Vincent Gray at the Battle of Gaugamela
War is not football, and football is not war, but having done both, they sometimes look like one another.
In 331 BC (BCE), two great armies stood across a field from one another. The field sits northeast of what is today Mosul, Iraq, and still looks much as it did 2,000 years ago. (1 star, would not recommend). The army of the Macedonian king Alexander were young, but full of promise. Having built their empire from practically nothing in just two generations, the Macedonians knew that in order to achieve the greatness they and their young king so desired, they would have to go through the old foe of the Greeks, the Achaemenid Empire, better known as the First Persian Empire. (Yes, those Persians you 300 viewers)
The Persians were the strongest empire in this part of the Ancient world. Despite massive defeats at Marathon and Platea at the hands of the Athenians and the Spartans a century before, the Persians remained dominant. Their king had brought a massive army to the field at Gaugamela. Mobile, with chariots, light infantry, archers, elephants and even some Greek mercenaries; by all traditional standards, they outmatched the massively inferior sons of Helen who stood waiting across the field.
Alexander knew the Persians, and he knew himself. He knew if he let them, the Persians would ride around him all over the field and encircle him. Therefore, Alexander created one of the most ingenious battle plans the world has ever seen. He would have one part of his army under Parmenion, leading some of his less effective troops, angle the battle line in such a way that he could continue to give ground as the more mobile and numerous Persians advanced. As long as Parmenion bent, but did not break, Alexander had a chance to bring his strongest, most experienced units into a decisive blow.
As the battle waged, Parmenion bent, and bent some more, and bent again until he became surrounded by Persians; but he did not break. Despite the Persian Army throwing their best units at him, he held. He held just long enough, when, at the point he was about to collapse, Alexander smashed his best soldiers into the softest spot of the Persian Army, and destroyed their empire there on the field. So was born the legend of Alexander the Great.
Vincent Gray went to my high school. Not at the same time, I’m considerably older, but we went to the same school as Madonna. He played football where I did. Where my brother won a state championship in football. His head coach remodeled my mom’s kitchen the first year he took the job. I wanted Vincent Gray to be great. But he was terrible. I do not question his effort, I do not question his heart, but on the field, his performance was a weakness that team after team exploited to humiliating loss after humiliating loss.
I was not alone in being nervous at the beginning of the season….how much development could the weakest position on the team have possibly made in one off season, after the disaster on the field the season prior? I looked at Vincent Gray in particular and thought, “that dude and his hoodie are never going to work”. Then some games went by….sure, not against greatest passing teams, but it wasn’t as if Sparty 2020 was a huge passing juggernaut. We saw them get better, even against teams that could throw, they bent, and on occasion, they bent hard, but they never broke. Even the most optimistic amongst us thought….”Maybe they can stand against Ohio just enough…just that one time”
Then Michigan stood across the field from Ohio. With their NFL position room of receivers, and a QB who could throw all over the field, everyone who had ever seen a Michigan game this season knew what had to be done. The secondary just needed to hold. Hold just long enough for the greatest Defensive End ever to play at Michigan and his wingman to get home. Hold just long enough that Ohio was forced to play the Michigan way, one first down at a time. Force Ohio to take time off the clock, the way Michigan and its running game wanted to do. Force Ohio to be party to their own destruction.
To be perfectly honest, I didn’t know if we could do it. Ohio could have easily hung 100 on Sparty the weak before. But there were no Spartans at Gaugamela. There was only Vincent Gray and his friends, and a great plan drawn up by a young, inexperienced general no one was absolutely certain could handle it. And for 60 minutes they held. They bent, and Ohio with its amazing talent found gaps, but they never broke. They never let their opponent dictate how the battle would go. They did their jobs just long enough for those defensive ends to finish it: just long enough for Hassan Haskins to punch through their defenses and shatter their will. And when it came to the very end, Ohio’s very last chance, it was Vincent Gray who made the last tackle. The worst secondary player on the team last year, the guy who could have quit, who could have left, but instead got better, and triumphed. That is a Michigan Man. And while everyone will remember Hutchinson, and Haskins, and Alexander, and few will remember Gray and Parmenion, I’ll remember Vincent. I’ll remember that Michigan Man.
December 8th, 2021 at 11:13 AM ^
Well I wasn't planning to tear up at 1115 AM on a Wednesday while at work but here we are
December 8th, 2021 at 11:27 AM ^
Edit: I spelled Week incorrectly. Sorry...I do know the difference.
December 8th, 2021 at 5:38 PM ^
Easy to get "weak" stuck in your head when recalling the MSU effort against OSU.
December 9th, 2021 at 10:35 AM ^
"Ohio could have easily hung 100 on Sparty the weak before."
That jumped out at me right away, but the longer I looked at it the more correct it seemed. Well done!
December 10th, 2021 at 2:02 PM ^
Spellchecker gives and takes without charity.
December 14th, 2021 at 2:58 AM ^
It's called poetic license. Your subconscious was commenting on how the outcome would have been obviously different but for the mistakes the B1G officials admitted they had made.
December 8th, 2021 at 11:42 AM ^
Great diary. Seems harsh to call a guy who appeared to be trying his hardest "terrible," but...he really was. Remarkable improvement from him this season.
December 8th, 2021 at 12:08 PM ^
I wouldn't call NFL experience "inexperience"
December 8th, 2021 at 1:15 PM ^
He was never a defensive coordinator.
December 8th, 2021 at 12:19 PM ^
It's remarkable that it seems remarkable to so many people around here that young men can, and frequently do, improve from one year to the next.
December 8th, 2021 at 12:23 PM ^
What's remarkable is he went from barely a D1 level player to shutting down NFL caliber receivers in a few weeks span.
you're just being obtuse because you're bored on a Wednesday afternoon.
December 8th, 2021 at 6:18 PM ^
Obtuse.
"What. What did you call me?!"
December 17th, 2021 at 10:22 PM ^
That line in the movie, with the timing and unexpected reaction by the warden (who even at his position wasn't even educated enough to know the meaning) showed so much about Dufresne's predicament in just a few seconds... Very memorable.
December 8th, 2021 at 12:21 PM ^
I was watching the OSU game thinking "what NFL DB did they manage to sneak into Gray's uniform?"
The light bulb just went on for that kid and he has played excellent football the past few weeks.
I couldn't be more happy for him.
December 8th, 2021 at 7:09 PM ^
His antics after a play are entertaining to me too. They aren't really different than others but something about it makes me laugh.
December 8th, 2021 at 1:01 PM ^
We've had some great diaries, but this one is a classic for the ages.
Well done, 'DWT'!
December 8th, 2021 at 1:16 PM ^
I'm new here, I'll try my best
December 8th, 2021 at 1:31 PM ^
Is that avatar Harbaugh's head on Sherman's torso? If so, so apt given the game ahead.
December 8th, 2021 at 1:55 PM ^
It is, it was chosen specifically.
December 8th, 2021 at 6:39 PM ^
https://www.dispatch.com/redirect/article/20130820/news/308209514/
Pickerington is not only home to Jake Butt, Taco Charlton, and Caris Lavert, but also a 103 year statue of Wm T Sherman. When the statue arrived here in 2008, it too was missing the original head.
Thanks for the diary!
December 8th, 2021 at 1:21 PM ^
Upvote for historical memory -- particularly that Desmond was tripped (by a Spartan) on a long-ago, Laconian luck-strewn, battlefield.
December 8th, 2021 at 1:32 PM ^
Edit: "gridiron" not "battlefield", in wise spirit of first line of diary.
December 8th, 2021 at 1:33 PM ^
Alexander The Great and Darius III at the Battle Of Issus
December 8th, 2021 at 2:02 PM ^
Somewhat humorously, Alexander captured the family of Darius III after Issus, and then eventually married his daughter Stateira II.
December 8th, 2021 at 2:16 PM ^
I read quite a bit of military history and it's always surprising how much personal stuff the commanders brought with them. I don't know how many battles describe troops going after the opposition's baggage train instead of fighting.
December 8th, 2021 at 2:20 PM ^
They more or less had to up until a hundred years ago or so. Campaigns were so long, and the distances so vast that they would never procreate, or enjoy their wealth if they didn't bring it with them.
considering how little soldiers were paid, its not surprising they would try and find ANYTHING they could profit from, especially in the days when campaigns had to be paid for.
December 8th, 2021 at 2:36 PM ^
I don't blame the soldiers one bit. Some of the commanders brought art, jewels and other "items" with them. Here's a description from the American Revolution: "Burgoyne also dragged along an enormous baggage train that included 30 carts filled with his own “supplies”, for example, his mistress. Another officer brought his wife and three daughters along for the adventure; several others brought personal servants. Therefore, as Burgoyne's army entered the dense woods below Skenesboro, progress came to a grinding halt. It took almost a month to travel the 25 miles to Stillwell on the Hudson and easier going." This was before the Battle of Saratoga
December 8th, 2021 at 2:21 PM ^
They more or less had to up until a hundred years ago or so. Campaigns were so long, and the distances so vast that they would never procreate, or enjoy their wealth if they didn't bring it with them.
considering how little soldiers were paid, its not surprising they would try and find ANYTHING they could profit from, especially in the days when campaigns had to be paid for.
December 8th, 2021 at 4:18 PM ^
I have a vague recollection that in one of the great sea battles in the Mediterranean (maybe Lepanto) the Ottoman commander brought his entire fortune with him and lost it.
December 8th, 2021 at 4:20 PM ^
One of the reasons that was common is that there were no banks or other safe places to store wealth. They suspected that while they were gone the temptation to overthow them and get their wealth was too much to pass up.
December 8th, 2021 at 9:27 PM ^
If you look closely under the wheels of the chariot, you can see a Buckeye linebacker failing to fill the gap.....
December 8th, 2021 at 3:34 PM ^
I am buying a Vincent Gray jersey for this reason (once mDen has the backorders resolved with all the Michigan victories)!
It's easy to be a juggernaut; 2020 was a terrible challenge but Gray didn't quit or transfer. He worked harder and became a starting corner on a big ten champion team!
The world is his and everything in it. Perfect Kipling lesson!
December 8th, 2021 at 3:52 PM ^
You know, I read this exact thing over on Red Cedar a couple of weeks ago, they just misspelled Gaugamela. As well as "burning sofa".
Rob
PS - Very fascinating, and really well done, thank you!
December 8th, 2021 at 4:28 PM ^
Point for reference to Gaugamela. If I could there would be another for the summary, another for tieing it to football, and another for tieing it to Michigan football.
December 8th, 2021 at 6:19 PM ^
Niiiice.
If Punt or CounterPunt ever need a break, you'd fill the bill.
December 8th, 2021 at 6:35 PM ^
Thanks! I would be honored. I grew up reading that in the free paper program.
December 8th, 2021 at 7:24 PM ^
This is wonderful.
December 9th, 2021 at 8:31 AM ^
Thanks
December 8th, 2021 at 7:35 PM ^
A few things
- Thank you for your service and such an insightful diary. I enjoyed it immensely
- I agree with your assertion of separating football from war, it is regularly done for all sports so I appreciate how you used the analogy, specifically this battle plan and the associated set up where Alexander should have had no effing chance to win
- The last point is a question back regarding "defence in depth" (it didn't come from here so I will use their spelling) which is where I initially went when I started reading your blog since I was less familiar with Gaugamela and more with what Hannibal did at the Battle of Cannae in 216 BC where he enveloped the Roman army from the sides while giving way in the middle. I regularly go here when thinking about "bend but don't break". Thoughts on that analogy or is it incorrect?
December 9th, 2021 at 8:40 AM ^
Thanks.
To answer your question, “bend but don’t break” is kind of a mantra rather than a doctrinal tactic. If we look at football Defense to guide us, a defense in depth is a standard nickel, or any defense with multiple layers of defenders. Historically, Armies would be in a goal line set, with one, maybe two lines and then nothing behind them. Defense in depth really came to the fore in WW1, where static defense positions were layered one behind another, forcing the Attacker to spend resources taking each line.
Hannibal, Alexander, and most of the Generals who attacked out of the defensive did what was called a Retrograde defense, or a feigned retreat. The Mongols were also great at this. They were setting up the defensive in such a way that it stretched and weakened a decisive point in the enemy lines, which they then exploited. Hannibal at Cannae knew he was going to attack eventually, and he fought the Romans, but kept retrograding until the moment was right to envelop them. Alexander did somewhat of the same thing, except he did it on both flanks. Parmenion held the left, but his companions and light infantry on the right stretched the Persian line enough to let Alexander punch through. Similarly, the Soviets in WW2 used a retrograde defense, fighting along the line and then retreating and fighting again.
The differences are real, but largely semantic unless you are actually conducting one of the two, which gratefully, we are not!
This is the second most Michigan conversation I’ve ever had. The first involved particle physics and they relationship to crossing routes.
December 9th, 2021 at 9:32 AM ^
We are different from the mouth breathers :)
Thank you for the clarification. I have previously understood that defence in depth required the retrograde action as opposed to being separate, that was a misunderstanding on my part.
Since you brought up both topics and if you have a drive coming up, there are two fantastic podcasts on WWI (Blueprint for Armageddon- 5 parts) and WWII Eastern front (Ghosts of the Ostfront- 4 parts) from Dan Carlin who is 1) interesting to listen to and 2) does some good research. Looking at 20-30 hrs for both though. I used them in some driving back/forth to Michigan. Link below if you are interested.
www.dancarlin.com/hardcore-history-series/
December 9th, 2021 at 10:52 AM ^
Smiled at "second most Michigan conversation". Did the particle physics conversation also make mention of Schrodinger's scat-back? (at once somehow tackled and non-tackled).
Really enjoyable discussion on this thread all around.
December 9th, 2021 at 2:54 PM ^
It was at a tailgate when I was drunk, and my friend was trying to help me understand the defense of his PhD by relating it to football. I kind of got it.
December 9th, 2021 at 2:35 PM ^
Amazing post. As a nuclear engineer grad, both your top 2 Michigan conversations tickle me with delight.
December 9th, 2021 at 8:48 PM ^
This is why I love Michigan. Our pregame tailgate in Indy included everything from the Great Professor Ralph Williams Shakespeare, Locke, Hobbes, cognac vs brandy, the sunk cost fallacy, Jesus and of course football. This takes the cake! Great read. I’ve had a budding interest in military tactics.
December 8th, 2021 at 9:33 PM ^
Holy Shit.... that was awesome!
Can we put this on the front page?
December 9th, 2021 at 6:57 AM ^
Thanks. I don't think that's up to me, but i vote yes
December 9th, 2021 at 12:05 AM ^
So good, I'm going to show my wife. She's not going to care, but I'm going to tell her about it any way. Bravo.
December 9th, 2021 at 6:56 AM ^
I asked mine to proofread. She didn't care either.
December 9th, 2021 at 10:03 AM ^
I've mentioned this here on the blog a few times already, but I have a ton of respect for Vincent Gray, and think he is the most-improved and underrated player on the defense. Complete liability last year. And one year later he is a confident, almost always has good coverage, and is an overall solid player in the defensive backfield. He didn't quit or transfer. He just worked his ass off and proved everyone wrong. Even in the OSU game, there was nothing he could have done better. He had great coverage all game-- just that the OSU receivers happened to make 1 in a million circus-level catches a handful of times.
Hats off to him. Great work Vincent!
Comments