Late Late Night Open Thread

Brian is still focused,  (See front-page Les Miles update to his original Les Miles entry from a bit earlier).  But I wonder if he's losing enthusiasm for this blog.  It's just a bit weird to be unable to post or even posbang.  He's expressed exasperation at our comments in the past.  And now, as I reach half-past-asleep, I'm having hallucinations that I'm under a dreamlike martial law.

I doubt he'd ever officially say "Fuck this!"  But we might be reading more of Tim (nothing wrong with that).  And Brian might find another outlet to supplement what he's done so well at mgoblog.

I mean, the guy hated the idea of Brady Hoke.  And now he's saying he'd rather have Hoke over Smiles.  Odds are climbing that it'll be one of them, no matter what Les told his players.

This may not end well.

I have heard rumors that I'm interested in the job because I'm an alum and someone who has occasional success playing NCAA 10.  People just aren't sure that I understand the OSU rivalry because I have never seen Michigan beat them.

but I could deal with Miles if he is named coach.

I think too much is made of Hoke's career record on the surface and not very many are putting that record in context with where the two programs he's coached were at prior to him. Some of these posters really need to do their homework on the candidates before they let loose with their words of wisdom.

As for the "hired guns" that people continue to bring up, we are Michigan, not The U or any other sleazy program that engages in a win-at-all-costs mentality. If that is what you want, then go root for Alabama or USC, or get away from the college game altogether and stick with the NFL.

P.S. And get off my lawn!!!

FWIW the Dominos airplane is now in Vegas. WHO COULD IT BE?!?!

The past three years have been disappointing. Extremely disappointing. We became just like every other program in the nation. At some point, we were going to stink. But we didn't think it would be long, or that it would play out like this. But for most programs it has. They started with a bad hire, paniced, and made another bad hire. Look at Oklahoma post Switzer. Gibbs was meh, then Schnellenberger (disaster) and and can't even remember the name of the guy between Schnelly and Stoops.

Think about USC post Robinson, Act 1. Ted Tollner (bad), Larry Smith (great guy, okay coach - not good enough for USC). Then Robinson part 2 (like most sequels disappointing), then Hackett (yuck), then Carrol by dumb luck. 

Consider Texas and the up and downs from post Darryl Royal to Mack Brown. Fred Akers had good seasons, but then McWilliams and Mackovic essentially stunk up the joint. That was nearly 18 years of mediocre texas football. 

Nebraska was a machine from Devaney to Osborne. Solich was never the same, but the game changed drastically too. But then they made the switch that maybe should have warned us about a drastic change - Callahan. Hoke's Ball St team nearly beat them at home. Even under Pelini, it still isn't the same. Better, but not Osborne dominance. 

Alabama - wow - that has been an up and down sh1t show after Bear. The only one that was really solid was Stallings, and even then wanted to string him up at times, and he won a National title there. It wasn't until Saban that they got it right. That's a long time even if you delete the Stalling years. 

Washington post Don James has been a mess (save one good season under Neuhisal). 

I wanted Jim Harbaugh to come back to Michigan. He seemed to be a great fit. Smart, former Michigan hero. Solid NFL career. Charismatic. Cared about his athletes, worked with smart, student-athletes (get ready to deal with all those SEC football players in the NFL - good luck with that), and even deflected to them in post game interviews. But he had other aspirations, and hey, when your nobody brother is having success in the NFL, I can't see why he wouldn't try it. 

We've believed this is the best job in the nation, much like Notre Dame fans. It was once. But we killed it with our bickering and unwillingness to accept an outsider. Rich Rod was brought in to implement the same type of up-tempo, fast paced, spread and shred offenses similar to the ones that kicked our ass on the way to and 0-2 start in 2007. You can't stop a running quarterback - go out and get one. We were going to drop 50 on teams like nothing and roll up points and have exciting football devoid of artillery shell quarterbacks and middle screens on 3rd and 15. 

But at every turn we miss-used the term Michigan Man. The only man that probably cringes more than RR when that term is used is Frieder. Rich Rod tried the best he could and we just ripped him up. I don't care about how his wife looked, the southern twang, the same phrases at the press conferences. HIS QUARTERBACKS YEAR ONE WERE NICK SHERIDAN, STEVEN THREAT AND THE NOTORIOUS C.O.N.E. You try to win with that. 

Miles was never coming. In the summer of 2007 I was in New Orleans and met a number of LSU alumni and boosters. Nice guys, and I have pictures of them with Les Miles at a crawfish boil (y'all need to do that at least once: crawfish, beer, socializing, beer, cocktails, beer, crawfish, friends, beer ... you get the idea). I realized that there was NO way he'd ever leave. Sure, they were hard, but in reality, passionate fan base, unpretentious, fertile recruiting ground - why leave? Bo was dead at this point. Maybe if Bo was still alive he'd feel obligated to kiss the ring and come back (if Bo wanted him back - there was that trip Bo made to Baton Rouge shortly after the Jai Eugene incident - if that rumor's true). He was gone.

Hoke want's the Michigan job. So does Mike Hart. I'm glad he's passionate about the job. But is Hoke ready. Is he better than Rich Rod? is he really that f'ing stupid to not use the most dangerous weapon in college football? If he doesn't adapt to use DRob, he's dumb and shouldn't be hired. Period. End of discussion.

So Harbaugh signed the contract. Donovan left the Magic and returned days later to Florida. Dakich returned to BG after having been at WVU a few days. Cremens turned down his alma mater to stay at GT after initially leaving. Okay, it's all basketball and Jim is an arrogent prick and considers himself first (and I'm not saying it as a bad thing). He's gone. Dreams die, just like your first marriage. Damn, this is depressing. 

What if Ball St. hired Bielema instead of Hoke? What if Wannstache doesn't have his Pitt players hurt Pat White's thumb? What if Gary Pinkel finally one a big game? Crable why did you have to have a late hit on Troy Smith?!? Damn you! Well, at least no one is calling for Ferentz or Schiano this time around. 

So why not plead with Chip Kelly to come. Yeah, screw Phil Knight. It's freakin' Oregon. No one respects that school. Michigan - college football blue blood. Screw that - Michigan - Denard Robinson. That would be amazing. Pipe dream, I know. Where is our Tressel at? 

Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm a man, I'm forty - I introduce Mike Gundy?

On second thought, I'm all in for Brady Hoke. <sigh>