Respect, Coach. Now for the gameplan.

I think this decision forces Michigan to play an actual strength to 'Bama's weakness, its LB depth. My question of the game is whether V. Smith / D. Norfleet = D. Sproles? Can Michigan successfully run a pass-first gameplan of stick-routes and backwards screens to keep Bama off-balance enough to open big chunks of yards on inverted veers and QB ISO? 

5 predictions to make me look stupid:

(1) V. Smith is the number one receiver in this game, but a mix of TE/U-backs (including some heady plays from J. Jackson) have their numbers called early and often;

(2) Rawls catches Bama's LB's off guard with a few important 10+ yard runs, O-Line shows maturity and good ability getting to secondary blocks;

(3) when not throwing stick routes and throwback screens, Borges plans an impeccable game of triange offense with his receivers, combining horizontal and vertical routes through Bama's zones and keeping Bama off balance. Just about every Receiver will have a reception. But this unfortunately also keeps Denard off balance, resulting in 2 INTs;

(4) Michigan continues Mattisonian trend of not giving up the big play. But Michigan's D-Line gives up a lot of frustrating small plays, resulting in LONG drives for 'Bama.

(5) Denard Magic results in a TD, somehow.

Rawls: 60 yds rushing, 1 TD

V. Smith: 70 yds receiving (35 yds accounted for on breakout play), 1 TD.

D. Rob: 70 yds rushing, 150 yds passing, 3 TDs (1 rushing), 2 INTs.

Gibbons: 2 FGs in first half.

Defense: sets up a TD on fumble recovery or INT.

Michigan 27 - Alabama 23

Right thing to do.

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!1!!1!!!!11!!!!  (one second head asplode/unasplode)

We needed everyone to step up big even if Fitz played.  So now it's just gonna be someone other than Fitz stepping up at RB.  We list Smith/Hopkins/Norfleet/Rawls.... they'll do their job. But the man who's gonna really get it done and pick up any slack is Mr. Denard Xavier "Shoelace" Robinson.  You know him, you love him, he is the Maize and Blue God of Dilithium, and he is going to shred the Tide on national TV.

RA freakin' BK's Finest BACK it. 

to fill Dee Hart with regret.

I said all along that this situation was a "win win" for Michigan Haters and assorted douchebags. 

That said....it wont matter that much in the big scheme of things.  In order for Michigan's run game to have success vs. Bama, they need to spread it out and use Denard as much as possible regardless of whom is the RB.  I actually like Rawls, if he is healthy, better than Fitz for this matchup...they will be OK>

Back at USC, Lane Kiffen pulls a Dantonio.  Brings a kid back on scholarship after getting out of jail on a felony conviction.  DUI, Fleeing the scene, and identity theft.

Link

Kudos to Robert Smith on ESPN for calling out Texas A&M for suspending a player for a game, but cherry picking what game that is. (Hint:  it's not the Florida game.)

He compares that to what Brady Hoke did, calling that decision "courageous".

It's the right thing to do.  Yet again, Brady Hoke proves he is the right man to coach for Michigan.

How he sat there

The time right inside a place

So wrong it was ready.

Not an easy decision, but the right one.  Stay classy, Michigan!

I posted this on a thread that got deleted, so thought I would repost here. I was watching ESPN earlier and they had Desmond on talking about the suspensions and he took a moment to fire a shot at Ohio.  Here is his quote

"It's really ironic though, you think about a couple years ago, when tattoo-gate went down at Ohio State and those guys were found guilty for violating rules, they didn't suspend them for the next game which was the Sugar Bowl. They were gonna suspend them the next games the following September at the beginning of the season. It's just ironic how some people punish their players and others don't"

AWESOME!

Winning without Fitz > Winning with Fitz > Losing without Fitz > Losing with Fitz.

Late to the party by me, but this is the right call.  The kids will get the message, and it sends the right message to others that nobody is above the law.  But man, if there was any shred of hope tomorrow this pretty much shut the door on that barring an amazing Denard performance.

Life is tough for everyone.  It was hard for the Coach to make this call in the same way it is hard for the players to miss the Alabama game.  I hope it was a lesson learned for everyone and the team is better off as a result.

Nobody is bigger than the team.

Congratulations Coach Hoke!

This is a great example of a leader doing his job.  When leaders do their job, there will be very hard decisions.  When leaders do their job, the organization will be more effective in the long run.  It is that simple.

Good decision by Coach Hoke.  It is better for the long term future of Fitz and Clark and the program generally.  Alabama is a big game and missing out on the trip to Dallas will hopefully provide a teaching moment for them.  

one of the commentators applauded the decsion but remarked that Michigan fans were probably disappointed. I think that the comments on this board demonstrate that we, as a fan base, hold Michigan to a higher standard. I'd have supported any decision by Hoke, trusting that he would make the best decision for Ftiz, the team, and the program. At this point I feel my trust has been well served.

Win or lose, I know team 133 will play like champions tomorrow and I feel for Fitz's and Clark's pain watching, from Ann Arbor, as their teammates play without them. 

Go Blue - Beat Bama. 

I love Hoke. You have to do the right thing, and let the consequences sort themselves out. If we lose, it is that much more painful to Fitz, understanding that it was his own decision that meant he didn't play.

Win or lose, this lays down in stone that NO ONE is bigger than the team, the team, the team.

If we had won with Fitz, it just wouldn't have been right. It would have almost felt like cheating. If you win because you cheat, the pleasure and the sense of accomplishment just isn't there.

If we should manage to win without Fitz (& Clark,) it again underscores that no one is bigger than the team, and undoubtedly means that Rawls and others have stepped up to fill the void.

But most of all, I love Hoke's compassion and concern for both Fitz and Clark. 

"These are our sons.  These are real lives, and I think too often many people forget that.  It's not always just about football, or a football decision.  It's about teaching life lessons, and if this helps these kids or someone else make a right decision later, then we've won.  That is ultimately what we are here for, to help them grow and mature to become better sons, fathers, husbands and members of society.

"They are good young men who made poor choices, and we will continue to support them as members of our team and family." 

It doesn't get better than that. What an eloquent statement about what is at stake, and why this was the right choice. It wasn't about winning or losing, or what the fan base or the media or other teams thought. It's about teaching life lessons. I know that Hoke will let us down in some ways, but this sure seems different from the tack JoePa took, or Tressel took.