UM:Mallett, Arrington, Manningham likely to go

[sa_butta]

University of Michigan football players Adrian Arrington, Mario Manningham and Ryan Mallett haven't said if they will - or will not - play for the Wolverines next season.

But new Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez doesn't seem to be counting on any of them judging by his comments Tuesday afternoon on Jim Rome's syndicated radio show, aired locally on WDFN-AM (1130).

Rodriguez said he expects starting wideouts Arrington and Manningham - who combined for 139 receptions, 2,056 yards and 20 touchdowns last season - to go pro rather than return as seniors.


"I've talked to Adrian since the bowl game a little bit and I think he's leaning toward coming out, but I don't think he's made the announcement yet," Rodriguez said. "I have not seen Mario. I don't think he's back in Ann Arbor yet, so indications are he may be coming out, as well." According to NFL guidelines, underclassmen have until Jan. 15 to declare for the draft. There is no such timetable for Mallett, a freshman. As the backup to senior quarterback Chad Henne in 2007, Mallett completed 61 of 141 passes for 892 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions.

Although the 6-foot, 7-inch Mallett is considered a dropback passer, Rodriguez said he tried to explain to Mallett that he could flourish in the spread offense that new coach will implement. Perhaps Mallett thought otherwise.


"I believe (Mallett) is going to transfer," Rodriguez said. "He has not told me specifically, but he's told other folks in the program ... If he chooses to leave, he can make a choice he thinks is best for him and we'll be OK."Without Mallett, there is no obvious successor to Henne on the roster. The team's two other scholarship quarterbacks - David Cone and Steven Threet - have thrown a single college pass between them.

But there is the possibility of finding a new quarterback, maybe the top prep quarterback in the country, via the next recruiting class. Pennsylvania's Terrelle Pryor, voted the MVP of the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio last weekend, is considering Michigan and Ohio State.

http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2008/01/rodriguez_mallett_arrington_ma.html

[Marklar MM]

They are gone.

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080108/UPDATE/801080472

U-M's Rodriguez confirms Manningham, Arrington, Mallett no longer are on team
Eric Lacy / The Detroit News

ANN ARBOR -- Newly hired Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez confirmed Tuesday night that receivers Mario Manningham and Adrian Arrington and quarterback Ryan Mallett are no longer with the team.

Rodriguez confirmed the news in an impromptu briefing with the media at halftime of the men's basketball game against Indiana. Rodriguez also said his staff is nearly complete, but he needs to add a defensive coordinator and give some assistants specific roles with the team by this weekend.

In regard to Manningham and Arrington, Rodriguez said both players didn't attend a team meeting Monday, so he expects both to test the NFL waters. Mallett also didn't attend the meeting.

Advertisement

Rodriguez said Arrington text-messaged him Tuesday about his plans to pursue the professional draft. Rodriguez said he hasn't spoken to Manningham since the Wolverines' Capital One Bowl victory over Florida.

"Obviously, with Mario and Adrian, they made a decision they thought would help them professionally and decided to come out early," Rodriguez said. "We wish them well and that's all I have to say about that."

As for Mallett, Rodriguez declined to give many details. But when pressed on the freshman's status, he replied: "I don't care. He's not playing for Michigan. I'm concerned with who's playing for Michigan."

Michigan announced Tuesday the hiring of eight of Rodriguez's assistant coaches, with only one, Fred Jackson, being a carryover from Lloyd Carr's staff.

Rodriguez has yet to hire a defensive coordinator, the ninth and last vacancy on the staff, but has two defensive assistants for positions that are yet to be determined.

Rodriguez said his two defensive assistants could be in the running for the coordinator job or he could go outside the program to find someone else.

[2centsworth]

Mario could be a top 10 pick if he stayed.

[tlongII]

Rodriquez was still a good hire.

[Marklar MM]

Mallett was never a Wolverine. He didn't want to be here anymore...Loeffler not being rehired was the icing on his cake.

Manningham many felt would leave after this year anyways, so its not that big of a surprise.

Arrington was so so. No one knew for sure, but after his performance in the Cap One bowl, many felt he was leaving for sure.

[sa_butta]

So what happens if we dont land Terrell Pryor??
We really dont have a starter yet.

[JamStone]

I'm guessing RR is hoping Michigan lands Terrell Pryor. Sometimes you have to hope plan A doesn't fall through because there isn't much of a plan B.

[sa_butta]

I'm guessing RR is hoping Michigan lands Terrell Pryor. Sometimes you have to hope plan A doesn't fall through because there isn't much of a plan B.It would be awesome to have a dual threat QB in the spread offense. I hope we can defend the spread as well as we can run it.

[degenerate_gambler]

I would think this improves their chances, if anything. The kid will probably get every chance in the world to win the starting job during Aug.

[ReggieF]

Michigan is going to take their lumps this year, where is JamStone to talk about how Mallet would be a good fit in RR's offense, I guess Mallet had other thoughts...

[Thunder Dan]

It would be awesome to have a dual threat QB in the spread offense. I hope we can defend the spread as well as we can run it.

you would think that practicing against it every day would help..plus Michigan will now run the 3-3-5 which is tough against run-option spreads.

[degenerate_gambler]

It would be awesome to have a dual threat QB in the spread offense. I hope we can defend the spread as well as we can run it.


Other than Illinois, who else runs that type of offense in that conference?

[Thunder Dan]

Other than Illinois, who else runs that type of offense in that conference?

Indiana, Minnesota, Purdue and Ohio State when Pryor comes

[NoMoneyDown]

Rodriquez was still a good hire.

Time will tell. He's probably one of the best recruiters in the nation, but many people feel he is not the best coach. Something like Mack Brown - can recruit solid players and mold them into his system, but his in-game coaching stinks to high-heaven. Proof is in the USF and Pitt games. White only played the 1H of both games (ok, he did play the last couple of minutes of the Pitt game). Rich put in the backup QB and made no other game plan adjustments. They lost. It's like he makes a game plan and sticks to it regardless, hoping the athleticism of his players will overcome any adjustments needed.

At Michigan, he should be able to get even better personnel, but it will be interesting to see if his MO changes.

[BeerIsGood!]

Richie Rich cleaning the big house. I think that'll be good for them in the future, although the next year or two will probably be pretty damn rough.

[JamStone]

Michigan is going to take their lumps this year, where is JamStone to talk about how Mallet would be a good fit in RR's offense, I guess Mallet had other thoughts...

LMAO! Ass, my point was never that Mallet was definitely staying and you know that. My point was that the spread could be effective with a pass-first QB. Bring that thread back up and look for yourself. Mallet wanted to leave. That's fine. That doesn't mean the spread can't work with a pass-first and not mobile QB.

[JamStone]

Time will tell. He's probably one of the best recruiters in the nation, but many people feel he is not the best coach. Something like Mack Brown - can recruit solid players and mold them into his system, but his in-game coaching stinks to high-heaven. Proof is in the USF and Pitt games. White only played the 1H of both games (ok, he did play the last couple of minutes of the Pitt game). Rich put in the backup QB and made no other game plan adjustments. They lost. It's like he makes a game plan and sticks to it regardless, hoping the athleticism of his players will overcome any adjustments needed.

At Michigan, he should be able to get even better personnel, but it will be interesting to see if his MO changes.

Not much you can do when your starting QB goes down and you don't have a great back-up. See USC against Stanford and Oregon after Dixon went down for the season. Even with other changes, it's hard to beat even teams you should beat when your QB goes down.

[NoMoneyDown]

Not much you can do when your starting QB goes down and you don't have a great back-up. See USC against Stanford and Oregon after Dixon went down for the season. Even with other changes, it's hard to beat even teams you should beat when your QB goes down.

But that's just it - he didn't make any adjustments, and just "hoped" the backup QB could do White's job. He had a preseason Hiesman candidate at RB as well as another RB sensation in Devine, but underutilized them. Again, if his hopes laid squarely on what White did or didn't do isn't that just more fodder to say he's a questionable coach?

[JamStone]

Players still win games. That's why there are bad coaches that are successful.

[ReggieF]

The spread option that RR runs is very dependent on the QB making the correct reads and in order to run it right the starter has to take alomst all the reps in practice, thus making the backups not near as prepared as they probably should be. That thing will fail at Michigan.

[NoMoneyDown]

Players still win games.

Yes, it's the players play that are on the field, but they are developed by the coach and execute from the coach's game plan.


That's why there are bad coaches that are successful.

Bingo. ;)

[ReggieF]

LMAO! Ass, my point was never that Mallet was definitely staying and you know that. My point was that the spread could be effective with a pass-first QB. Bring that thread back up and look for yourself. Mallet wanted to leave. That's fine. That doesn't mean the spread can't work with a pass-first and not mobile QB.

What you are saying is so generic man, of course anything CAN work but the odds of a passing QB working in that offense are low and RR doesn't seem interested in running that type of spread. You can always say that such and such could work, in theory San Jose St could win the national title but its very unlikely.

[samikeyp]

Mallet on Rocky Top??.....

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3188170

[JamStone]

What you are saying is so generic man, of course anything CAN work but the odds of a passing QB working in that offense are low and RR doesn't seem interested in running that type of spread. You can always say that such and such could work, in theory San Jose St could win the national title but its very unlikely.

You are still as unenlightened as before. The pass first spread is run by the two best teams in the NFL, the Patriots and the Colts.

RR hasn't run a pass-first spread because he's had and recruited spread option quarterbacks. If he had a pass first QB on one of his teams and it failed, that's one thing. And, by the way, Shaun King was not a running QB, he was a pass-first QB. And, I believe Tulane had an undefeated season that year, 1998 I believe. You are making assumptions based on what you believe RR cannot do. Conjecture is all your argument has.