Self-Test: Recruiting

Submitted by ShockFX on

Multiple Choice (Choose all the apply)

Question 1: How do I deal with Michigan recruits dropping places in the rankings?
A) Bitch about them dropping for being already committed.
B) Fret about not having any top 100 recruits in May.
C) Get enraged that Rivals sucks at ranking players and isn't fair, then shamefully realize my last post was demeaning Rich Rod for offering 'middle of road' WRs, where middle of the road is determined using rankings like Rivals. Oops.
D) Point out RR track record in excelling with recruits that are low ranked, and hell, it's only fucking May, these kids are juniors in high school and this addiction is borderline pedophilia even to the greeks/spartans (the ancient ones, not the rollerbladin' brahs in the EL).
E) Just D.

Question 2: How do I communicate my feelings about reduced rankings to said recruits?
A) MySpace. Immediately. I'm friends with them all.
B) Facebook wallposts. It makes me feel connected to 16/17 year old freak athletes I have nothing in common with.
C) What are MySpace and Facebook?
D) Whooaa, people actually friend recruits and then talk to them? That's really fucking creepy.
E) http://pedobear.org/
F) Do I get extra credit for interviewing recruits?

Question 3: My next post on recruiting will be about -
A) How Scout is better than Rivals because they rank current Michigan recruits higher.
B) How Star Ratings don't matter because Pat White.
C) How Star Ratings don't matter because Kevin Grady.
D) OMG 2 mny slot recevers!!11!!!!
E) I recruit "Talent", if you know what I mean (/wink /ninjafootball).


True/False

Question 4: I spend too much time following recruiting.
A) True
B) False

Question 5: My wife would divorce me if she knew how much time I dedicated to 17 year old boys.
A) True
B) True

Question 6: I am aware that Michigan is at a huge disadvantage in recruiting to the Southern schools, and at a smaller disadvantage to OSU.
A) True
B) Fal$e

Question 7: I now realize how much better my life was before I followed recruiting. Finding out about who was recruited to Michigan only when they hit the field was much less involved.
A) True
B) I'm in Denial.

Short Answer

Question 8: In 54.7 words or less, justify how questioning Michigan's recruiting strategy (eg, questioning if RR knows he needs defensive recruits) two months into the first full cycle RR is part of (among other evidence proving it's not RRs first rodeo) does not make you some kind of reverse sycophant that is still 100% pure fail.

Kirby Line Breaks
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Answer Key

1. D or E. We would also have accepted "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize."
2. C (half credit) or D (full credit)
3. Kate Beckinsale, Rachel McAdams, or Elisha Cuthbert.
4. A. We also would have accepted "I spend too much time criticizing people for following recruiting."
5. A or B.
6. Answering E$$-EEE-CEE, O$UCK$, or U$C results in immediate death by harpoon.
7. A, or if you opened up http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve-step_program immediately after.
8.

Hold your fucking horses

Comments

Chrisgocomment

May 5th, 2009 at 7:17 PM ^

hey what the hell is this shock? are you saying MSU Brah's are sweet?

..these kids are juniors in high school and this addiction is borderline pedophilia even to the greeks/spartans (the ancient ones, not the rollerbladin' brahs in the EL).

GoNewBlue

May 6th, 2009 at 12:18 AM ^

This should be a mandatory read for all on this site. Brian, can ya e-mail this to everyone?? Maybe this could reduce the freak-out pollution in the board.

Nice, very nice!

Brian

May 6th, 2009 at 12:59 AM ^

1: F) express some reservations without going batshit insane.
2: G) Do I get extra credit for being the guy who interviews recruits' nominal boss-type-object?
3: A, or vice versa depending on year.
4: A.
5: B. "It's my job!" also, not married.
6. A.
7. B.
8. Dude, that's a lot of guys without many other offers, but it's not a death sentence or anything.

wolvrine32

May 6th, 2009 at 1:08 PM ^

Allow me to sum up your position:

1. Nobody should follow recruiting
2. For God's sake, if they do, they shouldn't have any opinions on it
3. If they have opinions on it, under no circumstances should those opinions conflict with the coaching staff, who is so right that they are unquestionable in all things great and small
4. Opinions should be kept to themselves unless they agree 100% completely with ShockFX (if they are only 99%, response on that 1% will be swift and severe, with a lot of !!! and CAPS to emphasize frustration with ALL THESE DAMN IDIOTS!!!!) - This one is from your general comments, not the OP
5. In recruiting, there is a rigid, inflexible order to things and the Michigan supporter should not aspire to be better than (I'm guessing here) 15th? Complaints are only acceptable at 20th and below. (Again, could have the number wrong, you were a little vague on your actual expectations.)
6. Finally, you believe that posting about people who post on recruiting is somehow less of a waste of time than posting on said recruiting. (Otherwise, why bother?)

That about cover it?

cfaller96

May 6th, 2009 at 1:27 PM ^

That about cover it?

For you personally, uh, YES. You, personally, shouldn't follow recruiting, or have opinions on it, or you should keep those opinions and not waste your and our time.

Yes. That should cover it.

ShockFX

May 6th, 2009 at 1:47 PM ^

1. Follow recruiting all you want, don't interject yourself into the process (facebook/myspace).
2. Have all the opinions you want, just expect stupid, misinformed, premature garbage posts that resemble my Alpha-Bits in the morning to be trashed accordingly.
3. Unless you think the coaching staff is intentionally getting shitty players, I don't see how anyone can question their recruiting, especially at this point. Also, posting that (Paraphrasing) "Rich Rod's system is going to change in two years and he doesn't know it and he'll regret recruiting this players now" makes you an idiot. If he doesn't know how his system is going to change (and, uhh, it's HIS system) then how could ANY players be the appropriate ones?
4. I think you're confusing me with Huss. Opinions are fine, no one is necessarily right. Baseless speculation and inconsistent drivel, on the other hand, will occasionally be shouted down, depending on whether I got my morning back rub from my mommy or not.
5. People should understand averages and historic norms before criticizing. Also, give appropriate time to accumulate data before drawing conclusions. That's really not that much to ask is it?
6. I guess you missed this "4. A. We also would have accepted "I spend too much time criticizing people for following recruiting.""

You post covers it about as well as your Dad's condom did that one night in the back of his Chevy.

jmblue

May 6th, 2009 at 3:24 PM ^

Michigan is not at a huge disadvantage in recruiting against any school, much less the entire South as you seem to be claiming. If we were, we wouldn't be consistently in the top 10 in the rankings (and top 5 in terms of NFL players produced). We are at a modest disadvantage against a small number of elite schools in talent-rich states: basically USC, Texas, maybe LSU, maybe OSU, and whichever Florida school is on top. That's it.

Also, question 3 left out this answer: "I don't post about recruits."

ShockFX

May 6th, 2009 at 3:31 PM ^

Oakland Athletics are/were at a huge disadvantage to competing in MLB against teams like the Yankees/RedSawkx, just because they did it year in and year out doesn't mean the disadvantage wasn't real.

There was a huge study that showed the most important factor in a recruits decision was going to a school within 200miles of his home. The VAST majority of Rivals/Scout top recruits are from the south. While we're not at a disadvantage to the Mississippi State's of the world, I didn't feel like listing each school in the south we're disadvantaged too.

jmblue

May 6th, 2009 at 3:41 PM ^

I agree that most Northern schools are a competitive disadvantage, but we (along with ND and OSU) are one of the exceptional cases. We have enough of a national rep to be able to cherry-pick recruits from all over to compensate for our limited home recruiting base. West Virginia under RR might have been like the Oakland A's, but we're more like Boston (and USC is like the Yankees). Again, the recruiting rankings (and the list of ex-Michigan players in the NFL) bear this out.

backusduo

May 6th, 2009 at 11:57 PM ^

You can't win with these people. If you comment about Michigan picking up every 5'6" kid that runs a 4.4 in the country they say your an idiot. If you comment about White Guys as receivers or anywhere near a basketball court they call you a racist. If you comment about people spending too much time caring about recruiting... well isn't that why we read these blogs, because we all care too much?

I care too much. I look forward to taking an hour off of work each day, and reading Rivals, Detnews, Freep, Varsity Blue, Michigan Sports Center, and The Big House Blog. It helps me pass these awful summer months, where it is 120 outside and my baseball team is already out of contention, and if you are reading this I'm pretty sure you are in the same boat.

Go Blue, regardless if they lose, regardless if this recruiting class doesn't grades out, regardless if RR is still coaching for Blue in 2 years, and regardless if it makes my interest in 17 yr old boys abnormally heightened.

Go Blue!