Patience Needed with whole team and coaching staff
It isn't fun to see your team lose. Results are the only thing that matter, in a sense. And yet, from my perspective, we have seen tremendous results. Michigan was in both the MSU and Iowa games. We simply don't have across the board skill on our team right now, and it won't happen overnight. We aren't strong enough, big enough, skilled enough, fast enough, and experienced enough to regularly win games like these. At least we know Michigan isn't going to go 3 - 9 in Hoke's first year. Coaching will allow us to steal some games, but not all.
As painful as it is, I think we need to be patient with Hoke, with Borges, with Mattison, with Denard. There comes a time when paitence no longer cuts it. We are not at that time, not this year, and not next year.
I feel so confident that by 2013, we will see a vastly improved team. Hoke has the support of the AD and the University. He has a crack recruiter in Mattison. We already have the best football recruiting class in many years.
November 6th, 2011 at 1:29 AM ^
You'll see that in a couple of years. You all will. Hahahaha. Or I'll be wrong. But I'm never wrong. So hahahaha.
November 6th, 2011 at 1:49 AM ^
how inept this offense was against a competent defense was negged and flamed to Bolivia. Now many more are saying the truth. This offense, the type of players RR brought here, despite what skills they may have, CANNOT beat the better defenses in the conference. Why? Because they are not beig enough, strong enough or fast enough. The play calling is attempting to hide the deficiencies that these players have and they still cannot execute.
The OLine cannot block the better defenses (and even some of the average defenses) in the B1G, the receivers aren't fast enough or big enough to get any separation and the backs and QB are big enough to shake off any tacklers. Denard may be fast, but his speed has been completely neutralized by the defenses in the B1G. He has no holes to run through and he's not as fast as he was two years ago. He's not out-running anyone now. We'll never see what we saw at ND last year.
Every team with a competent defense knows how to scheme to beat Denard and have made him simply average. By doing that, our offense isn't very good because Denard was the X-factor. Teams know how to stop him and without that wild card, Michigan's offense is just average at best. Unless Devin G. learns how to play QB really fast, this team will have to win with defense for the next three years. Shane Morris may be the answer, but not as a freshman. We need a big bruising back and a receiver that create separation and right now we don't have any such thing.
November 6th, 2011 at 7:20 AM ^
I think you're right. the problem is, this doesn't explain the Iowa game.
November 6th, 2011 at 9:15 AM ^
Zing! Backhanded compliment of the day...
November 6th, 2011 at 1:04 AM ^
I will give up one of the next two games, maybe both to beat Ohio State at this point. Losing to Illinois wouldn't be good but would feel like Iowa. I've thought Nebraska would win from the moment the schedule came out but maybe not anymore. I could care less if the conference is weak and if we are "frauds". I don't care if OSU is down because they didn't care that Michigan has been down and they were dirtier than used Depends in their wins. For me perosnally beating Illinois and Nebraska only to lose to OSU would leave a bad taste. Going 2-1 isn't ideal it would be far more palatable of one of those wins came at home on November 26, 2011.
November 6th, 2011 at 1:21 AM ^
Actually, we probably have more raw talent on our teams than most of the B1G teams we play. I just get frustrated knowing if the coaches and players would play to their ability they could beat the IA and MSU of the B1G! It is disappointing knowing that we should play better but some how we do not capitalize on our skills. IMO we are a better team than IA and probably are on the same level of MSU. I like what Mattison is doing on defense, and I think the D played well enough to allow us to win. The offense is frustrating since we have skill players for some reason they do not mesh well enough to get the results necessary to win.
I will not give a final grade to the current coaching staff until the final game of the season. But from what I see now we will probably lose our last 4 games and finish at a disappointing 7-5. I was hoping for 8-4 which may still be possible but I think B1G teams know how to play the spread, so I think there is a good chance we will loose the remainder of our games. I'm still hoping that Hoke can pull out a win against OSU at home, and if he does a it will be a successful 8-4 season breaking a big losing streak against OSU. However, if we finish with 4 strait losses I will be quite disappointed in Hoke's first season.
Next season we will be lucky to finish 7-5. We'll have to play Alabama in Dallas and ND in SB, these could be two non-conferences losses. I expect we'll be a better team but maybe not so much better. I'm still be worried about losing at home to MSU and on the road to OSU next year. Though we should beat some of the middle B1G teams but we may have a worse W-L record. I think 2013 will be a break out season...but I'm still worried about finding a top RB to take over what will be a true pro set and how well will Gardner play?
Secretly I was hoping Hoke would have a first season similar to Bo but now I know this dream is fading, and we will end up in some lower terr bowl game. I felt like we got a true groin punch from today's loss. But Hoke still has 4 games to prove himself, so I will pass judgement until the end of the season.
I will always root for our team and I love watching our team and kids playing their hearts out, no matter their record. I will always root for them.
Go Blue!
November 6th, 2011 at 3:17 AM ^
is for people that don't get their own way. F that
November 6th, 2011 at 9:18 AM ^
"Patients is" also for Dr's...
November 6th, 2011 at 3:36 AM ^
Our OL cant run block worth a shit. Once Iowa made the adjustments in the 2nd half..they shut Fitz down and shut Denard down for most of the game. Denard is banged up, it is so easy to see. He does not have that September burst...same thing happened last year. I had no problem with the play calling in the second half today....they had to throw the ball because they could not run vs. Iowa. I wish Denard would have scrambled a bit more out of the pocket, but IMO he is hurting more than anyone will let on.
November 6th, 2011 at 3:38 AM ^
Will people explain to me why the general consensus I'm seeing on the board is that OSU at home is more winnable than Illinois next week? I think that's ridiculous and I also hate all this talk about this season being a disappointment. Yeah it sucks to lose to State and that Iowa game was winnable, but did you guys expect 12-0? A lot of people had us losing to ND and we pulled off an insane win. Let these guys regroup and get the W this week. Let's see how the coaches get the team to respond; then let's evaluate the season. We've lost to two teams that are title contenders. We're not dropping games to Toledo anymore guys.
November 6th, 2011 at 9:18 AM ^
It's probably more a function of Illinois being a road game than anything. We can still take these last three games, as the worst of the three teams is a road opponent, and the other two are at home. Home field seems to be a HUGE advantage this year in the Big Ten due to the amount of young teams.
November 6th, 2011 at 10:03 AM ^
I expected 9-3...doesn't look very likely at the moment.
November 6th, 2011 at 4:21 AM ^
Anyone who complains about ANYTHING except Borges play calling is a fool. That is the only problem.
November 6th, 2011 at 5:42 AM ^
Al's fault? If his playcalling was better, the Sun wouldn't spit plasma and occasionally disrupt radio communications.
November 6th, 2011 at 6:49 AM ^
Good teams stopped Denard last year and teams have been even more aggressive in putting men in the box to stop him this year. He snuck up on meh teams the first half of last year and piled up stats he didn't put up in the second half and will never put up again.
In 2011, it's very difficult to be a top-tier offense with a QB who is as erratic a passer as Denard is.(**) It's a credit to the coaching staff that the offense has been as effective as it has been with a passer as inaccurate as Denard. The refs completely ripped us off, but we would have had a TD earlier on the last drive if Denard hadn't missed a wide open receiver on a simple pass with the wind, by five yards.
(**) And by this, I don't mean that he never has throws or even stretches of throws that are accurate and effective; I mean that he doesn't make accurate and effective throws over and over and over, as many college QBs do in this era.
November 6th, 2011 at 8:07 AM ^
If I seem to recall, the first two rushing td's that Iowa gave up last year both came from denard en route to him putting up over 500 total yards.
November 6th, 2011 at 10:40 AM ^
Simple, let Denard be Denard. He was trying so hard to be Borges style while sitting back in the pocket that he gave up so many easy running lanes. The announcers kept repeating this. Just make a quick checkdown (maybe even just your first choice) and if not open...run like nobody else can. The most dangerous play for a defense to defend is the broken play with a great running quarterback.
November 6th, 2011 at 11:37 AM ^
Why do we need to demonstrate patience when the problem isn't personnel, rather coaching? Outside of hiring a DC for $750k vs $250k for GERG this team is significantly worse than last year.
The B1G is far worse than last year when there were three legitimate BCS bowl calier teams in OSU, Wisco, and MSU. This year, there isn't a BCS caliber team in the conference. The middle of the pack teams in the conference are far worse. And if not for a minor miracle against ND, this team has yet to be a decent opponent. Yet, outside of maybe ND and and MSU, Mich has held a significant talent advantage over every opponent.
Hoke/Borges are putting a round peg in a square hole on offense. Its painful to watch. And it is all on the coaching staff. No one else is to blame for this mess on offense this season.
7-5 with this roster versus this level of competition is underachieving. Hoke needs to beat OSU and either Illinois or Neb to have the season not deemed a disappointment.
November 6th, 2011 at 1:09 PM ^
While the season isn't lost, we should be 9-0 right now. We are 7-2 because of stupid turnovers and offense struggles to get rolling early. Hopefully we can drop a bomb on Zook and company and gain the momentum back in our favor.
November 6th, 2011 at 2:29 PM ^
It is my recollection that last year, like this year, Denard ran only on designed run plays. He rarely scrambled last year (I seem to recall people saying it would come with experience) and he rarely scrambles this year. Yesterday, I was encouraged by seeing him go through progressions, and that makes me think he is learning. There were, for example, passes to Koger where it was pretty clear that Koger had not been his first or second read. Further, if every pass that should have been caught yesterday had been caught, he would have been at least 22-37, instead of 17-37 (and that is respectable) and even better if PI had been called when it should have been called or if the TD to Roundtree had been called a TD. He does not seem to be able to figure out when to pull it down and run, though; instead, he unloads on every pass play that is called, sometimes with less than satisfying consequences, particularly on his long passes.
November 6th, 2011 at 2:58 PM ^
Not good enough to win games like these!!!! We were twice shafted in the final four plays and that would have given Michigan a chance to tie. If Borges' playcalling was able to take advantage of one of football's most dynamic players, even to last year's level, we wouldn't be talking about patience. What upsets me is that I don't think Michigan will ever be open to a modern spread attack, and simple questions about bubble screens upset Borges. So we have a solid defense now and our coach makes the obvious decision on fourth downs, but when it comes to adjusting to talent and learning from past offensive success the coaches have been mediocre. Denard has gone from dynamic to average, and that is as much coaching as the defense's improvement. I'm sick of being patient, especially when the blueprint for success is available and the coaches scoff at it.