Ellipses Man

Hey Man,

• So today I went and watched you play at a football game in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I have to say that after the first drive I thought,"wow this could be a blow out." All week long from various people I heard about this quarterback battle thing. Being a fan, reading the blogs, and listening to the radio shows I was interested to see who may emerge. I was basically told that you and this other guy were of the same but yet different skill sets. It was as if, to me the fan, the decision to play you both was even symbolic of the choice to run a pro set versus a spread. And that you were basically a pro set quarterback. Some very knowledgeable football types said this and that but yet the coach basically said nothing. We all have our little,"CSI detective," that lives inside of us all. If we did not, that tv show would not do commercial advertising business on par with the budget that governs your football program. And since every detective show since Hill Street Blues has had the same script format and same modus operandi. So it goes with QB battles and football in general.
• I figured I would come and see who is in line to maintain and operate the spread offense this year for Michigan. I might add it is a tough year to do that from a Quarterback position. With the loss of starters and new staff one begins to wonder,"Why play Quarterback at Michigan anyways Steve?" If it was me I would have transfered. In the business world I know when a new hire happens that your days are numbered. And I would've left. But I am not you. I mean even the spread type QB recruits are committing and decommiting. So why are you staying? I mean I am sure other schools call you or write to you. Probably to further the agenda of their schools interests. I am sure today THE OHIO STATE BUCKEYES would give you a full ride just to say,"Hey he transferred to us as well. Wow. Who would've thought that? Thanks Again Michigan, Jim Tressel." But yet you stay. I guess I as a fan am beginning to wonder why? Actually if I hated Michigan Football, and I know you know a lot of people do. I would beg you to leave Steve. Just for the ripple effect. Just up and quit because it is obvious your coach wants to play the other guy more. It took a fumble and an interception for him to be pulled. It took you some incompletions. Your coach said he had hoped someone played really good so the choice would be obvious. My question to him is does playing really bad also a distinguisher? See your own teams fans say you run,"Like so slow and it's so ugly." But yet there isn't a column in the Box Score for,"Style Points." As if running a certain way garnished more love. However you do have a running TD and a throwing one. 
• The other thing is that you are up against the perennial walk on. Oh wait I mean coaches son. I get them confused. So he's a walk on but yet his dad used to coach for Michigan correct? So he's one of THOSE walk ons. Yeah, get used to those types of walk ons in life for they are everywhere. Anyone who plays sports has met THOSE types of walkons since we played little league. Those coaches kids have some savvy dont they buddy. I would imagine it helps that his dad coaches in the NFL as well. I mean if you are going to network, network it out right. It's too bad your roommate is not on the offensive line as well Steve. You could run over to him every time you feel insecure for,"back up." See Steve let me break it to you, the guy your in competition against, has no real backing. So far to date from a statistical standpoint you are the winner. I mean your competition does have a throwing touchdown of 8 yards. Although it was more or less yards after catch and Michael Shaw also happens to be super fast. Also at the Illinois game last year even Adrian Arrington threw a pass of 11 yards for a td. And that was all 11 on the pass. I think your competition td pass was for 8 yards. So you even have him beat there. So see Steve no matter what you do, whether it be a running td or a throwing td, your very physical presence represents something that people subconsciously want to see go away. I'm no trial lawyer and many who read this rant will try to break it down and use this very sentence I am sure. But I would love to argue your case. It becomes more fun to ask the question every week of,"Jeez guys where can see what Steve screwed up again this week? Another incomplete without an interception and only one rushing touchdown??? Put Nick in! Where's Nick." 
• But let me tell you something Steve for this year. Nick Sheridan knows in his heart he cannot do it. Sorry. It's easy to see people who don't really believe in themselves. So you will be called on when the games get ugly and yet you won't even be wanted! As the season progress's onward and your stats rise no one will be able to argue against you. When the chips are down, you are the only QB who seems to make plays. And let me also say this, I want Nick Sheridan to succeed. I do. But I don't see it in him. You see it's about the games and real life. It's not about who your dad is, or what your backstory is in real life. Or if you are the bomb in practice! It's about the game. So here it is man. Over the next few weeks, wow, things are going to get ugly. UGLY. You looked at your schedule? I'll be honest, the team needs you, except I don't think they think they need you. I know you really love Michigan, otherwise you'd of done what all the rest of the QB's did and transfer. So I know you love your school. But my question to you is do you love it even though it does not want to love you back?

Sincerely,

Ellipses Man...... 

The other day a writer, well actually a few writers said some not so nice things about our new football coach or the state of the new program. I, E-man, am quite pleased with the hire. I do not mind playing the devils advocate about the hire or the controlled opposition as to the gameplan. But I am fully onboard, no turncoat here folks. I do however feel the Michigan fanbase when it comes to Michigan Football is at odds with each other. A very confused bunch we are at this moment. Losing will do that. From writers to bloggers and on you go, confusion. In the bickering, Buckstache, Sparty and the irrereverant Domers are having their collective moments of fun. But these will be short lived. I will offer up three reasons why:

1. I saw a well coached team out there Saturday from a fundamental level. I did not always see execution but what I did see was very promising. For a first game, whether home or away it was very promising in spite of the outcome. When you have that level of coaching for the players, it's like having an amazing marinade for a good barbeque. Except the knowledge you marinade your players in enables them to eat other people teams. So if you opposing fans start to smell something burning in the next couple of weeks to a year, it's your team getting cooked. So laugh now. Seriously Michigan is going to be there. If you watch film for fun of college football there were some very promising events that happened for Michigan last Saturday.

2. Not suprisingly Rich Rodriguez, his family and staff have their core values firmly in tact. You can call them family values if you are so inclined. He wanted Michigan when others balked or walked. We'll gladly take Rich here and keep him thank you very much.

3. The energy is up and it will continue to rise. You can't keep a good program down forever. There is way to much going on here. Michigan football wins out. Sorry to say it to you other programs. There's been so many players and coaches over the years. The maize and blue are still dominant. This will not change.

So I will leave a quote from one of my favorite movies(Uh-oh) Hoosiers.

 12:12: "Look mister, there's two kinds of dumb ... the guy that gets naked and runs out in the snow and barks at the moon, and the guy who does the same thing in my living room. The first one don't matter, and the second one you're kinda forced to deal with."

(Yup, it's That Guy from "Major League" trying to stage a coup d'etat with Coach Dale's first practice! Leave the ball, will ya, George?)

12:14: "Let's see what kind of hand I've been dealt here."

(Here's the hand, Coach: Seven players on your team, 64 kids in the whole school, and your best player is MIA. Also, everyone in the town already hates you. Good luck.)

Is the cupboard really that bare at Michigan? We may never know because we are adjusting to a new style. After game one certain members of the media basically said the same thing to Coach Rodriguez as George said in Hoosiers. We do not need anymore of that now.

So to close, as a fanbase we could lighten up some to our coach. Me included. I am slowly seeing the pieces of the puzzle coming together. Negative energy is not needed here anymore. We will struggle but who cares. Let's enjoy the struggles, because they will soon be gone.

http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/235499/

BYU is one of the biggest games on UTAHS schedule every year. So I
thought I'd look into what BYU was doing with their spread. I think BYU
comes in around 14-17 in preseason rankings. Preseason polls being so
accurate and all. This article touches on the perceptions of the Tight
End and the spread offense.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/cory_mccartney/05/19/arkan...

http://www.wholehogsports.com/nwat/61384

I've
had the,"good fortune," of hearing a Bobby Petrino lecture or two in my
life. No I was not affiliated with the Louisville football program.
Some friend of mine dragged me to a clinic in Vegas where Petrino was
doing his spiel. He likes to swear alot and then when he's done
swearing, he likes to talk about his dad. Then he likes to swear some
more. Then he starts in on his little brother with some cuss words,
who must also coach football for Bobby. Justin Boren would not like
Bobby Petrino's core values. But Ryan Mallett will! Dems two peas in a
pod! As a Wolverine fan, I am glad we landed Rich. Anyhow, I do not get
Mallett's choice or decision to leave and go play football at Arkansas. Perhaps Petrino was
landed after Mallett made his mind up, but I do not know. Like Boren, I think Mallett just
transfered to be close to home. Perhaps for different reasons though. One for mama's home cooking and the other for more nefarious reasons that involve water sports where smoke is inhaled. But anyhow, like the articles above state, Petrino
runs a similar offense to Rich. All in all, after watching minor
amounts of film on WV, PITT, and LOUISVILLE, I am glad we
landed Rich over Teflon Bob, Sir Greg, and Nosey Dave.

Building the perfect beast. Michigan
provides quite a lab for Rich to build the perfect beast in regards to
the spread offense. Personally I think that is one of the reasons why
he took the job here at UofM. He wanted a new creative window to keep himself
interested. When I see how BYU uses the TE, and how Rich used Pat White
and Steve Slaton. And then combine that with what I know of Michigan
Football. I see the recipe for building the perfect beast.

Let's say that Michigan wins it all this year. Crazy? Well if you bet on it today you'd probably be wealthy enough to pay for the movie production and secure the rights to the movie. I'm sure Bill Martin would come up with a quick 7-8 figure package deal overnight from a yacht in the Caribbean! Tasty!

But say Michigan won and a movie was made about this team and or about this year.......I mean what a year.......you lose to App St. Beat the former National Champions.....get a new coach but hes still kinda sorta dating his ex......it looks like infidelity and the ex wants some child support that daddy owes......and theres this crazy military like trainer guy and so on and so on....I thought I would start an open thread/diary to compare actors to player and actors to coaches. There are some obvious facial similarities here. So I will start off with the Coaching Staff. I will use the site IMDB to compare the actor and the MGOBLUE site to the coach and or player. One of the things I'm finding is that everyone is in agreeance that Harry Dean Stanton should play a retiring Lloyd Carr. Why this is I do not know? I was trying to think of opposing coaches or rivalry coaches..... I mean who would play Charlie Weis? Or sweatervest? These are tough questions to answer.......

ONGOING LIST

1. http://www.mgoblue.com/football/coachbio.aspx?id=105288

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0944702/

2. http://www.mgoblue.com/football/coachbio.aspx?id=105316

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000151/

3. http://www.mgoblue.com/football/coachbio.aspx?id=105284

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0026364/

4. http://www.mgoblue.com/football/coachbio.aspx?id=105302

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001557/

5. http://www.mgoblue.com/football/coachbio.aspx?id=105298

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001185/

6. http://www.mgoblue.com/football/coachbio.aspx?id=105314

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0158626/

Guest Appearance as Mike Barwis:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000129/