After the last six years I am waiting for the season to start before I get too excited. I just don't believe it anymore. I know it's a sorry state but unfortunately the lack of progress has dampened my outlook.
I mostly chalked the RR years defense up to Denard being awesome.
During the RR years I always thought, 'Well it can't get any effin worse, right?" LOL!
Yep. That was honeslty the prevailing thought each off-season. And, then....it just kept getting worse.
Waiting to see how the team performs against above average compeition is the way I'll do it from now on. Getting lost in the mix that involves recruiting and favorable talk of the team from any and all sources makes it easy to have elevated expectations. The biggest problem I have faced with letting those expectations run around unbridled is the talk from the players. What I've recognized is that just as I will try and motivate myself for anything in my life they will do the same but their message reaches me through these media channels and warps my mind into this place where the team will be this juggernaut through the season and 12-0 will happen. Becoming aware of this cycle has brought me much relief.
March 27th, 2014 at 10:35 AM ^
Hey! What's all this laying around shit? Why are you all still laying around here for? What? Over? Did you say "over"? Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no! Cause when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Who's with me?
What the fuck happened to the <MGoBlog> I used to know? Where's the spirit? Where's the guts, huh? This could be the greatest <season> of our lives, but you're gonna let it be the worst. "Ooh, we're afraid to go with you, we might get <our hearts broken>" Well just kiss my ass from now on! Not me! I'm not gonna take this. <Notre Dame>, he's a dead man! <State>, dead! <Ohio> DEAD!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7vtWB4owdE
Jack Miller seems extremely mature for his age and doesn't carry himself like a guy who lost the starting job under a year ago.
Here's hoping.
Jack Miller sounds like a coach the way he speaks and with his mannerisms.
He reminds me of Dave Molk when he speaks. Just wish he played like him.
I think.
When there's 30 days left until the football season.
The success of this season will depend on the O line.
I think they will be better because of the different/more simple blocking schemes. However, I'm still worried that because they are still very young across the board that they just may not be physically strong enough yet to produce a great improvement.
...Have there been any reports re: the OL that anyone's heard during Spring practices? I prefer my doom-and-gloom to be well-informed.
David Dawson has also been practicing at LG because the coaches are really high on him and want him to compete for the LG job once Magnuson returns.
Dawson is my fav non skill player from that class simply from the tough story with his family and how he has a mean streak. I miss players on our team with mean streaks. I want to return to a time we had a lot of players other teams did not want anything to do with. I am sure he will struggle early like an OL but my hope is in his jr and sr year interior d-linemen will be thinking "damnit.. Dawson week."
Jourdan Lewis, Maurice Hurst and Freddie Canteen. Other than that I haven't heard a thing.
yeah i heard they really love hurst and expect him to rotate with wormley and henry as 3 main DTs. heard same re: dawson and canteen too. happy they like dawson and intend to work him in at LT or LG, always thought he was the most athleticially gifted of OL hoke has recruited thus far. and canteen has blown away a lot of players with his play. apparently he makes drake harris look average so far and hes much more explosive. also heard gedeon looks great which makes sense after seeing him get his feet wet last yr, only matter of time for that dude
I'm starting to become more and more optimistic about our OL. It really seems like Nussmeier is really simplifying things for the young OL.
http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2014/03/kyle_kalis_michigans_…
"Last year, you never knew what was going to get called out," Kalis said. "(Former offensive coordinator Al) Borges was a great coach and stuff, but what coach Nussmeier has done with us knowing we're a young line is given us only really two or three schemes (to work on). "He's doing us a huge favor, allowing us to shorten the learning curve. And in practice, we're breaking runs here and there -- that didn't happen last year."
At this point, the main focus with Nussmeier is to take things one scheme at a time. Learn one formation, and rep it over and over again until it has been perfected. And when that's done, move on to the next. Players say there is no information overload. There is no constant adding of schemes and concepts, or at least not nearly as much as there was a year ago.I hate to keep beating on Borges, but it really seems like he tried to install too much.
Yeah, the Borges thing wears thin sometimes, but in all seriousness I don't think he was a good coach. And by that I mean I don't think he was skilled at teaching or motivating.
He could come up with 1,000+ pages of plays but didn't know how to teach them to players effectively.
Not breaking any runs in practice last year. Assuming that's true, it speaks to the power of The Fort. Maybe the pay sites had insiders providing that news, but I don't remember hearing it. It's also tremendously depressing, post-dated several months.
Good news if they're breaking them now, if only "here and there".
Defense should be pretty solid this year. OL is a massive concern. I think Gardner's much better than he showed last season and a bad OL makes everyone look bad.
Is that Logan T-T sporting the cast club there?
Also...is it just me, or does Magnuson bear an uncanny resemblance to "Fat Mac" from 'It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia'?
LTT is quick and moves like an athlete. I'm incrementing my based-on-nothing-but-recruiting hype-,size-,and8seconds of video meter upward.
AJ Williams catches a pass.
Bosch and Mason Cole get absolutely schooled by Wormley and Beyer on a stunt drill.
Fear the beards!
Those beards are truly, truly horrendous.
I assume your sentence was some how mistakenly cut short, so I figured I'd add this comment so everyone knew your true intention.
I apologize that you can no longer edit to fix this embarrassing mistake though.
I've seen him up close, and he's jacked up to boot. Don't know why he didn't see the field last year, but he passes the eyeball test in spades.
...all seem like wonderful guys.
But just go block someone. Then get up and do it again.
We should have a decent to good offensive line this year. Next year we should have a great to elite offensive line. That is a realistic standard for what should be done and where the development should be - if it's not met, it's time to find others (players and coaches).
Last year was a downright mess, so I'm letting it go, but because if it - preseason hype and excitement was not earned just because "this is Michigan." It's time to go to work and time to get that hype and excitement back.
I am cautiously optimistic. I think Nuss makes a difference in our offensive line and subsuquent running game. I expect a very solid year for Green. And, I think Gardner is good enough to make up for an average o-line with his feet and ability to escape the pocket. And, obviously Funchess is a match up problem, which opens up the other recievers to create space. Mix in a little Norfleet in space and I think the offense is much improved. The defense based on maturation and experience alone should be solid. They should look great against poor teams and average against better teams. All that being said, I will truely reserve judgement until the MSU game.
March 27th, 2014 at 12:13 AM ^
Based on what little I have seen of Hayes here's my impression. He came in with a good recruiting ranking, but was not ready for B1G football. Watching him in just the few clips I have seen he looks quick, but not very shifty. He doesn't seem to move that well laterally or be able to avoid tacklers, which for a smaller/fast guy is important. Granted, that is on very little evidence, but based on the eye test Norfleet is a lot quicker, shiftier, and better at avoiding tacklers.
March 26th, 2014 at 10:58 PM ^
March 27th, 2014 at 12:16 AM ^
After hearing glowing reports in the off season the past couple years, this years OL will have to prove it on the field! I wish them all the best and that they start clicking. From a pure talent stand point of view they have probably have the most raw talent on the OL in the B1G.
If the center from Alabama transfers, he will make the entire line better. He is familiar with Nuss's playbook and he would be in charge of calling the blocking schemes on the o-line.
March 27th, 2014 at 10:10 AM ^
March 27th, 2014 at 10:26 PM ^
When Kalis says no broken runs in practice last year, I believe him. From what little I saw here, I see talent that feels confident for once. I'm not suggesting a juggernaut, but 4.5 ypc and no negative games seems likely.