I'm recently retired and kinda new at this, so I'm unfamiliar with the etiquette. I spent 20+ years in the military, and in that sub-culture, a little gallows humor is normal and expected. Apparently it isn't appreciated here and is also often misconstrued. I know we all love Michigan football, but this is, after all, a blog about a bunch of kids playing a game, so if you want to "neg" me for making a joke, please be my guest.
That said, I stand by the square one comment. Maybe a more accurate way to put it is that we are in year one of a complete rebuild of the defense. The fact that so many freshman are playing is proof of that.
I can see that a lot of the freshman have talent (I really like Black), and they played hard on Saturday. I'm sure the defense will improve next year but it's unrealistic to say it will be good. To get over the hump and have a great D by 2012, recruiting top defensive talent this year is critical.
So that's why I asked about recruiting defensive talent in the first place!
Are there any big time defensive players we may land soon? Please say yes, even if it's not true. I'd like to think that someday the Michigan defense will at least be 6th in the Big Ten.
Yes this defense is about what we thought before the UConn game. There's a lot of inexperience in the secondary. We all know about Obi (and opposing O coordinators do too). Those things are a given. But the thing that appalled me more than anything Saturday was that MSU came into our stadium and out hit us. We came out well in the first quarter on both lines, but from the 2nd quarter on, MSU's offensive line just pounded on us. That was flat embarrassing. If your name isn't Mike Martin, chances are you were the nail and not the hammer. In Rich's third season, the defense as a whole has not improved at all. Tackling is atrocious. Now, I know some of the youngsters will get better. But the sobering thing is that in Rich's 3rd season, the D still looks years away from even being just OK. Even if the coaches manage to bring in a bunch of ESPN 150 defenders in 2011, they'll still just be true freshman next year.
Recent Comments
went pro with the Edmonton Rush. My son plays high school LAX and has attended a couple of camps put on by Cam and his dad. Nice kid.
Great news that D1 LAX may be coming soon to UM. My boy also attended Coach Paul's camp this past summer and loved it.
I'm recently retired and kinda new at this, so I'm unfamiliar with the etiquette. I spent 20+ years in the military, and in that sub-culture, a little gallows humor is normal and expected. Apparently it isn't appreciated here and is also often misconstrued. I know we all love Michigan football, but this is, after all, a blog about a bunch of kids playing a game, so if you want to "neg" me for making a joke, please be my guest.
That said, I stand by the square one comment. Maybe a more accurate way to put it is that we are in year one of a complete rebuild of the defense. The fact that so many freshman are playing is proof of that.
I can see that a lot of the freshman have talent (I really like Black), and they played hard on Saturday. I'm sure the defense will improve next year but it's unrealistic to say it will be good. To get over the hump and have a great D by 2012, recruiting top defensive talent this year is critical.
So that's why I asked about recruiting defensive talent in the first place!
GO BLUE!
3 years into the Rich era, we still seem to be stuck on square one of rebuilding the D.
Are there any big time defensive players we may land soon? Please say yes, even if it's not true. I'd like to think that someday the Michigan defense will at least be 6th in the Big Ten.
Yes this defense is about what we thought before the UConn game. There's a lot of inexperience in the secondary. We all know about Obi (and opposing O coordinators do too). Those things are a given. But the thing that appalled me more than anything Saturday was that MSU came into our stadium and out hit us. We came out well in the first quarter on both lines, but from the 2nd quarter on, MSU's offensive line just pounded on us. That was flat embarrassing. If your name isn't Mike Martin, chances are you were the nail and not the hammer. In Rich's third season, the defense as a whole has not improved at all. Tackling is atrocious. Now, I know some of the youngsters will get better. But the sobering thing is that in Rich's 3rd season, the D still looks years away from even being just OK. Even if the coaches manage to bring in a bunch of ESPN 150 defenders in 2011, they'll still just be true freshman next year.