Recent Comments

Eli Yale!

These Outback Bowl uniforms are a travesty.  And so have been all of the alternate uniforms with the possible exception of the Under the Lights game ones.

If we're going to go with an alternate uniform, why can't we do these? Michigan's brand used to be that we'd always had the same uniform.  And Brandon has completely destroyed that.

Check out that stylish and distinctive "4" on Bob Chappuis' jersey. And no logos!

My memories of Michigan-ND are exactly like those of the OP.  In those days, MSU and OSU were annoyances—ND was our true nemesis.  For me, still, it's the game I look forward to the most every year.  ND is the school that is most like Michigan in terms of tradition and glamour.  

Hopefully the rivalry continues, as Swarbrick has said he hopes to, despite the upcoming cancellation.  Given the demise of communist football in AA, it may the only game I continue to watch once the Age of Denard is over.

I grew up in the Rocket Ismail / Lou Holtz days, when M and ND would play each other ranked in the top 5 -- and M lost most of those games. For me then, and still now, I hate ND more than OSU.  In those days we used to beat OSU the way they beat us now, and even many of the players would say that ND was a bigger rival than OSU.  Things change, obviously, but I still get more worked up about beating ND than OSU.

Here's hoping you become the new power in the Pac 12.

Would have been a dream with many MNCs attached...alas...

Welcome back to you as well J.  Keep flying the flag for us.

I don't know who you are, or how long you've been following Michigan football, but I'm 38 years old, and I've lived and died M football since I was a sentient being. Whether you respect me or not is up to you.  But it's precisely because I've been such a die-hard M fan for my entire life, and watched the team get trounced for decades against nearly every high-end national power it has faced in the postseason, that the profoundly destructive actions of January 2011 are, to me, such a betrayal. Does a father who abandons his children deserve unflinching loyalty? Loyalty is not a binary variable, but a continuous one.

Intelligent people can disagree about whether it was wise to hire Hoke and dump RR. And intelligent people can disagree about whether Hokeball is worth watching. I'll always root for Michigan...but perhaps from a further distance, and with less of my heart on the line. If Hoke succeeds where Schembechler and Carr (with one exception) failed, I'll be very happy for him. But my expectations are low. I truly hope he proves me wrong.

Thanks Comrades for all the kind words—especially those of you who fought the good fight with me. It's been a tough 8 months.

As to whether or not Borges et al. can keep things going, I guess we'll see. It's hard to imagine them using Denard as well as RR did, but as the blog says, "Hoke springs eternal."

On the question of continuing the diary—it's a hard question to answer. In the aftermath of the counterrevolutionary dismissal of RR, I woke up with no intention of watching any more Michigan football. I might amend that for two years, just so I can watch this once-in-a-lifetime athlete for the rest of his college career. We'll see how it goes.

You hit it exactly on the head.  Another three decades of 9-3 teams who lose to national powers is depressing.  So depressing.  A grave injustice has been done to RR.

Who said you couldn't question RR? Nobody. Even RR supporters have had their disagreements with the defensive staffing etc. DB took an improving situation and made it far worse.

He doesn't owe it to Hoke, or to Michigan, or to an entitled and spoiled fanbase to have his talents wasted by a MANBALL coach.



Denard, go elsewhere young man. People who are rooting for YOU, rather than being selfish, will still support you.

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Typing on iPhone is a major pain in the Bielema.

If DB wants him. Way too much evidence that Les wants the job.

Mallett didn't leave Michigan because of RR.  He left because he was homesick, wasn't happy at Michigan, and Mustain transferred to USC, leaving his native Arkansas QB slot open.

Blaming RR for Mallett's transfer is one of the many Great Slanders of the last three years.

I was surprised most by Q3, since it seemed like 90% of people on MGoBlog wanted RR fired after the bowl loss.

Big Blue has been used to refer to Michigan in the past.

Is it going to Kansas? I'm confused.

Yes

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Yes

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Bring back Haloscan

He is clearly the best coach available.

Firing RR came down to the "drama" surrounding the program, which is the dumbest reason imaginable to fire a talented, high-end coach after three years, ESPECIALLY if you don't have a replacement lined up. Our 2011 class has been frozen in amber, and what high-end coach will come to a program where they fire you after 2.3 recruiting classes?

For one simple reason: he would use Denard as he was born to be used. Hoke is philosophically opposed to the read-option.



But my headline should read RR >> Miles >> Hoke. I mean seriously, firing RR without a replacement lined up...I can't get over the stupidity.

Impressive typing.

I reproduced the quote in its entirety. Seems pretty straightforward to me, for better or worse...

Who are your sources on the SF rumor?

Actually the funny thing is I lied. I have firefox on my desktop, not IE. Same result, though.

App is working but not IE. How strange.

If Michigan did the kinds of things Nick Saban does -- recruiting players and then throwing them on the street -- would you care?

If MIchigan did the thinks Lane Kiffin was accused of doing at Tennesse -- getting young coeds to hook up with recruits -- would you care?

I am a Michigan fan, born and bred. But a big part of why I root for Michigan is that I always felt Michigan was more than just a school and a football team -- it was a place that stood for something more, something about the ideals of sportsmanship and the scholar-athlete.

The behavior of our fan base, and the deeply unfair treatment that RR has received, have made me question whether Michigan is truly a place that stands for something more. Whatever my complaints about the Schembechler-Moeller-Carr era, that was never one of them: those three men stood for the highest ideals of sportsmanship and the scholar-athlete.

If Michigan is to become just another school that cares about Ws and Ls, and nothing more, where coaches and players are treated like disposable diapers all in the "service" of the almighty W, that's fine -- that's clearly what most of you want.  Some of us aren't sure that is what we want.

Hoke has done a decent job in recent years -- but that pales in comparison to RR's resume when he came here from WVU. 

I get that many of you are emotionally invested in a coaching change, no matter the end result. But Brady Hoke will unite the fanbase? COME ON!!!

While I'm on the subject, FWIW, Harbaugh won't unite the fanbase either.  RR supporters like me aren't on board with Harbaugh (though I realize that we're the minority).

There is only one thing that will unite the fanbase: winning.

If RR won a national championship, all the haters will claim they supported him all along. It's called a bandwagon.

That JH has been through 4 DCs (one transition of which was our fault).  It's only this year, his fourth, that he has managed to put forth a sound defense.

Their short game hasn't been so hot...

We've now surpassed every thread of the past few days.  Great job comrades.

You're right to say that this blog is generally pro-RR, with an extremely loud anti-RR faction.  But, after every loss, and especially this last one, the antis take over. I accept it -- that's the nature of message boards I guess -- but I think it's important to remind everyone that there remains another point of view.

My plan is to put it out after the MNC game, so all the competitors' statistics are in there as well.

But I think there is a "silent minority" of RR supporters out there, and I want them to know they're not alone.

Harbaugh has his own game to coach.  He doesn't have 3.5 hours to watch someone else's team.  I'm sure he saw the box score though.

Was the 2006 defense "the best Michigan D ever."

I love how people demand that people be loyal to them, but toss those same people under the bus if they ever underperform on the field or on the sidelines.

Loyalty goes both ways.  If Michigan isn't willing to be loyal to the coach that recognized that Denard could be a special quarterback, and deploy his talents accordingly, then don't expect Denard to be loyal to Michigan.  If you're in favor of firing RR, then don't criticize Denard for doing what's best for him.

Our offense performs more poorly when they are playing from far behind.  Similarly, in 2008, our relatively talented defense performed poorly because they were playing from far behind.  We all love statistics and numbers and analysis: but we need to remember that football is a game played by humans, not numerals, and psychology and motivation play a big role in the performance of teams. College football, in particular, is a momentum sport.

All this to say that the thesis that "our offense sucks" because it didn't put up points when playing from far behind is too simplistic.  If our defense was serviceable, and the game was more competitive, I bet you that our offense would have performed better.

As evidence, I would point out that Michigan did put up a lot of yards and points against some of its opponents with excellent defenses--esp. Iowa and Illinois.

RR has already said DG is the backup. Such a shame that Tate's indiscipline has led to this. (Let's also remember that DG would have never played earlier in the year if Tate hadn't had such a poor offseason.)

It's also a shame because Tate appeared to have turned a corner with the team.

and it worked out well for him (his 4th DC in 4 years).  Maybe worth a shot.

Because he's on his 4th defensive coordinator in 4 years (3 if you subtract Shafer)?

Unless you are referring to your shorts.

http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/multiple-buckeyes-inked-at-same-tattoo-par...

Twitterverse saying that Herron, Pryor, Posey, Thomas, and Adams to miss first five games in 2011.

Profitgoblue got a 1,000,000 posbomb for negging the endless non-tagged CC threads.  It was awesome.

The coaches deserve a lot of credit, as everyone else is saying.  But to those who say that this is evidence that coaching turbulence doesn't matter: it matters less on the defensive side of the ball, because defensive recruits aren't as scheme-oriented as offensive recruits.  On the offensive side of the ball, players who want to play in a spread offense (e.g. Dee Hart) won't play for Harbaugh, and vice versa.

Boola boola!

I linked to this in a thread a long time ago -- but it's worthy of future discussion.  Much of what Brandstatter says is couched because of his relationship to the program, but I think it's interesting that he is willing to potentially go against DB here and strongly support RR.  That says a lot.  Plus he's right.

DFEI ranks WV number 1 and M number 103.  The numbers you cite are for the strength of schedule (which DFEI adjusts for).

Going back to the original name.  But somehow that probably wouldn't appeal to the TV-oriented people like Delany, who would see that as regionalizing a national conference.

Harbaugh would hardly unite the fanbase.  He would only make things worse.  He is, rhetorically, a divisive figure, and he would upend our offensive recruiting.  It would be a mess.  We will officially become ND.

Denard gained more yards this year than Mark Ingram did last year.  His stats were way better than those of Eric Crouch. 

What it clearly comes down to is not stats but team wins.  If Michigan loses 3 games or less next year, Denard gets the Heisman. 

I put this on the Brian thread, but:

The Big Ten conference has been around since 1896 -- 114 years -- and yet the vast majority of the names on the player trophies are for players since 1960.  Grange, Graham, Nagurski, Ameche, and Eddleman -- 5 players out of 28.  That is absolutely ridiculous, and does utter violence to the Big Ten's history.

I almost want to call for Delany's resignation over this -- how do you ignore the vast majority of the Big Ten's heritage like that?  Unbelievable.

Most pro-RR people I see on this board are fine with major turnover in the defensive staff.

Exactly what is needed for this board.

But I think it's hypocritical and irrational.

What makes you think that a kid who goes to Michigan for four years loves Michigan more than a guy who coaches there for four years?

The coach busts his butt 24/7 for this program in a way that no player ever does.  A player gets time off in the summer.  Some players aren't all-in for the program.

When he was at WV, RR had his pick of every top job opportunity in the country.  He turned down Alabama.  He left a place where he was treated like a god to come to Michigan because he thought Michigan was special.

A guy who gives his all for Michigan, as RR has, and who has been here nearly as long as any player played for Michigan, has as much ties to the program as anyone.

Harbaugh started for Michigan for three years. Rodriguez has coached for Michigan for three years. Harbaugh is no more, and arguably far less, of a Michigan Man than Rodriguez is.

That is all.

Thanks Brian.

Doesn't Groban make you want to detonate an H-bomb?

My first MGoBlog post from the stratosphere.

Did I miss something here?

Shit pisses me off too.

Are telling. We know that DB talks often of his insider's take on the program that comes from talking to the players.

I would only say as a half-counter that Denard was injured a lot this year, and played a lot of half-games.  If he stays healthy for a full season (a modestly big "if"), and he gets better at reading defenses, he might have better stats next year despite a better RB complement.

His stats were pretty good against Wisconsin and Penn State, and would have also been great against OSU, had he not gotten hurt.

The Stanford AD will design the offer to expire in one week (or some other limited time frame before Jan 1).

That many Stanford faculty members would resent so much money going to a football coach, and give the administration a hard time about it.

My apologies.  It is a law of nature that I always make a handful of typos with this thing.

Those stats are for Big Ten games only, so they don't include some of his early-season jitters.

The nationwide leaders and NCAA record holders for total offense tend to be QBs who play in wide-open passing attacks in second-tier conferences, where the defenses aren't very good...it's impressive that Denard is where he is, given these disadvantages.

Good to have explicit evidence of that.

http://web1.ncaa.org/mfb/playerDetail.jsp?yr=2010&org=430&player=14

That 8-4 record seems scary (given our abilities and their impressive schedule), but Miss State ranks 91st in passing yards and 16th in rushing yards -- this means they are unlikely to torch our secondary.

This is possibly the most sane comment on DB's point of view I have ever read (admittedly it's a low bar).

If it were up to me, all uniforms would have two colors only, no last names, and no Adidas/Nike logos.

Thanks for flagging it.

Oregon actually had a sputtering start against Washington, which is not unusual. Kelly disdains some traditional football concerns, among them the need to jump out to an early lead. His teams usually gather steam as the game progresses and draw their confidence from knowing that the other team will wear down.

This one is interesting too:

[LaMichael] James did have one complaint [about Kelly's practices], having to do with the music: “The other day he had like ‘Hakuna Matata’ or some [expletive] from ‘The Lion King’ playing, which I don’t think nobody wants to hear. He needs to bump some Lil Wayne on there.”

So we have two things in common with Oregon. I wonder if RR has ever considered running his practices like Kelly does.

+1 for referring to Hegel in a blog about football.

They contend that most of the key players, including Denard, would stay and that JH would be able to run a spread offense to adapt to the personnel. Personally I agree with you -- there will be significant disruption.



And, as has been pointed out in previous threads, if you're going to fire RR but keep his offense, what's the point of firing him, when you can simply overhaul the defensive staff instead?

Should have thought about that this morning when I boarded the plane.  But apparently the press conference hasn't happened yet?  WTF?

Wisc, OSU and sorta PSU.

But if your argument is that M hasn't been blown out 2.5 times before, well you've proved my point.

Just saw a blocked extra point.  So at least our kicking isn't worse than the MAC.

The game between Dr. Phillips and Seminole Ridge is at 7:30 at Bill Spoone Stadium (the DPHS home stadium). That means the press conference is likely to be in the 10-11 range. 

Buuut...a friend of mine who is a former miss FL invited me out to dinner with her and her girlfriends.  Faced with the choice of a Dee Hart decommitment press conference and that, well, I think you'd do the same as me.  Sorry Comrades.  If for some unfortunate reason my night out is abbreviated, I'll head over to DPHS and record the event.

By mysterious coincidence, I find myself in Orlando on business this weekend.  Turns out that Dr. Phillips HS is an 11 minute drive from my hotel.  Should I go to the press conference?

This kind of behavior is making me ashamed of Michigan "fans."

There is a fourth possibility that the OP doesn't directly consider (one that has been brought up elsewhere): that DB is stubbornly sticking to the timeline he's had since the beginning of the year, and that it has nothing to do with Harbaugh.

Given all the leakiness of the last coaching search, and the fact that it's not kosher for DB to call JH directly and offer him the job, DB would have to use intermediaries to gauge JH's interest.  Those intermediaries are likely to leak shit.  Also, any offer by DB, in terms of actual dollars, would have to be approved by Mary Sue Coleman, along with the buyout for RR, unless MSC basically said "DB, do whatever you want, I don't care about the money" (which seems unlkely).

Hence, it is at least conceivable that DB has made no decision and that no discussions with JH or JH proxies have taken place.

I agree with the OP though -- between RR's emotional speech last night and the logic of DB's machinations, it's hard to be optimistic about the situation (as an RR supporter).