Five things to take from this: A Great Start to the Season
It feels great, this inner calm that envelops me this fine Sunday morning. Yesterday's was a game that brings hope that all things are possible for the Wolverines in 2009. There will still be pitfalls for our guys but the fear of last year repeating itself is all but totally washed away. I was left wishing there could have been a 3rd half somehow, that we could have seen just a few more Tate-led drives to further soothe the soul. What we witnessed was just a teaser after all and next week we will really see how we stack up.
Five Things:
Every game on the schedule looks winnable now. This doesn't mean that I expect to win every game, but 8 wins sure looks doable. We need the kind of coverage we saw early in this game against ND and we need the D-Line to murder Jimmah! as a result. I love how vanilla our offense was in the second half against Western and expect that RR has many more tricks up his sleeve for Fatty Weis and Co. Add Wisky and Illinois to the probable wins, they looked terrible. Oh, and Iowa too for that matter.
I hope that everyone was able to enjoy this game and that everyone made it home safe and sound. Have a great week.
Five Things:
- Our chances for a New Year's Day bowl rest on the health of Mr. Forcier. He was everything this offense needs at QB and really lit the fire under this offense. None of the other quarterback options looked ready to lead this team IME. Robinson looked great with his feet and roped a couple of short passes well, but he looked tentative late in the game and doesn't keep his eyes downfield when on the run. Sheridan and The Coner were abysmal, as was expected I think. I do think that RR was right in testing every option in the second half. It only further demonstrated that we have a clear #1 though.
- Our defensive starters are pretty darn good. The defensive line got great pressure on the Western QB and when our starting D-Backs were in Michigan was very effective in stopping a potent passing attack. JT Floyd demonstrated what kind of dropoff there is when starters are pulled. Donovan Warren looks much happier but needs to focus his energies better. I was impressed with the gameplan, even when we were playing off of the receivers and giving up short dink-and-dunk passes. While frustrating, this style was completely appropriate for the situation: big lead, only way to lose was to allow big plays. I didn't even really notice our safties which is probably a good sign.
- I can't really tell from this game how good our O-Line really is. I do think it is safe to say that they have picked up nicely from where they left off last season. When every single running back that touches the ball is impressive, that speaks volumes to the play of the linemen. Of course I do think that our backs were solid as well. I was especially impressed with V.Smith running hard through defenders for tough extra yards.
- The fundamentals were there. Great tackling, route running, downfield blocking, coverage by linebackers, not fumbling punts... What A RELIEF! I am very up on GERG and the rest of the coaching staff. This was a well prepared team despite all of the possible distractions.
- Zoltan Mesko really is from Space. And he wants every football here on Earth to eventually be there for him when he returns.
Every game on the schedule looks winnable now. This doesn't mean that I expect to win every game, but 8 wins sure looks doable. We need the kind of coverage we saw early in this game against ND and we need the D-Line to murder Jimmah! as a result. I love how vanilla our offense was in the second half against Western and expect that RR has many more tricks up his sleeve for Fatty Weis and Co. Add Wisky and Illinois to the probable wins, they looked terrible. Oh, and Iowa too for that matter.
I hope that everyone was able to enjoy this game and that everyone made it home safe and sound. Have a great week.
September 6th, 2009 at 9:40 AM ^
I think we saw exactly the offense we should have seen in the second half - maybe even with DR not throwing the ball... The team made sure victory was certain and then prduced 30 minutes of film for ND to learn very little from.
This week I'm going to try to get work done and not spend 4+ hours on this site...
September 6th, 2009 at 10:05 AM ^
This is exactly how I feel about the second half. I was very happy to see RR reel in the playbook and give nothing away.
September 6th, 2009 at 12:35 PM ^
Maybe RR has picked up on some Michigan traditions. but obviously waited too long to close the play book, I mean 28 point victory? Thats the kind of sscore you're only supposed to hang on the domers.
September 6th, 2009 at 6:41 PM ^
math major?
September 7th, 2009 at 3:35 PM ^
That obvious, proof reading might help...
September 6th, 2009 at 10:15 AM ^
Yeah good luck with that 4+ hours thing.
September 6th, 2009 at 9:44 AM ^
We now have a shot at everyone on the schedule. That being said, we need to improve the options for passing when our opponents begin using press coverage. That seemed to slow us down for a while. We seemed to have more than a few penalties as well. Also, Death should never see the field again and Coner needs to pursue his rap career. It was a great game to watch. Go Blue!
September 6th, 2009 at 9:48 AM ^
Well said. I believe that, yesterday, we saw the best tackling Michigan football team that has taken the field in years.
IMO, a lot of our success this year is going to ride on the health of Tate
September 6th, 2009 at 9:50 AM ^
Great to see you writing again Lordfoul!
Pretty much agree on all fronts. The narrative of the season has already changed based on what we saw yesterday, from Michigan and the rest of the league. I am a win next week from calling them contenders for league honors, although I have not stopped drinking the Kool Aid from yesterday. Leftover koolaid always tastes great for breakfast.
September 6th, 2009 at 9:55 AM ^
OH YEAH!!!
September 6th, 2009 at 10:08 AM ^
Thanks for the encouragement.
September 6th, 2009 at 10:42 AM ^
I feel that Denard surprised me with how efficient of an arm he has, although he really should bring it down a bit.
But I still think he can learn to run the offense competently if he cuts out a lot of the passing.
If he can learn some semblance of the zone read, the sort of offence Pat Whit ran for his first 2 years - keeper/handoff/bubble screen - then I feel he can be a ridiculously dangerous backup/change of pace as soon as he learns his defensive reads even if he can't sling the rock like Tate.
I say keep Tate's offensive package growing to fit his talents, but instead of stuffing DR in the exact same box, RR should/will basically coach him into Pat White 2.0 - I mean Rich has said over and over that he's staying at QB.
Think of being a defensive coordinator trying to stop that 2-headed monster.
September 6th, 2009 at 12:11 PM ^
The plays dialed up for DR played to his strengths and minimized his weaknesses. The pass plays were limited to the short bubble screens and slants. Maybe his first touchdown gave him a little too much confidence that he could score touchdowns at will, 'cause he took off with the ball a little too frequently in the 2nd half, IMO.
September 6th, 2009 at 11:09 AM ^
Yesterday was amazing. I fully agree about the tackling, which bodes very well regardless of the opponent, and Tate's poise was incredible. My excitement level is through the roof for the rest of this season. But (it sucks there is always a "but"), we should not be too hasty to judge the O-line until next week. If they are overpowered by a more respectable D, the rest of our offense will look very different from what it did yesterday. I am very optimistic, but am withholding predictions of New Year's Day bowls (or better) for the time being.
September 6th, 2009 at 6:26 PM ^
Gator Bowl against a Florida school would be sweet.
September 6th, 2009 at 12:25 PM ^
I'm new to MGoBlog. Why GERG for Robinson? I checked the FAQs under the "About" drop-down menu up top but didn't see anything about it. Thanks.
September 6th, 2009 at 12:40 PM ^
If memory serves his name was misspelled in an article when he was first hired as D-coordinator. It was spelled Gerg- so the name stuck
September 6th, 2009 at 12:46 PM ^
Troy Nunes' excellent blog popularized it, maybe?
Syracuse Blog
September 6th, 2009 at 3:28 PM ^
It actually originated (at least for this blog) from EDSBS. Brian linked to it during the DC search.
September 6th, 2009 at 12:36 PM ^
As excited as I am, I too will be holding off on any change in predictions from the 7 wins I thought were doable before yesterday. If we start 4-0 I may begin to revamp that, but we have to remember that although Iowa, Illinois, Ohio State (?!), etc looked beatable yesterday, it was only their first game of the season as well. In addition, most of our toss-up games are on the road in some very tough venues. I still think it would take near perfect games for us to beat either PSU or OSU. And don't forget that teams can look totally different from week to week. Just remember how we looked in the Minnesota game last year, or perhaps a better example is the difference between the Illinois that dismantled us verses the one that lost to WMU in Detroit.
The main point is that it is very early and we need to focus on one week at a time, just like the players. I am sure that the Michigan locker room is buzzing with ideas of what this season could hold for them. But if they find themselves looking ahead at any point this season, they could get tagged by an inferior team which is something we cannot afford if we want to make a bowl game.
I am not going to even go into the possibility of injuries at this point because it makes me tremble in fear.
September 7th, 2009 at 12:40 AM ^
great perspective. I hope the coaching staff is driving home the point that this is only the first game and things are only going to get tougher. Keep the kids grounded. Keep their noses to the grind stone and everything will be fine.
September 6th, 2009 at 1:01 PM ^
the second half. Western picked up over 200 yards and it would have been more if our offense hadn't controlled the ball for so much time. My concern is mitigated by a number of factors, including: a) Boubacar sitting out the second half b) DBs played off the line of scrimmage in the second half c) Hiller is a very good QB and it was inevitable that he'd get going d) Western only scored 7 points. Overall I was pleased with how the defense played but I think teams with more advanced passing attacks (ND, Penn State) could give us trouble. The key will be getting pressure on the quarterback. Michigan did a good job of that but when Western went to 3-step drops in the second half it negated our pass rush.
September 6th, 2009 at 1:07 PM ^
shortly after the 3rd quarter started. With 2 freshmen quarterbacks they are limited in the plays they can run this early in the season. WMU was over matched, out played and left this game knowing the better team won. No reason to give the Irish anymore film to get ready for next Saturday. With Tate at QB this offense looked great, his ability to pass on the run still reminds me of Doug Flute. The Irish is a team that I do believe could end up in the top ten. Michigan is the wild card of the Big Ten, anything could happen. This season should set itself up well for the OSU game, by that time Denard will be much harder to defend-I do believe this young man has a cannon of an arm and with time and experience will be great. Greg Robinson -wow-what a job! In Coach Rod I Trust!
September 6th, 2009 at 4:23 PM ^
I was really impressed by Stevie Brown. Not only did he not = death, his coverage skills in the short passing game have me really excited about our pass defense this year, provided we stay healthy. I think this bodes well for our chances against Notre Dame.
September 6th, 2009 at 4:19 PM ^
RR did the right thing. why risk tate or nard dawg? RR was thinking of the entire season and not the next day's headlines. When he threw Cone in, i thought, now that is very kewl indeed. RR impresses me more and more. We were lucky to get him.
go blue!
September 6th, 2009 at 6:25 PM ^
I don't think that RR really every didn't "risk" Tate or Denard. He had them lead what should have been scoring drives and then threw Nick and The Coner in to screw it up. I think he continues to insist that Sheridan will see snaps because of the very real possibility of losing both freshmen to injury. With this offense he needs a third option that has some confidence. (Sheridan still = DEATH though.)
September 6th, 2009 at 6:38 PM ^
math major?
September 6th, 2009 at 6:58 PM ^
I understand that everyone including me is really excited for the season after this game. Let us just take it one game at a time though, when we start looking ahead that is when you lose focus.
September 6th, 2009 at 8:03 PM ^
While I appreciate your sentiment, I don't think that our looking ahead here will cause the football team to lose any focus. I am confident they are looking 100% at ND right now.
September 6th, 2009 at 7:06 PM ^
"Well, let's not start sucking each other's dicks quite yet."
September 6th, 2009 at 8:11 PM ^
I have no problem with the dinking and dunking passing game WMU employed to some success in the second half. A couple factors were at play:
1) Game in hand, bit of an emotional letdown in second half that comes with having younger players AND the emotional ride over the entire last (since RR was hired).
2) Call off the dogs a bit. Game in hand; if they want to go on an 18 play, 9 minute drive to score a TD, who gives a shit at that point? Most likely, though, they'll eithermake a mistake or the defense will stop them. They did. The long pass? Get the young guys in--they may have to play during times that matter this year. Teachable moments, grasshoppers.
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