The Little Things

Submitted by Route66 on
The game Saturday was fun to watch. A.) It was a win B.) They played 4 quarters C.) They were very disciplined overall. When RR was hired I kind of looked at him like he was a little slippery and more of a flashy guy than a General type guy. (if you know what I am saying) I wanted Les as I thought he was a perfect "Michigan" coach. I was not upset with the RR hire but very skeptical. Then all the junk came out through the spring, the season started with....um.....437 turnovers through the first 3 games. (give or take 3 or 4, I did not look up the stats) Butler throws a haymaker...etc etc. I really was still on the RR train but thinking way back in my mind that this could de-rail FAST. I never thought that we would sink to MSU depths, but thought that this was truly a culture change for the UM program. Amidst all of that junk the first few weeks, I did notice a couple things. I noticed that the ball carrier for UM ALWAYS handed the ball to the officials. I noticed that when the opposing D jumped offsides, our O-line stood still to show that they were not in the wrong. I noticed all the downfield blocking. I noticed the hustle on and off the field. Things that were good, but did not immediately translate into wins. When I realized what was going on with those little things, I told myself right then and there that we would be okay. We would rise again and we would do it quicker than most think. These are the little things of the foundation of success. Some of you probably have noticed these things too. Watch Brian's latest entry with the hilights from the Historian guy. You will see what I mean. It is very clear on a couple plays for sure. RR has this team coming around. He is more of a General than I gave him credit for. I AM NOT CLAIMING VICTORY OVER ALL yet, but good things are happening. Good things that you will never read about in the "real" media.
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Discipline

jmblue

November 10th, 2008 at 6:06 PM ^

You see Les Miles as some kind of "General"? He strikes me as a guy who runs a loose ship. His teams win, but they commit a lot of boneheaded mistakes, and seem to play to the level of their competition. His saving grace is his ballsiness when it comes to tough decisions.

Joined: 11/07/2008

MGoPoints: 102810

Sommy

November 10th, 2008 at 7:10 PM ^

Realistically, the SEC is pretty down this year. Let's be honest. The SEC is a tough conference, but every single year the SEC "is the toughest conference," the Big XII "doesn't play defense," and the Big Ten "is having a down year" regardless of what's actually happening on the field. From what I've seen, I would put the Big XII head and shoulders above the SEC this year as far as overall conference strength, and the only reason I would give the edge to Alabama in the SEC title game (again, I'm talking about overall conference strength, not how strong the top team is -- I do believe Alabama is easily the best team in the country right now) is because they are definitely more of a tough team than a finesse team.

Joined: 07/29/2008

MGoPoints: 1806

ColoradoBlue

November 10th, 2008 at 6:20 PM ^

I'm not sure how you formed your initial opinion of RR, but I'm guessing it wasn't by watching any WVU games. RR isn't so much a general, like Lloyd, but more of a drill sergeant. To me, those WVU teams were terrifying in a unique way -- not with highly touted players like USC, or scheme like OSU, but with bone-crushing intensity and discipline. I remember thinking that WVU would probably kill UM because of their grit, alone. Incidentally, it seems to be one big area that WVU is lacking now. Also - and I fail to understand how fans and media seem to forget this - he has a track record of success at three stops. Unless he's suddenly forgot how to coach, he should get a pass in this area until he breaks his pattern.

Joined: 09/14/2008

MGoPoints: 7726