Defense looked much better. The Mattison Effect is real! Ecstatic about that.
Offense made me want to cry. I know it's just the spring game, but if you are Borges, all you have to do is put in some film of Michigan from last year and you can see what works. Base your offense off that and find a way to slowly phase Vincent Smith out of the run game. Please. This team can win 9 or 10 games if you don't blow it.
6 Section 1 posts
8 "I'M ULTIMATE FAN THIS UNACCEPTIBULL" events
First year coaching staff, spread personell running new offense so I expected Mediocrity-and I got it.
are absurd.
We have what our eyes saw
<br>What else do we have to go on
<br>Overreacting is what post-game message
<br>Boards are for
panic!!!!!!!
Spring games look ugly. If they don't, it is because one side of the ball is really good (SEE last year's offense) and one side of the ball is a disaster (SEE last year's defense). We also have no idea what the staff was doing/emphasizing.
This team is still going to have better talent/experience/depth at 20 of 22 positions (and both kickers and both return spots). I will be very surprised/disappointed if they don't win at least 9 games next year.
game, but weren't a couple of starting o-linemen out for this game? I'll admit I am skeptical about the offensive staff and how they might utilize the players they have, but to freak out like I have seen some do in this thread is going way overboard.
The offense appears to be well behind from where it was last year. Maybe that is a product of the new system, maybe the weather, or few practices. The defense looked as improved as a unit returning everyone and upgrading from frosh to sophmores should look. It was exciting to see the interceptions, but our QBs were the ones throwing them. My enthusiasm has been tempered.
It's unfortunate these things get blown up into this. If we would have played a perfect spring game on both sides of the ball, everyone would be hopping on the band wagon. So, I prefer it to be this way. It makes success more enjoyable as a fan when you never jump ship like some of you asshats. Anyways, taking a look at our schedule, it is pretty favorable to start. The first 6 games are extremely winnable. The ND hype machine has them tagged as "that team" again, but that hasn't stopped us from defeating them the last 3 years. I see a 6-0 start heading in to our first tough Big Ten Game against MSU. We should all be happy that these kids are in the hands of a coaching staff like this for another 4 and 1/2 months. That is a ton of time for improvement, on top of the strides that have already been made. Go Blue!
Everybody enjoy the rest of their saturday watching the Wings embarrass the 'Yotes.
isn't jumping ship. I'll still be supporting the team 100% and I hope they prove me wrong. I'm just saying that the spring game inspired absolutely no confidence in our new offensive staff and gave me no reason to expect any improvement from last year.
What you said is fine and all, but here is the thing. For these players and coaches, this is literally just the 15th practice of the spring. We treat it as the annual spring "game" as if it carries some great importance. The staff knows it is simply a practice, that is why you heard Hoke repeatedly say he would love to have a draft and play a game, but the depth isn't there. The thing about practices is that you are going to have good days and bad days, just as you do throughout a regular practice week. Obviously, this is a glorified practice so there are some nerves as well. It is just too early to be critical of this team. Also, try to look at today from this perspective. Wouldn't you rather see a low scoring game in which the offense struggles and the defense plays a decent game? We have enough returning players with game experience and skill on offense where with 4 and 1/2 months of extra work, they will get there. Defense will keep us in games, so to see the progress there is encouraging.
I would not rather see a low scoring game in which the offense struggles and the defense is decent, particularly not when it's one of the best offenses in recent Michigan history against one of the worst defenses in recent Michigan history (and the 1st string offense couldn't even score once against the first string defense, and the two offensive touchdowns were not particularly impressive from an offensive perspective -- it more seemed like it was just a defensive breakdown on one and a lucky play on the other), and the only thing that really is making the offense struggle seems to be a scheme change from something that worked quite well to something that, so far at least, is not working well.
And I don't think that our defense will be good enough next year to keep us in games if we can't score points.
And did the defense get a lot more practices than the offense heading into today?
Isn't it just possible that landing the Ravens DC makes a difference, while filling out the offensive staff with guys like the WR/Recruiting guy from Ball State (during the illustrious sub-.500 run) and a coach who went from coaching WRs at Cal to coaching a (.500) high school team (before being plucked by Hoke) also makes a difference?
Returning 19 out of 22 starters is going to benefit us. The offense will score points, and this isn't last years defense. I don't believe our defense can get much worse than what it was last year, so comparing this defense under a new regime, to last years is rather pointless. One huge benefit to haveing a young defense last year, is that this year they all have game experience in the Big Ten. I know it is hard to realize after watching last season, and then just watching a rough spring game this morning, but we have to keep everything in perspective. Things will look a lot more crisp come our first game. You cannot put so much emphasis on a meaningless "game".
If you know football, you know these things take time. You are not running on all cylinders by the spring game immediately after a coaching change. It's just not the nature of the game.
April 16th, 2011 at 10:15 PM ^
I have a LOT more faith than that. Also, I won't disrespect Denard and the boys, most of whom probably read this stuff. We still have some talent, and our coaching staff deserves a chance. Isn't that what all the more intense RR supporters continue to lament?
Fuck, Brady's had three weeks and he's already failed. Pathetic.
No sugar coat-the offense especially Denard and Devin were rough today. The oline isn't there yet. They didn't get much push up front. Ugly
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Don't forget to consider that 20% of the starting OLine wasn't dressed today.
Coldwater? Is that you, Doc.? Haven't you gotten kicked off this board yet?
DOOM
Yes?
April 16th, 2011 at 11:31 PM ^
Get off my fictional videogame Mars base.
If your outlook for the entire 2011 season is based solely on today's performace, then go ahead and panic. I caution you that you are making a grave mistake.
Not the entire 2011 however you can see things in this game that will be challenging going forward in the least.
-Denard will never be "comfortable" in the pocket going through his reads and hold your breath on 3rd and long.
-Big Will still plays too high and can be blocked one on one-he will get better but his lack of development from the previous regieme is sad and obvious.
-Our starting FG kicker better be a true Freshman.
-We will be watching the future at Safety no matter who starts and an education is expensive.
-At this point anytime we have a Full Back on the field we are playing 10 against 11 becuase our FB made zero impact-and this changing over the summer probably not.
-Asking this coaching staff to coach up the linebacker play in one season is not likely-our LB's got sucked in more then once and once an opposing RB is past the D-Line start gripping.
Although you can improve in the off season you can take away some certainties from the spring game.
The difference being that the M6 drives great on the highway but not so much when you have to take it offroad in the big ten.
The only real concern (because its only a spring game and most of the sloppy stuff will be worked out before the first game) is the kicking game. If you cannot make a field goal in a spring game how will you make one with 100,000+ people watching and the game on the line?
For us to still not have a kicker is nuts.
One guy hit the left bar at 50 yards out.
That was Gibbons and he got a bit of a curve inward. That was never going in.
Maybe he over compensated for wind.
6-6
Wins: EMU, WMU, San Diego State, Minnesota, Purdue, and either Northwestern or Illinois
Loses: MSU, OSU, Iowa, Nebraska, Notre Dame, and either Northwestern or Illinois
Too scared to make a prediction? COWARD.
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Still hiding are you? It's okay the internet is a scary place!!
I wrote something mean but thought better of it. Yeah, I'm still scared.
Thanks coach - guess we don't have to bother watching now
hard to watch and gave almost no reason for optimism. Granted its after just a few practices but if you really think our offense is going to be as good as last year (no freaking chance its better) you are wrong.
A truly good defense, and lets all agree, we dont have what can be called a good defense, will stop that offense in its tracks. Thinking that a few more weeks of practice in the summer/fall camp will somehow make this offense even a shell of what we saw last year is just wrong.
We had trouble with real good defenses last year with a very very good offense. This offense is not even close to what we saw last season and its not likely to get very much better than what it was today.
Hoke is a mediocre coach at best according to his record...and now he will face much better teams and defenses/offenses than he ever did anywhere else. To suddenly think he will be the 2nd coming of Bo is nuts. All this rah-rah stuff will fade fast as the losses come. And they WILL come.
I love my Wolverines as much as anyone, but i am a realist first and foremost.
I predict a long and ugly season with no bowl game.
Damn i hope i am wrong.
Would everyone calm the hell down?
- We were missing 2 starting O Linemen
- We've been practicing a new offense for a total of 15 days
- We will be more effective running the ball come fall. That will help Denard and his passing.
- Devin Gardner will not start at QB.....and this was an excellent wake up call for him. The kid just learned what happens when you throw lifeless passes while posing like a statue
- We have plent of days to teach our guards how to trap
Remain calm. Don't let it ruin your Saturday night. It's not like we lost today.
Feel better?
But good defenses were already stoping us in our tracks last year, so how was this any different? I for one am glad that our D looked way better.
The ad hominem attacks continue unabated for people who dare question the team.
We ignored the warnings for three years while RR's guys toiled and the results were more name calling and immature attacks than ever should be a part of things. Now it seems as if the gloves come off again, and I'm always astounded by it--this being, of course, a "Michigan board" full of people who portray themselves as "classy" Michigan graduates who are SOOOO unlike Sparty or Buckeye fans LOL.
What--the OP says he saw things and it looked like poop. So what? if the reports had been "ALL BONKERS WOWIE LOOK AT DENARD GO!"--he'd probably have 40 billion pos bangs and be praised as the smartest guy in the world.
I don't think it outrageous to make predictions, good or bad. I mean, there's not much more to go on besides whats been seen, and what's been seen IS a valid "data point" to go on. We better know this is going to be a rough transition, and due in no small part to a lack of talent combined with a system change.
Hoke has his work cut out for him, and we, as fans, have our work cut out for us because things are not looking terribly good. I don't know if a cummer workout regimen and fall camp are enough time to right what the OP or anyone says as weaknesses, and we should be prepared that it isn't going to be.
This team will be a work in progress that will do much more OJT than anything else.
This team went 7-5 last year. They were one of the youngest teams in the country. They return 20 starters, loads of other contributors, and have a bunch of highly rated young guys with the potential to make huge strides in the offseason. Oh, and the QB finished 6th in the Heisman Trophy voting as a sophomore. And the schedule gets easier.
Thinking this is a recipe for a 5-7 season (based on the results of an uninformed viewing of a practice in cold weather with many key contributors not participating) is completely retarded. Complaining when people point that out is even more so.
Thank you for pointing out the exact reasons why everyone should be terrified after today's game.
Or read it all.
wow talking about reading comprehension failure
And "cummer workout regimen" for all eternity.
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<br>Or at least till Western Michigan when the world is apparently ending.