Michigan Football: Grady - Grady Update

ESPN caught up with Rich Rod on the Grady Situations. To catch you up, Kevin a 5 star senior running back spent almost 7 days in jail this spring due to a probation violation stemming from a DUI last summer. Kelvin his brother and former point guard for the Michigan Basketball team has joined the football team as a slot receiver.

First, Kevin who many have speculated has played his last down at Michigan: "He's taking care of his responsibilities from the previous thing that he had," Rodriguez said. "His status with the team will be based on what he does over the next several months."

I believe in second chances but not third. I'm in no position to make a call if he should or shouldn't be on the team, since I don't have all the facts. So Kevin should fell lucky that he is still considered a Wolverine. I'm betting he is going to be doing a lot of running up and down the stairs at the Big House this summer. 6:00 am is a great time for a run.

Now on to Kelvin: "He's an outstanding athlete and he sees an opportunity," Rodriguez said. "We kind of teased him about it for about a year now. We would say, 'Why don't you play both?' because he was a really good high school [football] player.

"He's going to have an opportunity. He's obviously been out for a couple years, but he's still a young guy and he's been active and he's been training. So he's going to be in pretty good shape, and we'll see what happens."

I guess we will see what happens for both Grady's.

Michigan Football Friday Update: More Attrition

Long Gone: Redshirt Freshman Offensive Lineman Dann O'Neill has left the Michigan Football program. Per Mgoblog; it's unclear if he plans to transfer or quit football all together. The "word" on O'Neil was, a great frame but needs a ton of work. Dan had zero shot at playing time in the fall and was not on the 2-deep depth chart.

My take: this isn't a killer loss for the Wolverines, he wasn't going to see time in 2009 and would have been a project to see time as an upper class man. He either didn't want to put in the work associated with being a D1 starter at a major program or plans to try football at another school. Michigan has showed good signs on the offensive line with the developments of Barnum, Khoury, and Omameh but will have some depth problems if the Wolverines have injury issues.

• Tate's brother to Furman: Chris Forcier a redshirt QB from UCLA is heading to Furman to play QB. Since Furman is a D1AA school he can play right away.
  


• Kelvin Grady Walking On or on Scholarship? I'm not sure it matters since Michigan seems to have a few hundred open scholarships, but the Ann Arbor News states he is walking on. I'm sure RR and Staff will hand out the remaining scholarships to the deserving players. MgoBlog today also mentions that Terrance Robinson is reportedly having some trouble catching the ball. So the new "KG" might be a good fit.

• The Michigan basketball team will take on UConn at home Sunday, Jan. 17, at Crisler Arena. Manny and the boys are going to be playing a difficult schedule next year. More media attention for sure.

Grady gets out of one Big House

Will he be thrown out of the "famous" Big House next?

Kevin Grady was released 2 days early from jail on Tuesday after serving 5 days of a 7 day sentence for violation of his probation from a DUI charge last year.

Coach Rich Rodriguez said this past weekend that he would sit down and talk to Kevin before he makes a decision on his future with the Wolverines. I believe Coach Rod has two options; throw Kevin off the team (hopefully let him keep his scholarship so he can earn his degree) or two give his a severe punishment that would include a long suspension and running the stars at Michigan stadium every morning at 5:00 AM.

Stay tuned on how this one plays out.

Was Greg Robinson a good hire for Michigan?

At first, I was not a big fan of the hire of Greg Robinson for Michigan's defensive coordinator. He had just come off a 10-37 record as the head coach of Syracuse, so I'm sure many shared my same feelings. That was my initial reaction to the hiring.

Then I thought, what if Michigan had hired former Notre Dame and Washington coach Ty Willingham? I thought that would have been a very good hire for Michigan. What would have made the Ty hire a good one and the actual hire of Greg a bad one? I needed to look into why I felt this way.

Then Mark Snyder from the Free Press wrote a story about Greg yesterday and totally changed my mind. If you read Big House Blog regularly you know that I believe good coordinators don't always make a good head coach. Not everyone has leadership skills.

I also believe that good coaches run together. They have respect for each other, hire each other, and keep in touch with each other. I was surprised to learn that Greg's former teammate and friend in college Pete Carroll helped him get his first job. I was also surprised to learn that Greg was first hired by Monte Kiffin, one of the best defensive coaches ever. To quote Snyder for the Freep: Kiffin and Carroll are regarded as two of the top defensive minds in football at any level, and that only can help improve a Michigan defense that allowed the most points in modern program history. I also believe, Pete, Monte, and Greg are good examples that being a great coordinator does not make a great head coach. Pete failed as a head coach a number of times in the NFL before he found his perfect situation at USC and Monte just left Tampa Bay to be the DC under his son at Tennessee, which pretty much gives up on him getting another head coaching job.

Mac Brown, Texas head coach also called Robinson, "the best defensive coordinator in the country". So what does Mac Brown, Pete Carroll, and Monte Kiffin know about Greg that I don't? It actually looks like a lot! Here are a couple of highlights from Greg's resume:

• 10 years experience as an NFL DC
• 2 Super Bowl Rings
• Experience as an offensive coordinator at UCLA
• Experience as an defensive coordinator at Texas
• Former Head Coach at Syracuse

That is an impressive resume and he came to Michigan for $275,000 a year. Now don't get me wrong, that is good money in today's economy but when you compare it other DC's salaries at major program's that are over or close to a Million dollars a year, Greg's pay check wouldn't compare. Heck, Michigan's now famous strength and conditioning coach makes $250,000 a year.

So was this a good hire for Michigan? The proof will be on the field, but the answer has to be Yes. Rich Rod got a guy with great experience that has a chance to turn around a defense that gave up the most points in Michigan history, while paying him only $275K a year. Yes, I would call that a good hire.

• Redshirt freshman offensive lineman Kurt Wermers won't return to Wolverines this fall. He wasn't on the two deep depth chart for this Fall and hadn't gotten any spring practice buzz. So he most likely left to find some playing time.

• What about Grady? Rodriguez also said he plans to talk with senior running back Kevin Grady, who was jailed last week for probation violations related to a drunk driving conviction. The coach said he wouldn't decide on Grady's future with the team until the two had a discussion.
  
  
• More to departures to come? "Stay tuned," he said. "There's a couple guys I'm gonna sit with here. Just guys that maybe if they're not doing all their responsibilities and doing what they need to do to be part of our football program may not be back. I hope that's not too many."

Kevin Grady is in Jail and Most likely done as a Wolverine

From the Grand Rapids Press:

Grady pleaded guilty Thursday to a probation violation and Wyoming District Judge Steven Timmers sentenced him to the jail term.

Grady, 22, had avoided jail until now, but was serving a year of probation after he pleaded guilty in August to driving while intoxicated. A Wyoming police officer stopped his 2007 GMC Yukon Denali in the early morning hours of July 2 near 44th Street SW and Byron Center Avenue. Police later tested his blood-alcohol level at .24 -- three times the legal limit.

Court officials said he failed to properly report to probation agents in Ann Arbor, failed to complete a victim impact panel and alcohol highway safety education class, failed to complete 24 hours of community service and tested positive for opiates, a type of pain killer.

BHB Perspective: Grady had a huge upside when he arrived in Ann Arbor as a 5 star running back and rated as one of the best players in the country. When he got on the field, he showed glimpses of greatness but mostly poor vision in finding the holes and lost most of his playing time to Michigan legend Mike Hart.

Grady then suffered an ACL injury that cost him an entire season, rehabbed his injury and was reportedly ready for a break out year when he received the above DUI. Grady got a slap on the wrist as a first time violator from the court and from Coach Rod only missing one game. I thought at the time that Grady might be kicked off the team, I was wrong in the fact that kids do make mistakes and this was his first. He deserved a second chance.

Now he doesn't. I know expect that Kevin will kicked off the Michigan football team after this latest incident. I really had hoped Kevin had learned his lesson but he has now crossed the line with his second offense. Rich Rod was in Chicago yesterday for an event and could not be reached for a comment, expect something official from him this weekend.

Michigan had both Grady brothers, one on the basketball court and one of the football field. Now one is gone and the other one, has a foot out the door.

Grady's night out details

I hope Kevin learned from this experience. Here are more details on his DUI arrest:

• Football standout Kevin Grady, was passed out behind the wheel with the car running and in drive. Grady was unconscious and his foot was on the brake. He was driving a Yukon.
• After several attempts, Mr. Grady woke up," Meany wrote in his report, which was requested by The Press and released Friday. "(Grady) stated that he was just trying to get home."
• Grady was unable to recite the alphabet, with Thompson quoting Grady as saying "O, R, S, J, L, P."
• Thompson said he asked for a number between 12 and 14, and Grady answered "15
• And when asked whether Mickey Mouse is a dog or a cat, he answered "dog."
• His blood-alcohol level of 0.281 -- more than three times Michigan's standard for drunken driving
• Grady to report for probation for 12 months -- which he also can do in Ann Arbor. He will have to pay for his own random drug and alcohol testing, will not be allowed in bars and taverns and will be fined $1,290 by Wyoming and $2,000 by the state for its Driver's Responsibility Fee.
• His license is suspended for a month starting today and then it will be restricted until Feb. 11.

Fall Practice Begins: Highlights from Day 1

Mike Hart is running on Sunday Night Football for the Indianapolis Colts and Rich Rodriguez opened up his first Fall Practice as the Head Coach of the Michigan Wolverines.

Here are some highlights from the first day of practice:

• Kevin Grady was practicing. Rodriguez said Grady is still suspended as far as seeing time in upcoming games goes, but has done enough to practice. When Grady is eligible to return to Michigan's game day lineup will be determined later, Rodriguez said. "He's not done enough to warrant playing time," Rodriguez said. "He's out there working but he's not working with the first couple groups."


• Terrance Taylor was noticeably in better shape along with many other Wolverines. "We're not in game shape, but we're in a lot better shape than we were in the spring," Rodriguez said. "We're right on track."


• Steve Threet, Nick Sheridan and freshman Justin Feagin all took snaps at QB. Guess who else's did? You guessed it Carlos "Santana" Brown. "We knew there were certain strides we had to take," Threet said. "I think everybody felt a little better today. All of us (vying for the starting quarterback's job) are trying to do what we can to get on the field and play and show the coaches that we should be the guy." Look for the Threet to be named the starter.


• No major injuries to report. Junior Hemingway wore a green jersey from a Spring Injury.


• Michigan won't be in pads until Saturday.


• McGuffie showed some flashes of his famous speed. Look for him and Shaw to get a ton of fall practice reps.


• The forgotten man from this years recruiting class: George Morales was at practice and on the roster. Highly touted LB recruit JB Fitzgerald wasn't at practice.


• Deep thoughts from Morgan Trent: "He's extremely intense, but it's a good thing. I can already tell you he's fun to play for," said senior cornerback Morgan Trent when referring to Rodriguez's coaching style.
  

Grady Officially Suspended

Sure there is a ton of non-information coming out of the Big Ten Media days in Chicago. But at least we found out that Kevin Grady is officially suspended. This comes as no big surprise after Kevin was charged with Drunk Driving earlier this month. He also had a blood-alcohol level of 0.281 (legally drunk is 0.08).

Here is what RR had to say about Grady:

He's been suspended from the team, and is no longer working out with the guys," Rodriguez said at the Big Ten football media day. "He's working out on his own. He's still attending classes. "It's kind of a week by week basis on him getting back. He has to do certain things within the program to earn his way back on the team. And once he does that, there will be some playing time penalties, and then he's on kind of a strict watch."

Let's hope Kevin learned his lesson and will do what it takes to get back on the team and have a big year.

Cell Block News and Notes

• Grady Pleads not guilty to drunk driving charges:

According to the ticket issued to Grady, he had a blood-alcohol level of 0.281. Under Michigan law, a driver with a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 or higher is considered drunk. In a pre-trial conference with Grady, Sluiter said he did not offer to reduce the charge in part because of the high blood alcohol level alleged by police. "It's a substantial level," Sluiter said. "But I've seen higher."

• Grand Valley State Continues to get good players via transfer:

Grand Valley State football fans can get excited about the transfer of former Colorado recruit and record-setting running back P.T. Gates. Gates is joined on the latest list by former University of Michigan linebacker Quintin Patilla. Patilla, bothered by asthma problems at Michigan, might switch to defensive line and could exercise a redshirt option this year.

• Middletown, OH CB DJ Hunter chooses The Vols over Michigan, Ohio State, and MSU. Seems like a unique pick put ok. He must like the speed in the SEC.
• Michigan says Oklahoma athlete recruit David Gordon can run track, play water polo, use the Michigan Union, Eat at Zingerman's, and play golf at the U of M course. Michigan doesn't have a great chance at getting Gordon:

  "I have a top four and Arkansas is number one right now," Gordon said. "I went there on a visit and it felt like home. After that it's LSU. Oklahoma and Michigan are fighting for number three".

  Wow, fighting for #3 let's put this guy on the commit list right now!

More info on KG's Bad Night

Grady was stopped and arrested at 1:54 a.m. in the vicinity of Byron Center and 44th Street in Wyoming. He remained in jail until mid-morning and was released on a $5,000 personal recognizance bond. The Grand Rapids Press reported he blew a 0.281. Michigan's legal definition of drunk is 0.08.

RR public response: "I have been made aware of the incident involving Kevin by the Grady family," U-M coach Rich Rodriguez said in a statement. "Once we have an opportunity to meet with Kevin and review the details, we will handle the matter internally."

Breaking News: Kevin Grady in Trouble

(the title Kevin Grady is Done was a little misleading)

Coming out of high school Kevin Grady was a 5 Star recruit with can't miss skills.

Can't miss is right! opposing tacklers couldn't miss him. He couldn't find a hole if he had GPS and looked very slow to the corner. The power which he showed in high school was gone and he looked like the classic over rated/hyped recruit. Then he blows out his ACL in bowl practice in 2006 and misses the entire 2007 season.


Spring Ball 2008. Kevin shows up with a new attitude, a new coach, and healthy for the first time in a long time. Kevin was truly interested in being a large contributor to the Wolverine offense next year. Until now.



Does he look Drunk to you?

Kevin was sited for DUI in Wyoming Michigan last night and will be arranged on July 9th.

Memo to Kevin: With Michigan loaded at RB and a number of skilled Freshmen coming in, your days as a Michigan Wolverine maybe numbered. There is always Grand Valley.

Update: I'm sure Kevin will be serve a long suspension and not be thrown off the team. Either way, this will be the first public "player in trouble" event RR will have to deal with as the Michigan head coach. It will be very interesting to see how he handles Kevin's situation.