a sky writer to write Go Blue over Ohio  Stadium this week.

Yeah, ok, so stop with the "what if RR would have been able to get someone like mattison" scenarios. The fact is, it never happened, and this is real life. Yeah, I have played it out in my own head, and see student sections lined with brunettes while hearing the victors being pumped through millions of televisions across the world in January. 

I cannot stand to watch this, and I am not even mad

 

I feel bad for the kids out there, the ones that I KNOW have the talent to succeed. I feel BAD for Gardner, while he has made his big mistakes, he has also taken so many hits that I'd have a hard time blaming him if he just walked away from this team and never came back. 

David Brandon hired hoke like a true business man, as a marketing move. Hoke LOOKED and SOUNDED like MICHIGAN MANBALL. WE. WILL WALK. TO. MICHIGAN. 

Oh, how the geriatric  boosters love you, good sir. Let us hope that you can win football games as well.

 

Bless the F'n hearts of the defense of this team. They are way better than given credit for, have stats that look like crap because they are constantly starting on their heels and get off the field for just long enough to take a piss before they get Borgess'd back onto the field. 

Ya know, I think Hoke COULD be the answer, but borges/funk gotta go. This athletic department made a coaching decision based on what would market best to the boosters hearing aids.   I am sick of manball, I am sick of tradition. Ohio has managed to keep tradition while evolving a bit.  Just watching how electric their crowds are on TV makes me sad.  This school took a short term fix to their problem and now the younger generation in Ann Arbor is starting to not even care about this program. Are we going to start taking away rows when these gasbags start dying off and nobody is there to replace them as season ticket holders? 

What has this coaching staff done, anyways? Took RR's class (which was thin because of ATTRITION) and managed to win a BCS game the first year solely because of mattison ship-shaping up the defense? 

 

Ok, full-out rambling has commenced. I am just sick of this. I hate manbawl, I hate no free programs, I hate everything. This team has an obvious lack of faith in their offensive coaching staff. Morale is low, I almost cried watching DG on TV after the game -- call me a pussy. I don't care, this is crap.   It is absolutely SAD that I was able to procure ROW A tickets on the michigan sideline for next weekend for well under 200 dollars....  a game where we are playing a team that has won almost two dozen straight games.  This should be an exciting week. We should be talking about the huge game next week, even in a down season....down DECADE, next week usually still feels like a game that rivals the superbowl.

Right now, next week feels like I do not even care anymore. Right now all i can think is "hear, hear" as  I read through all of the posts. Right now I look at the tweets, the blogs, the faceboooks, and am dejected at the people lashing out at our quarterback, because I just cannot help but to think that this kid is way better than is being shown, and I feel like I am watching Varsity Blues every time I watch Devin limp off the field.

 

This is the first time i have almost not even cared about next week's game, but I will go, and I will support this team, but I cannot support this coaching staff (with the exception of the defense) or the administration that marketed them as the second coming of Bo. 

 

 

 

Oh, and to the apologists making light of RR losing to washington state as to try to dull out the fact that his squad just took out oregon... Let us not forget that we barely managed to get past AKRON and UCONN, then having to watch the game against PSU be thrown away.. Maybe "thrown" is not the right word.  Bottom line is, the Arizona fan base is a hell of a lot more optimistic about their program than our fanbase --- That is not just because "THIS IS MICHIGAN," but because it really is that bad. 

 

We have talent that has shown itself of being capable of breaking school/conference/NCAA records, but still cannot find cohesion. This is coaching. 

This is a new low, lower than it felt every time denard came into the game last year at QB after the injury knowing it was going to be a designed run every single time. Knowing he was being set up to fail.  Watching these kids at skill positions play their hearts out for a staff that is raking in millions with thieir heads up their asses. Every minute of every game this year has felt like the 2nd half of the Ohio game last year....At least monkey rodeo was entertaining. This just makes me pissed off and depressed. Maybe I shouldn't have came here and read this after coming home from a night out at the pub, This sucks, and I hope it gets better for the players, and for the sake of the school.  

The offense could never get any rythm this year with Gardner.  The defense would eventually get tired and make some mistakes.  Do I think coaching had a part to play in Gardners play?  Absolutley,  but for the most part my gut tells me this coaching staff did everything they could to prepare Gardner every week but he just couldnt cut it.  He made terrible TERRIBLE decisions over and over again.  The one thing that sealed the deal for me though was I havent seen any leadership from Gardner.  Never saw him yelling or trying to pump guys up.  His body language was always emotionless.  Sure he would do some celebrations when we scored.  But why nothing to try and pump his guys up to set up long drives?  You always saw stuff from Denard,  leadership qualities.  And poise under pressure. I do believe Gardner would have performed much better if we could actually run the ball,  something I put on the coaches and inexperience.  Keeping Fitz in the game over Deveon Smith though?  Thats a terrible call by hoke,  Jackson?  I dont know but just a terrible call. Fitz hasnt been the same since 2011.  I dont give a shit if he was the hardest worker and a great example for the younger guys or whatever other reason they decided to leave him in there,  the guy wasnt performing.  For the most part I saw good pass blocking today.  Giving Gardner adequite time to find someone.  It never happened.  Or recievers dropped balls,  but in that weather you gotta cut them some slack.  Theres no way were firing Hoke just yet,  and it would be stupid.  Also,  and i know people will think im insane but my gut tells me to let Borges have one more year.  I just believe Gardner has been the main problem this year,  for the most part.    

Does anyone else feel like we are going NOWHERE? How can next year be much better?
I guess the most concerning part besides our oline and qb is the fact that I have no idea where we are in the grand scheme of hoke and his staff. It's starting to look more like epic fail than building a juggernaut.
Shouldn't we have at least a glimpse of the product hoke and his staff want to be almost into our FOURTH year. I don't see it.
I don't know guys....we have a LONG way to go. I'm not sure it's going to happen next year with another new look oline and our qb running for his life.
Hope we don't lose recruits.
Sad.

Borges cannot get another year. He did the same thing last year. We had a few good games last year with some deep balls. Borges will be really good as long as the DEF knows what is coming and they still can't stop anyway. Look at Bama and what Manzel did to them. No DEF is going to shut down in a league like ours, unless it is Purdue... Hoke seems like a great guy and runs a clean program. But Borges needs to go and we should hire a OC from another Manball colleges that is successful. Hoke is not running spread, ever. If we still are in the same place, go hire a head coach that has a successful Resume in CFB big league or in NFL. Make him the highest paid coach. Make some splash. Or hire one of those commentators from ESPN who used to coach. May be they will love M then. Higher standards should not mean less success in Football field (Looking at you ND, NW). If that is what it means and people look at Football only and don't care about the academics, then just go hire someone who will win at all cost. It is ok not to be Alabama, as long as we get to say that we are the most successful program with high academics in public schools. It does not mean we can't tweak our coaches, but I would rather be proud of our academics, a few BCS wins every decade and generally a top 15 football program. A few bad years, like this one, is fine, as long as we address the issues with tweaks.

For those of you cheering for an ohio win next week, or hoping for one  EFFFFFFF YOU! Go Blue! It's been painful to watch the offense sputter but this shit from our base is just as pathetic. I'm a Michigan snob that thinks we should be great every year and loses like this years, even some of the wins, leave me down and out for a couple days. But to not want to beat ohio because you want another coaching change?> What about the seniors that have put more in to this program than you ever will?  Seriously and I mean this from the bottom of my heart EFFFFF YOU!

 

is the friggin' arrogance and stubborness of Hoke.  Now, with our big rival game next Saturday, when Gardner can't walk or throw or anything because he gave it his all, we will have a Zero experience quarterback to throw to the wolves.  Great job Jackass!

 

Not having a legitimate 2nd stringer to come in from time to time this season to try to avoid going 3 and out every friggin' series is an absolute glaring failure of this arrogant, fat , idiot loser who will be fired after we get pasted by the obviously better team from the south. 

It makes me sick!  The free pass is so over with this guy,  get some Real Football people in here to run the decision making for our program.  Not these corporate yes men pieces of shit who only care about $$$.

 

The Football Culture is so F#cked right now in Ann Arbor, who will be the hero to come in and save our beloved football program?  Does it NEED to be a former player?  A True Michigan Man? ( whatever that really means anyway ).   I say who gives a shit, get the best Football Minds together and let's put a Real Program together.  All this loyalty to mediocrity is unacceptable.

Examples:

- when the quarterback is sucking balls, you put in another guy ( and don't say there isn't another guy )

- when play calling is predictable and ineffective, you get on the damn headset and chew your OC's head off DURING THE GAME and make him run something else!

- well coached players rarely make the same mistakes twice, especially all season long

- a coach who throws his players under the bus, ever, is on his way out because he has failed and is grasping at anything to prolong his employement.

 

 

When Hoke is fired, nobody in DIV 1A will hire him, NOBODY.  He is FINISHED.

What Gardner is feeling I think the professionals call that PTSD.

I thought the game thread yesterday was a disgrace and I read very little of the posts, but someone said something pretty interesting (at least to me).

They mentioned that after 3 seasons RR was 7-5 and got canned. In those three years he improved in record every season and there wasn't much doubt he would have improved the next year too. Despite that he still got the boot.

Hoke in his third year is most likely going 7-5.while showing steady regression each year. Many will point to his overall record as a reason he should stay (and I wouldn't argue with that) but the bottom line is after three seasons under each coach we are in the same mess, though with this staff it looks to be getting worse instead of better.

Now I honestly don't think Hoke should go (just like I didn't believe RR should have been canned after three years) but I think he should be given the same ultimatum I thought RR should have been given...fire your coordinator or find another job.

Now this is like watching lions throwing 7 yards when they need 10 and it is the last play. They do not know how to finish. The DEF played heck of a game. If I am GMatt, I walk over to AB and smack him in his head and ask him what the hell are you thinking when we need one frigging drive. I knew it is over when they started Fitz. It didn't matter how much lead they had. When you don't take the momentum from previous game and use the RBs who did something and tell them that even if you had a good game in the last 4 weeks, I am going with my senior, because this is a pee vee league. That would not have happened with Meyer or Saban. You need a killer instinct. It does not mean you dump Fitz. Put him on a few plays as the third back. This whole loyalty crap is getting old. Same thing goes for DG. I feel for DG, but he did not make good decisions. It all started with ND game interception. It is in his head now. Either you got it or you don't. Watch Tom Brady or Peyton on the sidelines. They have the killer instinct. All those drops by WRs didn't help either. Our coach just stands there and claps his hands. Watch Belichick after a bad series. He will be with his guys talking to them about the game plan and educating them. That guy has won more than anyone I can think of. May be Saban. A good leader will be hands-off until the time they need to intervene. None of these coordinators are going to ask you during the game. They have too much pride. You need to step in and help them out. This whole thing starts at the top. Hoke needs to think with his brain and not with his heart. He needs to be critical of himself and his staff and decide. If he does that, I believe the guy will make changes. He is a good enough guy to do that. I really hoped that he will be talked as BO by generations to come. He just loves UM. But, it doesn't look good. He can still turn this around by tweaking his staff and changing certain philosophies (such as playing the best players, providing input during the games etc.)

Devin has 10 TDs to 3 int in B10 play, all be it he should have thrown 4 against Northwestern, not bad for a guy that probably has an average of 1.5 seconds to scan the field. If only he could learn to throw the ball away he could minimize the crazy down and distances we've faced this year.  I'm not ready to throw this staff under the bus yet, even Al, I'd just like to see how we do w/ a true PP at QB and an O-line that's been in a strength and cond. program for more than 2 years.   If Morris plays and plays well against ohio I hope there is an open competition for the spot next year, if only because real competition and the threat of losing your spot makes you a little more thoughtful of how you make decisions w/ the ball on the field.

 

Everyone attacking DG at all ---  

 

 

Rationalize the fact that he has acatually gotten WORSE under this staff, and so did our previous quarterback.

Denard was never going to be Johnny fucking Moxon, but imagine those years WITHOUT Denard. Imagine Morris in these games gettting hit like DG has been hit. Do you think he'd be able to keep composure? Name some quarterbacks that have to work with what DG has had to work with in regards to protection that would still even be WALKING without crutches at this point in the season. Look what happened to Morris when he had to fill denard's shoes against Nebraska, and 

 

The one game where DG got time and wasn't running for his life, RECORDS WERE SET. I don't give two craps who the oppoenent was. Every team plays worse oppoents year in and year out and doesn't set those records. 

 

Denard was special, he might not have been what you wanted, but his last years were under coaches who made him worse rather than better. The coaches who forced him to play to his own weaknesses while the losses piled up, and in the end didn't have a backup plan for when he did eventually go down. When he did make it back into the lineup, they misused him and set him up for even greater failure. They even found a way to bring him into the games when he came back and put up yards, then STOPPED USING WHAT WORKED. That kid WAS MICHIGAN FOOTBALL. He stuck with it, trusted his coaches, and got worse at the expense of what "the team" asked of him.  Fuck anyone who says otherwise. 

 

How much more evidence is needed? Am I delusional with this line of thought?