Unverified Voracity: RIP Bo Comment Count

Brian

UPDATE: Dangit. I forgot to pump this: the Blood Battle is going on RIGHT NOW. Defeat OSU, get cookies.

RIP Bo. Five years ago today.

bo-woody

Rothstein has a reflective piece worth your time. An open letter from the Hoover Street Rag. I wrote a thing back then.

Black and Blue. Hey, kids. That documentary about Gerald Ford, Willis Ward, and Georgia Tech is being screened for free at the Ford Presidential Library at 7 on Friday. If you're not going to the hockey game, hit it up. I am, so I can't, but if anyone does end up going a review in the diaries would be nice.

I let do… wat? Demar Dorsey features in the Detroit News saying things that are unexpected:

The passion for such a goal runs so deep in Dorsey that he claims he would try out for the team as a walk-on if a scholarship isn't available.

"If I can get into the school, I know I'll find a way to make the team," he said. "Nobody knows how bad I want it."  … "I'm in the same state!" Dorsey said. "Why would you miss out on your best shot in the state? C'mon, Brady Hoke!"

You'd think the cynical crap he got from the local media would have turned him off on the entire state, but I guess not. Guy has goals. Unfortunately, with Michigan's class near-full, its APR hovering in a dangerous zone, the coach who recruited him gone, and Dorsey still carrying academic question marks from his high school career, a reunion is exceedingly unlikely.

Too bad. I'd love to see certain local folks twist themselves into pretzels trying to contrast this version of Dorsey with the one that proved Rich Rodriguez was Mark Dantonio.

UPDATE II: Apparently Dorsey is a 2013 prospect, so it's somewhat less of a longshot. Still a longshot.

The bump. Ace mentioned this in the morning but it's worth repeating: Scout's latest rankings see three Michigan commits (Joe Bolden, Tom Strobel, and AJ Williams) rise significantly with only one (Kaleb Ringer) dropping. Conspiracy theories about Michigan commits dropping all the time should be shelved this year.

BONUS eeee recruiting accounting: Michigan currently has thirteen commits in the Scout 300—actually all in the top 250—and virtually everyone they're still pursuing is also amongst that number. It seems like the only way they won't end up with 17 is if they strike out on two of their three high-end WR targets and have to pick up a decent three star instead.

Marvin Robinson's lawyer: better than Jerry Sandusky's. The Robinson POV on his court thing:

Mason said Robinson already has an Xbox. In fact, he has two, Mason said. The student who reported the theft is an acquaintance of Robinson's, and Robinson has been in his room on "various occasions," Mason said. They trade Xboxes, he said. Mason, a U-M graduate, said it's not uncommon for a student to go into another student's room.

"I lived in Michigan dorms and I used to walk into my room and find people sitting there, watching TV," he said.

Robinson is going to cooperate with university police and Washtenaw County prosecutors, Mason said, adding that Robinson has no criminal record.

"He goes to class," he said. "He goes to study hall. He goes to practice. And he goes to church every Sunday with his mom and dad."

His hearing has been delayed until January. No idea if that's an accurate picture of the situation but I'm guessing Robinson is still on the team when this is resolved.

In 2062, this will be an article about Toledo. Apparently beating Michigan in 1962 was a big deal:

It’s been almost a half century since Nebraska’s last visit to Michigan Stadium, the place where one of the most powerful college football programs of the modern era emerged.

Bob Devaney earned his first signature victory on that sunny September afternoon in 1962, upsetting the Wolverines 25-13 in what was supposed to be, according to the Detroit Free Press, an “opening-day breather” for the home team.

The rest is history.

Michigan went 2-7 in 1962.

Van Bergen FTW. A bit more on Van Bergen's stunt stunt last weekend, and the study that generates it, from the Daily:

Every Tuesday, the coaches hand out the scouting reports. Van Bergen usually finds the tendencies and play consistencies watching film on his own. Sometimes he’s right, and sometimes Montgomery has to straighten him out. The answers are always in the binder. In practice, the scout team gives the defense simulations of what they’ll see in the game.

“It goes from there to the game,” Montgomery said. “ ‘Hey Coach, this holds up. Every time they do this, it’s accurate.’ Then they start to believe.” …

Van Bergen knew Iowa was going to sneak its quarterback when it hurried up to the line on a fourth-and-1 two weeks ago — he and Martin snuffed it out.

The past three weeks in particular, Montgomery said, Van Bergen has been well versed in the opponent’s “meat and potatoes” (Hoke’s term for tendencies and key plays).

No wonder they’ve been his best three weeks of the season — 13 tackles, five tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.

He knew what play Purdue was going to run in the shadow of its own endzone, based on a tip — alignment, personnel, formation or all the above. He told Martin, who then ripped through the line for a safety because he knew what was coming.

Unless he has a long NFL career (not entirely out of the question), Van Bergen is going to be defensive line Mike Hart as soon as he graduates—the guy everyone follows in his coaching career, hoping he returns.

I was listening to the BSD podcast this week for various reasons mostly having nothing to do with football, but I did get a football tidbit when they had Ramzy from Eleven Warriors on. He mentioned that you can pick out OSU passing plays because their n00b receivers only look at their wristbands when it's a pass. That'll probably get hammered out by the time the Game rolls around; given the widespread antipathy for Bollman OSU will probably be tipping things in ways not so easily addressable.

More Van Bergen. I like Ryan Van Bergen.

"The year my class came here was after the 1 versus 2 Ohio (State) game and Michigan went to the Rose Bowl," Van Bergen said, referring to the 2006 season. "That was my expectation — we're going to play Ohio to go to the Rose Bowl every year I'm here. I was going to have coach (Lloyd) Carr for my whole time here, and it was going to be great.

"The amount of adversity that has been encountered by this senior class, especially the fifth-year guys, I'd be hard-pressed to find another group that has survived and now thrives in that situation. I don't know how much people even realize how dedicated these guys were."

A lot.

"I guessed three times it was going to be a pass just by their formation, and I was right all three times. So I was like, 'You know what? Eff this, I'm doing it.' Mike went with me. He jumped in and it was successful."

(Angelique bowdlerized "eff this" to "forget this"; Heiko reports that it was "Eff" but not the full Molk.)

The other red enemy. MGoFootball interviews a Big Red Network contributor:

What’s Nebraska’s greatest position strength? Greatest weakness?

It’s not really a matter of position strength as it is a matter of depth and experience. It’s kind of a catch 22 for NU right now. NU’s best defensive player is a linebacker, Lavonte David. And, Will Compton has steadily improved. So, its a strength, right? The problem is they are very weak/thin at linebacker after those two. The same could be said for the secondary. Alfonzo Dennard is a stud, and they all feed off of him. At times, they play well. At others, they are very suspect. It’s the same story at running back – a strength because Burkhead is stud, potential weakness because it’s only freshman behind him. When he got nicked up against Northwestern, it hurt the offense a lot.

As far as a a true strength for NU, I can’t overstate how much quality special teams play has helped the Huskers so far this year. Brett Maher’s punting was important last week. He’s done a great job as a kicker this year too. The NU return game has been strong too. That’s the stuff that quietly helps win games.

Corn Nation previews the weekend; I was on the Corn Nation podcast as well.

Tight ends: pro-style requirements. Today in "quoting everything Chris Brown writes" we focus on tight ends. You may remember an emailer questioning Michigan's decision to take Pharaoh Brown as a tight end because defensive ends seem more valuable. I wrote then:

I get the vibe that tight end is going to be a big deal with Borges. If we're headed to a collection-of-plays Boise-style offense, having a diverse set of tight ends is a key component. Having a 6'6" guy who can run some is a major help in your effort to whiplash the defense from huge power running sets to spread passing attacks. What do you do when the opposition has a guy who can block a defensive end but can't be covered by a linebacker? Brown may be that guy.

Now Brown tackles the transformation of the Patriots offense from a full-spread passing attack back to something approximating NFL norms:

[In response to Rex Ryan blitzing his spread to death] Belichick went out and drafted [tight ends] Gronkowski and Hernandez.

Hernandez is more of a pure receiver, and his chief advantage is as a substitution/personnel problem: If he's in the game, you don't know if he'll line up as a tight end or if he'll split wide so that Welker can play the slot, forcing you to decide whether to put your cornerback on Welker or Hernandez, potentially creating advantages in both the run and passing game. But Gronkowski is a true triple-threat from the tight-end spot: He can block, he can go out for passes, and he can even block and then go out for delayed passes. Multiple defenders have to keep their eyes on him. And against such a threat, Ryan can't sell out with the multifarious blitzes overloaded to one side or the other, simply in an all-out effort to get Tom Brady. The presence of the tight ends—where will they line up, what will they do—dictates terms back to Rex Ryan, who would much rather cut loose and go on carrying his father's torch as the destroyer of pretty-boy quarterbacks.

Having Brown, Devin Funchess, and AJ Williams* in one class isn't overkill if a two-TE set is going to be the closest thing to a base offense Michigan has, and if you can split out a 6'6" dude like Brown that makes the whiplashing even whiplashier. There are a lot of things to get excited about in this recruiting class but the diverse, athletic set of tight ends they acquired is high on my list.

*[I know a lot of people are talking up Williams as a tackle. I think that's a possible endpoint for him but if that move ends up happening it won't be soon. Michigan will need him to play as a freshman.]

Etc.: Extensively reported NYT piece on Penn State makes McQueary look a little better, everyone else look worse. The NCAA left its SharePoint site open to the public for a while. Can't go two weeks in the Michigan blogosphere without someone posting some latin. BWS picture pages the Ryan/Kovacs speed option destruction.

Comments

yeahrice

November 17th, 2011 at 12:49 PM ^

RVB is the man. Serious question, does anyone know is he interested at all in coaching as a career? It would be pretty cool to have him and Mike Hart on the sidelines.

BursleysFinest

November 17th, 2011 at 1:02 PM ^

 

  I would love for him to start his coaching career immediately as a Grad. Assistant here, but I see NFL in his future...maybe drafted in the mid/later rounds, but defintely picked as a free agent, and holding on in the league cause of his intelligence and effort

I think he's one of the players that always makes it back to UM and stays around the program though

M Fanfare

November 17th, 2011 at 12:49 PM ^

I understand the 1962 Nebraska-Michigan game being classified as an upset on a program reputation basis (Nebraska had yet to enter the national scene), but Michigan was unranked and coming off of a 4-5 year in 1959, a 5-4 year in 1960, and a 6-3 year in 1961. It wasn't one of the great eras of Michigan football. Like Brian pointed out, thy went 2-7 in 1962, though one of the two victories was a 17-7 win over #10 Army in week 2.

Erik_in_Dayton

November 17th, 2011 at 1:21 PM ^

That idea seems to pop up with nonsensical regularity among people who don't follow Big Ten football (which Nebraska fans, of course, didn't do in 2007).   It seems like people saw the Horror and the Oregon game and assumed that Coach Carr was forced out. 

M-Wolverine

November 17th, 2011 at 1:49 PM ^

Or just that one?

Beyond being completely wrong, and trying to defend it in the comments, they also say Hoke yells a lot (have they watched a single Michigan game?...Or are they just trying to stretch the tenuous link they're trying to make?), and more ridiculous, say and link that the media "gave" us the national championship. I mean, I'm not sure how going from #1 to....#1 s a "gift" like going from #2 to #1 is, but I wouldn't expect so much from someone who claims that it's probably fair since they didn't play that they shared, but it was something heinous, like "revenge" for Penn State (apparently who wasn't screwed by not doing the just thing and "sharing").  But when you bring up the Missouri play as "divine intervetion" and not a monumental screw up by the officials missing an illegal play, I'm not sure you have any credibility.

The comments are worse.  The triple posting doofus who doesn't think any rational person outside Big Ten country believes Michigan would have hung within 3 TDs of Nebraska...even though every organization that passed out national championships OTHER than the coaches had Michigan #1.

I hope the Cornhuskers who come to Ann Arbor tomorrow are more intelligent than these mouthbreathers, or I fear for the town.

Butterfield

November 17th, 2011 at 3:38 PM ^

And that was on the back of Tim Dwight's punt returning magnificence.  I don't recall Nebraska ever having a Tim Dwight-style return man.  There was no chance in hell Nebraska was putting up 21 points against that team....

pdgoblue25

November 17th, 2011 at 2:06 PM ^

"I would rather have Taylor at QB any day of the week over D. Robinson."

Denard will never be mistaken for Dan Marino in the pocket, but when Taylor Martinez throws it looks like he just prematurely ejaculated in his pants.  His throwing motion makes me cringe.......having said that, he did beat Ohio.

In reply to by ijohnb

allintime23

November 17th, 2011 at 1:27 PM ^

I'm sure they have different content and movies downloaded on them. I could see trading with a friend if you wanted to watch a movie on one and the other party was playing a game that they weren't saving.

ontarioblue

November 17th, 2011 at 1:24 PM ^

of Bo's death needed its own post.  The program misses him, and I miss him.  I think he would be proud of the direction Brady has returned the team to.  Brady like Bo understands "the team, the team, the team".  Hope you kick Woody's butt everyday.

lakeside

November 17th, 2011 at 1:43 PM ^

After listening to BHGP's Purdue podcast and the CornCast, which has two links: here and here, the MGoPodcast does a great job of balancing hijinks with punditry. BHGP and Corn Nation each fail in one of these regards (but I'll never divulge which failure goes with which blog.)

AMazinBlue

November 17th, 2011 at 2:31 PM ^

and I wept a little.

Every thing I read about missing Bo makes me miss him that much more.  It is obvious to me that he passed at the right time.  Bo would never be able to put up with the shenanigans of coaches and the social media and the internet as it is today.  If Bo were alive there would be a virtual-digital wall around The Fort and it would be impenetrable.

UMxWolverines

November 17th, 2011 at 2:58 PM ^

That's nuts. It seems like just yesterday I was getting off the bus as a 7th grader, walking in the house, and my grandma telling me Bo died. A lot of things have sucked since then. 

As for Demar Dorsey...keep workin son! Get your grades up and try out. Nothing's impossible. 

tubauberalles

November 17th, 2011 at 5:42 PM ^

is it common in the vernacular to refer to someone older than oneself as "son?"  I'm just curious.  It's hard to tell with internet pseudonyms and what-not how old an indidivual is "in real life."  So your persona seems to be a middle-aged father figure, but that'd be tough if you were in 7th grade 5 years ago.  The modern age is confusing.

 

Chunks the Hobo

November 17th, 2011 at 4:48 PM ^

That was an amazingly dull podcast, which probably is a reflection of a state known for nothing other than miles of cornfields.

Also, one cornfed doofus commented re: the MGoBlog guide to eating and drinking in Ann Arbor by laughing that BW3 was the "best" place to watch a game here. Seriously, some guy from the middle of nowhere is going to diss Ann Arbor's pub scene? I'd rather be a hobo here than in Bumpkinville.

Plus Bo Pelini is an OSU douche.

Fuck Nebraska. I hope M welcomes them to the Big Ten by giving them an ass-whooping that will smart for all time.

SagNasty

November 17th, 2011 at 4:59 PM ^

That picture is a classic. Why would anyone not want that picture? I hate Woody and osu, but I love the rivalry and wish I could have witnessed anything from the ten year war.

BigBlue62

November 17th, 2011 at 7:54 PM ^

I know it's a slim slim chance, but I hope he rocks out and gets in the class in 2013.  Any guy that would kill to play for Umich is OK in my book.  Reminds me of Tom Brady in the NFL, always, always playing with a chip on his shoulder. When things are tough, thats the stuff that gets you through - that deep desire. Good luck, buddy. Hopefully all the negative stuff is permantely in the past.

matty blue

November 17th, 2011 at 11:09 PM ^

i know one of grcc's staff pretty well, and he is convinced that dorsey is a great kid that's had too little guidance...now that he's getting it, he's "getting it," and someone is going to be very, very happy when they get him on campus.

my buddy is also pretty convinced that we'll see him playing on sundays.  i hope so, whether he makes it to ann arbor or not.