I'm sure the msm will run away with this(the calling players out and such), but here's what King had to say about RR and Michigan.
http://www.annarbor.com/sports/birks-eye-view-more-from-shaun-king/
http://www.annarbor.com/sports/espns-shaun-king-says-rich-rodriguez-can-...
old news
What did I miss?
Thanks for the link, but aren't these articles all positive? I braced myself for some negatives when I read your lead in, but didn't find any. In any case, this is a welcome vote of confidence that I hope does get more exposure.
"Everyone gets dumped Gabe. Let me give you some advice: a little coverup on your Adams Apple will make it appear smaller. Which will make you appear less like a transvestite."
I guess just the calling out
I guess just the calling out of certain players as not being great athletes. At this point, I see almost anything we take as positive about Michigan as fodder for the media these days
Path dependency
"King predicted Michigan will win six or seven games and make a bowl this year, but said a quick start and a victory in their road opener at Michigan State could have the Wolverines 'competing for the Big Ten championship.'"
This is something that I don't think gets talked about all that much: the effect that early-season results have on the probability distribution of total wins. I know that I sometimes fall into thinking of the odds for total wins I think Michigan will have as being a normal curve centered at around 7. But the sort of path dependency that King describes means that there's no reason to think that this is the case - there could be local maxima in the preseason probability distribtion at, say, 9 wins (but also maybe at 4). At the very least, I think any sort of normal curve would be a lot flatter than I often suppose.
Well if they start out in the
Well if they start out in the realm of 4-1 to 5-0 they would have to win 3 or 4 of the remaining 7 games to go 8-4, not bad. But it is a very flat curve, seeing as a schedule may get harder or easier (BCS or non-BCS) or a team might catch the injury bug.
Just one issue with King's
Just one issue with King's comments:
Mike Hart and Manningham (especially Manningham) were not great athletes?
I was thinking the exact same thing.
Also, he talks about OSU and other big 10 schools failing to recruit top talent. I am not sure Shaun King is the authority on anything other than the type of coach RR is. In that vein, everything seems positive from the articles. On the other issues, I am not sure he has a clue.
Granted, the big ten is terrible in bowl games, everyone knows that. But to say OSU isn't recruiting top talent is just wrong. Top ten every year it seems.
Draft?
EDIT: This was supposed to be a reply to Blazefire
Where did they go in the draft? They were very good athletes, but not great athletes. That was hard for me to hear as well, but the fact is they were not GREAT. AC was great. Braylon was Great. Tyrone was great. Yes, Mike has the records but only because of durability and consistency. You need more than those two qualities to make atheltic greatness.
I can already smell a pissin' match over this.......wait, thats gross.
"Run and armpunt that, homeboy." -Brian 10/22/12
Mario fell because
of his work ethics and off-field issues. Otherwise, he's a 1st round talent.
Mike Hart = above average
Mike Hart = above average athlete
Mario Manningham = great athlete
I don't know how we are
I don't know how we are defining athlete here, but Mike Hart was not a great or perhaps even good athlete in terms of raw speed and other tangibles. If you plugged him in at a random position, I doubt he'd amount to much. However, he was a great running back because he had a tremendous amount of talent for that specific position.
I suppose I'm defining athlete here in the sense that recruiting sites do, as a general purpose player that could be trained for a specific position.
Carson Butler was a great athlete... but yeah.
There's a lot more than raw
There's a lot more than raw speed and what not to being a great athlete. It's having a fantastic physical body. Having the tools to be physically successful, no matter how you do that. IF you're going to run like Mike Hart, then top end speed is NOT the athletic talent you hope to have.
Hart was not a "great"
Hart was not a "great" athlete, Manningham was/is. His draft stock fell for reasons stated above, and because he still needed to develop.
not just "douchey" MGoBlog user, but now TRUSTED MGoBlog user
OT: One random note from the first linked article
The Big Ten’s shortcomings on the national college football stage are well documented. Since the Buckeyes beat Miami in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl (a win I still contend wouldn’t have happened if not for Willis McGahee’s gruesome knee injury), the conference is 0-2 in BCS title games and 0-5 in Rose Bowls.
Let's also not forgot about that phantom pass interference call in the end zone at the end of the 1st overtime. The flag was thrown so late that the post-game fireworks had already gone off.
Sorry, I just like bitching about officiating whenever I get the chance, especially if it pertains to the "Luckeyes".
Sometimes I think it's a sin
When I feel like I'm winnin when I'm losin again
Great College players don't always translate to great Pros
Mike Hart has great determination and passion. I'm somewhat doubtful he'll make much of a pro though(hoping I'm wrong).
Braylon unfortunately has developed a bad case of the dropsies, if he corrects that, he'll become one of the biggest threats in the NFL.
This last draft proves the cupboard was BARE! Almost no draft picks at all and mvery few signed afterwards.
I think RR inherited his worst team of his career when he came here. He inherited a pretty successful team at WVU when he got there and they were pissed at the failures in his first season there.
If we stay healthy in the key areas of QB, RB, OL and DL I think this could be a surprisingly good year. Tate, Minor and a strong OL will go along way toward those 8-9 wins.
What the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve and...Those Who Stay WILL Be Champions.
Nice story, but isn't this really just old news?
Willie Heston - 72 touchdowns; 4 National titles; 43-0-1 record; All-American; Law Degree