Recent Comments

There's going to be a ton of speculation on why he transfered, and only Jabrill really knows why.  I know he did say that he just wasn't happy at Bosco.  Had nothing to do with sports, but rather he had friends at Paramus that he felt closer to.  Also mentioned Paramus' academics, but I have to think that all elite private schools in the area are pretty good academic institutions as well.

I would argue he would have a bigger impact at CB now and in the future (pros)

I guess that's just the catch for me; I don't think Borges has ever game planned around a bad match-up.

Maybe I should clarify the 'out-execution' thing. In the Borges (as we've seen it) offense, each player has to win one-on-one match ups. Your center needs to move a 320 lbs nose tackle. Your guards have to effectively pull. Your WRs need to beat their DBs. Your QB needs pinpoint passing. In the RR offense (for example), you couldn't block that NT? Then don't and just option him. Set up QB isos to get receivers who have no DB on them. Pulling was less emphasized so the complicated steps involved in pulling didn't mean death to an interior run game when you have someone who can't do it well. Now Im not saying the spread us the answer, but Borges seemingly is taking the attitude that if your center can't move that NT (out execute him) then we're just screwed. While RR's, and all offenses, require execution, other OC's can change the structure if the offense to adjust when someone just can't do it well. Bama and USC under Carroll are the only teams I can think of that we're able to win all these one on one match-ups and run that offense a really high level.

Wow, this is just amazing that you got the interview. 

After reading these a few times, I have to say that there a few things that scare me about the future of the offense.  Does he really think that the defense can't be good if the offense plays up tempo?  He doesn't like bubble screens because he would rather an RB truck a DB than throw to the outside where there's no one to tackle him?  He mentioned out-executing in the last interivew as why things don't work.  A run that doesn't gain yards is OK if you can get 35 yards off play action.  But why do the bad run 4 times on critical 3rd and 4th downs?  Why no other different types of plays.  I dunno.  I suppose I'll still withhold final judgement, but that kind of stuff just screams "dinosaur offense" to me.  I just don't think we can Alabama people because, even as good recruiting as we're doing, we still don't have that kind of talent (and this assumes we also have the same level of coaching as Saban's staff, which is also probably not likely all the way through the coaching staff).

Fantastic

He said he likes to be the 'loner' or something along those lines. Said he just thinks staying close to home will get more important when it gets closer to actually making a decision.

Preach

Isn't Jones 6'4"?  He measured that at the most recent camp he was at.  That just screams gaurd to me, and we have plenty of interior OL.  We need a prototypical tackle.  I like Johnson and his frame, but I really have no idea where we stand with him.  If we can't get someone like that, then I would also be OK waiting until they find someone they like with a 6'6" or 6'7" from and long arms.  Even if it's a rawer prospect, we need tackles on the roster.

Hamburgers.

So who's the next tackle target?

His Dad is also being paroled this summer if all goes according to plan.  Ok, gotta stop this line of thinking.  I'm just talking myself into thinking he's going to Rutgers.

Man, I'm really impressed with how great ESPN is evaluating this cycle.

But seriously, I still don't think we have the #1 class in signing day; class will be too small.  If we get top-10 I'll be happy.  If we get top-5, then we're looking to have reeled in Hand, McDowell, Bars, Wesphal, Scott, etc...and that would be epic.

Am I the only one that kind of wants us to play Appy St again?  I mean, not playing them again is never going to erase The Horror.  It will suck to have to watch the endless highlight replays leading up to the game.  But if we come out and crush them, then, eh, now we no longer have a losing record to them, and anytime someone brings The Horror up, we could just respond "56-7" or something like that which I hope the score will be.  Bam, natural order restored.  If I were Appy St., I wouldn't have taken the game.  A loss takes some of the luster off the first game.  A loss just proves The Horror was one of those freak upsets that happens in sports.

So...anybody else Isis Taylor's tweet to Elisha Shaw? Fantastic.

Are we sure the 2015 schedule sets up nicely?  They didn't release that one, so are they planning on not just flipping the home/aways from the 2014?  I can honestly say I wouldn't be surprised to see us then have to play Neb and Wisc on the road in 2015, because, hey why wouldn't that happen to us?

And yet, it won't matter because they'll still have 65 guys on scholarship...

You'll notice I never said alternate uniforms were the key to attracting students.  But I do believe they can be a small part of a bigger push to create some more excitement surrounding gamedays.  And as far as recruiting, first, every single one of those top recruiting teams have done alternate uniforms recently.  Heck, ND went crazy alternate this year and last.  But you can't just pull out that list and say "alternate uniforms aren't needed".  That list has a team which has probably the best (or at least most successful) coach of the last half century (Alabama) in a region stocked with talent, then a list of the major schools in the most talent producing states: Ohio, Fl, heck the south in general of Alabama, Lousiana, Texas, Georgia.  UM does not have those advantages right now.  I could also counter with Oregon as the extreme example of putting a school on the map with major re-branding and a savy coacing hire.  I don't think an alternate uniform will sell a recruit, but it can make a recruit think to himself 'cool', and if that little bit puts us over the edge, then I'll take it.  Being the best team is the most important thing (as long as the colors are still Maize and Blue, and the helmets have wings.  I still think that shouldn't be touched).

You sound like a very smart person. I'm sure you can look at the data so nicely complied and presented by Ace to draw your own conclusions.

Perhaps he's shifted his focus after seeing a lot of those talented Ohio kids end up at UM, but I think it's also just how the chips happen to fall in regards to where kids are leaning each year. 

Besides the prediction, it's really nice to see Harris working out with Speight and that QB coach Speight sees in San Diego (I'm assuming that's where he's going).  I guess Speight really did have a large part in flipping Harris.

Michigan?

Three LBs?  Do we really need 3 in such a small class? 

I can totally buy it

Good luck to him.  I wish him a long and succesful career.

Hooray using exceptions to extrapolate grand conclusions!

Yesh, I didn't really think about the angle of potential burned (wasted) red-shirts due to special teams because of these losses.  Really don't want to see another RJS thing where a player obviously needs a red-shirt and burns it playing special teams.

It has to go to Cleary. That way our back-up QB will be a scholarship player, and we'll be alright if Gardner goes down. Logic.

Do you think he does? He already interviewed for an NFL job after 1 year.

Seriously. It's OK. All the four stars are like, the lowest of 4 stars as well. They're not in the same ball park as UM and OSU. Decent, but not phenomenal. And this also completely glosses over the main fact that have no depth for the better part of the decade. And I'm starting to get irritated by PSU's additude like the 'Man' is trying to keep them down. Your coach and staff was complicit in children getting raped in the freaking program. Just take your punishment and move on. Get some perspective.

As far as I know, ESPN doesn't do the rolling team rankings like other sites do.  Every month or so, they do a re-calculation and re-release the list.  So if we added like 4 new players today, we would have to wait for a new team rankings list from ESPN.  Not like Rivals or 247 where the entire list would be updated today.

Interesting that you see him as an SDE. Think he has the frame to carry that kind if weight well? I suppose if Heitzman can do it...

I tired to order 3 different shirts at three different times and the Internet has stopped working every time. I has a sad.

Oklahoma borders Texas, one of the most fertile recruiting grounds in the nation, and gets a lot of prospects from there.  Kansas St popped up the last two years, and did previously during the Sproles years; Snyder is a good coach.  But even they haven't reach the consistancy.  And yes, UW is the exception to the isolated, low "talent", team that everybody always points to (which also plays in the terrible B1G).  But there's a reason they're the exception: it's because they're like the only one whose been able to do that.  I wouldn't want to have to be the exception to the rule if I were Nebraska.

Eh, he did OK.  I mean, he held onto Hackenberg and Breneman, which were the two 5 star headliners, both at the two positions O'Brian is known for developing.  And both were big PSU fans in the first place.  Other than that, they lost a lot of talent.  That OL that went to Pitt, DT Webb, Ross Douglass...those were all 4 or 5 star types that left after the sanctions.  Look at this class so far: they've got some decent talent.  Some low 4 star players.  But the recruiting isn't up to UM or OSU.  It's more like Nebraska.

Let me put it this way.  If we lose Peppers to a school that will have the most crippling scholarship reductions since the Pony Excess for the better part of the decade, one that can't go to a bowl or play in the champ game for half his time at the school, has a coach whose only head coaching accomplishment is NOT going .500 (admittidly, a decent accomplishment), and who has already interviewed for an NFL position after one season?  All the while we have Greg Freakin' Mattison recruiting him and coaching him?  Well, if we lose him to PSU, then that will be an epic fail on the staff's part.

Would like it more if he just cancels all other visits and commits to UM.  Because, obviously.

Yeah, but Lane Kiffen is a big confounder to that example

Don't mind playing Duke, but the home/away scheduling the last few years seems to really screw us. 

I knew what I was getting into before I started down the path of student debt, and I'm happy with my decision, but it still doesn't change the fact that the debt sucks.  And you say I have the choice to attend a cheaper university or not to attend college.  But then you argue athletes don't have that choice?  Where does it say in any professional league that you HAVE to attend college?  You don't want to put in the work for a college program?  Ok, then don't go.  If you're a basketball player, then just sit out one year after you finish high school.  NFL?  Then sit out three years.  Don't risk injury, don't let an oranization make million off you.  Then you can just jump right into a professional team.  Profit.

I agree it's symbiotic. Would Burke receive the same employment opportunities he's currently receiving (i.e. potential 1st pick in draft and immediate multimillionaire) if he didn't come to UM and receive the coaching he did and the exposure UM provides? Sure there are many big time schools that may have been able to provide the same, but somehow I doubt he has the same opportunity he has now if he goes to South Dakota St. Does the University get boosted revenues over baseline because Burke is leading the team in an historic season? Absolutely. But it's not like UM is some vampiric being that's sucking the life out of the down trodden student athlete making billions to buy new yachts laughing evilly the entire time. It's a serious academic institution where profits inevitably lead to other people receiving educations as well as lots of other pursuits that benefit society.

Kind of sounds like he's got some real problem he needs to deal with.  Hopefully a year off will help him get his head straight.

Man, if Taylor sticks around for his senior year, and Countess leaves after his fourth year as well, it's gonna be an absolute war for those corner spots going into the 2015 season.  We'll have Richardson (senior), Jourdan Lewis, Ross Douglass (who already had a good first spring) plus the developmental prospects who will have probably had time to develop like Dawson and Stribling.  Not counting Thomas in here either if they really want to move him to full time corner.  Then you add in (speculatively) Jabrill Peppers and another corner like Westphal (another 6'2" prospect)...man, gonna be fun watching that shake out.  Hopefully with all that competition, the winners end up being really good...

Lawyers man. Fucking lawyers man.

I don't remember that. I only actually ever remember him lining up as "Awesome" here.

The one thing really against us for the division crown is schedule.  MSU's cross divison games are Purdue, Illinois, and Indiana.  Nebraska's are Illinois, Purdue and PSU.  We get PSU, OSU and Ind.  So we play probably 3 of the 4 toughest legends division teams, one of which is by far the best.  MSU plays one, the worst of the top 4 (Ind), and Neb plays 3 and 4 (PSU and Ind).  Basically, our divisional games are CRAZY important this year.  Need to beat both MSU and Neb to keep a cushion.  At least NW has to play OSU and UW, so that gives a little leeway in the race against them.

For those wondering, in addition to the usual returning starters, what positions, etc that most of these models use, Football Outsiders also uses a 5 year program 'rating' using all the stats from the past 5 years to predict upcoming success.  So bascially, right now that includes the seasons 2008-2012, aka the lowest of the low for the UM program.  If you look at their tables, we currently have a program efficiency rating of 29, which is one ahead of Iowa and 5 behind MSU.  The lowest point we had was after the 2010 season, when we were 50 in the nation.  What does this mean?  Not entirely sure, but eyeball tests suggest we are out performing our program efficency rating.

Ah, I thought there was another one out there in Cali, but couldn't remember the names.  Thanks.

Disagree on even that. A UM pre-med also nothing to scoff at. Hell, really any undergrad is fine as long as you do well and give the appropriate effort. My sister did her undergrad at MSU and then did her PhD in biochem at Yale. Frankly, if you plan on doing any post grad work, your undergrad becomes more irrelevant as long as you do a great job at it. Undergrad really matters if you want to take that undergrad degree straight into the work place.

Are we sure that Shaw tweet actually has to do with Peppers and UM?  I mean that tweet came weeks after Peppers tweeted that stuff about Stanford vs UM's academics.

Eh, they were recruiting pretty well before that season as well...they benefited more from USC imploding. They got some of their best players from that.

Maybe they'll be mad because their coach is on their last legs and in a worse conference?

Personally, I think horses seem much more suited to Calvinball

However UM gets

NOOOOOOO?

Ah, thank you. Had to re-read it a bit more carefully, but I caught the differences now. Great work.

Oh come on. Of the brain damage is such a huge deal, just get rid if the sport.

Pallante wouldn't affect us that much.  You can look up the calculations, but it's not many points that he actually contributes to our total team ranking points (basically if you take him out, we stay in the same position). 

Boom! That guy!

Am I the only one that finds Roby undisciplined?  The impression I got from him, and from OSU fans, was that he never saw a route he didn't bite on.  He had a ton of pass break-ups and INTs, but I kind of got the impression that as more because the B1G had an absolute wreckage of passing offenses this year.  Dunno, maybe I'm wrong.

Yeah, according to a guy at ESPN, when he talked to JBB a few weeks ago or something, JBB said he was currently 6'7" and 330.

Ummm...yeah...those are probably the second most awesome uniforms I've ever seen.  Second only to the regular ol' home blues and winged helmet of the University of Michigan.

This just a bad situation. You ask a guy to express his personal beliefs (one which he has expressed openly before), and then you don't like his answer. I don't agree with him at all, but he is entitled to his opinion, and I think it would be wrong to the fire or suspend a guy based on expressing his religious beliefs when prompted on a show. Now if he starts holding anti-gay rallies or something, it starts to cross a different line.

Probably depends on what you want.  Westphal is more a developmental corner, but if he can grow into his still growing frame, he could be truely elite.  Webb is far more refined and more near his ceiling, but it is a very high ceiling as well.  He's crazy athletic already.  I would rather have Webb because he goes to a UM pipeline and will now be playing against us every year.  But I would be more that happy with Wesphal as well.  This, of course, is contingent on us getting Peppers. If we don't, then losing Webb hurts a lot.

He's all MSU.  Can't win them all.  At times we benefit from it too in the state of Ohio, but sometimes kids just want to be different, or really like a school that's not the powerhouse everyone 'pegged' a big prospect to go to.  Good luck to him, he's a good prospect.

Obviously a big deal.  But I, and I'm sure many of you, just hope for the days when he could just show up the game with his boyfriend/husband, and no one would even care.

Yeah, I thought UM came out pretty rosy in this. To a certain extent OSu as well considering they don't have to play Wisconsin every year now, and the other big program in their division PSU has to play UM every year now as well.

We'll see if it sticks. Distance seemed to be a big problem for his family.

ESPN has a couple articles up. It's in one of them.

So does anybody think the "parity based scheduling" for cross-overs is stupid? The B1G already has a bad image from bowl games, and now they're purposefully going to make the best teams play each other more often than crappy team? Sure, it makes for better games, but it also increases the chances of a mid-level team slipping into a high level bowl game to which they will be over matched because the big boys are busy hurt each other's records.

Congrats! I'm not gonna lie, I'm kind of surprised. But certainly as the measurables. If he works hard, he can make this work. Good luck!

Congrats! Kick some ass, man

Uhhh, yeah, I totally picked up on that...I, uh, didn't think my post needed an /s. That's it.

I think he was talking about Uconn going 5-7

Man, I guess I knew this going in, but watching the draft really hit home how talent deficient UM has been the last few years.

Well I expected him to verbal on Monday, so unless he wants to disappoint me, it has to be today or tomorrow.

Well then Lloyd Brady is a phony.  A big, fat phony.

That was one of the things that jumped out to me, is that he has, and I mean this almost literally, no moves in the open field.  He does that stop moving, short, choppy, step thing when a defender gets near him like he wants to juke, but really doesn't know how to.  Now, that could change with more development considering he's only been playing football for like 2 years.  I think we could really use one of those kind of receivers to pass to underneath and then be a YAC machine.  Leapers and jump-ball threats we have a plenty.

Holy shit, how many linemen are going to go in the first round?

Ughhh

They'll take Ansah. It's the Lions. What else do you expect?

Man if three tackles go the first three...man Lewan...

I hope UM declines a protected cross over if Sparty wants out of the division

Even more impressive, if you take out all games except Florida, he shot 100%!!

Can't. He played professionally.

Woohoo!! First tenet I live by is not to turn down free food.

Rabble, rabble, something about about Adidas?

I just don't understand O'Brian at 13. Hoke's first year was more impressive results wise and he did that with less defensive 'talent' than PSU had last year. I suppose he did have sanctions to year with last year and s bunch of transfers. But that far ahead of both Hoke and Dantonio?

I kind of like it. And it's what Hoke wants to do when we can have actual spring games.

And by highly rated, you mean consensus 3 star and too small to really play anything other than center effectively?

This would be a welcome development...

Not entirely sure.  Seems to imply first off the bench.  Unless he can unseat Stauskas for the 2 or something.

Interesting tweets:

Please have Dewey actually defeat Truman this time.

Please no double dong punches

If I remember correctly, Hand's change of major to sports managment really started after his UM visit when he spent a bunch of time talking to some big-wig in the UM sports management program and loving it.  So plus for UM?  Someone also brought up that Florida also has a good sports management program I believe.

Ace Williams

Yeah it seems pretty odd that Strobel was the one moved inside. We all knew one of the 5/3 tech type guys we brought in for 2012 would move inside (Wormley, Godin, Strobel), but it's strange the one seemingly least fit got reps there. However, they may feel his ultimate position is there and he's just getting early reps. When Tressel offered him, it was for the 3-tech spot by the way, so our coaches weren't the only ones thinking this.

Mother of God

Well, he certainly put up Tecmo Bowl stats last year. He looks like he could be truly elite. That speed, natural ability to break away from coverage, and goodness, that concentration and body control even under extreme duress in a 6'4" silky smooth package. Those kind of receivers just don't grow on trees.



But I do have one concern, and it's not a tiny one (weight training can be easily addressed for his Caris Levert-ness, plus he's still a junior). He body catches everything that doesn't require him to extend. He's really going to need to work on that to take his game to the elite level.

Yep. You got it.