TheThief

December 16th, 2013 at 3:21 AM ^

So now it is our fault that there was no BCS or Playoff in '97? We won every game, against a difficult schedule, that was all their was to do then. Besides, we don't have to go back to '97. In 2006 we were one Shawn Crable dumb late hit penalty from being in the National Championship Game, and we also happened to be winning a lot between 1997-2006, not to mention a BCS win 2 seasons ago.

We misfired on one coach, and had some lean years because of it. You guys have missed on every coach since Lou Holtz, and even he has been reduced to a lame talking head, with a lisp and too many stale motivational one liners. If we are living in the past...well pot meet kettle. You better hope Brian Kelly is not a one year wonder ala Tyrone Willingham, because despite his big red spittle oozing sideline demeanor, he is a very good coach, and if he can't pull you out of the mediocrity you have been mired in for the last 2 1/2 decades your program may be past saving.

However, if Hoke is indeed who we think he is, and recruiting holds pat, our players will develop just like they did back in '97. People forget that we are playing with a patchwork of young kids, and even the upper classmen weren't guys that were condsidered anything special. Go look at the offer sheets for guys like Jake Ryan, Desmond Morgan, or Jeremy Gallon, not exactly a list of premier schools. So despite all of the complaining on this board, this staff has shown they can develop talent. Our relevancy won't be something that NBC has to pump up. People forget that USC, Oklahoma, Alabama, and many other storied programs had lost decades. Michigan by comparison has been the model of consistency for many years.

Yeah I hate waiting for next year and I hate how much we talk about it, but I would rather root for a Michigan team that drives me mad and plays their hearts out, like they did this year, than a program that chronically underachieves. Give me a Denard Robinson or a Devin Gardner gutting it out and leaving every ounce of effort on the field, over guys who make up online girlfriends and look scared to tackle when they do make it to National Championship, or QB's that can't pass a test without a cheat sheet.

Now don't get me started on the scumbags to the south of us.

Joined: 09/17/2011

MGoPoints: 381

bigfan2959

December 16th, 2013 at 9:53 AM ^

There really is no national Championship in Div I college football.  It is a myth and it always has been.  There is no legitimate playoff.  Even this year we have basically in the BCS the championship between Auburn and Florida State.  It is only the championship between the SEC and the ACC.  It's no better than the Rose Bowl which is the championship between the BIg Ten and the Pac Ten.   The whole argument is ridiculous.  This is the way they decide sports like gymnastics and figure skating, voting on who the best participants are. At least in figure skating there are mandatory jumps each person has to perform.  You don't even have that level of equality in college football because on teams voted on often have no common opponents.

Joined: 01/27/2013

MGoPoints: 160

MGoStrength

December 15th, 2013 at 9:32 PM ^

I don't know man.  Eventually we have to turn a corner with road wins, don't we?  And, it seems next year is the first time the 2012 class will be upperclassman so that's as good as a time as any. Plus I don't see MSU, ND, or OSU being unbeatable.  MSU looses a lot on defense.  OSU looses the defensive backfield, the offensive line, and Hyde.  ND gets back Gholson, but with a year off he may be rusty (we play them early in the year)...they weren't that great last year anyway.  Plus they lose their best playmakers on defense as I assume Tuitt goes pro and Shembo and the rest of the linebackers graduate.  I know it's UM on the road, but those don't seem like un-winable games.

Joined: 07/29/2010

MGoPoints: 20002

phork

December 16th, 2013 at 12:15 AM ^

No ND wasn't great, but we still had wins over 3 top25 ranked teams in MSU, ASU & USC.  It was a perplexing year to say the least.

Tuitt is not a lock to go pro at this point and while Shembo graduates the rest of the LB corps remains intact for the most part, including freshman Jaylon Smith.

The team as a whole was playing under the injury shadow all year, specifically the secondary.  They should bounce back nicely.

With Golson back I expect to see a lot of Folston at RB and a more dynamic offense than was run under Rees.

Joined: 11/01/2009

MGoPoints: 4486

MGoStrength

December 16th, 2013 at 8:48 PM ^

I thought the 1st team at LB was Smith, Shembo, Calabrese, and Fox.  That's 3/4 gone.  According to my calculations they are losing 6 starting defensive players and 7 if Tuitt goes pro (Schwenke, Shembo, Calabrese, Fox, Jackson, Collinsworth, and possibly Tuitt).

 

I'm sure they won't suck...they have enough talent to be a winning team.  But, UM, Stanford, and USC will all be difficult games.  I guess it depends who else they schedule next year.  I see them as a 9-3/8-4 type team...pretty similar to UM.

Joined: 07/29/2010

MGoPoints: 20002

Roc Blue in the Lou

December 15th, 2013 at 4:51 PM ^

Fitz is a great player for a young recruit to follow...he went through some hard times, grew up a ton, and represents the heart of a lion when he's on the field.  I'm proud of him and find it a good sign that one of our touted recruits gets it already.  Have a great Bowl Game Fitz.

Joined: 12/09/2013

MGoPoints: 2107

LSAClassOf2000

December 15th, 2013 at 5:09 PM ^

247Sports had some season stats for Shaun Crawford, incidentally. As a CB, he has 82 tackles with 8 TFL, 2 INTs, 5 pass breakups and 2 forced fumbles as well as 2 fumble recoveries. As a WR, he has 16 receptions for 258 yards and 2 TDs. He has some decent rushing numbers as well - 66 carries, 808 yards and 8 TDs. 

Joined: 01/07/2011

MGoPoints: 130561

Victor Valiant

December 15th, 2013 at 5:24 PM ^

I try not to let myself get to married to the 2015 commits when we haven't even signed the 2014 commits yet. I am super excited about Crawford, Campbell, and Harris, but I try to essentially think of them as Michigan leans, because so so much can happen between now and their signing day.

Joined: 11/23/2013

MGoPoints: 4491

MGoStrength

December 15th, 2013 at 5:41 PM ^

Hoke had a great year in his first year and his first full recruiting class was such a improvement for UM.  But, slowly but surely pressure is mounting on getting on-the-field results in order to keep the recruiting momentum going.  This year we started to see how our results on the field have had an impact on our recruiting.  I think next season will be even more important.  If UM doesn't win 9 games and contend until the last game of the season for a division title we will start to see some decommittments, especially from the likes of the top end of the class like Campbell, Harris, and Crawford.  It's one thing to go 9-3 and miss the B1G championship by losing the last regular season game of the year.  It's another to go 7-5 and hear grumblings about coaching jobs while UM watches their rivals play for the conference title.  Eventually having top 10 recruiting classes has to equate to top 10 post-season rankings and I get the feeling that eventually is next season.  There is no excuse to be any less than the #2 team in the B1G from here on out.

Joined: 07/29/2010

MGoPoints: 20002

denardogasm

December 15th, 2013 at 5:43 PM ^

We haven't seen decomittments yet so why would we then?  And where did we see the results this year start to impact recruiting?  Our recruiting has been fantastic.  This post is purely speculative but you present it as fact. 

Joined: 09/11/2011

MGoPoints: 10688

Victor Valiant

December 15th, 2013 at 5:54 PM ^

Even with another season next year similar to this one I don't necessarily foresee a lot of decommits. I mainly worry about Campbell because he is the "trophy commit" of the class, even though one could argue Harris might turn out to be better. Campbell is also from Florida, so he has top schools essentially surrounding his doorstep.

I know your post wasn't directed at me, but I definitely agree with you that Hoke and Co. have been good at closing guys out and suffering minimal decommits. I do think that another middling season next year will wipe some of the optimism from the program's future and effect recruiting more than it did this year, though.

Joined: 11/23/2013

MGoPoints: 4491

MGoStrength

December 15th, 2013 at 6:41 PM ^

Our recruiting has been great, but as I mentioned I beleive it has to eventually translate to more wins.  TVH has said this a number of times too.  And, of course the idea that pressure is mounting to achieve more on-field success next year is merely my opinion as is evident by the words "I think" in my post.  

 

That aside, we have seen decommittments such as Gareon Conley and David Dawson who of course eventually came back.  In addition we have seen talk of potential decommittments from Peppers and Crawford.  If you don't think the results of our on-field play has impacted them I'm not sure what to tell you.  Peppers cited rumors of Hoke getting fired as a reason for possibly visiting other schools.  Those rumors are the direct result of losing games.

Joined: 07/29/2010

MGoPoints: 20002

denardogasm

December 15th, 2013 at 7:08 PM ^

Obviously not the point of the post but when you say "I think" in the beginning of a long paragraph it is not implied that it applies to the rest of the statements in the paragraph as well, especially when there are multiple points being made.

And the rumors of Hoke being fired are not a direct result of losing games.  They are an indirect result of losing games.  They are a direct result of a bunch of trolls, opposing coaches, and click-seeking media types making shit up.  You said it yourself, Peppers cited the rumors as a reason, not the play on the field.  All the high level commits have repeatedly said they're not worried about the performance because they've been told all along, and it's just common sense, that the team is young a building.

Joined: 09/11/2011

MGoPoints: 10688

LB

December 15th, 2013 at 8:50 PM ^

direct result of conversations with rival coaches. When the season was more successful, he was going to the NFL - stop trying to create drama, there is plenty to go around.

If you want a recruits take on the season, look at the recent article written about Marshall.

Joined: 09/26/2009

MGoPoints: 25494

phork

December 16th, 2013 at 12:18 AM ^

Having top10 recruiting classes really doesn't mean much if the kids aren't coached properly.  So your assertion that top10 recruiting classes HAVE to equate to higher rankings is flawed.

Joined: 11/01/2009

MGoPoints: 4486

TheThief

December 16th, 2013 at 3:35 AM ^

I would rather go 7-5 and win the last game of the regular season, than 9-3 and lose the last regular season game. I realize you didn't say it was an either/or, I just wanted to make sure everyone knows how much I hate the Buckeyes. Beat Ohio.

Joined: 09/17/2011

MGoPoints: 381

Sione's Flow

December 15th, 2013 at 6:56 PM ^

I was wandering the twitterverse last night and saw a tweet from the younger Crawford regarding the 30 for 30 about Maurice Clarett.  Apparently the way the university handled the situation didn't sit to well with him.

Joined: 06/05/2011

MGoPoints: 5193

I dumped the Dope

December 15th, 2013 at 7:53 PM ^

Develop and work their way up into the depth charts.

I too have been guilty of high-end-class = automatic high end season, I think we all ate up the hype from the excellent class that Hoke brought in and the pinnacle of that was Notre Dame.

Alas, there is a pesky offset/lag from getting a nice class to producing a high end season.  Probably every player and coach has 5 things they wish they did differently during the season.  But that's the game of football.  The team has to hit on all cylinders and get some lucky breaks along the way to truly be great.

I forget who said that Hoke will win a NC if he stays long enough, and I still believe that.  Although the road is a little rockier I think he will prove to us eventually what he did at Ball State and SDSU were not flukes, and rather a skill that can be applied elsewhere (meaning here!!) 

Joined: 09/22/2013

MGoPoints: 2342

HarBooYa

December 15th, 2013 at 10:41 PM ^

Little guy who hits like ton of bricks.  Totally underrated by the services and love that chip will grow on his shoulder.  Great tape and athlete.  I would love to have that heavy hitter back there along with Dymonte.  Plus, love to take him away from Urbs.  Stay blue son!

Joined: 06/22/2011

MGoPoints: 2908

Shaun

December 15th, 2013 at 10:58 PM ^

FWIW, 247 Sports just reported that Crawford will be visiting Ohio State on Feb 8th after attending an awards banquet in Columbus. This one probably isn't over.

Joined: 02/15/2013

MGoPoints: 120

j.o.s.e maizenblue

December 15th, 2013 at 11:31 PM ^

As the site grows so do the pessimistic ass clowns... Why we have to put brady on trail time after time is beyond me... Is it the sites attempt to get more clicks? Do people really think recruits/players don't pay any attention to what they have to say?Neg me if you must, but its more frustrating/embarrassing to see our fanbase do more harm than our record.

Joined: 01/03/2012

MGoPoints: 572