Michigan senior defensive end Ryan Van Bergen looks to stop Iowa Adam Robinson in the second half Saturday. Michigan lost, 38-28. Melanie Maxwell I Ann Arbor.com
The Wolverines dropped their second straight Big Ten game at home, falling to No. 15 Iowa, 38-28. Michigan imploded as the defense couldn't get the Hawkeyes off the field while trailing by only a touchdown.
On Monday, Rodriguez sat down with his weekly chat with the media, breaking down what went wrong against Iowa and what he will try to accomplish over the next few days.
Rodriguez said the bye week comes at a perfect time after seven weeks of the play and four weeks of camp prior to that. The Wolverines won't practice Monday or Tuesday and will spend the rest of the week focusing on fundamentals as well as beginning to plan for Penn State.
The week will give some of Michigan's players time to heal. Quarterback Denard Robinson aggravated an injury to his throwing shoulder. Robinson injured his shoulder when he was driven into the ground in the second quarter when Tate Forcier came in and relieved Robinson.
Rodriguez characterized Robinson's injury as a sprain that likely happened when a defensive lineman fell on top of him. He said if Michigan had a game on Saturday, he likely would play.
Center David Molk (ankle) and nose guard Mike Martin (ankle) will also be 100 percent after tweaking injuries against Iowa.
Rodriguez said trainers have told him Fitz Toussaint (shoulder) could begin practicing this week. Surgery went well for receiver Martavious Odoms went well, but Rodriguez isn't certain whether Odoms will return this year.
"It's really unfortunate, because he was playing some pretty good football," Rodriguez said. "But if he is able to come back at the end of the year, we can certainly use him."
Off week
Rodriguez's staff will spend the first part of the week recruiting and will use an open Friday night to attend high school football games to get a first-hand look at recruits. Not accustomed to having a free weekend, Rodriguez said he will spend Saturday watching film with some assistants before taking in a Big Ten game on TV. He said he will try and get to his son's Pop Warner football game on Sunday.
Fixable problems?
Rodriguez said the Wolverine struggled against Iowa with turnovers and the defense continued to deal with lack of exection, both in coverages and with tackling. But the biggest issue defensively, Rodriguez said, has been with linemen getting off blocks.
Rodriguez said the bye week will allow Michigan coaches to spend time with younger players, helping with their development as they continue to learn schemes, especially defensively.
"I would hope we would get better fundamentally - especially with the younger guys," Rodriguez said. "When you understand the scheme completely, you can play faster and I think you recognize things better. I think as the season goes on, you should get better."
Rodriguez said for the most part, he thinks the defense is getting closer. He reiterated that some of the problems haunting the defense are fixable now, but that some are longer-term issues.
"I think we could bring in Vince Lombardi, and I don't know if he could fix some of the things with our defense," Rodriguez said.
Just for kicks
Special teams was also an issue against Iowa. In addition to having another field goal attempt blocked, Rodriguez said he is concerned with other issues in the return game.
On the field goal attempt, Seth Broekhuizen's kick was low to begin with, further adding to the woes the Wolverines have experienced all year.
Turning it over
With the struggles that Michigan has had with turnovers over the past two weeks, Rodriguez said some of the issues have been caused by players trying to do too much. Especially with the interceptions thrown by Robinson and Forcier, Rodriguez said it was a matter of them pressing, trying to give the Wolverines a spark.
"When it's third and long, you don't have to try and throw it 30 yards," Rodriguez said. "I think you can throw it 10 yards and you still get the yardage."
Timing issue
Rodriguez said the issues with left guard Taylor Lewan, who had three penalties against Iowa, including two false starts. Rodriguez said Lewan was a bit jumpy against the Hawkeyes, but it wasn't an issue he anticipated being a long-term issue.
"He was so jacked up because we've been challenging him with going against (Iowa All-American defensive end Adrian Clayborn. "So he was a little jumpy."
Evaluation time
Rodriguez was asked how he would evaluate his performance this season. Although the win total isn't where he would like it, he said he remains encouraged because some things he has seen behind the scenes.
"The first year (there) were extreme disappointments," he said. "The two losses this year have been disappointing. So I'm disappointed, but not discouraged just because some of the things I see going on with the program.
"If nothing more, I think we're fun to watch," he said. "There are times when I wished we weren't so fun to watch and that we could just execute the way we want to. The frustrating thing is that there are points where we're so close."
