Diaries

Yesterday I posted a Diary about the options and expectations for the 2010 Michigan Defense.  The conclusion I made was that Brandon Graham's spot would make or break next year's team on that side of the ball.  There are options and flexibility at LB and the secondary, even if they are limited in their upside.  At DE the options are limited and I proposed doing something creative to fill that spot such as moving Ezeh and/or RVB.  The bottom line is taht we can hope for modest improvement on defense but we're not going to turn into a BCS bowl team thanks to anything on that side of the ball. 

(Refer here for yesterday’s post: http://mgoblog.com/diaries/2010-outlook-defense) 

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So that means we need our offense to improve significantly and win more shootouts than we have in 2009.  Is this a realistic expectation?  Maybe.  We’ve seen a significant improvement in one year despite still fielding a very young squad.  There will be some holes to fill on the offensive line and running back, but otherwise everyone of importance returns.  So what should we expect from the 2010 offense and will it be good enough to get us to 7 or 8 wins that will be needed to save this coaching regime? 

 

That’s the focus of this diary.  I’ve attempted to outline for each position what we might expect for 2010 and what the best case scenario is.  Obviously we’ll sprinkle an additional dash of hope and prayer on natural improvement from one year to the next in the same coaching regime.  I’m making the following obvious assumptions before we begin:

 

1. There are no “major” coaching changes this off-season. 
   Losing Coach Jackson does not qualify here as his role is limited in scope.   
2. The recruiting class stays along its current trajectory.
   This means we address the quantity part of the problem on our team but not necessarily the quality portion.  There aren’t any obvious 5-year stars walking through the door next season to fix what ails this team (including <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Gardner)
3. There are no unexpected defections from the roster.
   We don’t expect anyone of importance to defect from the offense, so that’s what I’m going to assume. 
4. What is listed here is my opinion only.
   I’ve taken into account things I’ve read, seen, or heard but don’t assume I have any magical insight into 2010.  What I list here is just what I think COULD happen and what might be our best chance of improvement.

 

With those in mind, let’s get down to the positions. 

 

OFFENSE:  2010 Outlook

In 2009 we’ve seen a more effective passing game but one that still doesn’t stretch the field for various reasons.  The running game has improved but has been erratic at times.  The offensive line has been a mild disappointment but was hampered by the loss of David Molk.  So what can we expect?     

 

Quarterback:

• Departures – Cone, probably Sheridan (so essentially no one of importance)
• Outlook – I don’t buy into any theory that has Forcier losing his job to incoming mega-recruit Devin Gardner.  For the past three years I’ve watched a variety of freshmen QB’s make tons of mistakes (Mallet, Threet, Forcier, Robinson).  My expectation for Gardner is that he steps in as a viable back-up in the event that Forcier misses time for some reason.  In an ideal world he red-shirts, though I think that is unlikely.  Forcier is your starter and should be good.  I expect a significant improvement in his decision making, primarily on read plays in the run game.  But I also expect him to take fewer dumb sacks.  With some help from the WR and OL I think he can also improve his down-field passing.  To me the growth from year one to year two will be big for anyone, including Forcier. 
  
  I expect Robinson to remain in his current role as back-up QB.  The objective for the coaches is to find a way to use him effectively because right now he’s useless to them.  I would like to see him act more as a RB in the offense even with Forcier in the game and to use him in very limited situations.  Maybe he grows into something more than that, but I don’t see it right now.  They can start the gradual transition to his future “slash” role. 
• Proposed Starter – Forcier
• Best Case – Obviously improvement, possibly even toward the top QB spot in the conference….though that says as much about the conference as it does Tate.  Ideally Gardner redshirts because Forcier stays healthy and effective.  Robinson is more useful in his limited role instead of being the TFL-INT risk he is right now.

 

Running Back:

• Departures – Minor, Brown, Grady
• Outlook – At first glance you might freak out that our top two rushers are leaving town and will leave a gaping hole in the depth chart.  While that’s true to some extent, they struggled so much with injuries, fumbles, and inconsistency that it is probably not the catastrophic loss it appears to be on paper.  When was the last time they played in the same game?  When was the last time they played back-to-back effective games? 
  
  Michigan at the very least has quantity at this position with Smith, Cox, Shaw, and the incoming freshmen.  Smith has already shown flashes of being the next Mike Hart when it comes to vision, elusiveness, and toughness.  Shaw appears in my eyes to be a bust.  I see very little value when he’s on the field.  He reminds me of the Michigan version of Justin Fargas – fast but lacking vision, elusiveness, or power.  Fargas turned it around obviously.  I’m not sure Shaw will and I expect him to get passed on the depth chart by freshmen or Cox.   
• Proposed Starter – Smith is your starter.  I expect Cox or a freshman to end the season as the second option.  Shaw will start in that spot in the fall, but be replaced shortly thereafter.  Moundros will be the FB in limited action.
• Best Case – If they hold the ball that will already be an improvement over Brown and Minor (and Grady) in their careers.  I think it will take some time for the running game to figure out how to be fully effective, but by mid-season I think it will be just fine.   I expect fewer negative plays but also fewer huge plays.  That’s a tradeoff I can live with and so can the offense.  

 

Tight End:

• Departures – None
• Outlook – Koger was wildly inconsistent as both a receiver and blocker, but showed enough to expect big things from him in 2010.  If he just becomes more consistent that will mark a solid improvement and perhaps become a strength of this team.  As we know, not all B10 teams can cover the TE very well.
• Proposed Starter – Koger
• Best Case – Consistency would result in this being a strength of the team.

 

Slot Receiver:

• Departures – None
• Outlook – I still maintain that Odoms is one of the most effective members of the offense and part of the mid-season struggles were tied to his injury woes.  What was disappointing in 2009 was that Robinson and Gallon couldn’t get a sniff of playing time and were replaced by Kelvin Grady.  At the very least there is depth at this position, though it remains to be seen who can spell Odoms effectively.  In the end I expect this to be a solid weapon for Michigan but significant improvement is needed from 2009.
  
  You may have noticed that I didn’t mention Roy Roundtree in this category.  That’s because I want to see him taking over for Greg Mathews at outside WR.  I think he can run some plays out of the slot throughout a game and especially in 4-WR sets.  But he has enough speed and route running ability that I think we need him on the outside.  And I think this offense needs its best players on the field at all times, which means you need Odoms and Roundtree playing side-by-side. 
• Proposed Starters – Odoms
• Best Case – Odoms stays healthy and they find ways to get him the ball.  Roundtree spends most of the time outside.  Gallon, Robinson, or Grady are solid in limited back-up appearances without being a liability. 

 

Outside Receiver:

• Departures – Matthews, Savoy
• Outlook – Matthews has been reliable in his career but not much of an impact.  Savoy was basically a space-filling back-up who made the occasional catch.  Neither loss should have much of an impact on performance.  As stated above, I want to see Roundtree take over Matthews spot and I don’t see any reason why he can’t be equally or more effective in that role.  We need him on the field at the same time as Odoms.
  
  On the other side I think both Hemmingway and Stonum have the ability to be solid options over there.  I have no problem with a 3-man rotation at this position between the guys mentioned.  However, if there’s someone on the roster in 2010 who can turn into a viable deep threat who can go grab the ball in traffic or while running down the field, they need to get as many snaps as possible.  Maybe one of the freshmen or Stokes could be this person, but until we find out I would expect to see these familiar names on the field. 
• Proposed Starters – Roundtree, Stonum/Hemmingway
• Best Case – Roundtree is able to get open more than Matthews ever was and starts to create problems for opposing defenses.  That results in Hemmingway or Stonum getting more looks deep down the field.  It would be nice to see at least one freshman make an impact in limited action as well. 

 

Offensive Line:

• Departures – Ortmann, Moosman, McAvoy
• Outlook – I am someone who believes that the loss of Molk for most of the year cost us at least one or two wins.  The close games against MSU, Purdue, and Iowa come to mind immediately.  But so does the loss to Illinois.  If Molk helps punch that touchdown in from the one yard line and Michigan goes up 20-7 does Illinois ever rally?  I don’t think so.  Therefore the return of Molk cannot be understated and should help significantly.  Ortmann and Moosman were probably the best linemen not named Molk, but neither is going to spend much time on an NFL roster.  But are there viable back-ups?
  
  Omameh has shown a lot of potential in his recent appearances.  I think I want to see him at one of the tackle spots in 2010.  Let’s assume he starts out at left-tackle, which is probably a stretch but we’re talking best case here.  Replacing Moosman should be easier since there are viable experienced options like Huyge available.  I expect him to start the season in that spot.  Then you have the incumbent starters at the other positions.  It would be nice to see Mealer or Barnum challenge at RG.  I don’t think it is a good thing to see one of the RS-F challenge at tackle.  I hope that they will be the primary back-up and be slated to take over in 2011. 
  
  From a performance standpoint it comes down to pass blocking, which was generally bad this season.  Unfortunately neither Ortmann or Moosman were significant culprits in this area so it is hard to see vast improvement by next year. 
• Proposed Starters – Omameh, Schilling, Molk, Huyge, Dorrestein
• Best Case – Pass blocking improves greatly, run blocking doesn’t suffer any drop-off and perhaps gets better with Molk’s return.  Omameh starts turning into a stud LT and Molk stays healthy. 

 

Conclusion:

Forcier has been solid as a freshman but still has room to grow.  I think the biggest opportunity for improvement is in the read-option game.  If he makes better decisions there it could open up several bigger plays per game. 

 

In the passing game we need to find a down-field threat to open up more of the offense.  That starts with pass blocking, which has been bad all season.  Unfortunately I don’t know how likely it is to see significant improvement with at least one new starter on the line.  Molk’s return will help, but probably more in the run game than the passing game.  Finding a viable outside receiver who can stretch the field would help also.  I think that person will be on the roster in 2010, but none of us know who it will be or how long it will take for them to establish themselves in that role. 

 

The running game is the big question mark that will make or break this offense.  Part of that is in the read game with Forcier making better decisions, but another part of that is replacing Minor and Brown.  What I’m hoping for is a return to the Mike Hart era.  I don’t mean replicating Hart exactly, but in the style of running we witness.  When Hart was the primary back we never saw him break long runs like Carlos Brown.  But we also never saw him get stopped for a loss.  Everything was positive with Hart.  I think the stable of backs (aside from Shaw, who I’m down on) has the potential to perform like that. 

 

In the end that translates to positive yardage on first down.  To me that’s where the success of this offense will be found.  In 2009 they’ve put up yards and points, but lacked consistency.  I think that starts on first down.  This offense does not operate well in third and long for a variety of reasons.  Getting positive yards on first down, even when the play breaks down, sets up the offense for longer drives.  I felt like it was feast or famine at times in 2009 and you could almost predict a 3-and-out punt when they got stuffed on first down.  If Smith (or someone else) can turn a busted play into +3 yards instead of -3 yards in 2010 I think you’ll see the time of possession start to shift in our favor, you’ll see more consistency from drive-to-drive, and you’ll give the defense a break more often. 

 

In the end I think the offense will improve in 2010.  By the end of the season I think it will be consistent and Forcier will look like a veteran.  But I think it will take a few games to work out the depth chart and get the offense moving.  At the same time, I don’t see the offense taking a major step forward and being able to compensate for the defense.  I think the combination of the slight improvements on both sides of the ball result in the ability to go 7-5, but not much more than that.  If you’re REALLY optimistic you put a ton of faith in coaching consistency and experience turning good players into great players or bad players into good players.  I just don’t see it and I see us fighting for bowl eligibility all season. 

All numbers are points per game vs an average team. They are adjusted for strength of opponent.  No 1AA games or stats are included.  For more detailed questions on how the numbers come about, click here.

Expected Points

Michigan actually held a pretty nice advantage in field position for the day.  Based on starting field position, Michigan had an expected advantage of 22 points vs 17 for Wisconsin.  Both sides gave up points vs expectation as the offense scored 17 themselves, five less than an average team would given their field position.  The defense was a little bit further from average, allowing 45 (and scoring 7) a full four TDs worse than average. 

Rush Offense

Predicted: +0
Actual: -7

The first matchup, where the rubber meets the road.  This is clearly a huge battle of strength vs strength.  If Michigan is going to win on Saturday, they have to find success in the running game.

Michigan did not find success in the running game and they did not win on Saturday, but you already knew that.  Michigan's performance on the ground was really bad and in a matchup of strengths, it was clear that the Wisconsin defense was the stronger of the two forces.  Michigan's -7 was the second worst rushing performance of the weekend, trailing only Virginia's performance at Boston College.

Pass Offense

Predicted: +1
Actual: +8

Michigan's offense will need to find points and opportunity wherever it can and a third straight [passing] game in the +'s could come in very handy.

After the disappointing showing by the running game, the passing game continues to show marked improvement.  This was Michigan's best showing through the air in the Big 10 this year and their third straight week of improvement in the passing game.

Roy Roundtree continued his progression as the most consistent threat in Michigan's evolving passing game.  Roundtree went +6 after going +10 and +6 in the last two games. 

Rush Defense

Predicted: -5
Actual: -5

Best case scenario here is probably a Penn State like performance where Wisconsin gets 150-200 yards but it takes 40+ carries to get there.

All in all, for this run defense this could have gone much worse.  At the same time, it did not by any stretch go well.  Especially when you factor in what the Badgers did through the air, the ground game in a strange way became secondary and 250 yards against as a secondary is something any offense would love.

Pass Defense

Predicted: -1
Actual: -20

I don't consider anything a sure thing the way Michigan's pass defense has looked lately, but this is a Wisconsin team that doesn't show any major indications of being able to greatly exploit it either.

I was wrong.

Predictions

Ended the week 3-1-1 in my Big 10 picks with only Michigan letting me down. 

As we all know, right now it is hard to watch <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Michigan football.  And since the debacle that was the Illinois game it is getting harder to imagine a massive improvement next year.  The defense is MAC quality at best right now and there are many reasons for this that have been discussed at length in other places.  So the question we’re all starting to ask ourselves is this – how much better can we actually expect this team to be in 2010? 

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That’s the focus of this diary.  I’ve attempted to outline for each position what we might expect for 2010 and what the best case scenario is.  Obviously we’ll sprinkle an additional dash of hope and prayer on natural improvement from one year to the next in the same coaching regime.  I’m making the following obvious assumptions before we begin:

 

1. There are no “major” coaching changes this off-season. 
   I haven’t decided if I think firing Hopson qualifies in this category because it could be a good thing (circumstantial evidence suggests he sucks at his job) or a bad thing (yet another coaching change for our linebackers to deal with). 
2. The recruiting class stays along its current trajectory.
   This means we address the quantity part of the problem on our team but not necessarily the quality portion.  There aren’t any obvious 4-year stars walking through the door next season to fix what ails this team.
3. There are no unexpected defections from the roster.
   I will address the obvious Donovan Warren situation, but aside from him I’m not projecting any other unexpected departures from under classmen. 
4. What is listed here is my opinion only.
   I’ve taken into account things I’ve read, seen, or heard but don’t assume I have any magical insight into 2010.  What I list here is just what I think COULD happen and what might be our best chance of improvement.

 

With those in mind, let’s get down to the positions.  Today we’ll start with the obvious area of weakness- the defense. 

 

DEFENSE:  2010 Outlook

There are no expectations of radical improvement from inept to spectacular.  So the question comes down to how much less inept can this squad be in 2010.  The two obvious departures are Graham and Brown.  Warren is probably 50-50 right now to return. 

 

Defensive Tackle:

• Departures – None
• Outlook – This group has performed well in 2009 and is young enough to expect incremental improvement in 2010.  I’m advocating that on running downs you see Martin and Campbell starting.  On passing downs VanBergen shifts back to this spot.
• Proposed Starters – Martin&Campbell (VanBergen in passing downs)
• Best Case – Solid play and a potential strength of the team.

 

Defensive Ends: (includes OLB for consistency)

• Departures – some guy named Brandon Graham
• Outlook – If our defense sucks this year, how will it be without Graham being triple teamed or held on every play?  Roh should make a significant improvement with practice, conditioning, and experience, but he’s no Graham.  Adam Patterson can’t beat out walk-on Will Heininger.  The options are scary thin.  I’m proposing that on running downs VanBergen gets this spot.  On passing downs Obi Ezeh becomes your new DE.  It strips him of his “read&react” deficiencies and turns him into a “go get the QB” player. 
• Proposed Starters – Roh & VanBergen (with Ezeh in passing downs)
• Best Case – Only a moderate drop off from 2009 in pass rush, obvious improvement in run defense. 

 

Middle Linebacker:

• Departures – None
• Outlook – How much improvement can we hope for with stable coaching and returning all contributors from 2009?  That’s the real question.  At this point I’ve given up on Ezeh and turned him into a DE (see above).  I’m hoping for an improvement much like Stevie Brown had this season when his decision making was taken away from him and he could just react.  Maybe there’s a possibility that Mouton could move to SLB, but I doubt it.  At this point I’m hoping that Leach gets in better shape, Mouton goes back to 2008 vintage, and Fitzgerald turns into a quality starter.  I have high hopes for Fitzgerald and think he could be solid. 
• Proposed Starters – Mouton & Fitzgerald (Leach is the top back-up)
• Best Case – Something that doesn’t make me want to bash my head in each game. 

 

Strong-side Linebacker:

• Departures – Stevie Brown
• Outlook – This is going to be interesting because Brown not only turned out to be surprisingly competent (though not actually what I would call “good”), but he also played almost every minute at this position.  I don’t recall seeing Simmons or Jones on the field except against DSU.  I’m advocating a move for Brandon Smith to this position.  I think he is similar to Brown in his physical abilities but also lacking perhaps in his instincts.  I think this might be the perfect place for him to get on the field and make an impact. 
• Proposed Starters – Brandon Smith
• Best Case – Better run defense than Brown, the same pass defense or slightly better.

 

Cornerback:

• Departures – Let’s all hope Warren stays.  The whole house of cards starts to fall apart if he goes to the NFL. 
• Outlook – If Warren stays I think there’s hope for this position.  If he goes to the NFL then the secondary will potentially be worse than it has been in 2009 and it gets hard to see the coaching staff surviving another year.  Assuming he stays, I would advocate giving the opposite spot to someone who isn’t playing this season.  That means either Justin Turner or an incoming freshman.  Floyd plays hard but has no physical talent.  Everyone else is a special team player.  If Warren leaves I think you have to move Woolfolk back to corner and hope for the best.
• Proposed Starters – Warren & Turner/Freshman. 
• Best Case – With Warren there’s hope.  Without Warren we’re in big trouble.

 

Safety:

• Departures – None
• Outlook – In an ideal case I think Woolfolk moves back to the deep safety position.  He’s not great at anything, but he’s good enough at everything - he’s fast, he can cover pretty well, and he’s not a total liability at tackling.  I think he helps the team best if he’s playing deep safety.  Likewise I think Kovacs is smart and gritty enough to be the other safety, but only if he’s playing in the box.  Having Kovacs play deep, even with a year of Barwis training, is not a good thing for this team.  So if Woolfolk moves to corner you either keep Kovacs in the box or you put him on the bench.  After those two I think you have to hope that either Turner is a safety, Emilien gets his legs back, or a freshman like Marvin Robinson is a prodigy who can step in and be competent. 
• Proposed Starters – Woolfolk & Kovacs
• Best Case – It can’t get any worse…..can it?  Why do we keep asking that question every year?

 

Conclusion:

A year ago you would laugh if you thought losing Stevie Brown would hurt the defense.  Now you start to wonder.  There are only two seniors in the entire two-deep that graduate, but both of those guys lack a viable back-up option.  I am high on Smith replacing Brown, but that’s still a wildcard and there is no viable option for replacing Graham. 

 

My suggestion of using VanBergen and Ezeh to cover for Graham attempts to replace his skills with two players.  RVB can stuff the run with the best of them and has some pass-rush ability. You hope that the improvement of Roh will help mask RVB’s lack of pass rush ability on the other end. I also liked the idea mentioned on the MGoPodcast of moving Ezeh to DE.  Why not?  He’s big enough, he’s pretty athletic, and it helps to eliminate his lack of instincts by just having him rush the passer.  It may even give you more flexibility on zone blitzes since he could (hypothetically) cover a TE….okay, strike that last sentence. 

 

In the secondary I think they can find a corner among all of the freshmen next season.  I also think Kovacs will improve a lot in a year as long as he plays near the LOS where his lack of speed can’t be exploited.  But this all hinges on Warren returning. 

 

If everything falls into place I see potential for a slight improvement if the LB improve, Warren stays, and they can find a way to mask the departure of Graham.  Unfortunately this includes a lot of nested IF statements and I think the overall improvement will be minor.  I have a hard time seeing this defense be any worse in 2010, but it is going to take a lot of good fortune for it to get significantly better. 

 

Coming soon – THE OFFENSE.

Press release.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- After recording just the second triple-double in the history of the University of Michigan men's basketball program, junior guard Manny Harris (Detroit, Mich./Redford) was named as the Co-Big Ten Player of the Week on Monday afternoon (Nov. 16). Harris shared the award with Ohio State's Evan Turner, who had back-to-back double-doubles, including a triple-double of his own during the week.

After getting close three times last season, Harris recorded his first career triple-double with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in the Wolverines' season-opening 97-50 win against Northern Michigan (Saturday, Nov. 14). The only other U-M triple-double came 22 years ago when Gary Grant (1985-88) had 24 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against North Carolina (March 14, 1987) in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

Harris' 10 assists marked just the third time in his career he has had 10 or more assists in a game. Last season, he had a career-best 13 against Oakland (Dec. 20, 2008) and had 10 at Ohio State (Jan. 28, 2009). Harris' 13 rebounds marked just the seventh time in his career he has had 10 or more rebounds in a game, while his 18 points earned the 55th career double-figure scoring game in his 68 career games. Overall, it marked the sixth double-double in Harris' career.

With Harris' triple-double and DeShawn Sims' double-double (22 points, 10 rebounds), the two became the first Wolverine duo to post double-doubles in the same game since the 2006-07 season when Courtney Sims (26 points, 10 rebounds) and Brent Petway (13 points, 11 rebounds) each had double-doubles against UW-Milwaukee (Nov. 15, 2006) in the championship finale of the John Thompson Challenge.

Michigan's next game is Friday night (Nov. 20) when it hosts Houston Baptist in Crisler Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. and will be webcasted on BigTenNetwork.com.

How many of you believe in spooky, other-worldly happenings going on today?

 (everybody who believes in psychokinesis, raise my hand).

No?  Well tell me, how many of you at least believe in coincidences?

For you skeptics, consider:

Mark Twain was born and died on the day of two successive Halley's Comet appearances 75 yrs apart;

A falling baby was saved twice by the same man;

2 brothers were killed while riding the very same moped by the same taxi driven by the same driver - and even carrying the very same passengers;

Louis XVI, previously warned by an astrologer to stay home on the  21^st day of each month, since that was not his lucky number, ended up being arrested, deposed and executed by guillotine on the 21^st day of each month.*

 

Well, if that’s not enough for you, get ready for the next entry into the book of strange coincidences:  The second “Upset of the Century.”

 

The OSU game on Saturday will be played on the 40^th anniversary of what has been termed:  the upset of the century in ’69.

 

Then, UM had been a college football power but recently had fallen on hard times, including, in the past 6 years, a 2-victory season and 3-victory season (like now)

Michigan was in the process of rebuilding (like now)

The game involved a coach who had recently come to Michigan (like now)

He was a young coach, in his 40s. (like now)

He was known for his teams’ running attack. (like now)

He had a conditioning program far more rigorous than any the players had been exposed to before. (like now)

He had many sideline outbursts. (like now)

He had come from outside of Michigan, from a state bordered by the major tributary of the Mississippi River (like now)

 

That year, UM had already lost to its other rival, MSU, on the road. (like now)

The Wolverines had been humiliated the year before in Columbus  (like now)

OSU was known for its strong defense: (like now)

Nobody gave Michigan a chance: Ohio State was favored by 17 points  (about same as this year’s game)

 

What happened in the actual game?

The Buckeyes had committed an unheard-of seven turnovers on the day, six interceptions and a fumble, which occurred on the final clinching play and involved a player named …(what do you think?)

--you guessed it

---Pryor.

 

Wait, it only gets more interesting……

An article once made it widely known that Pryor was cast in the role of Superman before he played his first down at Ohio State.

What is not well known, however, is that Pryor thereby became part of another series of coincidences, later termed the notorious Superman curse.  It’s a curse that’s spelled doom for the creators  and producers of Superman, as well as many of its costars (Marlon Brando, Mariel Hemingway, Margot Kidder) and so-called Superman stars George Reeves, who committed suicide and Christopher Reeve, who became quadriplegic and died from its complications.* 

In addition, Marlon Brando’s son, shortly after a Superman episode, shot and killed the lover of his half-sister, then claimed the shooting was not a crime. 

(like Terrelle Pryor saying: “everybody kills”).

Moreover, one of the villain’s in Superman III became drug addicted, almost died in a fatal accident, then developed a demyelinating neuromuscular disorder

(Terrelle’s father has a demyelinating neuromuscular disorder).  

What was the poor villain’s last name????

Pryor

 (Richard Pryor)

 

Hearing of all these strange coincidences, and fearing that the Superman curse will lead Terrelle Pryor to a game-ending fumble as occurred in 1969, OSU coach Jim Tressel this week has been furiously pouring over not game films but old episodes of Superman.  He has the complete collection, anyway, since he always did kinda like guys wearing capes and tights.

 

Recently, however, rumors of a successful exorcism for a curse had spread far and wide, even to the most backward, primitive, illiterate societies on the continent..finally…even to Columbus, Ohio.   It was then that Tressel learned about how Boston ended the Curse of the Bambino.  Recall that the Red Sox opened Fenway park on the day the titanic sunk and after the year the team sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees, had an 85 year spell without a championship, while the Yankees won 24.  Bostonians who had already suffered flashbacks of the British invasion centuries ago, were then having flashbacks about a ground ball going through the legs of Bill Buckner, leading them to blow their Championship hopes in ’86.   So, they hired Father Guido Sarducci to sprinkle holy water on the Green Monster (the gargantuan left field wall) and exorcise the spirit haunting Fenway park.  Father Guido told to Boston Faithful not to expect immediate results.   He was right.   Nothing happened for fifteen years.  Finally, however, the exorcism worked, Boston won a title.  The Curse of the Bambino had been vanquished.

 

Accordingly, in anticipation of a repeat of 1969, Tressell called Father Guido.  He asked him to go to AA for an exorcism of on the eve of The Game.  Father Guido agreed that an exorcism was badly needed, especially since Goss' halo had been removed from the stadium.  Unfortunately, Father Guido told the OSU faithful that he has a different kind of "prior" engagement.   He’s been asked by ND not only to remove the spirit of Charlie Weiss but also his body.  And regrettably, Father Guido’s already paid for his equipment: 24-a foot Ryder truck.

 

So, it looks like OSU is as doomed as poor Charlie. 

Stick a fork in ‘em. 

The spirit lives.

All that we need the team to do is to write the next entry in this remarkable story of coincidences—a W in the record book for 2009.

So remind Pryor that the 21st of the month was not only a bad hair day for Louis XVI, who was arrested, deposed and guillotined on that day.  Make Nov 21 a memorable day for TP too.

So Put Pryor on his Posterior!!

Go Blue!!!

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_Michigan_vs._Ohio_State_football_game

 

* http://www.oddee.com/item_82923.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman_curse

I guess I can't say for sure where I'll be a year from now on the question of whether I think RichRod should stay. I know what I expect: I still believe he's going to have M kickin butt across the land. But of course I'm way less sure than I was in September. However, this is where I am today:

For so long, it had been easy to be a Michigan football fan. The wins came like the rising sun. The bowl games, the championships, the streaks: they were us. It was *easy* to be on that train.

But these days are different. Today it is hard to be a Michigan fan. These are days of difficulty, doubt and challenge. Yet it is precisely in these times of turmoil when our fandom matters most.

Will we blow with the wind, no foundation to keep us straight during this storm? Or will we BE the foundation: a source of strength and continuity, stability for the program?

We are the Michigan fans. Our job is to support the program, support the team when all is falling apart around us.

Michigan is about being the leaders and best. That does not necessarily mean wins. Wins are not what define the Michigan Man. It is effort, perseverance, commitment that defines the Michigan Man. Michigan is about "ALL IN."

And so in the world of fandom, our role is to set the standard, to show all the other programs what it means to be the best 12th man, all in for then team.

On this front, I thought we epic failed during the coaching search. The Haloscan domain – glorious as it was - was filled with panic during those dark days. As a fanbase we were wussified. When we should have been a rock, we were soft. But now is our time to get back on track, to be the source of stability.

I loved Bo. I loved Lloyd. I am all in for RichRod. None of these men were/are perfect, each made mistakes. But each gave/give their all for Michigan. And I will give my best in my role as a fan, for M. That means perseverance, commitment. Valuing the effort of the team, even more than the wins.

With a nod to Lloyd for his moving eulogy of Bo in the Big House (quoting Kipling’s "If"), here is my MGo Pledge of Fandom:

-------------------------------------------------------------

I am a Michigan fan. I pledge allegiance to the team, to the program.

HAIL!

In the glory days of victory, I cheer with might and main;

In the dark days of turmoil, I cheer, again;

.

Yes

.

I will not panic. I defy the MSM.

I will keep my head, when all about me are losing theirs.

I will meet with Triumph and Disaster, and treat those imposters just the same.

I can watch the team I gave my heart to, broken;

Then stoop and cheer to build 'em up with worn-out will.

I can make one heap of all their winnings;

And cheer while they risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss.

And lose, cheer their start again at the beginnings;

And never breathe a word about their loss.

I will force my heart and nerve and sinew,

To serve their turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in me

Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

Win or lose, I cheer for their effort, I cheer for the team.

I am a Michigan fan.

Go Blue!