MSU injuries NOT an excuse
According to Mark Dantonio, MSU injuries are not going to be used as a crutch (i.e., excuse) for their poor play. To paraphrase:
"Injuries are not an excuse. To be clear though, we do have a lot of injuries. So if we were to lose this week, we should be allowed to claim injuries as the main reason, but we won't, because that would be excusing the loss because of injuries, which we don't or won't do, becuase we don't use injuries as excuses...but we have tons of injuries."
Link below; It's Drew Sharp and its drivel. FL;DR (freep link; didn't click): Michigan State is very injured but not going to use injuries as an excuse (Spoiler: They are setting up the injury excuse).
http://www.freep.com/story/sports/columnists/drew-sharp/2015/10/12/drew…
This has been the common narrative throughout the last two weeks. Not an excuse, but we are super injured. Just to pull some quotes from the linked to drivel:
"Pardon the pun," coach Mark Dantonio said Saturday night following the Spartans' 31-24 win, "but we can't use it as a crutch."
"He was hurting out there, and everybody recognized it," Dantonio said about Kieler's determination. "We tried to get him out a little bit, but I know that he wound up playing at the end as well. He's a tough guy, and he just kept playing."
"You keep thinking to yourself that it can't get any worse, and then it does," said middle linebacker Riley Bullough.
IMO I can see it getting worse next week. But to be clear, if it does, it has nothing to do with injuries.
October 12th, 2015 at 9:44 AM ^
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October 12th, 2015 at 10:18 AM ^
disagree that it is a game we should "clearly dominate" and win. Michigan State has a winning pedigree right now, they have played in a lot of really big games in the last few years and it is entrenched in them. I think this game will be a pick em by kick and I think that is where it should be.
October 12th, 2015 at 10:38 AM ^
and you don't think this is entrenched in Harbaugh. Harbaugh as a player and coach - this game is reletively small potatoes compared to some of the games he has been involved in as a player/coach.
Tes this is a HUGE game to 'us'. But you honestly think Harbaugh views it as a HUGE game like we do. He is most likely viewing this as business. Just like every other game. Prepare, take care of business, win, celebrate for 1 hour, on to next game.
Sure, MSU's staff is seasoned with big games. But IMO it dwarfs the big game experience Harbaugh has endured.
October 12th, 2015 at 10:56 AM ^
just not buying to the rhetoric that we are just going to bum-rush them. They are better than people are giving them credit for and I think this will be a really close game.
October 12th, 2015 at 9:39 AM ^
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October 12th, 2015 at 9:39 AM ^
Once Narduzzi left MSU's "potion" (pun not intended) to avoid injuries left too. I bet if I looked Pitt has had far fewer injuries than normal this year....
October 12th, 2015 at 10:15 AM ^
James Conner wishes like hell that were true.
October 12th, 2015 at 9:42 AM ^
This is the same guy by the way who was supposed be "punishing" Delton Williams for his gun charge by keeping him off the game field (still practicing weekly) for a year. But since he is a "playmaker" and MSU is going for wins the redshirt came off when necessary in game 6. So shut your pie hole.
Bielein literally didn't speak a word about McGary a single time after announcing the injury. Izzo and Dantonio have the coach speak "we are not going to talk about injuries...but since you asked, yeh man have you seen the injuries. But just because I talk about it every damn day for 2 months (Izzo) doesn't mean I want you guys to write about it, and it is certainly not an excuse. But can we talk about injuries for a minute more?"
October 12th, 2015 at 9:44 AM ^
Hate to use this example, but OSU won a NC with their 3rd string QB. Elite programs have the depth to cover for injuries. MSU has been luckier than most with injuries the past couple of years so it was bound to catch up to them.
October 12th, 2015 at 9:52 AM ^
We lost Michael Taylor in the ND game and all Grbac did was ball. He would've beaten ND if not for The Rocket. Todd Collins replaced Grbac for a couple games in 1992 and was stellar. Good teams adapt. If they don't adapt, especially in this dumpster fire of a conference, then they're not good.
October 12th, 2015 at 10:18 AM ^
scott zurbrugg replaced harbaugh in 1984...oh wait. nm.
October 12th, 2015 at 9:45 AM ^
October 12th, 2015 at 9:47 AM ^
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October 12th, 2015 at 9:49 AM ^
October 12th, 2015 at 10:13 AM ^
Oops.
October 12th, 2015 at 9:50 AM ^
Oh Drew Sharp again...
I remember Drew...
Remind me again why Michigan thought it had a snowball's chance at luring Harbaugh as many still think? #knowyourplace
— Drew Sharp (@drewsharp) January 20, 2014
October 12th, 2015 at 9:51 AM ^
October 12th, 2015 at 9:52 AM ^
I love how things on the internet live forever.
October 12th, 2015 at 9:54 AM ^
...how would he know better. He has fewer sources that Jeff Moss.
October 12th, 2015 at 9:56 AM ^
October 12th, 2015 at 9:59 AM ^
He's probably still sleeping in Michigan's pressroom....
October 12th, 2015 at 9:58 AM ^
October 12th, 2015 at 10:02 AM ^
There is a Drew Sharp in the paper and Valenti on the radio of every sports city whose entire schtick is to "take the opposite" side of the establisment and be a troll. It's an old bit but a common bit and its just copycat of the same generic guy in every major sports town. Drew could pick up tomorrow, go to Tampa and immediately do all the same crap by posting hate about the Lightning, Bucs, rays, etc.
October 12th, 2015 at 9:53 AM ^
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October 12th, 2015 at 9:57 AM ^
Line up and play the game. I don't want to hear it from either side. It's football and injuries are a part of the game/season.
October 12th, 2015 at 10:46 AM ^
I actually do think injuries are somewhat of a valid excuse. I mean, there are depth charts for a reason. If you're missing half of the starting offense and lose, then the fact that half of your starters were not playing is likely a good reason why you lost.
All that said, I don't give a fuck what Dantonio says. Michigan is not going to lose this game. Brady Hoke and Rich Rodriguez ain't walking through that tunnel anymore. Now we have an elite coaching staff (Harbaugh is better than Dantonio - perhaps I am being biased, but whatever) and it will make all the difference going forward.
October 12th, 2015 at 9:59 AM ^
If Michigan just wins with a large enough margin (e.g., 38-0), even injuries cant be an excuse
October 12th, 2015 at 10:01 AM ^
They were too busy this offseason reading about Harbaugh and complaining about respect. They should've focused on getting their bodies and minds ready for the season. They half assed it during their games, leaving their starters in for longer periods against teams that thought they had a chance to win.
They're trying to get cute with their "1st round NFL QB" when they should just pound the rock like they've always done and have their bench play the last quarter.
BTW, they've sucked in large portions of every game this year, so they can't blame this on injuries the past few weeks. WMU was the first game of the season.
October 12th, 2015 at 10:06 AM ^
October 12th, 2015 at 10:06 AM ^
October 12th, 2015 at 10:09 AM ^
October 12th, 2015 at 10:13 AM ^
ya stupid jerk."
/jugular
October 12th, 2015 at 10:15 AM ^
On how classless Harbaugh is because he went for it on 4th down on MSU's 20 when were up 42 points. (Even though all coaches do this because it's a sign of disrespect to kick a FG and put more points on the board).
He'll also use that "annihilation" as proof that we're little brother just like when Harbaugh was at Stanford going against Pete Carroll's mighty Trojans. This is us, little brother, trying a little harder to rub big brothers nose in the dirt is what he'll say.
You know what I'll say? NOTHING. Because I can't see these haters.
October 12th, 2015 at 10:08 AM ^
But we'll say it anyway.
October 12th, 2015 at 10:09 AM ^
not for Spartans
never for Spartans...
October 12th, 2015 at 10:12 AM ^
October 12th, 2015 at 10:14 AM ^
October 12th, 2015 at 10:13 AM ^
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October 12th, 2015 at 10:16 AM ^
I doubt such a decree would be needed, but any Michigan fan who sells a ticket to one of them should be banned from the Big House for life.
October 12th, 2015 at 10:40 AM ^
October 12th, 2015 at 10:16 AM ^
But the UofM Football Team has been accumilating quite the body count so far this season. Plan on a few more injuries this weekend.
October 12th, 2015 at 10:29 AM ^
have a bet with my friend that Cook won't finish the game.
October 12th, 2015 at 10:17 AM ^
October 12th, 2015 at 10:21 AM ^
To permanently put Sparty back in its place...but let's not act like we thought the streak would start THIS year.
80+% of this board would've taken 9-3 at the beginning of the year. Let's get that one more win of proof before we stake our claim to "we're back!" The defense is...no question. But as a team. Let's be sure. Because losing a 9-6 game isn't going to make anyone feel any better.
Plus STAEE is now the underdog...back to laying in the weeds. Time to mow the the grass and expose these frauds who built a decent run off just as much luck/timing as they did hard work.
I'm not laying it no damn weeds...that's dumb. I'm more waiting patiently...knowing my day is coming on Saturday.
And around 7:00 when 100,000 people are chanting...IT'S GREAT...TO BE...A MICHIGAN...WOOOOOOOLVERINE? I'll know then that the day has come. And we're back.
October 12th, 2015 at 10:23 AM ^
That I like about Dantonio is that he doesn't use injuries as an excuse. Unlike a certain coach in East Lansing...
October 12th, 2015 at 10:50 AM ^
Huh. Weird. I can't find a single thing I like about that asshole named Dantonio.
October 12th, 2015 at 10:23 AM ^
Is it me or does it feel like they already know they're going to lose? Going in with a losing mentality has offended Jim Harbaugh, you will now have to suffer a worse defeat and apologize for trying to offend Harbaugh
October 12th, 2015 at 10:27 AM ^
I always thought MSU fans were the most negative defeatest fans around. I always said they'll never be very good for very long in anything until that whole fan base changed their attitude. With the help of Izzo and now Dantonio, they had finally done so.
But two weeks ago at the Purdue game the old crowd had returned, negative comments, negative jeers to their own team. The old Spartan Nation has returned and they know they are doomed.
Its glorious.
October 12th, 2015 at 10:29 AM ^