Looking Forward
So I haven't had time to do my usual Looking Back, Hats Off!!!, Looking Forward posts for a few weeks now. Life just got too complex and I didn't have convenient internet access for a while and blah, blah, blah... Of course I would have gone the extra mile to make the posts if this team was even a tiny bit interesting to me anymore, but sadly, it is not. We officially suck worse than I could have ever imagined. Our offense sucks, our defense sucks (and shouldn't), much of our special teams suck, and Zoltan is our shining light. Not very compelling.
So I have decided to not try to start posting again now that my hiatus is at an end. I have the time and the access but it just kills me to write about this depressing team. I didn't even make the trip to the bar to watch the game today (I have no digital package anymore, sadly.). I worked on my car and got it running great again, then tore around the country roads in it while Michigan was apparently giving the game away yet again. I was glad when I saw the score that I didn't waste my time watching the game. I never thought I could feel that way about it, but there it is.
So here I am looking only forward. No "Hats Off!!!" or "Looking Back", what is the point? So with that in mind, here is what I am looking forward to next year:
- A new defensive coordinator. I was very worried about Shafer when we hired him. His resume seemed weak by Michigan standards. It now seems apparent that he was not ready to be a big-time DC and would have made maybe a better position coach at this level. I really expect him to be the goat that gets the axe to appease the rabid alumni masses after this season.
- An honest-to-goodness mobile QB. I am expecting it to be Tate, but if the Beav is better then that is fine too. Just so long as the QB can run dammit, and be somewhat accurate with the pass when needed. Threet has been much better than I expected but is far short of what we need. If he could be accurate as a passer then he would be fine, but he can't. I really hope that RR won't platoon Tate and the Beav too much ala Threet/Sheridan. Just go with one please.
- An improved OL PLEASE! We have some solid young talent that I hope can gel quickly next year. My biggest concern for next season is that the OL still won't be ready. A mobile QB will definately help this IMO.
- Sam McGuffie 2.0. I still believe this guy will be a stud. Bring him back this year only if he is 100% healthy (He is hurt, isn't he? I am so out of the loop but I heard he didn't make the trip to Purdue). With a few more pounds and more conditioning from Barwis, look our for McGuff next year.
- A healthy team with another year of Barwis sculpting. Injuries sure haven't helped this team out this year. Let's see what Barwis can do about it next year.
I won't be posting anymore this season but of course will be lurking and commenting when the mood strikes. I love it here and I love hearing all of your opinions and rants. Keep up the good work everybody and keep you chins up. Michigan will be good again soon I think, and if nothing else, at least this season showed that MGoBlog is great no matter how the team is doing.
Peace out.
November 1st, 2008 at 6:01 PM ^
Now we have an idea how the "other side" feels year after year, like Northwestern fans before they got decent, Minnesota fans (since the time they were good, like back in the '40s) and Duke football fans (both of them). Their fans have stuck with them, and we should with Michigan.
But there is one difference, we know that Michigan will be good again, and soon, and for an extended time, and this makes this period of Michigan football tolerable. The fans of say, Iowa State, know they will suck year after year, yet stick by their team - a much tougher task.
Read some of coach Simmons stuff on his web site regarding the defense and Shafer. I still think Shafer deserves more than one year. He had a defensive line to work with, not much in the way of LB's and DB's.
November 1st, 2008 at 7:48 PM ^
We can all finally admit it... we were SOOOOOOOOOOOOO spoiled with the Coach Carr era. Remember what it was like to freak out over the mere mention of 4 losses?? FOUR??
Today, as so many other days this season, my wife was PRAYING for a win-- just so I wouldn't be the moping, distracted, 'bleh' guy I am, well, right now. It's so hard for us to deal with this-- because we never HAVE, at least almost all of us. Michigan football never made us feel how we all feel today.
So where do we go with it?? Well, tomorrow the sun will still rise-- an hour later mind you, or something to that effect-- and life will go on. I've tried to remind myself of all this over the course of the season-- remember when we thought that the world would stop turning if the Wolverines lost 5 in one year?? Well, now we've all had our worst case scenario play out with horrific results.
We can only go up from here-- and perhaps, it'll mean a little bit more than it used to because of this year. Face it-- we were SPOILED!
November 1st, 2008 at 8:03 PM ^
November 1st, 2008 at 10:49 PM ^
Read some of coach Simmons stuff on his web site regarding the defense and Shafer. I still think Shafer deserves more than one year. He had a defensive line to work with, not much in the way of LB's and DB's.
I'm sorry, but Simmons just isn't an objective analyst. He's afraid to criticize coaches for anything. Every call is "great" in his mind.
November 2nd, 2008 at 1:52 AM ^
November 2nd, 2008 at 8:38 AM ^
November 2nd, 2008 at 9:06 AM ^
November 2nd, 2008 at 4:30 PM ^
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