Do results = heart?
I see a lot of posts stating that everyone not named Graham or Warren showed no heart. In the first 4 weeks, I saw posts that Forcier had heart, now he has none. My question is: is the definition of "heart" results on the field exclusively? Obviously Graham and Warren have great results since they are 1st round picks.
Maybe Leach and Kovacs have a ton of heart but don't have the talent? Maybe the O-Line (without Molk) has heart but is still raw and finding their way.
Just some thoughts. I just think what we saw Saturday and have seen all year (less ND) is a lack of talent and/or experience, not heart.
Let the Neg bangs ensue.
*Disclaimer-I am not an apologist for 10-31-09
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:25 PM ^
You might be right. Lack of heart is a more personal way of stating, you know, these guys may just not be good enough, and they're not responding in the way I want them to as a fan.
I'm with you on this one - given the grief these guys put their bodies through, the time they (within the rules, of course) spend preparing for football, the heart is given. Kids like Kovacs and Leach (let's put Sheridan in there too) playing as walk-ons, after surgeries, ahead of scholarship players? That = heart and determination. I applaud it.
I think they have heart. They all do. Sometimes, emotion and a team's liability being exposed can make things look very bad. That's what happened Saturday. But, it's no reason to despair. Given the holes and inexperience, I feel the team is progressing just fine towards a dominant 2011 season. Be patient, everyone.
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:27 PM ^
I agree with you. RR in his presser kept talking about the players being able to "let loose", but you can't let loose if you are not comfortable in what you are doing.
The other thing that struck me from the presser, RR feels his team is too young in addition to being deficient in talent. RR kept talking about the 18 and 19 year olds competing against 23 year old players.
During the presser RR avoided the sticky problem of lacking talent, he cannot address the issue without coming across as dissing Lloyd. All in all it is a process and we gots along way to go.
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:44 PM ^
I think he's probably more concerned about dissing his players than dissing Carr
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:55 PM ^
Who knows. Either these kids are capable of playing at a very high level and don't have the motivation to do it (doubtful) or they're just not as good as they need to be (probable). Either way, it punches you in the gut (or dong) when another team explodes like Illinois did on Saturday, and that can discourage a lot of players.
November 3rd, 2009 at 12:07 AM ^
What I have noticed, is that there are some players who can look past a bad play/sequence/game and play like every play is the most important. Brandon Graham is the obvious example of this. On the other hand, there seem to be a lot of players on the team who hang their heads and are visibly very frustrating when something goes wrong. While I don't believe that this constitutes a lack of heart or effort, I do think that it takes away from the team when the players lose their momentum and passion. I think the clearest example of this is Tate. He always seems to get down on himself if he has a turnover or a bad series and after that his confidence disappears. I'm not saying that he shouldn't be upset with himself if he messes up, but you really need to move past your mistakes and not let one slip up let you think that the game is over.
I feel like this attitude is a very big part of what is wrong with the team right now. When one thing goes wrong, the players lose their momentum and get down on themselves, instead of looking forward to their next opportunity to make a play.
November 3rd, 2009 at 12:27 AM ^
Tate Forcier is probably in the 99th percentile of having "heart." I am totally convinced that many "average" people would take a month off of work with his injuries. Forcier, though, has tried to get on the field as quickly as possible and play every play RR will allow him to.
And does anyone here actually think Forcier is telling anyone on the staff, coaching or medical, how badly he really hurts or how bad the cobwebs still are? Forcier is a warrior and will say anything to get on the field.
If they do get that sixth win and get to a bowl (Illinois wasn't truly a "must win" game, but now Purdue would have to be classified as one), I have a feeling we will see something a lot closer to the early version of Forcier because he will have had another month or so to heal.
November 3rd, 2009 at 3:12 AM ^
during lloyd's tenure, there was never the need for an 'all in for michigan slogan.'
the fact that 'all in for michigan' is our slogan this season, tells me that there were a large number of players last season who were not 'all in for michigan.'
many of those players are probaly gone, but many probably still remain. guys that came here to play in lloyds system. not the best fits in richrods. not willing to transfer because of the academic implications. dragging us down. they are still here.
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:03 AM ^
I've been thinking of about the same thing, but I substituted 'passion' for 'heart.'
I don't know if it's a product of Rodriguez not motivating the team, but they're playing with the least amount of representation and conviction I've seen from a Michigan team in a very long time.
Nevertheless, Go Blue.
November 3rd, 2009 at 9:22 AM ^
The team has heart but they have the mental fortitude of a 5 year old girl. They play tight, scared, and afraid to make mistakes. They respond poorly to adversity on the road and always seem to hang their heads when something goes wrong. Rich Rod should share in the blame but is not the ultimate perpetrator. Long story short, I will be sedating myself with high doses of xanex on saturday so that I do not kill the Singaporean exchange students who sit in front of me at the game when my body involuntarily convulses after watching Jordan Kovacs take a poor angle and let a big play go.
November 3rd, 2009 at 10:34 AM ^
"If only they gave points for heart..."