Our fanbase is truly amazing. (re: Vinopal)
Michigan has always prided itself on being a family. Win or lose, success or failure, both the Michigan fanbase and the Michigan football team always seemed to be sewn together as one entity. We're not unlike any other football fanbase in that regard. When things are good, we're happy. When Michigan loses to Illinois 38-13, you sleep all day with your hands in your pants begging for Alyssa Milano to rape you out of your misery(Well, I do.). That is how things go
However, when I logged in today and saw the latest commit coming from a kid thrown around our recruiting mills for a while now - Ray Vinopal - my immediate reaction was to applaud and welcome this kid to the Michigan family. However, my joy quickly turned to dismay when I saw his listed rankings on each of the guru websites.
2-star, 2-star, #68 ATH
Oh.Fuck. I saw it coming: Immediately perusing the MGoBoard and comments section of the commit article, "fans" were actually jettisoning this kid and praying for an alternate reality where he didn't commit. A great football player from one of the best football powers in the country that our coaching staff wanted is, apparently, Not Good Enough for many a MgoIdiot.
Michigan has been through enough the past 2 or 3 seasons. Our biggest problems, obviously, lie in the lack of depth on defense. The coaches really wanted this kid and(according TomVH's abridged transcript) are excited about him joining our family, and instead of adulation for his commitment to our team, program, and fanbase - he is instead scorned for not being that 4-star black safety we'd like to believe we're due for. Just as Drew Dileo disappointed the shit out of so many people when, fuckbeans, we can get better! We're Michigan!
I really can't bother myself to get that in-depth on the sheer audacity and dickheadedness of so many of you simple-minded ninkumfucks downplaying each and every recruit our coaching staff targets that you don't think is up to snuff, but I just want to assure Mr. Vinopal, Mr. Dileo, Mr. Williamson, and every other kid in this class you guys have hoped would die a fiery recruiting death - there are many out there who value what it means for you to have committed to our favored university. Welcome to the Michigan football family, and may RichRod and co. cultivate you the same way they have cultivated guys like Omameh and Odoms into great football players.
Seacrest. Out.
December 5th, 2009 at 9:58 AM ^
Kent State has one safety in the NFL (Abram Elam).
Michigan has one safety in the NFL (Jamar Adams).
With this recruit, maybe now we can stay caught up to Kent!
December 5th, 2009 at 12:37 PM ^
That is just about the dumbest argument I can imagine. You are comparing one position's NFL output at two schools in order to say what?
If you really think it's ok for UofM to battle low level schools for low level prospects, then you truly are the most blind of the blind. Is there anything Michigan can do that you'll take issue with? Unreal.
December 5th, 2009 at 11:18 AM ^
Bowling Green has a safety projected as a possible NFL draft pick this year (P.J. Mahone)
Michigan has a safety projected as a somewhat long-shot NFL draft pick this year (Stevie Brown)
So you're right, we've got some work to do to catch up with BGSU.
December 5th, 2009 at 10:26 AM ^
Then I would argue that a) we should not have offered Vinopal in the first place, especially so early and b) I would rather have various players at other positions instead of a backup safety like Vinopal.
I'm sure the coaches know more than me about who might commit and such. I just have to go off of what I read and hear. But that doesn't mean offering Vinopal or accepting his commitment was the best thing to do.
December 5th, 2009 at 10:41 AM ^
I would take Sean Parker over anybody we currently have in the secondary, perhaps even before I'd take Justin Turner. That kid isn't just a safety; he could be the type of player who turns bad throws into six points.
December 5th, 2009 at 11:15 AM ^
Pat White was supposedly a 2 star because he insisted he was a QB, and RR was one of few who saw it. Daryll Clark of Penn State was just a 3 star, and RR was the first to offer him.
The man knows what he is doing. I would like to see a few more LBs in the recruiting class.
Any studly word on the ones we have?
December 5th, 2009 at 11:24 AM ^
The two players you just mentioned were quarterbacks. That doesn't mean Rodriguez has a good eye for safeties, linebackers, and other defensive players.
December 5th, 2009 at 12:14 PM ^
we must be toast.
December 5th, 2009 at 11:41 AM ^
Kyle McCarthy was a lower ranked white safety from Mooney too. He ended up started a couple years from ND and was a pretty damn good player. If I were you guys, I'd not freak out about this. See how he's doing in a couple years.
December 5th, 2009 at 4:03 PM ^
I like them going after kids at familiar schools where the players have played a similar style ball to us. Look at the kids from Pahokee - both Odoms and Smith were unheralded recruits and they have ended up being two of our most productive players.
December 5th, 2009 at 4:15 PM ^
Huh?
-Odoms was a 3* star offered by ND, Auburn, Iowa, Miami, ND, Tenn, etc.
-Smith was also a 3* offered by Minnesota, Tenn, Wisc.
Those lists don't consist of only Kent and BGSU.
We are Michigan. We shouldn't be uttered in the same sentence with Kent.
December 5th, 2009 at 5:35 PM ^
Team and fans, always together? Weren't you around for the weekly calls for Lloyd's job? The reaction to The Horror? John Navarre? The apocalypse every time our recruiting wasn't Top Ten (or five), not top 20?
As much as it's weird getting moral advice from Charlie Sheen, I REALLY have to question someone calling the Two O's "Great". (This is the same Odoms that has most likely lost his starting job to Roundtree, even when he comes back from injury, no?).
I don't worry about recruits reading things on here, or anywhere else, because Michigan fans are just like all other fans - insane. No prospect is getting anything different here than any other fanbase. And I've never once heard a recruit say "I was considering Ohio State, USC, Florida and Texas, but picked Michigan, because the fans on their message boards are SOoooo much more reasonable".
Still, I give you the pos-bump just for that delicious mental image of Alyssa Milano, serial rapist.
December 6th, 2009 at 7:24 PM ^
All RR has to do is win and then we'll stop worrying about recruits star level, race, and other offers from other schools.
But RR hasn't won. He's been rough in his first 2 seasons. Therefore everyone questions everything he does.
Winning solves all problems.