When was the last time you felt this optimistic?
I feel pretty optimistic now- like I haven't felt in a decade really (or around the time UM and OSU played each other as #1 and #2).
I figured out why: fundamentals. Today I saw a game where the players were executing the fundamentals with precision- blockers were blasting, defense was wrapping, runners were plowing and the QB was sharpshooting. And all the mechanics looked like they should. There was no need for lots of fancy gadget plays for the most part. Just bread and butter dominance.
I never saw that basic soundness under RR or Hoke and never felt very confident about their teams- no matter what their records were or what direction they were heading. We never blew anybody out that was decent under them- never dominated a good team. I always felt we were faking it when things were going well and that it wouldn't last. The fundamentals were usually very bad.
Now- suddenly- I feel like I have been returned to an earlier time- before the nightmares. I really liked how the announcers at the Citrus Bowl talked about the UM tradition- and how it was crazy to try to change that- they showed the legacy stats. Yes, it was crazy.
And it felt the world was well again and the future has REAL promise- not fools gold.
How long has it been since you felt this way?
January 2nd, 2016 at 11:26 AM ^
There was definitely a significant portion of luck involved in the Minnesota win (being down at the half yard line on the almost game-winning TD catch, plus their HC derping around and wasting valuable time), and maybe a little bit of luck in the Indiana win (because thank God we let Indiana score a TD and got the ball last in regulation, rather than them running the clock down and kicking a FG to win it).
But that was really it in terms of good luck. What happened against MSU more than makes up for that. Not to mention the endlessly terrible reffing that always seemed to go against us. And the complete lack of turnovers, specifically fumble recoveries (which is basically random.)
January 2nd, 2016 at 5:12 PM ^
difference between our current team and the Hoke teams is that our big plays don't feel like flukes. We aren't relying on Denard scrambling for his life and our receivers getting open after ten seconds. Our big plays are designed and executed properly. We are a fully functional team now.
January 2nd, 2016 at 2:44 AM ^
January 2nd, 2016 at 3:06 AM ^
Yeah we did not look very good in that game, hard to believe we won considering the stat comparison:
| MICH | VT | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Downs | 12 | 22 |
| Total Yards | 184 | 377 |
| Passing Yards | 128 | 214 |
| Rushing Yards | 56 | 163 |
| Penalties | 4–26 | 7–68 |
| 3rd Down Conversions | 4–13 | 6–15 |
| 4th Down Conversions | 1–1 | 1–3 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of Possession | 23:10 | 36:50 |
January 2nd, 2016 at 8:46 AM ^
Wow, how the fuck did we win that? One turnover difference is not enough to explain how stats that shitty could win that game.
January 2nd, 2016 at 8:58 AM ^
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January 2nd, 2016 at 11:05 AM ^
on replay, that many thought was a gift to us.
January 2nd, 2016 at 2:18 AM ^
I was pretty damn optimistic after 2013 Notre Dame game. Then Akron and UConn happened.
January 2nd, 2016 at 2:23 AM ^
January 2nd, 2016 at 2:31 AM ^
January 2nd, 2016 at 2:39 AM ^
I was excited for the future thinking we were going to win the B1G in 2012 in Robinson's senior season, after the great 2011 season. Though after the Alabama game I kind of felt we were not even close to being elite, then Hoke showed his lack of coaching skills not having a viable backup behind Robinson when he got injured in the NE game. Then the wheels started falling off of the Hoke cart.
I felt best about our program during the '97 undefeated season. Sucked that the coaches poll all went to NE. I thought Carr would win us another NC between '98 to '02. We were loaded with talent but always seem to lose a conference game or two we should have won and would finish most of the time with 3 losses.
January 2nd, 2016 at 2:42 AM ^
January 2nd, 2016 at 3:58 AM ^
Had Hoke nailed right from the beginning. http://mgoblog.com/content/hoke-react-no-swearing
January 2nd, 2016 at 8:24 AM ^
January 2nd, 2016 at 8:56 AM ^
I aleays loved this quote:
"Michigan just gave themselves a year of USC-level scholarship reduction voluntarily."
January 2nd, 2016 at 9:57 AM ^
January 2nd, 2016 at 3:07 AM ^
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January 2nd, 2016 at 2:44 AM ^
When I walked onto campus as a freshman and Harbaugh was quarterback. No matter what any team since May have had going for them they were severely deficient in Harbaugh. Now we have Harbaugh back we can Harbaugh. And Harbaugh will Harbaugh the Harbaugh Harbaugh Harbaugh
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January 2nd, 2016 at 3:40 AM ^
HARBAUGH
January 2nd, 2016 at 2:54 AM ^
January 2nd, 2016 at 3:28 AM ^
January 2nd, 2016 at 9:59 AM ^
January 2nd, 2016 at 3:57 AM ^
It's been since 2008. I feel like we are back on track. We beat the teams we were supposed to beat and I think we learned so much from the games we lost - even the last one.
January 2nd, 2016 at 8:59 AM ^
We still would not win, but even the difference from the OSU game until the FL game was noticable. If we played OSU now, we would look a lot better although still in a loss. The trajectory is going in the right direction.
January 2nd, 2016 at 4:18 AM ^
I'll go with last year at this time when Jim got hired. As for overall optimistic about all things I'll go with a couple months ago I met this chick named Becky. Holy shit she's pretty hot and has this perfect body. She has a boyfriend though. I know he's not getting the job done, he cant be. I could tell she wants the business, she just don't know it yet.
January 2nd, 2016 at 9:01 AM ^
Chase that with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.
January 2nd, 2016 at 10:27 AM ^
Actually, what you really need to be worried about is Becky's girfriend she never told you about
January 2nd, 2016 at 12:01 PM ^
It's like Rich Rod's buyout clause. A little surprise you weren't expecting.
January 2nd, 2016 at 5:36 AM ^
January 2nd, 2016 at 6:04 AM ^
I honestly never have felt this complete level of excitement. In 1997 I had a bad gut feeling it was going to split for a retirement present for Osborne. In 2006 I had a bad feeling about Carr's playcalling. At the end of 2011 I still wasn't 100% but I was hopeful.
This is truly the first time in the last 20 years that I have felt excitement that is full and not covered in worry and hope that weaknesses won't be exposed.
Harbaugh is life. It's a great day to be a Michigan fan!
January 2nd, 2016 at 8:47 AM ^
Same here. I've never been this optimistic, and I'm probably older than the average poster here.
With late Bo, Moeller, and Carr (excepting a lightning-in-a-bottle season with loads of NFL talent) you always had the sense that the ceiling was "very good" rather than "great." (I can't remember the early '70s.) There was either an obvious gap on the field (e.g., the secondary in 2006) or frightened playcalling (or both).
RichRod? Sure -- I was excited, but he'd never spent a whole year on a truly big stage.
Hoke? Not really excited, but I thought he had a chance to be a junior version of Lloyd.
Harbaugh? No one knows for sure, but I think he has a higher ceiling than all of them.
January 2nd, 2016 at 10:32 AM ^
I can remember the early 70's- "be happy for the regular season wins b/c we will lose to a California team in a bowl" No, there was no optimism for an NC or even a bowl win back then. Bo was a great man, but he couldn't finish the job on the field- we were pretty pessimistic about this by 75.
January 2nd, 2016 at 6:31 AM ^
January 2nd, 2016 at 6:41 AM ^
January 2nd, 2016 at 6:45 AM ^
I haven't felt this optimistic since before the Ohio State game this year!
January 2nd, 2016 at 7:14 AM ^
January 2nd, 2016 at 7:22 AM ^
she had about 2 drinks and it was new years - so, pretty optimistic. but then the "boyfriend" showed up.
also once at this wedding but how was i supposed to know she was already engaged?
if you're talking football, that's easy: after ND game in 2006. it lasted a while, until it didn't.
January 2nd, 2016 at 7:26 AM ^
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January 2nd, 2016 at 7:31 AM ^
Not since the day before the day Bo died.
January 2nd, 2016 at 7:32 AM ^
I have not felt as good going into a season since the C-Wood days. Back then Carr's teams were laden with NFL talent. It was next NFL qb, te, rb, or ol players up. The defenses were stacked with talent. Those days are coming back my friends. Go Blue!
January 2nd, 2016 at 7:48 AM ^
January 2nd, 2016 at 8:05 AM ^
January 2nd, 2016 at 8:20 AM ^
January 2nd, 2016 at 8:33 AM ^
In 2011 I was drinking the koolaid, but the team never really felt competant. Mike Martin and the defense were great under Mattison and I remember talking about having a coach that could make in-game adjustments. But the offense, despite crazy numbers, and some inspired play like UTL, always seemed like it was relying on Denard to break a crazy run. It didn't feel like Borges really had control of it though he got a lot of praise for using the talent he had. ("He'll be better when he is running his system.") I was this optimistic, but I was kidding myself.
Harbaugh gets almost everyone back next year and you have to believe that O'Korn (or Morris?!) will be on a similar level to Rudock by B1G play after a year of working with Harbaugh and a couple of games under their belt. OSU is still stacked, but they are losing 5-7 guys in the first round alone.
Who's got it better than us? NOBODY!
January 2nd, 2016 at 8:38 AM ^
January 2nd, 2016 at 10:35 AM ^
Gawd... now I'm going to cry! You poor man!
January 2nd, 2016 at 8:54 AM ^
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January 2nd, 2016 at 9:05 AM ^
It is an interesting question actually - I turned off the Citrus Bowl after it was all over yesterday on a high, feeling pretty good about the future like everyone here, but I didn't ask myself how long it had been since I felt like that. It has probably been close to a decade, maybe since the last time we were in that stadium playing Florida, although I think that was an optimism that was a bit tempered because we were walking into the unknown. I might have to rewind a season, to the end of 2006, to say it was a similar kind of "the sky might be the limit" optimism for the season ahead.
January 2nd, 2016 at 9:06 AM ^
I have never felt this optimistic. Not in the last 40 years.
- Under Bo, and his coaching tree, I always felt like there was a trap game that would ruin the season. And that we would be exposed by the Bowl game, and USC or Washington or whoever we played. I will say, I am totally a fan of fundamentals and boring games, much more so now than previously.
- Under RR, the defense was never sound. And even when the offense was clicking, I felt that a really solid defense was always going to stop the gimmicks. That the spread was a gimmick and the shark had already been jumped.
- I was cautiously optimistic under Hoke. But the end for me was the Sugar Bowl. While we won, I never felt like the game was under control, and I felt like we won because of some luck and some miscues by VT.
I have always lamented that Michigan was going to find a way to choke, to play too conservatively, and not utilize the talent they had on the sidelines. I have always felt like we weren't quite at the top in terms of coaching ability and talent. I remember going to the 2004 Rose Bowl, and how we were manhandled by the USC OL. That's the kind of game that always killed me.
When I hear Peppers talking to Gary, and Walker, and telling them, we're on the rise. Go where you want, but I'd love to have you ballin' with me and be part of something special, I'm excited. Finally, we have the coaching staff, and the players, to really dominate.
With the exception of the Terrible Eight Years, plus maybe the tail end of Carr, Michigan has always been good, always been talented. But I've never felt this optimistic. Never.
January 2nd, 2016 at 11:15 AM ^
you pretty much nailed my thoughts exactly.