Some MGOBLOG Nostalgia.
I was bored today and got caught up in a MGOBLOG link fest and ended up in 2005. I thought this sounded a little like a defense I know and love.
Overall Defense
The only departing player who will get a serious look from the NFL is Watson, and that will be based more on his enormous, er, everything than anything unbelievable he did last year. We'll miss him, but teams tended to run at the gaping hole next to him this year and that--combined with his entry into the doghouse early in the year--limited his effectiveness. In terms of personnel, Michigan should be better next year. Other than Watson, Michigan lost its worst starter, a third-down edge rusher, and an adequate corner. There are still questions (who is the nickelback (and dimeback, for that matter)? Can we find effective outside linebackers? Who starts on the DL next to Branch and Woodley?) but Michigan has good players at at least seven defensive positions. There should be no excuses next year.
Of course, there's that whole coaching thing. Michigan's soft zone got downright ephemeral after the year of safeties who were anything but. Michigan avoided man coverage like it was the clap, sacrificing any element of surprise in favor of keeping someone (or three someones) behind the play. The end result was a hair-pulling, garment-rending extravaganza not seen since erroneous reports of Joseph's death reached Jacob. (BLAM! Ten years of Sunday School!) This year forcibly disabused me of the notion that Jim Herrmann will change or Lloyd Carr will pull ineffective players who are really swell people, so Michigan's underacheivement relative to talent will probably continue, but there will be more talent and more experience next year. That should count for something.
Just thought this was kind of similar to the beloved 2010 defense on steroids, with no man coverage and 3 deep everywhere with lots of guys coming back and losing your worst starter and a tealented but frustrating starter. Maybe 2011 defense=06. We can dream.
If anybody else has any good posts they remember it might be fun to look thru. I found a commit post on Carlos Brown that Brian almost got giddy over as it appeared to be Lloyd snake oil and a humourous look at our sleeper fb/lb recruit Obi Ezeh and hoping Jonas Mouton might leave USC behind.
December 3rd, 2010 at 2:44 PM ^
Maybe 2011 defense=06. We can dream.
I'll be happy if our defense is half of the '06 defense. Fun post though to read through.
December 3rd, 2010 at 3:05 PM ^
Brian's standards were a little higher in 05, but had the same feel.
I want to look for a preview of Notre Dame when we were still a little bit nervous about Weis and Brian may have given him some praise.
December 3rd, 2010 at 2:46 PM ^
My nostolgia watch:
Antonio Bass for head coach.
He is the only answer.
December 3rd, 2010 at 2:54 PM ^
How about the Michigan towel boy that became a WR from The Waterboy for HC?
December 3rd, 2010 at 3:42 PM ^
Oh what could have been. He had so much promise, I really feel for that kid. Again showing RR's character, he kept him on scholarship the rest of his M tenure.
He graduated in May with a communicaitons degree. I believe he's now working for Alro Steel (John Navarre, too). The owner, Al Glick, is a huge M donor.
A great article from the Daily on Bass:
December 3rd, 2010 at 3:01 PM ^
Ended up in fall 2007 after a link fest last night. You would not believe how many problems we had that Brian identified in the Oregon defensive UFR that we still have. Without turning this into another coaching change post, I would just say to those people who remember year after year of national championships and brick wall defenses before RR arrived, it wasn't always so rosy back then and Rodriguez was brought in to do to others what Oregon did to us. I was at that game and it was the worst loss I have ever seen by Michigan to date, factoring in anything that happened during RR's tenure, for no other reason than what our roster looked like at that time.
December 3rd, 2010 at 3:09 PM ^
I think there is a sense of machismo amongst UM fans that think running out the clock getting pounded play after play is worse than being huimiliated by running 5 steps behind the other team.
I just see it as a loss is a loss, a beatdown is a beatdown. I think maybe it is easier to rationalize that they "tricked us" as opposed to "they kicked our ass"
Just a theory.
December 3rd, 2010 at 3:05 PM ^
December 3rd, 2010 at 3:35 PM ^
I still go back and read "Nails" or "The New Math" when I need a lift... God, how I wish I could close my eyes and when I opened them, UM was curb-stomping teams the way they used to...
*sigh*
all in good time...
December 3rd, 2010 at 3:46 PM ^
when Michigan fans of that era could not stand it unless we won every game - and I must admit that I was often disappointed in our occasional losses. We were spoiled. How lucky we were.
Those days of winning will return. I just hope we are not as thankless.
Go Blue!!!
December 3rd, 2010 at 3:54 PM ^
Tom Goss sells insurance! Also, he's not that other Tom Goss.
December 3rd, 2010 at 4:07 PM ^
is the greatest MGoPost ever.
December 3rd, 2010 at 4:47 PM ^
Howabout when Shredder was just discovering that icon in his system tray was a drawing program, and used it to create his first masterpiece:
We even imagined what it would be like if this was the MGoBlog official banner: