SI report on Harbaugh’s Monday Press Conference is eye-opening
https://www.si.com/college/michigan/football/michigan-football-jim-harbaugh-michigan-state-loss-wolverines-spartans-season-2020-worst-loss
Gray is the best cornerback. Maybe that’s true, but sigh.
We made adjustments. Really?
I’m not sure who’s starting on the O-Line
November 2nd, 2020 at 4:34 PM ^
If I learned one thing from Twitter this weekend, it's that 99% of fans have no clue what they're actually looking at when they're watching football (myself included). And also that 99% of fans overreact to every damn thing that a coach says.
I guess that's two things.
November 2nd, 2020 at 6:08 PM ^
99% of Mgoblogers don't know what they are looking at. People who do and comment on the shortcomings of this coaching staff and program in general,for the last 3-4 years,either get banned or downvoted for speaking the truth. And not being mindless sheep following this program fall further and further from elite. The only thing elite about Michigan Football,is the delusion in the minds of the majority on this board,who don't know the first thing about what they see on a Saturday afternoon.
November 2nd, 2020 at 7:00 PM ^
What's elite about Michigan football is the facilities. We once pined away about how we'd be relevant again as soon as the administration stepped-up in the arms race. Sadly we've likely outspent schools like MSU (between staffing and facilities) by a magnitude of 4 or 5. Corporations run like this would be jettisoned by investors.
We clearly lack a technocrat at the top of our football program and desperately need one.
November 2nd, 2020 at 7:32 PM ^
I know I’m looking at the worst Michigan cornerbacks in a long time
November 3rd, 2020 at 5:43 PM ^
I stop reading when I see people referred to as sheep. Lazy.
November 2nd, 2020 at 7:46 PM ^
I learned something too. Michigan football hasnt change ONE IOTA...Constantly losing the Big Games under Harbaugh...Time to move on..Hes being paid way to much for these results..If I under performed that much at work I wouldnt have a job
November 2nd, 2020 at 10:05 PM ^
I learned that of the top 10 in state recruits in MI we have/had
2017 7 of 10
2018 3 of 10
2019 2 of 10
2020 3 of 10
2021 1 of 10
2022 1 of 10
We can add this to the list of things not changing (positively)
November 2nd, 2020 at 10:35 PM ^
If you ever get a chance go to a coaches clinic. Just do it. It will change your mind about coaches, coaching and football. But somethings are obvious.
1. Gray and Green cannot just play man coverage. You need fast athletic corners with good hips and you work on awareness, you work on different techniques based on the qb you are facing. I really think this staff way underestimated MSU’s receivers. They found out early that Msu was going to attack and didn’t adjust well imo.
They bracketed Reed this week much like they did Bateman the week before. But they couldn’t handle White and the refs were calling touch pi’s against our defenders and not calling their db’s for the same PI.
Corners, should be able to man up, plant/, pivot and run fluidly. Change directions fluidly. Fast enough to cover the majority of receivers unless they face an elite speed guy. But this is Michigan, they should be recruiting elite speed at corner. If a corner can do these things he has to get his head around and play the ball. This is coaching continually. A confident corner does this. IE Dax vs Reed down field did it exactly as you coach it. Corners afraid of getting beat do what Green a
November 3rd, 2020 at 1:01 AM ^
A novice talking about a subject I know nothing about sounds good. Get that same novice in a room of their peers and it gets embarrassing pretty quick.
Point is, I don’t care if Harbaugh and his staff can impress me. They clearly don’t impress Charles Woodson and Urban Meyer. That should concern every Michigan fan given Woodson’s and Meyer’s completely different yet equally good track record in football.
November 3rd, 2020 at 1:02 PM ^
The refs weren't calling touch PI's.
Our guys were holding on every deep pass.
They missed one on us - but let's be honest here.
It wasn't on the refs.
It was an atrocious display of poor coaching and talent...
November 3rd, 2020 at 4:01 PM ^
Plus, if you watch the tape the passes Lombardi threw were right on the money and the WR’s caught everything. They were falling down and still caught the ball. It was a perfect storm of sorts with our DB’s. Yes they need to cover better without using hands but MSU lit it up and that was somewhat lucky on their part.
November 2nd, 2020 at 4:35 PM ^
The staff is delusional.
November 2nd, 2020 at 4:35 PM ^
According to the Michigan 247 board none of this is Harbaugh’s fault because “we make our kids play school” and everyone else cheats in recruiting. Some things never change.
November 2nd, 2020 at 4:41 PM ^
I'm a simple man. if I see a Michigan fan use academics as an excuse, I think they are a pompous ass who contribute to the entire cultural problem of Michigan football.
November 2nd, 2020 at 4:47 PM ^
Totally agree. If anything it’s a positive to be able to sell academics, but UM hasn’t lost anyone they wanted this year or any other year under Harbaugh because they couldn’t get into school. Not to mention no other coach on campus has trouble recruiting right now. Mel Pearson just brought in the best hockey class I’ve ever seen at UM. Juwan Howard is going to into the early signing period with the #1 class in the country. Eric Bakich signed the highest rated class in big ten baseball history. It’s a cop out by fans who don’t want to admit reality.
November 2nd, 2020 at 4:53 PM ^
See Rob, Maizen provides good info sometimes. I didn’t know that about baseball recruiting.
November 2nd, 2020 at 5:43 PM ^
I definitely believe that some kids may qualify but not be able to stay eligible and that is an issue when recruiting. Plus the whole suspicious transcripts thing.
you can get credits at OSU for CPR, skiing, scuba diving, kayaking, wall climbing (I checked the course catalog). I don’t believe there is anything like that at Michigan. You can’t tell me there’s no difference academically once you’re at the school. Requirements yes, but we know that doesn’t explain everything.
November 2nd, 2020 at 6:14 PM ^
I swear, Michigan fans try to act like they are fucking Harvard or Stanford. Michigan is just a really good public school. Many schools have PE credits. If you want to cry about academics being a barrier, then go look at other schools like Stanford and ND who have had success.
btw, if you think Michigan players a rhodes scholars, I think you will be mistaken.
November 2nd, 2020 at 7:01 PM ^
Pretty sure we obliterated ND last time we played and Stanford is hardly threat they were in the Harbaugh renaissance. I don't think anyone is crying about keeping up with the recruiting of those schools.
November 2nd, 2020 at 7:33 PM ^
Notre dame made the playoff lmao. they better than us.
November 2nd, 2020 at 7:41 PM ^
That one time they made the playoffs? The ND that never has to play a conference champion, let alone OSU except once every 50 years and the one we demolished just one year ago and was the ONE team we were able to stay competitive against during the RichRod and Hoke years? That's the Notre Dame we're talking about, right. The one coached by Brian Kelly?
Agree to disagree, I guess.
November 3rd, 2020 at 12:41 AM ^
So many Michigan fans complain about having to face Ohio State as some sort of season ending hurdle no one else has to deal with, but the reality is their season is often over by the time they play them. Michigan has a Wisconsin, Penn State, Michigan State problem. Ohio State is so far removed from the realm of being a worry for either side you can’t classify it as a problem.
November 3rd, 2020 at 5:56 PM ^
...but the reality is their season is often over by the time they play them.
This is factually incorrect. In two of the past four years (2016 & 2018), UM wins the B1G if they beat OSU.
November 2nd, 2020 at 6:15 PM ^
I happen to know the guy that teaches scuba at OSU. Marty is a good guy, runs a tight ship.
November 2nd, 2020 at 7:08 PM ^
McFly? Is that you, Dr. Emmit Brown?
November 2nd, 2020 at 9:59 PM ^
So you will to check another university’s class offerings to throw stones, but not the one you follow? PS, virtually every school has PE credits, they give the student very limited credit hours. Not to be a jerk, but that mentality is part of the fanbase problem.
November 3rd, 2020 at 9:39 AM ^
If you could show me where Michigan allows those for credit that'd be great. I've looked and cannot find it. When I was a student I couldn't get credit for anything like that, even one credit. I had to take that stupid ass rocks class or whatever it was. I'm not trying to make excuses for our coaches. I'm trying to say that if an academically questionable student enrolls there's a decent chance they won't stay eligible, different than at some other schools, regardless of the "requirements" to qualify.
November 3rd, 2020 at 2:33 PM ^
Most of the players on the team are General Studies majors. That isn't exactly the most difficult degree to achieve. And that's not a big deal! I'm just saying I agree with other posters on our academics not having any reason for our lack of success.
November 2nd, 2020 at 5:59 PM ^
Charles Woodson did just fine on the field despite the same level of academics 25 years ago. It’s a horse shit excise from fans. If anything, learning from great professors should help our players analyze football schemes more effectively.
November 2nd, 2020 at 5:08 PM ^
The 247 board has nothing to do with this post. Zip. Sweet f all.
November 2nd, 2020 at 6:03 PM ^
Lose out on recruits to Bama or OSU and I can deal with the "we play school" narrative. Yes, the SEC and Clemson and OSU are running football factories.
However, lose to shitty Sparty the way we did? All credibility lost on this argument.
November 2nd, 2020 at 4:39 PM ^
Waking up is eye opening
Story at 11
November 2nd, 2020 at 4:44 PM ^
Between this and busy purchasing magnum condoms, you’ve been on point.
November 2nd, 2020 at 4:41 PM ^
Looks like he's just going through the motions.
November 2nd, 2020 at 4:44 PM ^
Here's the translation:
Gray: This was a public comment made to boost his confidence.
We made adjustments: Not going to throw OC or DC under the bus here.
Starting O-line: Mayfield may be out with an injury so starting 5 is in flux.
November 3rd, 2020 at 10:20 AM ^
Thank you goblue2121
Amazing the clickbait traps that people so easily fall into. Does anyone think Gray wasn't coached postgame that he would have to improve or he would sit? For God's sake, he was benched during the game. Harbaugh never has and probably never will tell you what you want to hear. He is NOT going to publicly throw anyone in his program under the bus.....
November 2nd, 2020 at 4:45 PM ^
So like, every other press conference he has ever been a part of?
November 2nd, 2020 at 6:05 PM ^
Nope. There was a time back in November 2016, when the Jim Harbaugh we hired stepped up to the mic and blasted the officiating and home cooking after the OSU robbery.
Unfortunately, that guy is gone.
November 2nd, 2020 at 6:48 PM ^
Yeah, father Jack moved back and told him tone it down. Bo fired him for a reason.
November 2nd, 2020 at 4:47 PM ^
That’s not eye opening at all. It’s pretty bland. What do you want him to say?
November 2nd, 2020 at 4:50 PM ^
I want him to say "We played poorly. This performance is unacceptable at Michigan."
November 2nd, 2020 at 4:57 PM ^
Bingo!!!
November 2nd, 2020 at 6:35 PM ^
Press conference statements about unacceptable, they key to program success
November 2nd, 2020 at 10:39 PM ^
But that’s the problem with a majority of “the people in charge” it is acceptable.
November 3rd, 2020 at 7:00 AM ^
This is spot on - although I'd want him to add "and we coached poorly" to the first sentence.
November 2nd, 2020 at 4:53 PM ^
Pfft... Brandon Brown, you got my click because I didn't know better. But I ain't reading that. BBrown is a fucking clown, now he's just click baiting too. Cool buddy.
November 2nd, 2020 at 4:58 PM ^
I expected worse(Deace or Spath) when I saw SI, but did the same thing when I saw Brandon Brown.
Don't really know why I expected different when I clicked
November 2nd, 2020 at 5:31 PM ^
I don't know anything about Brandon Brown, but isn't it a reporter's job to ask follow-up questions? "What makes Gray the team's best CB?" "What defensive adjustments were made and when?" It seems like Brown only wanted to write a column based on Harbaugh's initial, somewhat vague, points. Brown doesn't seem to know how to report.
November 2nd, 2020 at 6:03 PM ^
He’s emotionally tied to the program, so he’s more an op ed writer/columnist than a reporter.
Watch him explode on twitter during the games like anyone else—that is not reporting. Even Des and Woodson take more objective stances towards the team and those mofos have every right to unload. They are professionals, though.
November 2nd, 2020 at 6:32 PM ^
If he asked those questions Harbaugh would probably never talk to him again.