Punt-Counterpunt: Maryland 2015
via photoshop thread
PUNT
By Heiko Yang
So, about last Saturday …
Oof. Nothing like a good kick in the nuts to remind yourself that you still got ‘em. I appreciate the Futurama reference, though.
Last week Nick and I both picked a Michigan loss, and this went about as well as either of us could have hoped for. Admittedly, we’ve been playing a little fast and loose with the rules of Punt/Counterpunt as a way to cope with the oppressive darkness of last season. This was a very appropriate reminder that dissidence during perestroika is not a good idea.
(You know what else is not a good idea? Punting to Will Likely. Don’t ask me about specifics; I just read it somewhere.)
This week Michigan travels to College Park as the overwhelming favorite against a Maryland team that would struggle in the MAC. They have no real starting quarterback, and they got their one somewhat substantial win by forcing South Florida to also play without its starting quarterback. A few days ago their coach appeared to be aware but not totally aware of what his football players were doing – it’s a sign that by now should be pathognomonic for an impending tire fire explosion, and there isn’t enough black that Under Armour can douse their uniforms with to put it out.
So don’t worry, neither Nick or I will be predicting a loss today.
Michigan is probably going to fall off from its exponential trajectory though. It’s another road game (weak argument I know, but I’ve got about 10 road games worth of personal data over the last few seasons that says overwhelmingly that Michigan is a bad road team), and it’s looking like the weather is going to reduce everything to a sloppy rugby match anyway. To minimize errors, I imagine Harbaugh will be happy to call the game the same way he’s been calling the second halves of each of the last few games, and the final result will reflect a low variance affair.
This game might set Michigan football back about a century. On the bright side, at least that’s the kind of football Michigan was always good at.
Michigan 13, Maryland 6
COUNTERPUNT
by Nick RoUMel
What an ass-kicking last week. No, I’m not talking about the game.
We, Punt and Counterpunt, were called out.
“Hackneyed and forced.” “Should be ashamed.” “Can we get rid of this now?” “So full of fail.” “Your posts are bad, and you should feel bad.” “Eat a dick.”
It was so brutal I heard from friends as far away as Palo Alto and Seattle asking if I were all right. The comments were so consistently negative that I embraced this one as a compliment: “Nick says things about stuff, I guess,” hanging onto it like a life preserver.
Many wondered aloud about the point of this column.
I’ve been Counterpunt since 1994. I served with “Punt Classic” (Ken “Sky” Walker) until he retired for the 2013 season, and Heiko (“New Punt”) took over. Mercifully, the column was on hiatus during the Rich Rod years, and then it was resurrected by MGoBlog and transformed from paper to electronic medium. There’s always plenty of serious discussion and debate about Michigan football, especially by this blog’s writers who are way more analytical than I will ever be. So I – we, Punt and I – try to bring a more humorous aspect.
Heiko has a great style, meandering around aimlessly like Barry Sanders in the Lions’ backfield, and then finds his opening and bursts through. Then you understand what his purpose was all along.
My typical formula is to make fun of Michigan’s opponent and discuss some aspect of the rivalry, then build up to the prediction. I did the same thing last week.
Where we went wrong was both picking against Michigan. While that was not unprecedented – for example, last year we both (correctly) picked losses to Utah and Ohio State – it was not so shocking then, given how far Michigan’s football expectations had fallen. As one commenter noted last week, our fan base has suffered serious damage.
This year was different. There is hope. Reflecting that, last week we were a 7 point favorite against a pretty good opponent. But to be fair, at that point, we did not have an impressive victory; we had questions about our quarterback; we were unaware how good Utah was shaping up to be; and we were still generally hoping for an 8-4 season as a good outcome.
What a difference a game makes. Now we are nationally ranked, a legitimate Big Ten title contender, and in line for a major bowl.
Maybe by season’s end, the truth will be somewhere in the middle. One thing is certain: no matter where we end up, it is clear we now have a coach. And that coaching is evident on the field. Do you remember how many times Brady Hoke would enter a Monday presser and blame the loss on lack of execution? Do you remember the missed tackles and other sloppy play?
Compare that with the execution against Brigham Young. We finished plays. From Darboh’s one handed catch, to Pepper’s throw down tackle, to Smith’s “Get Off Me” run, to Chesson’s block on Rudock’s TD run, to Rudock’s own lock-down execution - such as the play where he fake-looked off two receivers and found Khalid Hill.
Have no doubt – execution is a direct function of coaching.
So maybe Punt and Counterpunt succumbed - for one week and two badly blown predictions - to the deep-seated pessimism that was rooted in years of mediocrity. If Michigan can right itself, so can we.
I’ll leave you with this story: I once went on a golf weekend at Crystal Mountain with a friend. We had the first tee time, at something like 7:30 AM, so we could play two rounds that day. The weather was unseasonably cold and they delayed all starting times until after 10 AM, until the sun burned off the dew. By the time we got to the first tee, there must have been 50 impatient golfers who were going to follow us all day watching us hit our drives.
I whiffed. Not once, but twice. I finally grabbed a five iron and managed to hit a weak shot that at least moved me up the fairway.
Sometimes you just need a Mulligan.
MICHIGAN 28, MARYLAND 3
October 3rd, 2015 at 10:55 AM ^
October 3rd, 2015 at 10:56 AM ^
The big news is Nick's avatar picture change!
I like his pick. I think the score will be in that neighborhood.
October 3rd, 2015 at 11:01 AM ^
October 3rd, 2015 at 11:02 AM ^
Heiko must still be brought futher into the light...
October 5th, 2015 at 12:10 AM ^
He was brought into the football fold during the worst of times. He doesn't know much else. In time he will give up these tendencies, but it may take a while.
October 3rd, 2015 at 11:02 AM ^
ALWAYS enjoy the prose (notice I didn't comment on the predictions last week). Seriously guys don't be so hard on yourselves, as you've noticed, other people will do that for you.
This week, liking both the writing and the predicted scores, of which, Nick's will be closer.
Time for the WTKA pregame - GO BLUE!
October 3rd, 2015 at 11:06 AM ^
Y'all are bums!
/reads article.
Oh, you both picked Michigan? Great article guys!
October 3rd, 2015 at 11:09 AM ^
October 3rd, 2015 at 11:12 AM ^
maybe locate the "Chill" bottle and take two
October 3rd, 2015 at 11:14 AM ^
with a "turtleboy" name and a Bo man avatar.
October 3rd, 2015 at 11:20 AM ^
October 3rd, 2015 at 7:42 PM ^
I'm wondering if turtleboy legitimately think that it is possible to have "Bane imploding the stadium."
Oh, you were trying to be humorous? So was Heiko. These pieces have never been serious football analysis, so knock off the petty bitching about score predictions.
October 3rd, 2015 at 11:37 AM ^
Game cancelled due to a Hurricane is pretty close to
Bane imploding the stadium during the game then making a speech
October 3rd, 2015 at 11:16 AM ^
October 3rd, 2015 at 11:19 AM ^
October 3rd, 2015 at 11:16 AM ^
I'm a fan of these posts in general, but maybe like many others had grown a bit weary from the overly cautious and pessimistic tone they've taken on over the past two regimes (albeit deservedly so).
Heiko, you're still coming along a little too slowly in my estimation (13-6?!)... I think it's safe to stop using the past 10 road games as a reference at this point. This coaching staff has proven in a very short time what we all suspected from the start... It's an entirely different animal. Either way, much better job today boys. Cheers!
October 3rd, 2015 at 11:23 AM ^
Plenty of room under this Maize 'n' Blue tent.
Go Blue!
October 3rd, 2015 at 11:18 AM ^
October 3rd, 2015 at 11:19 AM ^
October 3rd, 2015 at 11:22 AM ^
Double whiffers should never be allowed 7:30 tee times.
October 3rd, 2015 at 11:26 AM ^
I was actually a pretty good golfer then. I'd never whiffed in my life and then did it twice in a row. I was totally freaked out by all those people watching!
October 3rd, 2015 at 11:24 AM ^
October 3rd, 2015 at 11:28 AM ^
October 3rd, 2015 at 11:27 AM ^
Heiko is just trolling at this point.
October 3rd, 2015 at 11:36 AM ^
I think somebody's finally getting it!
I mean, MGoBlog only publishes THREE predictions per game, none of them realistic scores and two deliberately intended to disagree, so yes let's totally hold them accountable.
I'm not a fan of P/CP, or PCP for that matter, but I'll come out in the former's defense -- this features is getting attacked for all the wrong reasons.
October 3rd, 2015 at 12:44 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
October 3rd, 2015 at 11:43 AM ^
Here's my prediction:
October 3rd, 2015 at 3:39 PM ^
October 3rd, 2015 at 4:30 PM ^
That was good and you should feel good.
October 3rd, 2015 at 4:47 PM ^
I have a famous for the comment.
I do what I can.
Go Blue.
October 4th, 2015 at 10:20 AM ^
October 4th, 2015 at 11:10 AM ^
Start working at home with Google! It's by-far the best job I've had. Last Wednesday I got a brand new BMW since getting a check for $6474 this - 4 weeks past. I began this 8-months ago and immediately was bringing home at least $77 per hour. I work through this link, go? to tech tab for work detail
October 4th, 2015 at 4:49 PM ^
There are too many people who are just too young to remember the paper (yes, a real formerly-live tree!) programs that were given out for free (yes, zero dollors!!) by the tens of thousands before game day. They had the rosters, stats, an article by a journalist from the "other side." You got them for free on the way to the stadium. Then either the "paper" or the "free" part killed it off and a great tradition died.
These free programs also had "punt/counter-punt." These were not serious, heavy hitting breakdowns. The writers often made fun of each other for the prior week. Typically, one picked the other team and wrote from the angle of "this is what could cause us to loose." The other writer took the other approach. Thus, the "counter-punt." Let me say it again - someone was supposed to be negative and, in fact, pick the other team.
Punt/Counter-Punt is not a game preview. It is not supposed to generate serious responses. it was supposed to be read after you had gotten to your seats and said hello to your friends, but before toe hit leather.
it is a great tradition that was lost that MGoBlog is keeping alive. You guys are fine. Just do what you do. People need to lighten up. It is not our fault that others are too young to remember the original thing. After all, we ain't getting old.
October 5th, 2015 at 12:26 PM ^
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