Spring Football Bits Goes in the Front, Big Guy
Michigan’s fourth spring practice week is in the books and we’re on break, which means they’re finally dumping all the info from the last month. Here's a practice video.
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) April 3, 2021
The offense is a lot nicer to read about so let’s start there, and I'll swing back around to cover defense later.
Offense Overall
What we want to hear: Architecture beautiful. Society on cutting edge of progress.
What we’re hearing: The airport’s nice, I guess, and there’s lots of little people walking and talking very fast.
It looks great when the quarterbacks execute, and extremely disjointed when they don’t. The defense is either a “work in progress” or “the worst since Rich Rod” depending on if the speaker’s job is to make you feel better, and this tend to come up a lot when they're praising the offense.
What it means: I’m bringing back a Latin phrase I tried to make happen in 2009: CAVEAT DEFENSIONIS. It means take everything nice you hear about the offense in context.
Baseball movie it’s like: Mr. Baseball (1992). Look, an early 1990s fish-out-of-water story about Tom Selleck playing baseball in Japan is going to have some low expectations, and promises some major cringe moments, but all told I think it exceeds expectations.
Quarterback
What we want to hear: Cade has seized the starting job, is matching his in-game moxie with steadiness and leadership. McCarthy is starting to pick things up, and his talent is off the charts.
What we’re hearing: The spring session ended with Cade McNamara clearly out front, but nobody consistent enough to have a grip on the job. The book on him is he’s “not a great practice quarterback” but the coaches know he’s a gamer.
J.J. McCarthy’s practices have been a lot of freshman stuff mixed in with things that bring up old quarterback greats. The specific great he gets compared to most often is the one coaching him, along with a reminder that Jim Harbaugh redshirted in 1982, flashed as QB3 in 1983, and won the job over bad competition as a redshirt sophomore in 1984. Then 1984 is remembered and we have a sad.
What it means: It’s going to be a bumpy ride.
Baseball movie it’s like: Trouble With the Curve (2012), in which an aging scout who might be losing it has one last chance to find a star. You’ve got Clint Eastwood’s grizzled charisma playing against Amy Adams’s evident talent and charm, and then you’re going to throw Justin Timberlake into this mix even though he’s not even from the same medium. The result is a lot of cliché, and the ending is what you’d expect.
[After THE JUMP: The world is made for people who aren’t cursed with self-awareness]
Running Back
Oh, Crash. [Bryan Fuller]
What we want to hear: Corum is starring, Edwards is everything we ever dreamed, Haskins didn’t kill anyone but there were some moments we thought he did.
What we’re hearing: Yep, all of that and then some. Blake Corum was made available to the media, which basically confirms he’s the coaches dream he was expected to be. Things from that: Hart’s introduced some new cutting drills. With just six games last year and a lot of those spent in pass mode nobody got a chance to get into a rhythm. Things are more focused Corum says he’s going to be a big factor in special teams with Giles gone. Donovan Edwards came in ready to play.
Corum likes Hart:
“I think Coach Mike Hart can really help anybody, not just in my stature,” Corum said. “The bigger guys, the little guys, it doesn’t really matter just because of what he brings to the table and how good he was as a running back. I definitely enjoy having a coach similar to my ability coach me just because he can see what I can see on the field, I do like it.”
Donovan Edwards came ready to play. WolverineWire’s Isaiah Hole rounded up quotes from all the veterans who couldn’t keep themselves from sharing. Here’s Josh Ross:
“Speed. Speed, speed, speed,” Ross said. “That dude is flying. He’s so fast. Young guy, still learning, still getting better. But he can fly. I’ll say that. He definitely can fly.”
What it means: The RB room last year was overstocked for how little run time was available, so while each star had their moments nobody really got to shine. This year I think they’ve got a much better mix, and the insiders are trying to tamp down how excited they are.
What it’s like: Bull Durham (1988). Three excellent leads, all perfect for their roles, who play off each other so well you don’t really care that the supporting cast are all pretty goofy and one-dimensional. Susan Sarandon throws herself into this role and comes out the best, and newcomer Tim Robbins slaps, but the best moment by far is Kevin Costner just knocking down every subject.
Wide Receiver
We’re asking the wrong questions. Do you believe in this thing? [Bryan Fuller]
What we want to hear: The speed is all translating but the starters are just killing it.
What we’re hearing: Awesome, but CAVEAT DEFENSIONIS. Sainristil used his media availability to praise the vibe around the offense. He’s also very very good at saying nothing, which around Schembechler Hall is appreciated even more than it’s not by guys like me. The one bit is he commented on Andrel Anthony’s speed:
Andrel is very fast. He’s definitely—we always talk about speed in the receiver’s room, he’s definitely one of the faster guys in the room.
Sam dug into the situation at wide receiver($) after insiders shared a guy moving up the depth chart likely precipitated Giles Jackson’s transfer.
Word is Cornelius Johnson and Mike Sainristil have taken their games up several notches and had separated themselves with Ronnie Bell as the top performers. I’m told “it wasn’t close” and that that trio “is playing at a very high level.” That said, it’s worthy of reiterating that spring depth charts are merely a snapshot of a point in time.
Expectation is Roman Wilson and AJ Henning will make another run at the starters in fall, and of course Xavier Worthy is going to make a dent. Chris Balas shared he doesn’t think the Jackson transfer will affect things with his friend($):
Count this as one of those situations. It was best for both parties that he move on. And no, we do not believe it affects Xavier Worthy, on whom he worked to land in Ann Arbor.
What it means: This is where CAVEAT DEFENSIONIS matters the most, but it’s hard to get around the fact that what we’re hearing exactly matches what we wanted to hear, especially regarding Cornelius Johnson. I love speed too, but it’s not hard to imagine Roman Wilson is running by Vincent Gray on the regular. Compare the talk last year, which was Ronnie Bell is all alone, to this year when Bell has company from the #1 remaining slot receiver and the #1 outside receiver who isn’t a freshman.
Baseball movie it’s like: Moneyball (2011). We’re taking something that’s complex, including some new things that mathletic fans are dying to see on film, and simplifying it enough to fit into the structure of a movie. Will it meet astronomical expectations? Of course not. Will it drag at times but hit the notes it’s supposed to and leave you wanting more of what you can’t have? Yes.
Tight End
What we want to hear: No more of that “A previous starter has fallen behind and might transfer” business.
What we’re hearing: A reversal of that “a previous starter has fallen behind and might transfer” business, via an ITF($):
We mentioned potential movement at tight end. It sounds like — for now, at least — that's on hold. Guys are putting in the work there, and it's been good.
What it means: I can only guess this was Erick All having some struggles in early spring. Emphasis on “guess.” Schoonmaker and Hibner are the only only non-walk-ons so who else could it be.
Baseball movie it’s like: For Love of the Game (1999). It’s a baseball movie that also tries to be a romance, but just isn’t really good at being a romance. Don’t get me wrong, it’s watchable, especially if you’re here because you like Kevin Costner baseball movies and the Detroit Tigers (raises hand). But let’s be honest, if we’re watching this it’s because I used my turn to choose a baseball movie about the Tigers, not because my wife used her turn to choose a love story about a single mom who needed to learn to trust again.
Offensive Line
We came for a good time, not for a long time. [Patrick Barron]
What we want to hear: They now have 7 or more very talented guys, including one or two who might be as good as Onwenu/Mayfield/Ruiz, and the young guys are coming along so well that grad transfer Willie Allen is coming in on the goal line or riding bench unless there’s a bunch of injuries.
What we’re hearing: Only our board and Isaiah Hole recognized that Michigan hired a new offensive analyst. Isaiah:
While the former Michigan football defensive coordinator landed in Tuscon with the Arizona Wildcats, the offensive line coach with the Pac-12 program is making his way to Ann Arbor. Kyle DeVan had a long NFL playing career with Washington, the New York Jets, the Indianapolis Colts, Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans before hanging up his cleats in 2012.
He started coaching in 2013, first as a grad assistant at Oregon State and USC before becoming an assistant offensive line coach with the New Orleans Saints. He spent three seasons as the offensive line coach at Ball State (where he also was the assistant head coach) before the past two at Arizona.
Zak Zinter represented the offensive line for the media. New OL coach Sherrone Moore is “bringing a new energy” to the line. Zinter himself is playing right guard and confirmed they’ve been giving him a little bit of run at center. He also clarified why he left the Penn State game:
“I tore my UCL the week practice before the Penn State game. I got treatment, was trying to fight through it and play the Penn State game … got through the first drive and it was just super painful, and I couldn’t play at my best to help the team win,” he recalled. “I got surgery, and it’s 100 percent healed now, feeling great. It’s ready to go. It’s not affecting me at all for spring.
(Correction: It's the UCL in his thumb)
Guy who emails me and Rivals calls the OL a “work in progress”($) and is down on Willie Allen. Balas made a portion of last week’s ITF free. That says Zinter’s been Michigan’s best OL, Stueber is expected to start, Hayes is at left tackle, Filiaga and Keegan are battling for left guard. We also got an explanation why the other guy the staff loves hasn’t been heard from:
Redshirt frosh Karsen Barnhart has been banged up, but most believe there’s a spot for him when he returns. They’ll take the best five linemen and make it work, so he could play tackle or guard. We won’t know how good this group can be until Barnhart gets back and they all have a chance to work together for a while, which obviously won’t be this spring with the session about to wrap up.
Sam Webb’s spring rumblings($) are more positive—CAVEAT DEFENSIONIS. The guys are who you’d expect: Hayes and Stueber at the tackles, with Trente Jones entering and Stueber going down to guard. Zak Zinter has been getting some snaps behind Vastardis at center. Trevor Keegan continues to get talked about and seems to be finally making a run at the LG job.
Everybody says Willie Allen is huuuuuuge, though that might mean too huge. One guy admits Allen’s coming from behind but not so far that he can’t make a run in the fall, and the other guy said don’t hold your breath. Zinter said Allen’s been at tackle, is a “big dude, has got strong hands, athletic. He’s going to be a good tackle.”
Zinter mentioned Greg Crippen as the early enrollee impressing him on the line:
Greg Crippen is standing out a bit. He’s going to have a very bright future in front of him. He’s very smart at the game, wants to learn, has a strong drive. He’s going to be a good player.”
Chris Balas hinted in a recent ITF that we’ll see some OL transfers once things shake out.
What it means: Offensive line analyst has been an underrated position on staff. A lot can explain last year’s drop-off in OL play, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence that our best interior play in a generation occurred when Juan Castillo was on staff. He was hired by the Bears last year, and the NFL guy I talk to a lot said it made an instant impact. While Sherrone Moore was an offensive lineman and involved with the OL coaching during his tenure as TE coach, Michigan’s analyst last year was Mike DeBord.
I don’t want to dunk on Ed Warinner—his track record speaks for itself—but there’s definitely a different vibe around Sherrone. Like a very good one. Like I don’t want share it all because I’m worried we can’t have nice things. But it’s not out of the question that we traded a Beilein for a Juwan here. If that’s the case, Kyle DeVan isn’t exactly Phil Martelli, but yoinking the guy who coached Arizona’s well-organized OL can’t hurt.
Zinter practicing at center confirms he’s a guy Michigan wants on the line in any configuration, and that the next guy in after the starting five will be a guard. It also tells you depth at center isn’t great, which is understandable given depth is a redshirt freshman and a freshman. Karsen Barnhart was probably ticketed for right tackle when he gets back, which would push Stueber to left guard, but Michigan likes Stueber and Zinter together so much that might be reversed. I watched the Penn State game too and I’d be a little miffed, given the practice reports, if Trevor Keegan isn’t ahead of Chuck Filiaga unless the latter’s play has improved significantly. Trente Jones is probably ahead of them both.
Best guess the line starts (left to right): Hayes-Barnhart-Vastardis-Zinter-Stueber, with Jones coming in as a tackle if any of the afore mentioned goes out, and Zinter sliding to center if that’s Vastardis. Keegan is probably next in after that, and then the senior backups if they stick around to be backups.
Baseball movie it’s like: Everybody Wants Some!! (2016). It’s not marketed very well. It didn’t make back half of its big budget. You’re really not expecting Richard Linklater’s follow-up to Boyhood to be digestible, let alone fun. But there are some really good young cast members in this ensemble, a couple of whom might really blow up into the kinds of guys you can’t believe were all together when they were young. And it’s not missing its beats. And you’re kind of getting into this. It’s not blowing you away, but is this?… this is… I think this is good.
December Madness. 16-team NCAA football tournament. Selection Sunday at the end of Thanksgiving weekend.
Get it done NCAA.
Why have a real postseason when you can have the Pacific Ocean Floating Trash Ring Bowl?
The players don't get paid for that.
Everybody wants some!! was great, 80s college baseball meets dazed and confused.
I couldn't agree more. I'm a Linklater fan, and this was one of my favorites. Can't wait until it comes to a streaming service.
FYI re the UCL - there's an Ulnar Collateral Ligament in both the elbow and the hand. The hand one is a common football injury - it's also called "skier's thumb". If you see a thumb in a cast, that's probably what's going on. Happens in a lot of sports - baseball players sliding head first do it too.
Source - partially tore mine twice!
Pictured - Budda Baker after injuring thumb ligaments. My google search showed Jeff Backus had the same injury and a cast for the Lions.
Thumb UCL disruption also known as "Gamekeeper's Thumb!"
(QB) It’s going to be a bumpy ride.
I find this infuriating. Cade McNamara is a 4-star recruit, going into his third year, got starting experience last season, has been with the same coordinator his entire career, and has veterans on offense at WR, RB, & o-line. The line is probably the youngest of the group, but there is no reason why he should not be primed and ready to be successful in 2021.
Let me remind you of something.
#1. It's Spring Practice. Which they didn't get last year. They have a full Summer to work on what they learned. Then, they have a full Fall practice that they'll learn more. THEN....they have a few non conference games (which they also didn't get last year), to get use to playing in games. The sky isn't falling. Relax.
#2. Chad Henne went through Spring AND fall practice, and STILL didn't win the job. He only started the first game because Matt Gutierrez got hurt in the season opener, during warm-ups. I'm sure if Social Media was a thing back then, then the sky would have been falling, and dooooooom! How did that season end up working out?
Coaching is important. Experience is important. But, I've also been around athletes long enough to know that the single most important factor in if they are going to be any good or not is if they are actually any good or not. If they are, they are. They can get better and their development can be stagnate, so coaching matters. But, if they aren't any good, good luck developing them. JOK wasn't getting developed no matter who coached him or how much experience he had. And, Brett Favre didn't need to know Xs & Os or technique to be good. He could walk out and do it because he could do it. If Cade is any good, he's had enough experience, practice, and coaching to show it. FWIW I do also believe there are guys that play better when the lights come on and may not practice as well and UM is notorious for not playing these guys and instead playing the practice stars like Joe Bolden.
As a former college coach, I've got to disagree here. The proverbial light often comes on for players, and you never when in their career it will happen.
Now, great players almost always pop as true freshmen. But the best player I ever coached did not really come on until he was a junior. As a freshman, he was a fringe starter. As a senior? An All-American.
Cade has already demonstrated that he has skills. Will he translate that to consistent results? Who knows? But while I agree with your first comment about it being infuriating that we still have not had a star QB in the Harbaugh era, I disagree with this one. JH should have already produced an elite QB and we should not be feeling so shaky about the position at this point, but that does not mean that Cade (or JJ) is not that guy.
Are you talking about HS or college? I find it a lot easier to believe that of a HS player than a college one unless he was a really late bloomer physical or a really sensitive person who needed a lot of nurturing and time before he felt comfortable and could stop thinking and just play. Regardless, I'd suggest those while certainly possible, are the exception and not the rule. If Cade is going to eventually turn into an All American in 2022, chances are he'll be pretty good in 2021. If he's not ready to be one of the better QBs in the conference in 2021, I find it highly unlikely he will be an All American in 2022. Most kids that can play are already showing signs. I can see a guy going from the bench to great in one season because they had an upperclassmen ahead of them like Haskins had with Barrett at OSU. But, Haskins was really good every time he played. He walked into The Game when Barrett went down with very little experience and carved UM up. If Cade is in fact good, he's had the time, coaching, and experience to show it. If he's not any good next year, I'm skeptical he never will be. (FWIW I do think he's good and will be next year).
Totally agreed. I think a player can be coached and with enough work ethic and experience, can become a serviceable QB like a Wilton Speight or Jake Rudock. But if they're truly game changing/Heisman level great? That light should start shining pretty soon or it'll probably never shine at all. The college game isn't all that complex. It isn't the NFL.
In this link below, Manziel talks about how he was partying hard throughout his Heisman season his redshirt freshman year, showing up late and drunk to practices and walk-throughs while Kliff Kingsbury covered for him with Kevin Sumlin. He talks about how being able to sustain such a high level of play while partying all the time is what led to his downfall in the NFL where you can't succeed on pure talent alone and need to put the work in but he believed he was invincible based on his college experience.
There's a big difference for example between Ruddock second half of 2015 and Speight. Speight was serviceable at times and pretty bad at others. Ruddock was pretty danged good the second half of 2015. He's now carving out a role in the NFL. Both players also have NFL frames. Good coaching and development could get most 4stars to Speight level of serviceable. I don't think coaching alone can get you to the level of play from Ruddock the second half of 2015. Ruddock's development at UM was likely as much to do with simply learning their offense and the increased level of talent at UM than coaching up a player of mediocre talent.
Also, I agree about the NFL level. My argument was about college. Only the truly elite like Lawrence Taylor or Deion Sanders can get away with that on that level, but not a 5"11" 200 lbs NFL QB.
Rudock
Ruddock
Rudddddddddddddock
Rudddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddock
Ruddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddock
Always thought the Joe Bolden heat was too much.
Always thought the Joe Bolden heat was too much.
He was the #2 ILB in his class and #76 overall in the composite. His play did NOT match his recruiting profile.
When Cade has had his chances and has not been injured, he has in fact shown it. Yes, Rutgers is not a great team (or even a very good one). Nonetheless, going 27 for 36 and throwing 4 TDs to 0 interceptions is showing something.
Didn't get a chance to respond in the other thread before it got locked, but just wanted to say, tons of respect for how informed you are on the subject. You could write a book with all that info, lol.
"FWIW I do also believe there are guys that play better when the lights come on and may not practice as well and UM is notorious for not playing these guys and instead playing the practice stars like Joe Bolden."
Some guys just aren't knock-your-socks-off performers on the practice field:
"Montana started the season behind Rick Slager as a sophomore in '75, and behind Rusty Lisch in '77, Joe's year of junior eligibility after he had separated his shoulder and missed all of '76. The time Montana spent on the bench still bothers him; the resentment of Devine is still there...
Walsh, the former 49er coach, says there's something about Montana when you first see him on the practice field, "an almost blasé look, although actually he's anything but that. I could see a college coach being put off by the fact that he's not responding overtly, so he'd say, 'Well, this guy's not motivated, he's not with the program.' "
I am NOT saying that McNamara is a still-unrecognized successor to Montana, but it is the case that practice performance is not a 100% flawless indicator of how an athlete will perform at game time. Many UM alumni players will acknowledge they had teammates who were lights out on State St but never really stood out on Main St.
I don't think Henne enrolled early, but it was a long time ago. Pretty sure this was before the age of common EEs and he had been on campus for about a month.
Correct, he did not. Michigan's first early enrollee was Kevin Grady the following year. Here's the complete list I have.
| Year | Players |
|---|---|
| 2005 | Kevin Grady |
| 2006 | Carlos Brown, Justin Boren |
| 2007 | Vince Helmuth, Austin Panter, Artis Chambers, Ryan Mallett |
| 2008 | Darryl Stonum |
| 2009 | Vincent Smith, William Campbell, Mike Jones, Brandin Hawthorne, Tate Forcier, Anthony LaLota, Vladimir Emilien |
| 2010 | Jeremy Jackson, Stephen Hopkins, Jerald Robinson, Austin White, Ricardo Miller, Christian Pace, Greg Brown |
| 2011 | Greg Brown |
| 2012 | Joe Bolden, Jarrod Wilson, Kaleb Ringer |
| 2013 | Jake Butt, Taco Charlton, Dymonte Thomas, Ross Taylor-Douglas, Kyle Bosch, Logan Tuley-Tillman |
| 2014 | Bryan Mone, Brandon Watson, Drake Harris, Wilton Speight, Mason Cole, Freddy Canteen, Michael Ferns |
| 2015 | Alex Malzone, Brian Cole |
| 2016 | Carlo Kemp, Sean McKeon, Brandon Peters, Devin Bush, Kareem Walker, Kingston Davis, Ahmir Mitchell |
| 2017 | Donovan Jeter, Brad Robbins, Ben Mason, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Tarik Black, Cesar Ruiz, J'Marick Woods, Ambry Thomas, Jaylen Kelly-Powell, Benjamin St-Juste, Ja'Raymond Hall, Corey Malone-Hatcher |
| 2018 | Taylor Upshaw, Joe Milton, Myles Sims |
| 2019 | Cade McNamara, Mike Sainristil, Erick All, Mazi Smith, Gabe Newburg, David Ojabo, Jalen Perry, Zach Charbonnet |
| 2020 | Blake Corum, Braiden McGregor, Cornell Wheeler, Nikhai Hill-Green, Aaron Lewis, William Mohan |
| 2021 | J.J. McCarthy, Donovan Edwards, Tavierre Dunlap, Cristian Dixon, Andrel Anthony, Greg Crippen, Giovanni El-Hadi, Tristan Bounds, Junior Colson |
The reason is that his coach hasn’t produced a good college qb in a decade plus.
What makes you think he is not primed? Look he’s still young and learning a lot. He’s clear cut leader right now and I would expect him to continue to work hard and be ready to improve on what he did last year
Sure there is: coaching. Why would you expect anything different this year when very little changed with the HC and OC?
We all knew 2021 was going to be a rough year. I’m not sure why anyone would expect anything other than a rebuilding year this year after witnessing 2020.
I’m not sure why anyone would expect anything other than a rebuilding year this year after witnessing 2020.
Because we're bringing back almost every starter and getting McNamara healthy. Plus I think we've upgraded the offensive coaching staff, while keeping the coordinator, so no one's learning a new system. And, we're bringing in three elite skill position players in the '21 class in McCarthy, Edwards, & Worthy who will all contribute in some manner. I think there's many reasons to expect a good offensive season. The only thing that could hold them back is the o-line and if key injuries happen. This is all theory that would apply to general assumptions. But, we all know UM will find a way to be middling. But, the logic is there and the pieces are in place for a strong offensive team.
Still waiting for "A League of Their Own" so we can be reminded that "there's no crying in baseball."
Also, it's kind of a guilty pleasure movie for me. It just holds up.
There's no "guilty pleasure" for this movie. It's just a good movie.
there's no guilty pleasures in baseball
This is true, but I was happy to see several quotes from "Bull Durham," my personal favorite baseball movie.
My favorite baseball movie is probably Eight Men Out (John Motherfucking Sayles! That cast!). But no one wants to see THAT comparison.
Yeah 8 men out is one of my favs as well. Couldn't relate it to any Michigan position groups though.
So basically what I'm interpreting here is yet another year of repeatedly smashing our highly talented tailbacks into a stacked box because our QB's won't be able to see our WR's streak down field insanely wide open. Sweet........welp....at least our defense is gonna be shitty
Man, it doesn't even sound as if you like being a Michigan fan. Why keep forcing it?
Because man.........because
Damn do I understand those three words.
I am 100% in agreement with TTOJ about the offense. Tons and tons of RB talent which won't lead to much because of stacked boxes. QBs that regress as they spend more time in the program, leading to aforementioned stacked boxes.
I'm not sure what this has to do with "liking to be a Michigan (football) fan". The way I see it, there isn't a ton to like about this team's play. So, no, I don't like being a fan of this team. The Pistons / Wings / Tigers have been shitty, but it's because they are all rebuilding and have varying low levels of talent. But Michigan football? Talented recruiting classes, not coached up well and subjected to a decided lack of team chemistry and fun, as well as piss-poor in-game coaching. Pretty much the Lions under many of their regimes. Hard to be a fan of that.
But as most of us know, you can't just turn it off. I'm stuck with my fandom, so I'll hope for the best until basketball comes around again. That doesn't mean I need to be happy about it.
This is how I feel. My expectations for this year are not in win/losses, rather in approach and attitude on the field. Way too many factors to even consider a winning season in my opinion. What I’m sick and tired of as a fan is watching stubborn football, no development and no excitement in the program. Harbaugh’s first year comes to mind, smart play calling, playing and coaching with attitude and taking advantage of mismatches. If they show that, I’ll be happy but not getting my hopes up. I want to see Jim turn it around so bad but big part of me thinks he’ll revert to Manball as soon as results don’t immediately show.
"But as most of us know, you can't just turn it off."
Yes, you can. I was a Steelers fan most of my life. I grew up there and the indoctrination starts early.
All it took was for me to lose interest and stop cheering for them was when Roethlisberger was revealed to be sexual predator and the Steelers didn't un-ass him. I believe in redemption, but go find it playing for the Raiders.
No way, no how, Roethlisberger would have stuck around if Noll was the coach. That or Noll would have resigned if he was told he had to keep the creep.
Anyway, haven't spent a dime on any Steelers stuff or attended any more games in 11 years. If they found the fountain of youth and Terry Bradshaw drank some and came back to play for the Steelers, I'd be tempted to watch and cheer, but the team would still be owned by people who gave a guy a pass for horrendous behavior because it's hard to find a franchise qb.
I don’t disagree and I think Ben is a creep and a huge loser. But, he wasn’t actually convicted of anything, so I’m not sure what grounds the Steelers could’ve acted...punishing him for settling these cases? Maybe....but it’s not like he was convicted and they retained him. The courts failed here, not necessarily the Steelers. I do hate him though.
The Steelers didn't have to keep him around. Could have refused to negotiate. Everybody knew he was a scumbag.
So is Deshaun Watson, but the Texans and the NFL aren't going to do sh*t about it.
I’m not necessarily getting that vibe from this report, but it’s my default expectation until they finally stop doing it.
I wonder if it is too late to just install the triple option. At least that would utilize our backs and minimize passing mistakes.
This all sounds historically accurate and completely expected for the foreseeable future. Until Harbaugh is gone, unfortunately. This many years in, I have a hard time believing the team is going to stop being a dysfunctional disaster on offense. The absolutely awful QB situation for years on end is just completely inexplicable. I had thought things were going to get better when Gattis was hired. Nope.
Everybody Wants Some!! should be saved for the best position group because that is the best baseball movie, mostly because it wastes as little of its time as possible on the baseball parts of itself.
Everybody Wats Some!! Played baseball much of my life, and worked in collegiate and MiLB for five years, and EWS!! is more realistic than any baseball movie at depicting the fraternity of a baseball team. It's so subtly good.
Go watch Sugar, Seth!
None of this will matter if our defense swings to Rodrigues era effectiveness. I live in terror of those memories.
I have a feeling it's not going to be pretty this year. RR levels? We'll see. I have to believe there's more talent than that era, but all new staff, first year DC, all new completely different scheme... at best they'll be "not terrible" by mid-season.
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