D-tonio gets peeved

Submitted by ColsBlue on

Lifted from Rittenberg's lunch links - Mr. Intensity jumps on Paul W. Smith about the "focus being on Michigan".

http://www.mlive.com/spartans/index.ssf/2009/10/dantonio_has_testy_exch…

The guy just doesn't get it - MSU will always, ALWAYS be second fiddle to Michigan on the football field. I really wish they played sooner than next year - can't wait to see his head asplode when Michigan wins and definitely takes back the focus...

Engin77

October 5th, 2009 at 2:03 PM ^

to follow the Heathcote-Izzo script for moving a Green and White program past the Maize and Blue program. His challenge is that Maize and Blue faithful are fully committed to football.

jmblue

October 6th, 2009 at 3:58 PM ^

I think the impact of the two NCAA investigations is overrated. Many programs (most recently OSU) have managed to keep their recruiting at a high level even when under the gun. Ellerbe was just a horrible coach in every way. Amaker, meanwhile, recruited decent enough talent; he just couldn't develop it.

Geaux_Blue

October 5th, 2009 at 2:07 PM ^

the problem many MSU fans don't see is they might only be 2-3 right now because Dantonio obsessed about covering UM like you would a bowl game. while i wouldn't have minded a little Rodriguez obsession on the matter, i'd much rather look at 4-1 than 2-3 right now, especially because i expected at best 3-2 heading into Iowa and, well, that's about it. having to listen to MSU fans rant on the issue of winning may only be tapered by their coach having little gas left to finish out the season.

True Blue Crew

October 5th, 2009 at 2:17 PM ^

He's probably peeved at that fact that Michigan, with a ton of freshman, sophomores and juniors almost beat his mighty spartans! Better enjoy this one coach! It's going to be your last for quite a while!

st barth

October 5th, 2009 at 2:27 PM ^

...spartans ought to enjoy this one because it's probably going to be about 10 years before they win another in this series.

Wide Open

October 5th, 2009 at 2:35 PM ^

I wonder how much he misses/was brainwashed by being on WJR before U-M games all those years.

In the meantime, please get a grip [COACH REDACTED]. You're annoying me like you're my little broth...oh never mind.

DesHow21

October 5th, 2009 at 2:35 PM ^

of pulling off a legendary comeback, I should be happy....but every time I listen to that D-bag Dantonio, I just can't stand that he has winning record against us now.

If we don't drop a 30 point win on that joker next year, I will be crushed.

Irish

October 5th, 2009 at 2:35 PM ^

Didn't really have a problem with what Dantonio said.

It was obvious what remark "observer guy" wanted to make and his intentions why, and it was pretty funny that Dantonio gave him a bit of a tongue lashing for it.

Tater

October 5th, 2009 at 6:00 PM ^

The radio guy asked reasonable questions and Dantonio hijacked the show with his mini-tantrums. Such Dantonio-baggery is simply another illustration that, like most losers, Dantonio is not able to handle success. And I agree wholeheartedly that concentrating solely on the UM game cost them at least the CMU game and maybe the ND game.

jg2112

October 6th, 2009 at 9:00 AM ^

If Michigan State recovered the onside kick at the end of the CMU game, they win.

If the MSU QB throws a ball one yard closer to his WR when he was wide open in the end zone on the play before the INT, Michigan State beats Notre Dame.

Michigan State is one play from 1-4, but also two other plays from 4-1. Get rid of the idea in your head that Michigan State lost the CMU and ND games because they "prepared too much for Michigan." They are 2-3 because of a successful onside kick and an overthrow, which are matters of execution, not preparation.

ZooWolverine

October 6th, 2009 at 9:30 AM ^

Yes, recovering the onside kick against CMU might have led them to a win but the point is that they were playing Central Michigan--the game shouldn't have been close much less having MSU down.

If the hypothesis that he's focusing too much on Michigan is correct, fixing that could very well have won those two games.

However, less focus on Michigan all season might mean that they lose the game against us--so I'd say they'd arguably be 3-2 with a loss to us; I think they might take 2-3 with a win against us.

HeismanPose

October 5th, 2009 at 3:07 PM ^

So he installs a countdown clock to the Michigan game in the locker room, puts a ton of emphasis on this game each year, and then complains that there is too much focus on Michigan? This is a situation entirely of Dantonio's own making.

The Spartan fans should be happy they beat us, but should also be asking why the team can't play that well for the other 11-12 games each year. Michigan State does not seem to aspire to be a national football power. They don't even seem to care about winning the Big Ten. All they want is a W over Michigan each year. That is the coach's fault.

spacemanspiff231

October 5th, 2009 at 3:34 PM ^

I think that with the one exception of Urban Meyer, there is no coach that I hate more in college football than Mark Dantonio. The guy just doesn't get what it means to be a coach in the Big Ten. Like Meyer, who jumps on every chance he gets to dog the Big Ten, Dantonio makes no effort WHATSOEVER, to hide his "fatal attraction" obsession/hatred of the Wolverines. Honestly, the guy takes it way too far. I understand there's a rivalry, but the MSU/Michigan rivalry will never, EVER compare to the OSU/Michigan rivalry and even Tressel knows how to respect the rivalry and the Wolverines b/c he understands its importance to the Big Ten. He understands how important Michigan is to the Big Ten and understands how to look like a gracious, civilized coach in the Big Ten. Dantonio will never understand this. He just, flat out, doesn't get it. He is a joke of a coach in the Big Ten. It is no wonder his players play so damn dirty on the field when they have an example like him for their coach. He's turning his players into jokes of human beings and setting them up to end up like all the other jokes of players that came out of that joke of a school, i.e. Flozell Adams (notorious for playing dirty), Plaxico Burress, Charles Rogers, etc. I absolutely hate Dantonio.

SarcasmoBY

October 5th, 2009 at 4:13 PM ^

I love it when "observer guy" says at the end how he thinks Michigan would have won if Forcier were 100% healthy. Nobody will know either way, but too bad he didn't tell that to Dantonio.

mgofootball4

October 5th, 2009 at 8:22 PM ^

I thought that was hilarious too and I hope Dantonio was still listening in at that point - he probably flipped his shit. If you're Dantonio, why make a stink of it? He's setting himself up to look like a turd because there's no chance they beat Michigan in the big house next year...

markusr2007

October 5th, 2009 at 4:26 PM ^

Look, hating your rival with a freaking passion is all well and good. But you can burn a crap load of powder doing so, and not have much left over to sustain things.

Why then are we all completely unmoved by the possibility of a massive mental letdown next weekend by MSU against, of all teams, Illinois?

Plegerize

October 5th, 2009 at 4:27 PM ^

What irritates me most about Dantonio is the fact that for the past two seasons he's be trying to convince this state (and its media) that his program is the morally just one and the other one (our program) is just trying to "win at all costs".

He does obsess about this matchup too much and it boggles me because people are letting him off the hook for it. With the media on his side it just makes it worse.

I'm surprised the Freep didn't make their headlines on Sunday: "Extra practice last Sunday helps Spartans beat Wolverines"... I bet they were tempted to.

tomhagan

October 5th, 2009 at 4:36 PM ^

Dantonio is a Classless Jerk. Always has been.

The Jerk started right in on them without being provoked. What a Dickhead he continues to be.

You will never hear Rich Rod going off on a media guy like that...he shows proper restraint and class and dignity. Michigan should be proud that they have a coach that doesnt lower himself to acting like a 10 year old.

AMazinBlue

October 5th, 2009 at 6:33 PM ^

could you imagine him in a post-game press conference trying to explain how he wasn't able to hold off the mighty Wolverines. He'll go balistic and he might go Woody Hayes on the media.

Can you imagine what he'd say to his wife if she ever mentioned Michigan?

D-Bag is right. Paul W. Smith said exactly what the MSU fans were thinking as regulation ended and D-Bag oculdn't admit it. The whole interview he steered away from any negative or questionable account of MSU. He won't last two more years.