Unverified Voracity Is About To Get A Lot Of Emails From @Corn.Com

Man, Iowa is going to be BAD.  I mean who starts a walk-on at safety . . .

If there's something going on with Tate, we won't hear about it officially until after the first game.  Why would UM tell anyone what's going on with the QB situation when they can force UCONN to have to scheme for two completely different looks?

"I'm not sure how much either of those means, but Moundros winning the MLB job would be concerning, not so much because of what it says about Ezeh but what it might say about Kenny Demens, JB Fitzgerald, and the rest of the scholarship linebackers who have disappointed thus far in their careers" 

Michigan LB recruiting in the last 5-6 years has nearly been on par with DB recruiting.  I mean, we had to take a freakin JUCO in 2007 because of attrition and poor LB recruiting, and even he didn't pan out.  

Unbelievable.  You know, I'm beginning to think that they honestly don't even want us to really know what's going on during practice.

Don't they even care about us, or the entertainment value of practice sessions and video???

(I am totally and unequivocably seriously serious here.  Seriously.)

They're in a menage a trois or quatre for third place in the Big Ten: Iowa, Penn State, Michigan State, and Michigan (maybe improbably but not impossible; I actually like our chances).

Third place will likely need to win at least 5 in the Big Ten and probably 6. MSU and Penn State both miss Ohio State so, they should have an advantage there. BUT, Michigan plays all three head-to-head and two of them at home, so we control our own destiny.

Let's Go, Blue.

I have heard a few people now express concern about Ezeh and/or Demens because Moundros may jump them on the charts.  While I do find this disappointing, isn't it possible that Moundros is just really taking to his new position.  RR made the guy a captain, and I bet he did so because Moundros worked his ass off to learn the new position during the offseason.  If he did, and if he is just really taking to it well, then I don't necessarily think that this means that the others are crappy - just that Moundros might be that good at his new position. 

Also, the view that Moundros may have jumped these guys seems to have originated in clips of practice taken during an open practice.  After last year's issues with certain plays being tipped by the media (whether intentional or not), I wouldn't put it past RR to hide just about everything, including 1st and 2nd team pairings during this all-access practice. 

Rocko Khoury #63 was at 1st center, not David Molk #50.  Hard to pick out the OL on each play.  Maybe they were using mixed units?  Remember, UofM controls content on the site, so very likely coaches cleared footage for posting.  Anyway, hope Forcier isn't hurt too bad and hope Molk is healthy.

Cool maize jerseys on QBs, too!

• As revealed by MVictors, Michigan orders yellow helmets and paints them maize and then blue.
• Schutt does not have enough yellow helmets to meet Michigan's order, so they send some blue ones in order to not be short.
• Michigan does not paint most of the blue ones, since they are due to be returned and replaced with properly painted yellow ones when Schutt fills the backorder.

*Revised

The thought of going through another year without an experienced QB makes me ready to load up the brain lubricants. Tate is our only experienced QB. This concerns me way more than the defense.

Please make this all disinformation (remember last year when RR insisted the QB is "up for grabs" -- then Tate played basically the whole year).

Now: if Rodriguez is going to deploy "The Team" in his tweets can we get him to say "those who stay will be champions"? I have literally been waiting for this since he was introduced at halftime of the Ohio State game.

Brian, don't you mean introduced at halftime of the Florida Gators game.  Lloyd Carr had not officially announced his retirement by the Ohio State game.

Tates orginal helmet is being fitted with these mind-control probes that are linked to RRod via satellite,Tate will be controlled from the sidelines with a nintendo handle...OR since he had a head injury last year he may be testing some new head gear.

Swing low, Iowa. I've been thinking this for a while and now I'll dare mention it because a couple other outlets have broached the same thing: isn't Iowa due for a recession after their debt-fueled 2009? The lasting image of Iowa's Orange Bowl-winning season isn't Adrian Clayborn turning something into a damp red smear* but an Indiana pass pinging off four separate players before landing Charmin-soft in the hands of Tyler Sash.

Now it can be told on a list of teams most likely to regress this year:

1. Iowa

The Hawkeyes had a great record last year, but they weren't dominant. They beat Northern Iowa and Arkansas State by a combined four points. They nearly lost to Michigan and Michigan State. In 2010, they get every tough team in the Big Ten while missing Illinois and Purdue. Iowa State usually plays them tough regardless, and they go to Arizona. It's not going to be an explosive team, and the schedule is tough.

That's Team Speed Kills and it's admittedly hazy, but the point about NIU, Arkansas State, Michigan (guh), Michigan State, and that omitted Indiana game is well-taken: Iowa was 89th in total offense last year. That is not often the recipe for a top-ten team, especially when the top-ten defense lost about half its starters and is still deploying a walk-on at safety.

Iowa, in 2008 went 9-4 their four losses were by a combined score of 12 points. They lost by one point at Pittsburgh, five points in Evanston, Three points in East Lansing(through a quirk in scheduling they played MSU in consecutive years in Spartan Stadium. ), and three points in Champaign(a weird loss, and the single and LAST loss Ferentz has to Zook. Ferentz even beat Zook when he was coaching Florida.).

Every game Iowa lost that year but for one play could have been a win. Iowa outplayed most of the opponets in those losses. Their wins in 2008 included drubbings of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Indiana, Iowa State, and South Carolina with a narrow win over then undefeated #3 PSU in Kinnick.

I would say 2009 was simply Karma paying back the Hawkeyes for the 2008 debt. Additionally, take a look at those close wins in 2009 and you'll see Iowa had a number of missing starters. Most of the year the Big Ten lineaman of the year, Bryan Bulaga, was either out with a thyroid illness or still feeling the ill-effects(see his perfromance against Arkansas State's DE and the following week against monster DE Brandon Graham.)of it. Remember that Shonn Greene, he of over 1,800 yards rushing as a redshirt junior left early to be a hero for the Jets. That left his back up the talented Jewel Hampton to be the heir apparent only to lose him for the season before game one. Hence the insertion of jouneyman, Paki "Bomb" O'Meara, as the starter then when reality struck two-star from freshman Adam Robinson started(and turned out to be pretty good). That's how you get N.Iowa...Arkansas State etc. Injuries, sickness, new players, players still figuring out how to play the position. Now, Iowa has 8 returning starters on one of the top 10 defenses in the country. BTW-Greenwood, that walk-on safety, is a preseason All-Big Ten player. They have all their backs returning(Wegher? *fingers crossed* but, w/Hampton and Robinson back, two incoming frosh RB's should only see the field in blowouts.) including Jewel Hampton, who's probably the most talented of them. They have the best WR group Ferentz has ever had, and they have the typically good Iowa special teams.

This year Iowa get's that tough schedule almost completely in Kinnick. Argurably one of the tougher places to play in the country.

Stanzi, is a wild-card but, a fifth year senior QB who has a 18-4 career record is usually going to be a good thing and I strongly suspect less comeback wins will be necessary as a better group of backs and a deep corp of receivers(not to mention that defense)aren't going to allow many teams to get ahead of them.

I noticed last year in a pre-season interview when talking about the B-10 championship contenders you left out Iowa(but, you did say Illinois was a team to watch in the future???). I suspect you've short changed the Hawkeyes again BTW...Most of all these two returnees for the Hawkeyes shouldn't be underestimated..Kirk Ferentz and DC Norm Parker. Coaching counts.

I've got this nice ceramic pipe with some green herb in it for you to mellow on.

I don't worry about Moundros at LB, (we have the DBs to worry about; I shall remain willfully ignorant of the LB play). Whether or not he's ever played the position, something can be said for the fact that he's a senior. By now, he knows how to break down film, practice, etc. Will he be the starter on Opening Day? Don't know. But, some guys find their natural positions and become stars long after they've joined the team, (see: Welborne, Tripp).

RR or GERG may also be trying to get as many of the guys who will legitimately see playing time some experience with the ones. Chemistry seems to be a key ingredient in the D this year, and both players and coaches have to be confident that if a guy steps into fill a spot, the squad doesn't lose a step.

once he drops a bit of weight he'll be fine

In that video posted at the top - you can see Tate at the 30 second mark with his nice blue helmet and has a red jersey on -- maybe he does have some crazy injury??

I have been having the same thoughts about Iowa. My view:

• Iowa's recruiting is never outstanding, but in 2005 they had a top 15-ish class. This was the Christianson class with a few solid OLs. While mostly dissappointing, this class held a significant amount of the talent at Iowa and is not no longer on campus.
• Iowa doesn't seem to represent well in the draft generally speaking, but they did lose 6 guys (2 OLs, a TE; 2 LBs and a CB) to the 2010 draft. That's a lot of talent for a team to lose. Combine that witht he depth lost from the 2005 class.

I don't see Iowa going 4-8 or anything, but they have a tough middle stretch on the schedule, half their OL to replace (if you include the TE), and 2 LBers to replace. Their strength will certainly be the DL, but I don't think they can replace that talent at the OL. Most expect Iowa to just plug in more RSed 3*s that fit and know the system, but I wonder if last years success could be attributed to talent more so than other Iowa teams. Talent that is no longer on the team.

Isn't taking the wings off Tate's helmet as some sort of motivational ploy kinda silly?  If he isn't in shape to play, just tell him that.  Either he fixes the problem and competes for playing time, or he doesn't and doesn't play.  But no one seriously thinks Tate's helmet is going to any different than anyone else's for the first game.  So why do it now?  Isn't playing time enough of a motivation?  Why create embarassment and the potential for resentment?

As was pointed out in the comments of the video embedded in this post, Bo's famous speech must have been pre-1983 to be included in the 1983 CBS College Football Preview:

with our linebackers last year was their reads, angles, and positioning on the field, as was the case with our safeties as well.  Lets not talk Florida, Alabama, and Texas here. Breaking News - Michigan is not going to have a dominating bone crushing shut down defense, we simply don't have the players, yet.  The primary objective with this defense is to make the other team work to score, and to be in the right position on the field to prevent the home run.  If Moundros will be in the right position to stop a six yard gainer at six yards (see Indiana and Illinois games last year for what not to do), then put him on the field.

If he's a a sure tackle I'm all for him getting a lot of time. I don't think he ends up starting but after watching these highlights I think he is going to get a lot more playing time at linebacker than I envisioned when we first heard he switched from fullback.