Our brand is also our curse
As a kid growing up I had no allegiance to any school ingrained into me. It wasn’t passed on from family or anything like that. But the first time I saw Michigan playing in the Rose Bowl under Bo I was hooked. As I travel the country now wearing UM gear, I get Go Blue’s and a lot of people who have something to say about UM one way or the other. On the heels of the Greenberg comments saying our expectations are too high because we aren’t an elite program, I feel there is some truth to that but also the media drives this because of our brand. Winged helmets, the largest stadium, the fight song. Michigan is still and likely always will be one of the most storied college football programs of all time. It fuels a lot of jealousy but it also seems to set us up for failure because we can never quite live up to the expectations. It often times puts us in bowl matchup’s where we are over matched simply because we are such a draw. I guess my thought is there are positives and negatives, but it’s good to be relevant. I also think that because of the expectations in the media scrutiny this is a tough job to have as the head coach of Michigan football.
December 4th, 2019 at 5:38 PM ^
Our curse is nO oNlLinE cLAsSes
December 4th, 2019 at 5:41 PM ^
A part of me wished I took some online classes back in Hs.
December 4th, 2019 at 7:53 PM ^
There is online courses...
bUt MiChIgAn FoOtBaLl PlAyErS dONt TaKe ThEm...
December 4th, 2019 at 5:39 PM ^
Thank you for this valuable contribution to the board.
December 5th, 2019 at 8:35 PM ^
The only real curse around here is the Pitbull banner.
Whenever a Pitbull banner goes up, Shea can’t hang onto the ball and the basketball team’s shots don’t fall.
December 4th, 2019 at 5:40 PM ^
Michigan. Is. Not. A. Brand.
December 4th, 2019 at 5:48 PM ^
Yes. It. Is.
December 4th, 2019 at 6:04 PM ^
He said brand not band
December 4th, 2019 at 5:41 PM ^
How come NFL teams aren’t going after Ryan Day?
Prob because he’s just a one trick pony, a fat kid in a candy store, who’s eventually gonna dry up.
“I’m Ryan Day, and I write fanfiction.”
December 4th, 2019 at 5:53 PM ^
They’ll go after Day if he keeps this up. People are clamoring for Lincoln Riley already. If Day keeps this success going (likely considering you have to be a pretty big idiot to screw up at with that talent level) he’ll hear from the NFL soon too
December 4th, 2019 at 6:34 PM ^
Who is clamoring for Lincoln Riley?
December 4th, 2019 at 9:08 PM ^
Jerry Jones.
December 5th, 2019 at 11:08 AM ^
Lotta talk out there about him and the Cowboys
December 5th, 2019 at 10:12 AM ^
I’ve read on the internets that Day has NFL ambitions and Fickell would replace him fwiw.
December 4th, 2019 at 5:47 PM ^
Hi dave. Sorry you had to be the Toys R Us hatchet man.
December 5th, 2019 at 8:28 PM ^
I heard Toys-R-Us is back...Is DB making a comeback?
December 4th, 2019 at 5:48 PM ^
You are definitely the worst poster here who I am not positive is a troll.
December 4th, 2019 at 6:06 PM ^
Hey-can one of you guys cover for me tonight? I'm scheduled as of now for the 9:00pm "random thoughts i have about things" thread posting and I'm a bit under the weather so I'd like to crash early. Just let me know when your scheduled to post your "random thoughts i have about things" thread and we'll switch.
Thanks
December 4th, 2019 at 6:12 PM ^
I have a perspective post I'm wrapping up... I'm sure it will change opinions and bring us together as a fanbase. I'm happy to take your slot.
December 4th, 2019 at 6:15 PM ^
I thought those ran on the half hour though
Random thought threads on the hour, perspective threads on the half hour.
I appreciate the offer, i really do, but we put this schedule together for a reason and we really should try and stick to it.
December 4th, 2019 at 7:36 PM ^
Dude, you’re the treasurer, not the fucking time keeper. I’ll post my perspective on random thoughts when I feel like it!
December 4th, 2019 at 6:24 PM ^
Could you message me regarding the content of your perspective post please?
I want to make sure it doesn't conflict with my "OSU is so round and muscular we can never ever hope to beat them" thread I have scheduled for 9:30 tonight, with a repeat at 6am tomorrow.
December 4th, 2019 at 9:34 PM ^
Give me more “perspective” posts. That’s the context I’m here for!
December 4th, 2019 at 6:13 PM ^
I got your back McGrowold.
I'm going to post a thread about how I didn't wear my lucky socks on Saturday and how it impacted the outcome.
December 4th, 2019 at 6:26 PM ^
And I thought it was my fault.
Thanks
December 4th, 2019 at 6:31 PM ^
Better ask mGrowOld which time zone he's in- global brands don't sleep, but you still gotta know when to fire.
December 4th, 2019 at 6:47 PM ^
I turned the game off in the 2nd quarter. It was my fault Michigan lost. Sorry. I got painting done though, so not all bad.
December 4th, 2019 at 8:28 PM ^
If the universe is random, then aren't random thoughts just thoughts?
December 4th, 2019 at 6:08 PM ^
We have a better brand than football team, that's been the case for a long time. The problem is people thought said brand + Harbaugh would be a lethal combination, and it isn't.
I don't know how you can make national title and big ten title predictions then when they don't happen change your narrative to "well this is all that should be expected".
December 4th, 2019 at 6:54 PM ^
Put message board jockey expectations in one hand and you know what in the other and see which weighs more quicker.
The first is nothing. Including it's impact on big decisions like who the head coach of the football team should be.
And we're all way better off for it.
It's possible to have high expectations AND not come unglued at the head coach with the same gripes about the record against OSU or as an underdog, upteen times a week.
And frankly many fans have the ability to adjust expectations and judge an outcome based on reality after seeing it unfold. And then dissect legitimate reasons rather than toss arrows of frustration.
Many do not. Sucks being that second group.
December 4th, 2019 at 7:31 PM ^
Really?? You don't know how someone can alter their expectations, given further information on the subject?
December 4th, 2019 at 6:16 PM ^
Any arguments that begin and end with talk about national titles as the requirement for eliteness in college football is dumb. The standard for winning national titles has eased over the years. OSU wouldn't have a national title in this decade if not for the CFP. Alabama also would've been left out a couple years ago. Before the CFP, you had pollsters with agendas. How else do you explain PSU going undefeated, including a blowout win in the Rose Bowl staying stuck at #2 in the final poll behind Nebraska, then Nebraska jumping us a few years later under similar circumstances.
Have we been performing like an elite program recently? No. But despite what ESPN and MSU tell you, college football didn't begin in 2007.
December 4th, 2019 at 6:28 PM ^
Okay, but 1997 proved we could get to the top of the mountain. We absolutely 100% had cfb by the balls at that point and did NOTHING with it. We had the #1 recruiting class in 1998 and more top classes in the early 2000s, sent tons of players to the NFL, and still lost 2-3 games every year.
December 4th, 2019 at 6:46 PM ^
I have a lot of respect for Carr, but we never should have fired Mo. He would have a statue next to Bo by now.
Mo was an innovative and outstanding coach. How many today have been both DC and OC at top schools?
December 4th, 2019 at 9:33 PM ^
I agree... this sentiment unfortunately usually brings the "but Mo had multiple loss seasons too" fans out of the woodwork.
It's also ridiculous what he got fired for considering the landscape of college football today.
December 4th, 2019 at 10:24 PM ^
Those fans are idiots. He built the juggernaut that Carr won a NC with. Mo was way ahead of his time.
December 5th, 2019 at 8:47 AM ^
Moeller stepped down. Bo wanted him to stay on and there's no way Roberson fires him after Bo's endorsement. Roberson should've refused the resignation and waited for Bo to get back in town and cleaned up this whole situation.
December 4th, 2019 at 7:02 PM ^
That's why so many people (me included, at times) have difficulty assessing Lloyd. He had an NFL factory going around the turn of the century presumably without much monkey business. We *were* what Clemson, Georgia, etc. currently are. I believe it's true that he largely underachieved with that talent. But, he got it in the first place. Very few other coaches did or have since.
December 4th, 2019 at 6:21 PM ^
If the NCAA really did anything, we'd have a level playing field. I'm frustrated but respect the way we run the program and conduct ourselves in the current slimmy and $$$ environment. To me, those wins, championships etc would be hollow.
December 4th, 2019 at 6:29 PM ^
Do you still enjoy the fab five final fours too?
December 4th, 2019 at 7:44 PM ^
December 4th, 2019 at 7:57 PM ^
What penalty is that? We lost a few scholarships and a 2 year postseason ban. Louisville got that same punishment except it was 1 year not 2.
It's not anybody elses fault we hired Brian Ellerbe and Tommy Amaker but our own.
December 4th, 2019 at 6:22 PM ^
Good lord - this fanbase can be so whiny
There is no damn curse.
- Recruit top 10, preferably top 5 classes every single year
- Coaches need to stay consistent year over year as much as possible
- coaches needs to improve their abilities
- coordinators need to get better
- players need to execute every play, every game
then the wins will come. This isn’t rocket surgery OP.
There is no curse. We just need to get better all over.
December 4th, 2019 at 8:27 PM ^
December 4th, 2019 at 6:34 PM ^
We simply have to out recruit OSU for out of state players. That's where we are getting smoked right now. We need 5 stars not from the Midwest.
December 4th, 2019 at 6:42 PM ^
I was cursed with a limp wiener
December 4th, 2019 at 7:04 PM ^
Media likes to prop us up so they can say," See I told you this is the year." Or say, "Michigan stinks and can't win big games."
Have you every read or heard a media member who picked Michigan say that the they were wrong for picking UM? It is always UM's fault for making the person wrong.
December 4th, 2019 at 7:13 PM ^
Speak for yourself. I love Michigan. Michigan things you list in your post will never be a curse (for me at least)
December 4th, 2019 at 7:57 PM ^
Michigan is top 10 late in the year almost every year since Harbaugh has been here. They’ve beaten pretty much every BIG10 team under Harbaugh except OSU. Even elite Alabama has 2 losses this year, it’s all media driven. Michigan has a great football program and great coach. BTW, you also have to cheat your ass off and or have really low moral standards to be “elite” year in and year out in modern day CFB.
December 4th, 2019 at 8:28 PM ^
We aren’t an elite program because we don’t have the right coach and leaders. Any program with the obscene resources of Michigan has should be expected to win and win big. There is nothing standing in the way of Michigan being an elite program other than simply not having a coach that can get the job done. And right now it seems like we are done trying. We will take our 3rd place Big Ten East finishes and start beating the excuses drum.