The Ace Pod 3.3: Reasons to Quit
This episode, as always, is brought to you by the law offices of E. Jason Blankenship, who may be socially distanced from the courthouse but is still taking on clients. You can find his new website here.
You can follow Connor on Twitter and subscribe to his newsletter, A Lonely Impulse of Delight, that includes literary analysis of Calvin & Hobbes and, blissfully, nothing about Michigan athletics. Dan is not a writer but he is @ThiccStauskas on Twitter. If you’d like to hear more, the two co-host the newly titled Yet Another Michigan Football Podcast.
[Writeup after the jump]
SEGMENT ONE: THE DEVIL ADVOCATES
After a quick rundown of our post-Wisconsin feelings (not great!), Connor presents the case for keeping Jim Harbaugh on as head coach, with the caveat that this is a thought exercise so please don’t go to Montana in an attempt to hunt him down. Dan eagerly takes the other side of the argument. Everyone agrees that even if Harbaugh is allowed to stay on, huge changes would need to be made. Even then, it’s not the most palatable option.
SEGMENT TWO: COACHING CANDIDATES, NOW A WEEKLY SEGMENT
After last week’s Matt Campbell-centric segment, we’re going to discuss at least a candidate or two per week, because this is the football stuff we can actually look at without hating what we’re doing. This week we look at a top-end and bottom-end outcome. First, we explore Luke Fickell’s record at Cincinnati and whether the lifelong Buckeye could fit in Ann Arbor. (The upshot: we’d like to see them take the shot, at least.) Then, we look at the other continuity option: getting rid of Harbaugh and promoting Josh Gattis in the hopes of hitting on a young coach who’ll modernize the offense and recruiting.
SEGMENT THREE: BIG TEN PICKS
Ace and Connor each went 4-2 with their picks last week. Dan, who took some bolder stances by choosing money lines over point spreads, is looking to bounce back from a 1-5 week. Connor and Dan end up in relative lockstep while Ace plays semi-reluctant contrarian. Does anyone dare take Michigan -9.5 at Rutgers?
SEGMENT FOUR: DO NOT DRINK THESE DURING THE RUTGERS GAME
A Twitter prompt about terrifying-but-serviceable drinks turned into a thread and now a segment reading off the best/worst concoctions you (and we) drank in college. At least one of these includes an ingredient that’s definitely not meant to be consumed by humans. MGoBlog cannot possibly state enough how much it recommends against drinking anything mentioned in this segment.
MUSIC:
- Merle Haggard & Willie Nelson—“Reasons to Quit”
- Andrew Bird — “Scotch & Milk”
- The Budos Band — “Old Motor Oil”
DOWNLOAD:
Link.
“Doesn’t that kill you?”
“I think so!
November 18th, 2020 at 8:10 AM ^
I've heard all the arguments, and nothing makes sense anymore.
Will Rutgers be Jim Harbaugh's final stand?
November 18th, 2020 at 8:14 AM ^
Firing Harbaugh because we’ve only beaten OSU once since 2003 and then replacing him with the only coach that lost to Michigan over that span would be a very Michigan thing to do.
November 18th, 2020 at 9:40 AM ^
He was named as interim right before the start of the season and it was his first head coaching job. I'm pretty sure he's improved since then.
November 18th, 2020 at 9:51 AM ^
This part seems to get overlooked around here. That OSU team was loaded with talent. They went undefeated the very next season. People forget to mention that. Then again, when it comes to the other favorite coaching name to throw around here, Matt Campbell, his record against his biggest rival, Iowa, is 0-4. We don't like to talk about that either.
November 18th, 2020 at 10:15 AM ^
You have a point with Fickell. You do not have a point with Campbell. The job he has done at ISU has been unequivocally massively impressive.
November 18th, 2020 at 10:56 AM ^
I like Matt Campbell a lot. My top two choices would be Mario Cristobal and Campbell. What Campbell has done at ISU is pretty amazing. He has them on top of the Big 12 right now and ISU is one of the hardest power 5 jobs in the country. Still, 0-4 against Iowa, and were not talking about great Iowa teams, is something.
Also, Campbell is already making 5 mil a year with a 6 mil buyout at ISU so if Michigan goes after him we are probably talking 7 to 8+ mil a year. Where as Mario Cristobal is making 2.6 mil albeit with a 10 mil buyout and Luke Fickell is making 2.3 mil a year with a 4 mil buyout.
Money shouldn't be an issue for Michigan but during a pandemic, maybe it is.
November 18th, 2020 at 8:25 AM ^
I don't do podcasts, but maybe this is a good place for a CC-related question. Why doesn't Jedd Fisch come up more often in these discussions?
November 18th, 2020 at 8:58 AM ^
Because he's been around for a while and has never even carried the OC job past one season at UCLA in which his HC got fired, and UCLA's offense generally was not good. He is currently the QB coach with New England. How is Newton running that offense? (Seriously! I dunno, I haven't watched a lot of NFL in the last couple of years...)
Bottom line, he doesn't have enough experience to take over a program like Michigan. And in saying this, I don't believe you need to be a high level, prominent head coach for this job. But you do need some time as a high performing coordinator and/or HC somewhere. Jedd just doesn't have either of those checkmarks, yet.
November 18th, 2020 at 9:21 AM ^
The most charitable interpretations of Fisch's time at Michigan indicate that he worked well under Harbaugh, as someone who wasn't afraid to oppose him. That's valuable, but there's nothing to indicate he's the sort you want running a program from the top.
Put it another way, looking at the shape of our defense, I'd love to have Brady Hoke back to recruit for and coach D-line. But I don't think anyone's scrambling to put him in the HC chair again.
November 18th, 2020 at 9:11 AM ^
Worst drink I had in college was a Smoker's Cough. It's a shot of Jäger with a dollop of mayonnaise. It's disgusting. I give it a 0/10, would never recommend to anyone.
November 18th, 2020 at 9:22 AM ^
That sounds like a dare drink.
November 18th, 2020 at 10:09 AM ^
how many drinks does it take before that becomes something you'd even entertain putting in your mouth?
November 19th, 2020 at 8:31 AM ^
don't change the subject.
oh, i guess you're still talking about booze. never mind.
November 18th, 2020 at 9:33 AM ^
I still don't understand why people think Fickell would be an upgrade. There's no signature win on his profile that says he would beat OSU.
Matt Campbell has beaten the best programs in his conference. That speaks more to me than beating up on Group of Five teams and a couple mediocre Power Five teams.
November 18th, 2020 at 10:35 AM ^
Have to say, I truly do not understand even the idea the Gattis could/should be the HC. Best thing that we could possibly say about his offense so far is that it has tried to make the QB a factor in the run game. The book on him so far seems to me to be that he just needs more experience calling plays and running an offense. That doesn't seem to me to indicate that throwing even more on his plate and making him a FIRST TIME head coach makes any kind of sense and I truly hope this is just fan fiction and not something anyone in a position of authority is considering.
Am I just completely missing the Gattis as HC logic?
November 18th, 2020 at 10:39 AM ^
Mildly Insufferable. Always Ace.
November 19th, 2020 at 8:34 AM ^
pissing about ace. always chork.
November 18th, 2020 at 5:57 PM ^
I honestly don't understand the love affair w/ Cristobal. Like he's not bad, but he's being talked about like top tier guy. He was meh at FIU and picked up a OU program that already had an established QB which is obviously the most important position. Seeing how Harbaugh has faired in year 6 with "his" team, I would love to get someone with a track record of prolonged success at a place where they are able to build "their team". I'm still highest on Mark Stoops and Matt Campbell.
November 19th, 2020 at 12:02 AM ^
Its Tub (as in tubgirl) erville. TUBerville not TUBErville. Who is somehow now a senator. Oh and good podcast as usual.
November 19th, 2020 at 2:21 PM ^
I don't know why the conversation of Luke Fickell was supposed to be convincing but I remain unconvinced. And breathing the same air as Urban Meyer is not going to magically transfer coaching ability.
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