Spring Football news seems scarce

Submitted by sheepman on

Is it me, or does news around Spring Football seem eerily quiet?

It seems like in past years their was excitement, mgoblue videos posted pretty often, etc. 

Is it the success of the basketball team? Is it the lack of excitement around the program for obvious reasons? Is it the resurrection of the "fort" that is doing it?

 

A Fan In Fargo

March 5th, 2014 at 6:23 PM ^

Can someone please tell me how Hoke being forthcoming with our everyday injuries is helping this team? I've read these comments so many times and just want to slap the people that write them. Especially when they come during the season. I'm not a coach and probably wouldn't make much of one but I do know that I wouldn't tell anyone about our player's injuries. This is an advantage in case you didn't know unless you can prove to me different. How is it any team's business to know who will be in the lineup against them? If I were Hoke I would never comment on player injuries. Just like how they kept the injuries of Jarod Wilson and James Ross III a secret before the Ohio game, I would follow the same strategy even when questions are asked pertaining all other players. End of story. Next question. I'm calm. Stop the nonsense!

LSAClassOf2000

March 5th, 2014 at 3:47 PM ^

Per the schedule that was published, the second practice was actually last Thursday and they will not begin again until March 11th. From that point onwards, there is basically a practice every 2-3 days up until the Spring Game, if I remember correctly. I would expect plenty of spring news beginning in the middle of the month. 

BlueReign

March 5th, 2014 at 3:50 PM ^

Hoke- "We have so much new stuff. New offense, when you look at terminology and all those things that are important. We thought these first two days—non-padded—we could get a lot taught, a lot of the base things that are in the offense, and we’re doing a few things on defense differently."

denardogasm

March 5th, 2014 at 3:53 PM ^

I'd say the exact opposite actually.  I think it makes those two practices more useful, because the coaches can give a blitz introduction of the play book since we're switching schemes on both sides of the ball, then the players can study over the break with some good practical experience to reference as they're reading the play book.  Plus the coaches can give them specific technique things to work on after not seeing them play for a couple months and can then start much further along when the 3rd practice rolls around.  I like it.

I Like Burgers

March 5th, 2014 at 4:01 PM ^

Anytime you're learning new stuff, its best to keep repeating it and building on it.  By having a long break in between, you're going to have to spend a lot of practice three and four reteaching what you did the first two days.

Think about your own spring breaks.  It takes a little bit to remember what the hell was going on before you left.  And having grown up around teachers, I know that they always complained that the days before a break were a waste because the kids don't remember what you were teaching them when they come back from break.

denardogasm

March 5th, 2014 at 4:34 PM ^

Agree to disagree, but I think the players would be a little more excited to learn their new system and be back on the field than they would be to learn two days worth of calculus. I just don't think they'll have to reteach that much.  Review, yes.  But they would do that anyway.  It's only a week after all.  I'm sure the coaches also factored in what kind of players they have and whether they'd be studying up over the break or just getting fat and forgetting everything.

Mr. Yost

March 5th, 2014 at 4:52 PM ^

The thought is...

I'm going to preview something with you...allow you to learn it on your own and give time for it to soak in for a week. Then we're going to come back and really jump into the material.

IMO, it's a very smart way to extend spring practice. Now they can go watch film and practice on their own and know what exactly they're looking at and looking for.

IMO it eases the learning curve rather than repeating something for a month and being done with it until the fall.

Guys now can come back, show what they learned and be corrected.

I've always said, if it were me...I'd stretch spring practice out literally and LONG as I could.

Guys can still call coaches and ask questions, they can still work with each other, they can still learn while on "break."

I know for me...if the coaches gave me a brand new playbook before break and we never talked about it beforehand, it would look like Chinese. But if we had 2-3 days to go over basic concepts and termenology, I could really dive into it and self-teach.

Same thing with MGoBlog...people try reading the UFR's without any "training" and then they bitch about it because they don't know what it means. For us that have been in the threads where things are explained or read the acronyms, it becomes a useful tool to breakdown the game from the week before.

BlueReign

March 5th, 2014 at 3:49 PM ^

Tuesday, Feb. 25 -- Practice #1

Thursday, Feb. 27 -- Practice #2

Tuesday, March 11 -- Practice #3

Thursday, March 13 -- Practice #4

Saturday, March 15 -- Practice #5

Tuesday, March 18 -- Practice #6

Thursday, March 20 -- Practice #7

Saturday, March 22 -- Practice #8

Tuesday, March 25 -- Practice #9

Thursday, March 27 -- Practice #10

Friday, March 28 -- Practice #11

Saturday, March 29 -- Practice #12

Tuesday, April 1 -- Practice #13

Thursday, April 3 -- Practice #14

Saturday, April 5 -- Practice #15 (Spring Game)

 

Vacation begins 12:00 noon

Mar 1, Sat

Classes resume

Mar 10, Mon

 

JTrain

March 5th, 2014 at 4:12 PM ^

Yes....^^^^^^ this.

Players have a new play book to learn. Gives them time to "study" in between practices.



It's no wonder our offenses have sputtered The last 5 years. 2 coaches. 3 offensive coordinators. Failed MANBALL. Back to spread. Failed MANBALL sprinkled in with our receiver / QB stud athlete getting drilled while our rotating oline gets abused by every team they faced. Hope 2014 is better.

maize-blue

March 5th, 2014 at 3:50 PM ^

I think maybe also that Hoke and Co. could be locking it down a little more this year. Big year with lot's of work to do.

goblue16

March 5th, 2014 at 4:09 PM ^

Thats what happens when basketball distracts you. PLus that might be a good thing. Usually the only news from spring is more bs about how the team is improving which means nothing until the season starts or the news is about injuries. Either way id rather not hear much until the spring game

Snow Sucks

March 5th, 2014 at 4:12 PM ^

Well, as long as there are no injuries, I don't give a shit about spring practice. It also doesn't help that our basketball team is awesome and we're very focused on it.

alum96

March 5th, 2014 at 8:32 PM ^

Tell me more about this football you speak of.

Well real reasons:

#1 - there have been 2 whole whopping practices

#2 - maybe many are like me and you are at the point where yeh its fun to have random discussions from tidbits about this practice or that but until you see results on the field - i.e. results such as stifling Akron rather than playing them to a last second win or beating a competent team in their own stadium - everything else sounds like the normal song and dance.  Action not words with this team and program from here on out. 

TruBluMich

March 5th, 2014 at 4:20 PM ^

If you only have 15 practices to coach the players, this is a perfect way to teach them. Teach them something and then tell them to work on this, on the off day, by themselfs.  Thats why senior leadership is very very important.  The seniors will help coach on days there are no coaches.  It doesn't mean take the day off in between.

 

Ya, they are not required to practice on their off days, but then again they are not required to actually see game time either.

TheNema

March 5th, 2014 at 5:03 PM ^

Seems like not being shut-off has treated a lot of other programs just fine. Anyone have any ideas why Michigan might be an exception?

Are you referring to Stretch-gate? I don't think that really applies to lack of a Fort operation. Rosenberg was was connected to the people who executed the sabotage.

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

March 5th, 2014 at 4:47 PM ^

It's sort of refreshing to be focusing on the inseason sports.  Lustily sopping up every twitch and ripple out of the football team and wildly overanalyzing every word Brady Hoke says is a poor substitute for enjoying real live actual sports.  Especially ones which are kicking ass.

I take that back.  It's not sort of refreshing.  It's really refreshing.  I actually can't overstate how much I like inseason basketball coverage (and lacrosse to boot) better than faux-football coverage.

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

March 5th, 2014 at 7:02 PM ^

Let me clarify.  I am not wildly interested in spring practice and never have been.  "So-and-so is a middle linebacker instead of an outside linebacker!!  What does it mean?!?!" is a board topic I never click on and a Brian post I skim at best.  I'm happy to have less of that stuff to ignore and more basketball to consume.

I wouldn't go so far as to call someone a not-great Michigan fan if they're more interested in spring football than actual basketball.  I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with not being interested in basketball.  I just would rather football didn't dominate (or even occupy too much of) the headlines during basketball season, since I like basketball.