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So, where would you rank RR?

Based on the facts in the article, I find it difficult to move him up past 16. He did less with more than almost everyone on the list.

That may be true

But the article is full of facts. From those, the writer draws his conclusion. He may be wrong on any of the individual ratings. They are his opinion based on the facts. Should RR be ranked 16th rather than 18th? That is a matter of opinion. But he certainly does not belong in the top 15. Now that's my opinion.

Your response misses the point

RR in COMPARISON to other 1st year coaches had the worst results. Are you saying Nutt, Johnson or Pelini or any of the others had more overall talent than RR? Johnson instituted a completely new O with less talent and had spectacular results.

Not that it matters, but I do not agree that the '08 MSU and PSU teams were the best we have faced in the last few years or whatever "that time period" means.

Mathews is a solid WR

He will be the go to guy this year. Yes, he is a little bigger Avant and is primarily a possession type. He is the complete package-he has the best hands of all the WRs, he can beat the jam at the line, he runs precise routes, he can make the contested catch against a tough DB, he is fearless over the middle, he is fast enough to get some separation and here he stands alone, he is one hell of a down field blocker which is so important to the running game. Except for Koger, (who had 6 catches in '08) no other receiver was anywhere near as accomplished. Down field blocking is almost a lost cause with this bunch, especially with Odoms who just doesn't ever do it. They run sloppy routes, fail to get separation and led by Odoms dropping passes and fumbling was rampant.

We need someone to stretch the field vertically as the WR opposite Mathews. That is not Hemingway who is not overly speedy. Stonum is, but see above deficiencies-he had them all from time to time. In general, fans have this group overrated. Yes the QB/OL situation was a major factor in the demise of the passing game but when these guys had a chance only Mathews was consistantly there.

Under appreciated by UM fans but not NFL

He will probably be highest UM player drafted this year. Jamison (who I think is also going to Senior B) and TT are the only other players likely to be drafted and they look like mid to low round choices. MT cold go in the 2nd but more likely the 3rd.

So much for how talented UM is. UM talent level is down across the board. The '09 and '10 NFL drafts will underscore this fact.

Good luck to MT and the rest!!

Threet is ok

but he really doesn't fit RR's system. He should be better this year with experience, a decent (not great) OL and better WR play. He is working on his mechanics now which were not good. Threet also has a slow release. Tebow improved his mechanics after his first year. It's hard to believe Lefty didn't work with Threet's mechanics. So, there is reason to hope he can be a decent Big 10 QB. But, I expect TF to start sooner rather than later.

The ultimate MEH hire

Spinners go to work! This guy cannot recruit-this from former Syracuse coach with UM ties. Sure hope he can coach.
Our detractors will have a good time with this. No opponent is wincing over this hire. Grinning, yes, but no wincing.

As we saw last year RR QBs

get hurt routinely. What happens if Forcier, as good as he may be, gets dinged? We are right back to '08. Yes ST should be better than last year but that is a very low bar. He is slow, his mechanics belie exposure to Lefty for a year, his release is slooow, he made poor reads (partly because of inexperience and a poor OL, and poor route running by everyone other than Mathews and Koger) but he did not see wide open guys, over/under threw people and generally had bouts of prolonged inaccuracy. This all suggests that Forcier will be the starter sooner than later.

Setting the world record for decommits is not a good sign

Spin it any way you want, 7 so far with more pending is not some bump in the road. PSU has its next starting QB and PK thanks to RR decommits. It is unlikely that RR will fill all available schollies. The FL QB they may bring in looks like a Coner replacement. He is a major reach. Why is RR having so much trouble getting QBs? This class is smurf heavy. The idea that UM will now have a frosh QB who is a so-so rated (6th best pass/run QB) who was not invited to any all star game as the ONLY option to Threet is just awful. Sheridan may well see significant PT in '09. There are not many players coming to AA before signing day.

Looks like a replacement for the Coner

This guy is a major reach. RR is having trouble getting QBs. That is very strange. He has lost 2 commits and got a band wagon of no thank yous. What's going on?

You are right

Bo was a wimp. Not. I am a UM alumni. Hope you get your GED. If I don't gush UM all the time it does not mean I am ND. It means you are an idiot with nothing worth saying.

Nice try, no cigar

I'm not buying any of these wimpy excuses. Win on the field. The rest is just crybaby stuff. Can you imagine Bo saying any of this mush mouth trash? Never ever. Win or shut up.

UM has already set world record for decommits

in one recruiting class but will add to that record. Also, lots of smurf slots and smaller RBs. 2 OLmen, need more. Need DTs (after decommits) and CBs. Good but not great class. Campbell and Turner are the stars. Lots of 3 star guys. O$U has a monster class. The best gets better. Nobody jumping at the chance to be DC.

I would rather have TP than any other Big 11 QB

As a soph, he will most likely be better than then Juice or Clark. Neither has his combination mobility & passing talent. O$U will be a heavy favorite to win the Big 11 in no small part because of TP. They are loaded and have the top frosh class coming in.

I love the Trip Option but I have no idea if

Mich has the personnel to run it. Only Forcier could be the QB. If Threet ran the play Ds will let him run it and take away the 2 pitch guys. The only slot who played last year was Odoms and he dropped more passes than he caught and fumbled half of those he caught. No other slot has played enough at the college level to know what the talent level is. Koger looked good but had a total of 6 catches and none the last month of the season.

They are reloading

When this senior class were frosh, guys like you said the same thing. Well, review what happened. They are loaded with young guys who would have started for almost every team in the Big 11 last year and they have the #1 recruiting class coming in. The Vest has already renewed his ownership of UM for 2009 and beyond as far as the eye can see.

UM i not even #66.

In heels

Ginger Rodgers did everything Fred Astaire did but backwards and in heels.

You can never have too many corners

A CB can move to safety but a almost all pure safties cannot move to corner. One's a hammer the other is a stileto. UM's safety play has been subpar to awful for nearly a decade. With SB being the leading returning safety, this position is incredibly weak.

With 7 decommits this year, UM has to have set a new NCAA record for decommits in a single year. Whatever the reasons, it does not look good and you can bet that it is being used to portray UM negatively by our friendly recruiting competitors.

As good a guess as any

Preseason stuff is just that. Who had Utah #2 last preseason? Who had UM where Sargins last poll put them?

UM will not be in "top" 50 preseason. UM will be U'dog in all rivalry games. '09 does not look promising. Frosh QB and another year of SB at FS missing tackles, assigments and getting beat deep by everybody. At least Beanie won't make him burn him for the 4th straight year.

Yes

Why did you asK/

The Senior Bowl is where all the NFL Scouts are

They watch all the practices and then leave before the game. But this is the place theNfl reallly starts to look for those hidden gems.

I may be alone, but I think MD is doing

a reasonable job of rebuilding a program that has been mostly dormant since Duffy. He may not be all things to all great minds, but he has the program headed in the right direction. He has gotten the most out of several players-like Jones the All Big 10 LB. He is recruiting well if not a Weis level.

I think it's best for UM fans to be'um damn humble until we have something to indicate we are not headed toward the abyss that MSU seems to be leaving. UM was beyond anyone's wildest guess of how horrible a transition can be. No one is suggesting that '09 is going to be pretty for UM. Yes, MSU can be laughed at for many reasons, but right now no one is causing its foes more glee than the humbled wolverines of AA.

Right On!

The Big 11 is very weak. The lack of overall speed continues to plague the conference. The quality of the QBs is way down. The Big 12 has QBs all over the place. The Big 11 has no big deal QB except TP this year and next. Look at Oregon's 3rd stringer who would start everywhere but O$U next year. It will take a few years to get this conference anywhere near the SEC, Big 12 and, yes, the Pac 10.

Brilliant

I am a UM alum and have my name on plaques in Yost and Schembechler. I have earned the right to be as critical as I want when I want. You on the other hand are an idiot who can't face the fact that UM football is presently in the tank. Being critical of UM does not ipso facto make one an ND fan.

Maybe so

But are they as good as Toledo?

Defense

The 2008 D was the worst in UM history. It was at or near the bottom of every D1 D statistical category. That will not be turned around in one year. Not with a new DC and a new system. The best player, BG, is not well suited to a 3-3-5. Will he play LB or DE? The returning LBs are average at best or inexperienced. No big timers here. Ditto the corners. The safety position is a twighlight zone. This D will struggle early. The best hope that by the end of the year they are able to play average D1 D.

I see, if anyone criticizes anything UM they are then

an ND fan. I am a UM alum and my name is on a plaque in Yost. You will never accomplish either.

You are right

Why conjure up lame alternative explanations? Accept his word. He also said around the time of his decommitment that he wanted to "play for a championship." Take him at his word. He certainly will not be playing for a championship at UM before his Jr. year and then only for the Big 10, maybe. He has a much better chance of "playing for a championship" elsewhere.

Meaning that UM is worse than Hawai'i

That sure helps

We lost by 18, forget the excuses

I don't care about anything but the final score. The rest is for losers. The gap is there, at QB and WR. JC may not be the top '09 college QB but he'll be way ahead of Tate and the ponderous Threet withthe worst mechanics and slowest release in football despite a year under the tuteledge of Lefty the Great.

Yes HI is weak but did you see UM v. Toledo?

UM looked pathetic against a much weaker team. I hate ND but what I saw last night tells me that with their weak schedule and 3 years of excellent recruiting they will overcome CWs coaching. I see nothing wrong with pointing this out, even on Christmas. The fact is UM will struggle in '09. One of our top rivals is set to have a season that could land them a BC$ bid, something that UM has almost no chance at. O$U will be favored in the Big 10 with the top returning QB and a reloaded cast of top players.

Well, the 3rd guy is now

either Sheridan or Cone. What the hell did Lefty see in Cone to make him offer? Further, how the hell did Threet spend a year with Lefty and still have the worst mechanics of any starting UM QB since who knows?

Just spoke to

Trgovac and he reuses to take a pay cut.

Does any top coach want this job?

Looks like Hopson gets it by default. RR is so into his O that D is an afterthought. No top guys are interested.

One thing a QB must be is

a leader. Your remarks about Tate not being a leader are most troubling. Hopefully it is not so. Leadership must come naturally but it can be developed if there is a spark there. I have watched many practices over the years and let me tell you this: Harbaugh, Griese and Brady were all exceptional leaders. It was clear at every practice. I remember when Brady was a frosh running with the demo squad and he got clocked because an OL wiffed his block. Brady was in his face screaming in the huddle. The coaches looked at each other, smiled and nodded approval.

We'll see.

Threet and out!

I expect one of the true frosh to start from the get go or maybe after a brief starting stint by Threet of not more than 2 games. I just hope we don't try rotating the frosh so that neither gets fully comfortable being the starter. If the frosh flop, it will be trick or Threet!

Urban Renewal

Mr. Meyers will be available after 2009 and that is when ND will make their move. ND is prepared to payoff CW, buyout, if even required, the Urban UF deal and outbid all comers for Urban's services. Nice to have your own TV network. This from a man who has a building named after him at a quaint small Catholic college in South Bend.

Great report

Thanks for sharing. This kid is much needed at UM. There is no Jake Long caliber kid on the team now. TL would be a fixture at LT for 4 years if he decides to be a Michigan Man. The best to him in any event.

Young OL

I saw 3 practices last fall, one before the season started, then mid season, and one before NW. In general, the young OL were unimpressive. There are no Jake Long's among them. Having said that, some will be solid starters. Barnum, Omameh and Khoury are ahead of the rest. O'Neill has the body but plays "soft." Mealer has been slowed by his auto injury recovery, he may have significant upside. Wermers is coming along may have a limited upside. All of this is my opinion and I hope all exceed my predictions.

For next year, Barnum looks most ready to me. However, what the team needs is OTs. So, Barnum is caught up in the plan to move Schilling inside if either Dorrestein or Omameh can start at OT. Omameh is athletic but needs strength, weight and technique. He may make it by next Sept, but it will be a quantum leap. Khoury is a battler who has surprised some.

If I had to predict the starters today, I would say Ortmann, Ferrara, Moosman, Schilling, Dorrestein, left to right. The likely possibilities are Barnum replacing Ferrara or Omameh replacing Ortmann or Dorrestein. Another possibility is that Schilling stays at RT and the interior becomes Barnum, Molk and Moosman.

No.

ND will keep their guys. Um has had far more decommits.

Well, about the coaches

CW has been to date a gangbuster recruiter and a bad coach. RR did not set any positive coaching achievements this year. RR's recruiting to date has been meh. He has landed no "game changer." I'm not suggesting he won't just that he hasn't so far. But the talent level on the team now is as low as its ever been and we still have not been able to attract a top 50 player who would be an instant starter. Watch the All Big Ten show tonight to underscore how low the UM talent is. There is no way this team is a top level Big 10 team in 2009. Frosh QB, iffy OL, sucky WRs who can't run routes or block (except Mathews), rebuilding DL, sucky LBs who hit the wrong gap and get run over and no safeties who could start for MSU.

UM has a looooooong rebuilding road ahead. O$U will be favored to win the Bgg 10 in 2009 after losing a host of NFL bound players. O$U has the highest rated recruting class for 2009. They have had no decommits or player defections. The programs are in 2 diffeent universes and that will not change in '09.

The nadir is now

Unfortunately, the article is true. UM is at the bottom of the Big 10 and is likely to be a 6 or 7 win team next year. O$U, after losing a splendid senior class with several high draft choices, will reload and be favored to win the Big 10 in 2009. UM simply does not have the talent now and the present recruiting class does not have a game changer in it yet. There are no Jake Longs, Charles Woodsons or Braylon Edwards on the present team. The winter of our discontent is not near its spring.

Multiple problems in 2009 prevent much beyond 6 or 7 wins

QB will be a true frosh or worse rotating true frosh QBs.

Ol will be better but not dominant. Still need a dominant OT or 2. The present frosh may help (O"Neill and Omemeh) but it will more likely be Ortmann and/or Dorrestein. Schilling needs to move inside and let Moosman move to OC.

WRs. Mathews is solid and the rest are just-who knows. Odoms is ok but he does not run good route and can't block anything. Inaddition he will drop passes and fumble regularly. Stonum has been, well numb. Please don't rely on Hemingway. He was just ok before going down. Frosh WRs rarely make a significant contribution. Bottom line- no Braylons in this bunch. Need a game breaker and none in sight.

RBs Minor is the best but can he make a whole season? Then there are alot of names who are on and off the injury list all the time. Shaw may be the best of that bunch or maybe Mc G. if he can get bigger. No Javon Ringer here.

DL Rebuild with all kinds of issues and not a lot of talent beside MM, especially if BG says goodbye. This line will be dominated at times by solid OLs.

LB A unit with no stars. No rocken sockem guy anywhere. A lot of finess players. This unit will undergo some significant retooling but isn't going to scare any O or require special attention by any OC

CBs poor at press and poor against the run. Not a strong group but the best group on this D.

S A wasteland. Any D that has SB as a returning starter is in major trouble.

ST The teams lone star, Zoltan will be our main weapon. Frosh walk on or another walk on PK will be fun to watch the bouncing ball.

Recruiting has not yet landed a sure starter star. Very Meh class to date.

There will be a bunch of transfers and 4th year guys not back for their 5th year

Yes, we are in full rebuilding mode and it may take a good while.

Well, the 2009 OL will be

improved from this year but will not be dominating. The best returning OL based on consistancy in '08 is Moosman. He will stay at RG or be moved to OC if frosh Barnum makes a push and Ferrara stays at LG. Also, if a much needed OT shows up at RT, Shilling could move to RG with Moos going to OC with Barnum and Farrara fighting it out for LG. LT will be Ortmann unless Dorrestein can pass him up. This a good but far from great OL. The are no Jake Longs here. None of the upper classmen will make the NFL Lower ceilings.

The true frosh who have peformed well besides Barnum are Omemeh and O'Neill. Both have a ways to go. I think both will make the 2 deep but not start in '09. Khoury has been improving also. Mealer has struggled with recovering from accident and Wermers needs work.

Only one OL recruit so far but he looks good on paper. The struggle to get top OL recruits in here since Jake is a continuing mystery. Although our competitors are using this fact now with OL recruits: RR has never put an OL in the NFL. Zero, nada.

I applaud your optimisim but

you are borderline Pollyannish. We will be starting a frosh QB. No way the season starts out smooth. We have major talent deficit issues. There are no game changing stars on this team. No Braylon, Jake or Mr. Woodson. You will see this next week when UM's representation on the All Big Ten Team will be shockingly low. Other than Zoltan, UM may not have a first team ABT player for the first time in memory. Recruiting so far has been meh with no big stars on the horizon. There will be transfers and 4th year guys not coming back for their third year.

O$U will reload just like they did last time when Lauranitis was a frosh sensation. They are loaded. Just having TP behind a very good OL will make them Big 10 favorites in '09. They have the #1 recruiting class.

Nevertheless, your optimism is commendable. Wish I could share it.

UM will start a true frosh QB in'09, no question

Tate & Beaver will be 1 & 1A in whatever order. They both will play in '09. Threet & Sheridan will fight for 3 & 4 and hopefully never see the field again. Feagin will be a WR. Cone will be on his last year of tying up a schollie with no possibilty of helping the team.

'09 will be a down year again but we should make some lower bowl. 7 wins seems like a major order today but maybe some of these guys will grow up. We have major weaknesses at S and LB. Dl will be rebuilding. If Graham leaves early, the DL could suck. The WRs have been very unimpressive except for Mathews. Odoms was awful today, doesn't play well in cold weather obviously. Minor can be a leader at RB if he can stay healthy. There are a lot of other RBs who might be able to step up but no Javon Ringer. The OL will be better but will struggle against big strong front 7s. Watch what happens next week.

O$U will reload in '09 with TP surrounded by all kinds of young talent on both O and D.

Recruiting this year is vital. Team needs a lot of talent.

That's all well and good

Yes, we fell into a hole much like many other "elites." That doesn't excuse it or make us look any better for it. Rather, it makes us look as ill prepared as many others and unable to avoid the same "cluster fog" so many have crashed into. Nothing justifies the crash.

The salient issues are how bad is the crash and how long will the recovery period be? We have no clear answer on that today.

Here is what we can reasonably infer:

1. 2009 is going to be tough also. (Frosh QB, no game changer, glaring weaknesses at LB and S. for starters.) Hopefully we get to a bowl but no euphoria is called for.

2. Recruiting is good to meh so far this year. Again, no game changers on the horizon. OL recruiting continues to be a drag. Meanwhile, O$U has the #1 class and will simply reload next year with TP behind the best OL in the Big 10.

3. 2010 looks like the nearest point of relief but how much is far from clear.

Well

park your sneer for the next few years.  Your days of looking down are over.

I am not amazed that you would have

the arrogance to label anyone who is critical of the program as "fairweather" or "no better than...the ones we sneer at."  You are in denial and your arrogance will not allow you to deal with reality.  By many measures this is the worst team in decades, if not ever.  You can chose to be critical of those fans who have every right to criticize this team. That is your right as a fanatic, no matter how arrogant.  Or, is no criticism ever allowed?  That is penultimate arrogance.

A quick turn around is not in the cards

Low talent level and or inexperience at key positions is almost impossible to overcome-OL, QB, LB S.  All those positions will be manned, to some degree, either by experienced, low ceiling players or inexperienced players who may have higher ceilings.  Most fans over rate the talent level of younger, unproven players.  UM has no "game changer" in the wings for 2009.  There is no Percy Harvin or Tyrell Pryor coming in.

The OL problem has not yet been addressed by 2009 recruiting.  There are no young Jake Longs in the wings.  The QB issue is obvious.  The LB problem will not be solved by the returnees.  None are fast enough.  There are no future Butkus Award winners in the wings.  Check out what O$U will have to reload with next year at LB.  It will make you ill.  The safety position could not be worse.  The solution here may be a sophmore in highschool.