After Rodriguez was relieved of his coaching duties, Robinson announced that he would look into transfer options.
New Michigan coach Brady Hoke has reportedly convinced Robinson to stay with the Wolverines, but I can't help but wonder if he wouldn't follow Rodriguez if he were to take another job before next season.
Can you imagine Robinson lighting up the MAC on Saturdays sporting the Buffalo blue? You should try it, because the image is amazing.
I'm sure this advice will go unheeded in the athletic department, as it probably should, but hey, football season is still 225 days away, so we need something to talk about.
E-mail: sports@ubspectrum.com
