Unverified Voracity Got Out Two Weeks Ago
Somewhat less than timely, but still good. Michigan softball player Bree Evans, who suffered a scary injury at the beginning of the month, is out of the hospital. She's been out for a good long while…
Evans was released from the hospital two weeks ago, according to Michigan sports information director Leah Howard. Howard declined to comment on details of Evans’ injury.
…but better to know late than never, I guess.
Well, let's be explicit about it. Deshawn Sims and Mann Harris talking to Fox Sports's Jeff Goodman for a Beilein fluff bit before the season:
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - DeShawn Sims had just finished up his freshman season at Michigan when he heard the news that John Beilein had been hired to replace Tommy Amaker. At the time, Manny Harris was the Wolverines' top signee, and the word quickly swirled that he would explore other options."People were saying Beilein's system was for white boys," Sims said.
"I heard he didn't even like players that dunk," added the athletic Harris.
Elsewhere in basketball, perhaps the most newsworthy thing to come out of Big Ten Media Day was Illinois coach Bruce Weber suggesting that the Big Ten will "probably" move to a full round robin "down the road." I got so excited about it that I retweeted it, so, yes, I am enthusiastic about the hypothetical change. It just makes sense, and now with the Big Ten Network it makes financial sense—in conversations I've had with them they have a strong preference for intraconference matchups.
And here's a Tim Hardaway Jr fluffy bit from ESPN, courtesy reader Woodson2Heisman:
Michigan checks in at #15 in both preseason polls, but this is slightly terrifying:
Junior guard Manny Harris - an All-Big Ten team selection Thursday - has battled pulled hamstrings since the start of practice and Beilein, himself a victim of the consistently tight hammys, has been extra cautious. …
“Now that it’s happened, it’s got to be a season-long therapy thing,” Beilein said. “We can’t let down. He’s always been tight in his hamstrings. I have tight hamstrings so I know what it’s like. It can lead to back problems.
“Stretching is not my favorite thing to do, it’s not his. Therapy isn’t, but he has to do it. “
Ugh. Season-long nagging injury for the unquestioned star of the team. This is not so good.
Because you're still on a Quest for Toronto. Troy Nunes is an Absolute Magician, the fantastic Syracuse blog, asks "why isn't anyone talking about Scott Shafer?" Insert snark here. But then TNIAAM drops some year-to-year numbers that are a little bothersome since Michigan and Syracuse have essentially swapped defensive coordinators:
Syracuse Defense Rankings 2008 vs 2009 (through seven games)
| Statistic | 2008 Defense | 2009 Defense |
| Run Defense | 102nd | 6th |
| Pass Defense | 84th | 115th |
| Scoring Defense | 102nd | 81st |
| Total Defense | 102nd | 62nd |
| Interceptions | 99th | 73rd |
| Fumbles Forced | 59th | 11th |
| Fumbles Recovered | 84th | 6th |
| Sacks | 101st | 24th |
| Tackles For Loss | 106th | 49th |
| Opp. 3rd Down Conv. | 117th | 38th |
That's across-the-board improvement except in pass defense. So, okay, there's a lot of noise in these numbers and they'll probably fall with Cincinnati and Pittsburgh the next two games on the schedule. And Syracuse apparently returned a lot of people on defense, including all the good players. But it's at least an indication that Scott Shafer isn't a total git who lucked his way into the Michigan job and blew it all by himself.
On the other hand: the last time I offered a small complaint about Robinson, one of the guys from The Only Colors who does their version of UFR emailed me about a post he'd put up highlighting Robinson's halftime adjustments. That's pretty noisy, too, but in the offseason we'll take a thorough look at the two defenses.
Early signing. Don't know why this came up just now but Rodriguez is in favor of a couple changes to recruiting. One is an early signing day that this site has advocated before:
“I would be in favor of having an early signing day around the third week in December, when the junior-college signing date is, and then have another signing date like we do now on the first Wednesday in February," Rodriguez said on Tuesday's Big Ten coaches teleconference.
The other item he's mentioned is the past is allowing schools to offer official visits over the summer, something that makes sense for schools fairly distant from talent sources in Florida.
Adios, Ufer. Bob Ufer died this week in 1981, and a guy emailed me to let me know he'd been putting up some Ufer retrospective videos on the tubes:
I haven't spent a lot of time scouring youtube to confirm this, but I bet Michigan dominates it, what with Wolverine Historian and this poster ("Ghosts of Michigan") and now a zillion individual plays from UFR.
CONSPIRACY These are the items I was talking about Monday when I mentioned a number of questionable calls that went against Michigan. The illegal formation is on the right tackle here:
There was also the too-many-men call on the Robinson interception, or lack thereof:
You can see the ball has already been snapped.
Rodriguez is not happy about this stuff, nor is he happy about the ridiculous Schilling holding call—the second time in two Big Ten games that Schillling's crushed a guy and gotten a hold for his troubles. RR:
"Some of them I understand, when you twist and turn a guy, whatever," Rodriguez said. "But if you've got your hands inside in great position, you're drive blocking a guy and he falls down, because, one, he loses his balance or something, I don't think it should be called holding.
"There is more of a gray area, and there's more frustration, I think, in seeing some of the calls."
No doubt some Penn State fan will run back to his message board going "lol we won 35-10" so let's just be clear: this did not have an impact on the outcome of the game.
While I'm at it, here's Holly Rowe, Hoth Edition:
Etc.: College presidents complaining about how coaches' salaries are excessive. Adrian Witty is still planning to enroll in January. Beilein's top priority for AD is a guy who will renovate Crisler for serious. A package of reforms designed to make the money trail from shady college coaches to shady AAU coaches more illegal has passed in its entirety.
Is there an actual DVD of the "Bob Ufer: A Life in a Season" youtube clips?
The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers.
-Thomas Jefferson
Interesting that the Delaware St. game score is in that picture. Don't really know why that is interesting, though.
Willie Heston - 72 touchdowns; 4 National titles; 43-0-1 record; All-American; Law Degree
They have been horrible this year, I hope their is a review of things in the off-season.
...you can train players to put a hat on the ball, punch it from behind, etc - but i think recoveries fall into the category of "fluck."
edit - should be a response to imafreak's shafer / turnovers post. apologies.
I was shocked when Shafer was fired by Michigan and wish him only the best. However, these two stats are huge turn arounds that are really, really helping the Syracuse defense.
Fumbles Forced 59th 11th
Fumbles Recovered 84th 6th
Some think that defenses can be trained to force fumbles. I am skeptical but feel confident in saying Shafer can't be having a huge impact on these two stats in just his first year.
This is not to say he is not responsible for the turn around but... Those are huge swings that he had little to do with that are having a huge effect.
Give it to Wheatley!
Coach Beliein wants an AD who will renovate Crisler? Yes please!!!!
I heard once, that the determining factor on whether or not someone was on the line of scrimage was whether or not their helmut was lined up to cross the numbers on the uniform of the center. In this picture, it is hard to tell from the angle, but if it is that close to tell then a risk is being taken for being called off the line of scrimage.
The too many men on the field against Penn State should have been called. I was surprised that it wasn't.
I caught a little of the VT - UNC game last night and Va Tech's RT lined up in the backfield on just about every play I watched. Seems UM has probably developed a reputation for this somehow and refs are looking for it.
http://www.notqualifiedtocomment.com/
Big Ten has been calling that all year it seems like, at least in the games I have seen, but your right it is quite different in other conferences
Warning: A =) is a sarcastic or joke filled post. (Its pretty much the happiest smiley out there, I have been told) Despite being a ND fan I do have a sense of humor
The refs lived in Michigan - they would obviously want us to win and would have done everything in their power to help us!
When I saw Holly, I immediately thought; "she looks like Little Bo-Peep."
BUT
Hoth Edition > Little Bo-Peep
Nobody home...
for the 30 seconds she was on the air?
If she hadn't gushed all over Tate like a proud mom after the ND game, I would be annoyed with her.
Oh well, she may be just a cuddly soccer mom, but she's our cuddly soccer mom.
M'Dog
Can we get the 2008 Michigan vs 2009 Michigan so far defensive numbers for comparison? If both have improved across the board it can either be 1) a better fit or (more likely) 2) the talent on the field being better
This is the comment I got after linking the pic...
"It's pretty clear to me he is off the field.
The side judge is right there and his foot is on the white part.
Unless you want to count the coach who is also in the white part of the field as on the field?"
that the ref who should be looking at the 12th guy in white on the field, is instead looking to see if the RT in blue has his helmet in proper alignment with the blue Center's belt.
One of these clouds must have a Maize and Blue lining ...
Shafer was neutered by Rodriguez and the other WVU coaches. He's been pretty solid everywhere he's gone...except Michigan. I'd take that as a sign that Shafer isn't incompetent.
This is why it's important for a defensive coordinator to bring in HIS guys or at least guys he's comfortable with. The Michigan coaches - including Rodriguez - barely knew Shafer when he was hired.
Also, it didn't help that John Thompson was the strongside linebacker.
I still maintain that it would have been better for Michigan to play Mouton at WILL, Thompson at MIKE, and Ezeh at SAM.
www.touchthebanner.blogspot.com
It's better to be silent and thought a fool, than to speak and remove all doubt.
The definition is that the helmet of any player on the line must be no further back than the waistline of the snapper. The right tackle CLEARLY is not on the line of scrimmage. Textbook penalty - no doubt about it.
...if that's the case, how do you get around it when the offensive linemen are not down in a 3-point stance, as in a 2-minute drill? do they basically set their up with their feet a few inches forward?
I've heard on the radio that this was the rule, the tackle's helmet needs to be beyond the waist of the center.
Looking at the photo, still looks like a ticky-tack call, but his head was far enough back that it could be called, I suppose. If I recall correctly, this is the 3rd time Ortmann has been called for this, poor performance for a 5th year guy.
is the right tackle
Whoops ok I stand corrected. I do remember UM getting penalized for this twice in an early game, I want to say the EMU game, maybe someone with a better memory can clarify.
The only thing that makes that a penalty then is that the RT is not bent at the waist as much as the LT. Makes the call pretty dubious.
Berkeley profs, "progressive" as always, have moved beyond complaining about salaries, and on to complaining about the existence of the athletic department in general:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/10/27/MN0L1AAUM3.DTL
The Chronicle article linked above couches the matter in fairly mild terms, suggesting that given the budget situation in California (for those who don't know, UC Berkeley is looking at an across-the-board 20% cut in funding next year), some profs would like to see the athletic department become self-sustaining - a reasonable viewpoint to have. But the situation is much less mild than the article makes it: many profs here view the entire football/basketball culture as 'distracting' from the academic mission of the university, and would like to see sports done away with altogether. Remember, this is the place where four idiots were allowed to sit in some trees for 22 months to protest the expansion of the concourse around the football stadium because their "right to protest" was more important than the right of the athletic department to do something no reasonable person should be protesting.
What amazes me is how little these profs understand the impact of athletics on student life. I have two good friends here, one from Rutgers, one from Missouri. Neither are particularly big football fans (one, in fact, hates sports in general), but both are well aware that when their respective football programs had some success recently, undergraduate applications at their schools nearly DOUBLED. That kind of effect isn't worth the $6 million the general fund contributes to the athletic department budget? And which athletic departments are self-sustaining? The biggest ones who spend the most money!
I'm proud that Michigan's athletic department is self-sustaining, and give a lot of credit to Bill Martin for making that happen. But even if it weren't, I don't have a problem with schools spending money on sports. In any other business, they'd call that the marketing budget.
It depends on what the University is trying to achieve. University of Chicago has done just fine without their once-excellent football program. If you are interested only in attracting the cream of the crop academically I'd think you don't necessarily care about the quantity, as opposed to, the quality of the applicants. There is no easy answer to this question. Michigan has found a balance. For other schools, the equilibrium point could lie elsewhere.
I'd also agree with "Michigan has found a balance", for the past 40 years. But the ante to be a player in Major College Football keeps rising; this is an ongoing issue. UMich has more in common with UC Berkeley than with Florida, Alabama, Oregon or Boise St., to name a few.
One of these clouds must have a Maize and Blue lining ...
It's the reason that 90% of the people know that Duke is an elite school, but don't know that Emory is as well.
M'Dog
Profs @ UC Berkeley not liking the jocks?
Shocking sir, shocking.
[end sarcasm]
Maybe profs understand the place of academics in student life pretty well, they just don't like it. Why suggest a lack of knowledge on a group of people that spends a lot of time thinking about the university and its place in society? Disagree with them, sure, but "they just don't get it" is weak sauce.
And why does it matter if applications double when state funding cuts mean there's a reduction in money per student and the university is cutting back on essential staff and services, as is the case at Rutgers and is certainly the case at California?
I wonder if coaches have taken unpaid furlough days at universities that have demanded the same of their faculty and staff. (Honest question, I have no idea, but seems like they should.)
In answer to the question I asked, it appears that at Arizona State at least, coaches were required to take unpaid furlough days.
http://www.azcentral.com/community/tempe/articles/2009/01/28/20090128asu...
"All 12,000 Arizona State University
employees will be required to take 10 to 15 days off without pay before July to meet budget cuts required by the state Legislature, the university announced Wednesday.
The mandate includes top administrators, varsity coaches, faculty, office and maintenance workers, but the unpaid leave, or furloughs, will be staggered. ASU will remain open and classes will meet. "
Edit: Also true of Wisconsin
http://www.jsonline.com/news/wisconsin/63965867.html
And here's a broader article from USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/2009-02-15-furloughs_N.htm
What's the problem? RR didn't have a problem with that holding call in week 2, oh right he benefitted from that call nullifying a 40 yard pass that would have made it first and goal.
Oh, To think what could have been..... :)
If it is "frustration" in a 35-10 loss, I wonder what term RR would have used in a 38-34 loss where penalties had a much bigger influence on the games outcome
Warning: A =) is a sarcastic or joke filled post. (Its pretty much the happiest smiley out there, I have been told) Despite being a ND fan I do have a sense of humor
Holding penalties in general always seem to be the most random and capricious penalties in football - most plays feature some form of holding, and I always figure if it is not obvious why call it. Sometimes it clearly is holding and it should be called, but other times it is away from the QB/RB/WR and is really nothing more than two guys locked together. I think that is what bugs RR (and most other coaches) - call the obvious stuff, but let the guys play football.
I fully agree with you, it just too bad the Refs don't always agree
Warning: A =) is a sarcastic or joke filled post. (Its pretty much the happiest smiley out there, I have been told) Despite being a ND fan I do have a sense of humor
Are you ever going to let this go?
"I think you are my favorite poster. The polar bear avatar definitely helps." - ShockFX
The Iowa defender guy
Oh I let it go a long time ago, its just interesting to see the "other team's" reaction with the roles reversed.
Warning: A =) is a sarcastic or joke filled post. (Its pretty much the happiest smiley out there, I have been told) Despite being a ND fan I do have a sense of humor
I would think that the way Weis bitches about the refs virtually every game--even going so far as to suggest that conference refs are actively cheating--would make you hesitate to engage in this discussion.
Give it to Wheatley!
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/267007-washington-notre-dame-didnt-be...
If your wondering what my reaction is, it feels good
Warning: A =) is a sarcastic or joke filled post. (Its pretty much the happiest smiley out there, I have been told) Despite being a ND fan I do have a sense of humor
Rodriguez has said all year long that he thinks holding calls -for and against Michigan - have gone the wrong way. Besides, he never wrote a book called No Excuses, so he gets a little more wiggle room.
"That's horrible"
"Terrible is what it is."
No he gets more wiggle room because he isn't the head coach at ND. You want to talk about media attention, Mike Leach, HC at Texas Tech, at the beginning of the week said his team lost because his players were more concerned about their "fat little girlfriends" than the game.
Pretty sure if Weis had said that the entire planet would have gone up in flames
Warning: A =) is a sarcastic or joke filled post. (Its pretty much the happiest smiley out there, I have been told) Despite being a ND fan I do have a sense of humor
Thankfully he is the coach at Michigan, you know, the winningest program in history.
Edit: this was meant to reply to Irish
not just "douchey" MGoBlog user, but now TRUSTED MGoBlog user
Don't forget that Weis came to ND boasting of his decided schematic advantage. Immediate, arrogant statements like that decrease the amount of wiggle room one is allowed.
if Weis said that, the world would officially run out of pot vs. kettle jokes.
"Gentlemen, this is a football."
- Vince Lombardi
Rodriguez has said that bad calls often go for UM as well as against UM. I think he's just a bit frustrated like any coach that with seven officials on the field, poor calls can still be made. I think this is especially true when there isn't a gray area (i.e. the call you're referencing above or the holding against schilling). At least in those situations, the refs have to make judgment calls. However, the too many men on the field is counting. These in my opinion are in excusable.
As stated, not that it had any effect on the game, but it's still frustrating none the less.
Sending a videotape to the conference office is another.
One of these clouds must have a Maize and Blue lining ...
I'm expecially glad to see him coming in now that Cissoko is out. Best news of the week, really.
"That's horrible"
"Terrible is what it is."
Am I the only one who noticed the Delaware State score at the bottom of the first Conspiracy Freeze Frame? Morgan State was 5-1 and first in their conference! Guess Delaware State pulled an MSU and prepped for Morgan State for 2 weeks ;)
Looks like that win should boost us up in the BCS ranks!
/sarcasm
"And he we are in Columbus in front of a sellout crowd of 10,000 alumni and 74,000 truck drivers." --Bob Ufer
I just about spit my Jimmy John's chips on my monitor after reading and seeing "Holly Rowe, Hoth Edition".
What a description. I was going to comment myself.
That'd be great if Witty could come in early. More time in S&C, more time to practice and learn. With Cissoko gone and Warren talented enough to leave we need guys who can play immediately. I'd feel better about Turner with a full year and Witty with three quarters of a year than I would having to throw one of the true freshmen into the lineup.
Anyone have knowledge of Bree Evans and whether she's walking or her prognosis? Obviously being out of the hospital in two weeks is great news, but it'd be even better to hear she's walking and not in a wheelchair.