Damning quotes from Nebraska DE Randy Gregory
I've been one of Borges' staunchest defenders on this board, but this game and these quotes are the straw that broke the camel's back for me. Borges needs to go.
Gregory: "They had certain tendencies. Whatever formation they came out in, we knew what they were going to throw at us." #Huskers
— Samuel McKewon (@swmckewonOWH) November 10, 2013
Gregory on Gardner: "After the game, you could just tell: He was kind of out of it. That's what we wanted to do: Take him out of the game."
— Samuel McKewon (@swmckewonOWH) November 10, 2013
November 10th, 2013 at 9:12 AM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 9:47 AM ^
I was thinking the same thing, but he is clearly more subdued than the last couple weeks.
November 10th, 2013 at 10:08 AM ^
The problem is this.
Here is the Al Borges defend-o-meter:
Al is the best! Middle ground FIRE BORGES!
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I have been here from the start of the season:
Al is the best! Middle ground FIRE BORGES!
----------------------------X-----------------------------
A lot of you have been here:
Al is the best! Middle ground FIRE BORGES!
--------------------------------------------------------X
You're all stupidly trying to make it out like I've been here:
Al is the best! Middle ground FIRE BORGES!
X---------------------------------------------------
Which is patently untrue. Myself, Space Coyote and others have been defending only so much as we've been saying, "There are plenty of valid criticisms, but your critcisim is incorrect and stupid."
Seriously, does no one actually read what I write, or do you just blink at the text for a couple of minutes before attempting to surmise what I wrote?
I've said all along that the lack of development along the offensive line has to be put directly on the coaches. A lot of peoples' criticisms of playcalling have been off base, because if your offensive line can't block they're aren't a whole lot of plays that you can run with a great deal of success. Your offense will also be incredibly inconsistent, especially when you combine poor blocking, with an erratic QB.
But I guess in whatever weird paradigm a lot of you subscribe to, not shouting "FIRE BORGES!" every 5 minutes, and being a bit more thoughtful and nuanced, means you think he is the greatest thing since sliced bread.
November 10th, 2013 at 10:08 AM ^
I really like your posts & the way you articulate your thoughts. That being said however you can absolutely put me down for:
X - FIRE BORGES.
November 10th, 2013 at 10:21 AM ^
While my thoughts have pretty much remained the same in a "we are who I thought we were" sort of way, I'm moving more in that camp too. I can't pin it all on Al, as I think he's being made out to be a scape goat more than anything else.
Don't get me wrong, his playcalling has been bad at times (it has also been good at times), but I think if he gets fired it's less a referendum on his calls and more on the lack of offensive development as a whole. Funk would need to go too, because while the offensive line is young and inexperienced, it can't be this horrible and he gets to keep his job.
I think I just tend to look more big picture. As a program, we've been behind the 8-ball in terms of recruiting since Carr's last few seasons, and Rich Rod's tenure certainly didn't help on that front.
It's a sizeable hole that is going to take probably 2 more years to dig out of.
This is the sort of thing I warned about when we fired Rich Rod after only 3 years. We run the risk of becoming a revolving door program, where we keep cleaning house every 3 years and then wonder why we can't build anything.
Just as soon as we start to build a solid foundation we knock it down, and then complain when the next guy can't simultaneously clean up that mess while building a house of his own in such a limited timeframe.
November 10th, 2013 at 10:41 AM ^
I agree with you soo much. I don't give a rats ass about playcalling right now its the poor player development that is killing this whole offensive staff for me. I think they all need to go including Jackson. I also really think we need a qb coach but I don't see how that is possible with the current defensive setup. I guess the best outcome would be an OC who is proven to devolop qb's, a proven oline coach, and Tyrone Wheatly.
November 10th, 2013 at 11:02 AM ^
The offense is a mess, so it's clear that there's a problem with Al. I agree with your comments about what happened when RR was fired after only three years, and the danger of becoming another ND.
To add to that danger, the same person who made the decision to fire RR early and bring in Hoke is going to pick the new coach. I haven't seen much from DB that inspires confidence.
November 10th, 2013 at 10:24 AM ^
In the past couple of days you haven't exactly created well-thought-out comments on the board. Whenever someone made a comment, you would put some gif there to mock them. These comments were not trolls or idiots. Some were actually decently thought out. They just had a view that seemingly you opposed.
Instead of actually trying to refute said posts, you used snarky gifs. You did not create a position nor did you really defend anything, so you came across as an extremist.
November 10th, 2013 at 10:28 AM ^
That's because those people were using the same, tired, bombed out and depleted arguments, over and over again, ad nauseam. There was literally no point in responding in anything but snarky gifs, because when you respond to them in an intelligent, thoughtful manner, you still elicit the same boorish response.
November 10th, 2013 at 10:36 AM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 10:43 AM ^
Who were you before you got banned?
November 10th, 2013 at 11:23 AM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 1:24 PM ^
In that case, nothing more need be said, Ace.
November 10th, 2013 at 2:20 PM ^
This is the essence of what those of us who defend Borges keep trying to say, but the FIRE BORGES crowd refuses to acknowledge. No offensive coach in the history of the sport can call plays that will succeed with this kind of line play. If you want to fire him and Funk because they have done a terrible job of developing linemen or because he can't coach Devin into making decisions, that is fair. But to say that the problem is OMG PLAY CALLING makes me wonder if there are more than ten people on this board who even played in high school.
November 10th, 2013 at 11:22 AM ^
get out or pay your ticket $ and just shut up. that is total BS! i choose to where i want to live and pay tax $ accordingly. so if i don't like what the local gov't (or school system) is doing i should just pack up and leave or just continue to pay my tax $ and shut up? i like this community and want it better. i will be damned if i'm going to just sit here and take this BS!!!
November 10th, 2013 at 11:25 AM ^
Except those things aren't really analogous at all...
November 10th, 2013 at 11:41 AM ^
to someone who can't see the forest through the trees.
November 10th, 2013 at 11:43 AM ^
No, they're just terrible analogies.
November 10th, 2013 at 12:22 PM ^
so is your insight
November 10th, 2013 at 8:30 AM ^
So has Funk. This, like Penn State, was a game Michigan should have won. And like PSU, the defense gave up a late touchdown after the offense could not salt it away. Three times UM had it at the NEB's 40 and they got a grand total of three points. That's the difference between a blowout win and crushing defeat.
Al Borges is the worst playcallier I have ever seen. Well, except for Ken Karcher.(EMU OC before Parrish took over) He worse than anyone I have seen the Lions field and he is every bit as bad as Dan Roushar. The man needs to go.
November 10th, 2013 at 8:35 AM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 9:19 AM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 11:22 AM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 11:25 AM ^
are you willing to trade a bad snap or two per game for better blocking? i am. but the question is whether miller is a better blocker than the two replacement guards. i'm not sure about that either.
November 10th, 2013 at 8:36 AM ^
But I too am done with this offensive coaching staff. I thought the defense played really well yesterday. Although they gave up some points, they also made some nice plays given the debacle on the other side of the ball. The offense is pathetic. Watching Gardner get sacked over and over again is so frustrating! They have no ability to adjust the game plan at half time. I think Borges/Hoke think that the plan is good and the players just can't excecute it. I beg to differ. A good plan of attack does not involve two games in a row with negative rushing yards. I hope that this year doesn't destroy our incoming recruiting class, because it's hard to watch right now. UUUUUGGGGGHHHH. I think we end up 6-6 this year. I am going to the OSU game after thanksgiving, and even though it will be my third UM vs OSU game, I'm not really looking forward to getting stomped by 70. It's gonna be ugly. Hoke and staff are the opposite of RR - defense but no offense. We need a staff that can coach all phases of the game.
November 10th, 2013 at 10:57 AM ^
Hoke has to let Borges go. If I'm DB and Hoke is not coming to this conclusion on his own, then I've got to seriously question his competency. Regardless of whose call it is, I think that call is made - I just wish they'd do it now. You gotta send a message that this is not acceptable, we recognize the problem, and are acting upon it. Consider - strongly - how the handling of this problem is perceived by our current commits/leans - quick, decisive corrective action, or a bumbling stumbling through the rest of the year.
Hoke is a delegator, and has his strengths. I'd see how things go next year with a new OC, whom I would let have some degree of input, if not final say, on his staff. While the jury's still out on Funk, I think this thread reinforces the sentiment that it's tough to block against an oft-stacked front that knows what's coming,
To keep Borges is to believe he has the potential to reverse his ineptitude. If he does, and he hasn't...enough said. For the rest of the year, anybody on that staff (including GAs) would be no less imaginative a play-caller, and I don't think his QB coaching would be missed. I would put more trust in a random play-call generator (weighted slightly toward passing) - I couldn't be more serious.
November 10th, 2013 at 8:40 AM ^
MSU made similar comments last week. Ohio did the same last year.
Without Denard's improvisation, every defense knows exactly what's coming.
November 10th, 2013 at 8:42 AM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 12:04 PM ^
We're pretty much No. 1 in the country if you only count practice. We always bring our A game. According to Hoke, we're undefeated Monday through Friday.
November 10th, 2013 at 8:47 AM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 9:28 AM ^
Al Borges.....
November 10th, 2013 at 9:12 AM ^
Borges kept the lid on Denard a lot in 2011 and 2012, but it worked as Denard still improvised when the play broke down or Denard wanted to run something else (witness Air Force game).
We got lucky last year when Devin took over as D Coordinators didn't know what to expect, especially when Denard came back at RB.
Devin is obviously not comfortable in the pocket, sooooo let him through from the pocket.
This can't be fixed (Sadly) till off-season.
November 10th, 2013 at 9:17 AM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 9:33 AM ^
and tossing out thinly-veiled racism has indeed been your MO. Can't wait until you actually slip and get banned.
November 10th, 2013 at 9:45 AM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 9:50 AM ^
In the open threads, he made a bunch of comments about putting in a "cerebral" QB in Morris. He's also been on a BLAME GARDNER streak for quite some time and exonerated the coaches. I'll leave it up to you to draw conclusions.
November 10th, 2013 at 9:54 AM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 10:10 AM ^
Devin is hesitant, that means the above poster is racist? You're an ass.
Put me squarely in the 'Devin is hesitant' column too, but I think it's because of the INTs earlier in the year. Also, the horrible blocking has him concerned about the rush, therefore hard to focus downfield. Some QBs handle pressure better than others, but I've never noticed any connection to ethnicity.
I like Devin, but he does seem hesitant. I put it equally on Borges though, b/c we don't seem to have a good system for making pre-snap adjustments.
November 10th, 2013 at 10:17 AM ^
I'm having a hard time deciding if that's an intentional straw man or a sign of illiteracy. Words of that nature have never been posted under my moniker. If OldSchool had merely said "Devin is hesitant," i wouldn't have a problem. I elaborated and you can go back in the open threads to find the "cerebral" comments. I can't even find the words to describe the inanity of your first sentence.
November 10th, 2013 at 1:17 PM ^
I have no idea who OldSchool is. I've never seen a post before. But, I can tell you that there is not a thing racist about his post, even if he's a KKK member at home. Gardner was pretty bad yesterday. I like him. I've supported him all year. But I also said at one point that if he contiued to watch the pass rush instead of keeping his eyes downfield, something had to change. To his credit, the next series he did look downfield, stepped up into the pocket and through the ball on targe. Unfortunately that didn't continue.
Just. So. Inconsistent. The whole team. It's depressing, as we should have won this game (and PSU for that matter).
November 10th, 2013 at 9:17 AM ^
I wonder if the mad magician teams of the late 40s had the same problem.
November 10th, 2013 at 9:29 AM ^
I expect every team Michigan plays from here on out will blitz on most downs.
I don't think this is just on the interior O-line at this point. I'm no expert, but it seems the style of offense Hoke and Borges want to use depends a lot on TE play, and while we have some great, young athletes playing TE who can run and catch the ball, we don't have TEs who can block effectively.
November 10th, 2013 at 9:42 AM ^
November 10th, 2013 at 9:46 AM ^
I've been thinking about this... How does the offense move the ball against the defense in practice? Isn't Mattison taking notes and blitzing the offense every time?
November 10th, 2013 at 12:08 PM ^
Unfortunately, Heiko asked this question this past week to Mattison. Basically, do you let the offensive coaches know that your play calling is predictable and easy to defend for us. Mattison said that he has his own issues on defense to focus on and can't spend time making suggestions to the offensive staff. Many posters seem to think this is normal and coaches are generally territorial so I'm not sure Borges would take kindly to Mattison calling him out.
This is just a shit show that needs to be corrected in the off season. I really hope Beilein has coffee with Hoke and just has an informal conversation about his experiences. Don't make any suggestions but just show what you've been through and how it might be applicable to your situation. Of course, if Hoke truly believes everything is all fine and good as he seems to in his press conferences then we are truly boned.
We will know in a few weeks and months what Hoke intends to do and if he wants to course correct even a little to set this program back in a good direction.
November 10th, 2013 at 9:46 AM ^
And last night watching the LSU-Alabama game I heard about all of Alabama's tendencies...it's not about play calling, it's about executing (Saban said it himself after the game) and talent.
November 10th, 2013 at 9:51 AM ^
That's great and all, but there aren't enough first round NFL draft picks to fill every college lineup - so until then, it is about play calling for the mortal teams out there.
November 10th, 2013 at 9:52 AM ^
When you cheat and have better talent than everyone, you can pretty much do whatever you want.
Also, execution is on the coaches as well. You don't get to just blame the players whenever it's convenient.
November 10th, 2013 at 11:32 AM ^
Yes. This.
November 10th, 2013 at 12:54 PM ^
Everyone says it is execution. There is too much video of every team and even the lower tier teams employ extensive video review to gain an eadvantage, e.g. Akron and Connecticut. It is pretty obvious that UM has massive tendencies that are taken advantage of by opponents. If I am an opponent and I hewar about these tendencies that is the focus of my prep. As bad as Akron is and they were able to consistently crush all rushing attempts. If I am on the O-Line and the D-Line knows what play is coming, I have to be exceptionally skilled to avoid a negative play. It was obvious then and we blamed it on the inexperienced line and that was PART of the problem. This can only be blamed on the arrogance/insanity of the staff as we all know the meaning of that.