Thank you 2016 Michigan Football seniors

Submitted by Wolverine Devotee on

They committed here mostly expecting what they saw us do in 2011 to be what they would be doing.

It did not go like that. They had no idea what they were walking into, truly. Their first season of play was a disaster followed by a 10x worse disaster where lots of things happened on and off the field.

What they did the final two years was fix it. These seniors have laid the foundation for the Harbaugh era. 

12-13 from 2013-2014

20-6 from 2015-2016

"Laying the foundation" is not always followed by a 20-6 record in 2 years where playoffs were in the discussion late in the season. 

That's a turnaround. This a special group that has put the program back in the national spotlight where it should be. 

 

B1G_Fan

December 31st, 2016 at 3:08 AM ^

I have to disagree and thats the first time I ever down voted tou WD. Our O line was made up of 4 and 5 star recruits from tackle to tackle, they have played better since Harbaugh came on but, not by much and to say they played above their potential is ridiculous.

trueblueintexas

December 31st, 2016 at 10:55 AM ^

There is no question Hoke increased the talent level on the team from the RichRod era. That does not mean the talent consistently matched what other top teams have, specifically on offense. The QB situation was not good. The RB's lacked a true difference maker. Darboh and Chesson are really good, but neither is an elite consistent game changer. And then there is the O-line. Yes, many were highly ranked, but O-line is one of the most difficult to measure. Kalis had all of the physical and attitude attributes, but he made many mental mistakes all the way through his final game. Magnuson consistently played really well but was susceptible around the edge against high end talent. Even Cole is really good until you put a man mountain in front of him. So the O-line each had weaknesses which could be exploited by teams with the right combination of players. True success will be when all five on the O-line do not beat themselves AND they have the physical ability to keep up with anyone they play against.

Rabbit21

December 31st, 2016 at 12:50 AM ^

Poor timing, we all want to say the right things and all of us appreciate what these guys have to the team(far more than we ever will)but it's not the right time. Let people have some time to get the disappointment out of their systems, instead of doing the "Look at me!!!" thing. Please.




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MichiganMAN47

December 31st, 2016 at 1:04 AM ^

I appreciate all the hard work the guys put in. Clearly worked their asses off. Many will have long NFL careers. However, they didn't accomplish typical Michigan goals.

1-3 (2-3 for 5th yrs) vs MSU
0 wins against OSU
No Big Ten Titles
No playoff appearances
One Citrus Bowl win

Now they have played some great games and built up respect for our program, but for whatever reason this group never got over the hump. They had their opportunities and for the most part squandered them.

Wolverine Devotee

December 31st, 2016 at 1:22 AM ^

That's the whole point of turning around a program.

Your numbers aren't going to be great because you're turning it around.

Refs took two wins over rivals away. Sypniewski was run over in 2015 and obviously what happened this year. 

 

Indiana Blue

December 31st, 2016 at 8:40 AM ^

3 plays ... well if I could have 2 plays back, it would be the delayed handoff to Smith in the Iowa game (safety) and exact same play last night on 1st and goal form the 1.  Just WTF  -  1st down at the 1 should mean 4 straight Kahlid Hill FB dives.  We need no other play, period.

Given NO Peppers, a horrible 1st half for Speight and possibly Lewis' worst game of his career ... what would any of us expect ?  It likely wouldn't be that we lost in the last 40 seconds of the game.  Too many positives ... though play calling must improve (see first sentance above).

Go Blue! 

MichiganMAN47

December 31st, 2016 at 1:50 AM ^

The program is turned around when you actually win those games. The job isn't done. Losing a close game is some MSU/ Detroit Lions level mediocrity. Fun to watch for a little while, but it gets old quickly.

trueblueintexas

December 31st, 2016 at 11:05 AM ^

That's something Jake Butt said in an interview midway through this past season. He said the first thing Harbaugh had to do was teach them how to win and not expect it to fall apart when bad things started to happen. He was then asked if that was accomplished and he said he wouldn't know until they were faced with that situation. The last four games proved it is really hard to change a culture of losing big games. I have no doubt the types of players Harbaugh is bringing in will not have this problem. I think this is one of the reasons Harbaugh is trying to turn the roster over so quickly. He wants his players with his attitude to dominate the roster as soon as possible, even if it means giving the firm handshake to guys who would normally get their fifth year.

taistreetsmyhero

December 31st, 2016 at 1:04 AM ^

Terrible way for Lewis and Butt to end their otherwise spectacular careers. Feel great for Taco who definitely earned some money today. Sad for linemen who came in with such promise and worked their asses off but could never "get it" enough to fulfill their (predicted) potential.

Bittersweet end to the season for sure.




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