+1 to your point about commitment and effort. We can shoot in the gym all night and never have an elite shot (though it can certainly improve). Elite offensive players often have a natural gift. However, defense is largely about effort, buy-in and giving a damn about your teammates. The latter two (maybe even all three) are lacking with this team. And those are coaching issues.
Recency bias makes Nebraska feel like an outlier despite your objective criteria. So I took a quick look at their record over time. Sheesh, that decision to fire Pelini really didn’t age well…
Your comment about receiving compliments on your weight loss really hit a nerve with me. I had very bad flare up that lasted many months. Few people can understand the level of discomfort that comes along with that.
Yet, the amount of compliments that I received about my weight loss was incredible, and frankly, disorienting. There I was feeling as if I'm rotting from the inside (with little control over it) and people were asking for fitness tips.
It taught me to empathize with those that have body image issues. We have a societal view that all weight gain is bad (with a few exceptions, of course) and all weight loss is good. That's far from the truth in many cases.
Exactly. Could Pep do more? Possibly. Is he the issue? No way.
This is Harbaugh’s offense. He is the “QB whisperer.” He calls the Xs and Os. He sets the offensive gameplan.
I’m Blue through and through and there’s no way I’m jumping ship. But that offensive performance was bewildering. There’s no harm in losing on the road, at night to a team that many have as a playoff contender. But the lack of time management, tone deaf play calling and less than prepared players... that’s all on Harbs.
Only one team ends the year without feeling the need to do a lot of soul searching. Villanova is that team this year. However, I think we're giving a lot more scrutiny to Z's offensive insufficiencies than we have to the defensive insufficiencies of past PGs. Our offense was stagnant in the tourney - no argument. Yet, we still made it to the championship game. The freakin' national championship game... and this dude, as a sophomore, was the leader of the defensive effort. He shut down everything in his path, including the national player of the year.
I agree that the team cannot reach its peak performance without an uptick in Z's offense. However, I don't recall us ever giving as much scrutiny to past teams/players that were defensive sieves on teams that weren't nearly as successful as this one. Let's give Z the credit and respect he deserves. He'll be just fine if he puts even half the effort to improve his offensive game this summer as he does to stymy his foes on defense. And plus, Beilein.
I agree that we don’t need Burke or Walton for this team to be successful. However, we do need leadership (in the sense of running the offense) and stability. Unfortunately, we don’t have either... yet. I’m a bit shocked that we’re a game away from starting BIG play and we have zero clarity about that position. Coach B will right the ship by the time March gets here - he usually does. But tonight... in Chapel Hill with no PG in a bounce back game? It might get ugly.
My fragile and limited sense of masculinity is totally threatened by this pic!!! Get this crap off my blog and let's get back to manly things... like obsessing over the weight and ripped physiques of our current roster. /s
LSU and Oklahoma team's to see examples of non-starting RBs that would have easily made the top 100 players in the country. And there are plenty of past examples of frosh RBs making an early and meaningful impact. I'm not denying that SI's quality may have dropped in recent years. But this isn't an example of it.
I am alum of Michigan and Minnesota and you're correct - there's not a ton of support for that program. Hockey and basketball (to a lesser extent) seem to be the only college sports that get people amped here.
That said, it's difficult to see Fleck transitioning to a successful Power 5 program directly from Western. Perhaps if he does something akin to what Chris Petersen did at Boise (prolonged excellence over a number of years). There likely needs to be an intermediate step.
He'd be in prime position for a strong Power 5 job if he put together a few 8 or 9-win seasons at MN. Something that's definitely possible.
I sincerely hope that it's an open competition next year. We had an excellent year. 99% of us would have have been ecstatic if we were told in 2014 that we'd put together back-to-back 10-win seasons in '15 and '16.
With that said, it's important to honestly assess strengths and weaknesses. Our inconsistent O-line and QB play were the weaknesses of this team.
It's not that Speight was bad - he simply did not display the leadership or clutch play necessary to close the door on further competition at the position. His teammates treated him as if he was just another dude on the team. He wasn't looked to for leadership or motivation. This was apparent in both his on the field play and his sideline demeanor. He got the job for this year. But he certainly did not take the job.
We need a leader at the position... whether it is Peters, Speight or O'Korn.
Agreed re: play calling. And gimmicky Peppers offensive packages have to go. It was cute initially, but they've largely been ineffective - defenses are no longer fooled. Overall just flat, uninspired play and coaching. Good news: we can still win out. Hopefully, Speight's injury isn't serious.
Not the game I was expecting - especially the week before a rivalry game. /s
But, in all seriousness, I'll take the W against a quality opponent. Yes, it was a largely frustrating game, but I LOVED the clutch play in 4th. Speight to Amara... Lewis' ridiculous INT... our guys stepped up in spectacular form when it counted.
On the bright side, he sucked in the best possible way. He was a very bad X's and O's coach, but quite a good recruiter. The recruitment piece is key. This allowed Harbaugh to step in and coach a team that was well stocked with talent.
Agreed. Total money grab. Dana White is making tons off of these fighters while most of the headline fighters are getting very small compensation (comparatively). This is all about the dough.
We all would have taken 9-3 at the beginning of the year. My hat goes off to the team and coaches - helluva job. Harbaugh's first year was a resounding success. Honestly, the only game that really burns me was against Sparty... I won't be watching that ending anytime soon, if ever.
for these guys. Especially the line, "...take a bow, Cole, Braden, Glasgow, Kalis and Magnuson. You've helped your team get much better." Some folks were beginning to write these guys off as recruiting misses and busts. I'm glad to see the hunch that most of us on this blog had was true: they just needed coaching.
Positive reinforcement on a national level has to feel great for these young men. I couldn't be happier for them. The best is yet to come... Go Blue!
That and there are a lot of unnecessary double-clutches when he drives the lane. Those layups will get eaten alive by college level bigs. However, that's not uncommon when you're used to physically dominating your competition at the HS level. JB will correct it. Ibi's a solid pickup. He's skilled, has good size (and wingspan) and definitely plays with bravado, for what that's worth.
Jones has one of the biggest arms in college football. He has a few million reasons to be a good teammate if he ends up backing up Barrett. If he does nothing else at OSU he'll still be off draft boards by round 3. His arm combined with that championship run are going to make that young man a lot of money.
If you're a 5th year player and have yet to contribute significantly, then it's time to turn attention towards younger players that can impact the future trajectory of the program. I have no problem with this. The players had the opportunity to earn their degrees and they've been here for four years.
Our play in recent years has been soft and entitled... as if walking on the field in maize and blue is enough to earn wins. That was not just a gameday issue - it was a reflection of the personality of the program. Wearing the winged helmet is a privilege, not a right. I don't want to ever see my alma mater stoop to unethical behavior. However, I have no problem with decisions that change our past culture of entitlement.
It's a max deal, but it's only for four years as opposed to five. DJ, rather than the Clips, chose not to add a 5th because he wanted to retain flexibility under the future salary cap. The Clips would have definitely added the 5th year.
All said, he still signed for more money with a better team. However, it's clear that LA is where his heart was. That what matters most.
Imagining a bunch of NBA players holed up in a house is hilarious. However, I think this goes deeper than the Clips showing some last minute love.
Jordan's agent is very close with Cuban and also represents Dallas' Parsons. The facts are beginning to suggest that the agent may have been adding fire to the alleged Paul and Jordan beef and playing up the fact that the Clips weren't interested in order to get Cuban his prize center. Very bad faith.
This brings a bit more context to the situation because I was confused as to why he'd take $30 million fewer dollars to go to a lesser team. I mean, Devin Harris vs. Chris Paul feeding you... Really?
The Raid: Redemption. Some of the best fight scenes I've ever seen. Do yourself a favor and watch the movie. It's an awesome action/martial arts watch.
Exactly. It's always interesting to read up on the dynamics of a program in the 2 or 3 years preceding a championship. You can often isolate a couple of strategic moves that led directly to the team's success.
I have a strong feeling that 3-4 years from now we're going to pinpoint this summer as the turning point for a very successful run. Go Blue!
I agree, it's debatable whether he'd want them banned. My thinking is that we have a leg up on almost every program in the country for the moment. However, if the NCAA lets this continue we'll be looking at Saban and the boys holding camps in Michigan and all over Big Ten country next summer. And I'm sure neither Harbaugh nor the Big Ten wants that.
I believe that Harbaugh actually knows (and perhaps wants) the NCAA to ban satellite camps going forward. He knows he likely has one chance to do this and thus he's doing it in a big way (i.e. Dolphins facility, rubbing it the SEC's face, etc.). This once chance gives him a great advantage over other schools that either don't have the cache or do not want to be seen as copying Harbaugh.
The short game is the ability to connect with current recruits. The long game is to connect with HS coaches and communities where we do not have a pipeline.
One solid summer of this could shape the program for years to come. Harbaugh knows we can cannot base our classes on recruits from these regions. However, the ability to take a couple of key recruits from each region on an annual basis would be program changing.
I work a lot with university-level international students. You're correct that many students coming directly from Asia can be very hesitant to speak English regardless of their TOEFL score. However, the average college-age German or Scandinavian student speaks English near fluently. I doubt that Moritz passing the TOEFL is anything more than a formality. He'll be fine.
And are you really stating that Matta and Crean recruit on the same level as Calipari and Coach K? The schools that I mentioned have a consistent floor product to go along with elite recruiting. To me, that defines an elite basketball program: a consistently great floor product and consistent excellence in recruiting.
The key word is consistent. Yes, there are programs that occassionally pull in great classes. Certainly Crean and Matta have done that on occasion. But, again, neither one of them is regularly doing so on a national level. Further, neither Crean nor Matta is consistently winning floor or recruiting battles against the programs I mentioned.
Crean and Matta are closer to Izzo in recruiting (though they aren't as consistent in level of teams they field): most of their talent is in-state/regional with the occasional national recruit. Remember, the jewel of Crean's best team at Indiana was Cody Zeller, an Indiana product.
Sorry, my friend. There's no comparing Indiana and OSU to Duke and Kentucky. Whether in recruiting or floor product.
Like him or not, there's no denying Izzo's coaching prowess, especially in March. However, MSU is not elite. I define elite basketball programs as those schools that can routinely walk into someone else's backyard (regarless of geographic proximity) and take players of their choosing. Kentucky need not recruit KY or its neighboring states to annually field a championship level team. The same can be said of Duke and Kansas.
There is no way Izzo could do that. It's very rare that MSU will win recruiting battles against the elite schools. He typically gets 4-star talent from within or around Michigan and coaches 'em up. To his credit (similar to Dantonio, unfortunately) he knows his type of player and largely sticks to the same formula - and it works.
I don't see us reaching a Kentucky level anytime soon. Like others have said, I think it's possible but it will fall on the shoulders of the coach that comes after Beilein. However, we are knocking on the door of being at MSU's level. The only real difference is consistency. And I think we are well on our way to this as I consider this year an aberration.
If Levert comes back, we compete for the B1G title and are easily in the tourney. Couple that with getting Brown and we're in a position to do real damage come this time next year.
Agreed. Johnny represents how 90% of us would handle being thrust into fame at the age of 18. It gives me that much more respect for the way guys like Lebron and other well adjusted teenage phenoms have handled themselves.
Are people taking the Deepak Chopra Gratitude Challenge or something? How many posts do we need thanking Hoke? I'm also guessing there's a high overlap between those now giving "sincere" thanks and those who would have had a meltdown if Hoke was retained.
Hoke wasn't doing this for charity. It was his job... and he got paid more in four years than most of us will in our lifetime to do it. Brady's ego is hurt, I'm sure. But, he'll be fine.
No hard feelings, but let's chill with the "Thank You" threads.
I feel you 100%. But I'm heartened by the fact that the Lions are winning with defense, timely offensive playmaking and, dare I say, mental toughness. These aren't the same Lions that need Stafford to throw for 400 yards to win despite themselves. The O will correct itself when Megatron, Bush and our 3 TEs return.
A Harbaugh and competitive Lions squad for the holidays? Yes, please.
Recent Comments
+1 to your point about commitment and effort. We can shoot in the gym all night and never have an elite shot (though it can certainly improve). Elite offensive players often have a natural gift. However, defense is largely about effort, buy-in and giving a damn about your teammates. The latter two (maybe even all three) are lacking with this team. And those are coaching issues.
Recency bias makes Nebraska feel like an outlier despite your objective criteria. So I took a quick look at their record over time. Sheesh, that decision to fire Pelini really didn’t age well…
Merengue, actually. And, yes, love seeing him and the players living their best lives.
Your comment about receiving compliments on your weight loss really hit a nerve with me. I had very bad flare up that lasted many months. Few people can understand the level of discomfort that comes along with that.
Yet, the amount of compliments that I received about my weight loss was incredible, and frankly, disorienting. There I was feeling as if I'm rotting from the inside (with little control over it) and people were asking for fitness tips.
It taught me to empathize with those that have body image issues. We have a societal view that all weight gain is bad (with a few exceptions, of course) and all weight loss is good. That's far from the truth in many cases.
Exactly. Could Pep do more? Possibly. Is he the issue? No way.
This is Harbaugh’s offense. He is the “QB whisperer.” He calls the Xs and Os. He sets the offensive gameplan.
I’m Blue through and through and there’s no way I’m jumping ship. But that offensive performance was bewildering. There’s no harm in losing on the road, at night to a team that many have as a playoff contender. But the lack of time management, tone deaf play calling and less than prepared players... that’s all on Harbs.
Only one team ends the year without feeling the need to do a lot of soul searching. Villanova is that team this year. However, I think we're giving a lot more scrutiny to Z's offensive insufficiencies than we have to the defensive insufficiencies of past PGs. Our offense was stagnant in the tourney - no argument. Yet, we still made it to the championship game. The freakin' national championship game... and this dude, as a sophomore, was the leader of the defensive effort. He shut down everything in his path, including the national player of the year.
I agree that the team cannot reach its peak performance without an uptick in Z's offense. However, I don't recall us ever giving as much scrutiny to past teams/players that were defensive sieves on teams that weren't nearly as successful as this one. Let's give Z the credit and respect he deserves. He'll be just fine if he puts even half the effort to improve his offensive game this summer as he does to stymy his foes on defense. And plus, Beilein.
We got this.
At least attempt to be original and creative if you're going to be inappropriate. As it stands, you're both lazy and tasteless. Well done.
Before reading this I simply wanted to get a W and see overall team improvement. Now? I want them to suffer.
That said, it's difficult to see Fleck transitioning to a successful Power 5 program directly from Western. Perhaps if he does something akin to what Chris Petersen did at Boise (prolonged excellence over a number of years). There likely needs to be an intermediate step.
He'd be in prime position for a strong Power 5 job if he put together a few 8 or 9-win seasons at MN. Something that's definitely possible.
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With that said, it's important to honestly assess strengths and weaknesses. Our inconsistent O-line and QB play were the weaknesses of this team.
It's not that Speight was bad - he simply did not display the leadership or clutch play necessary to close the door on further competition at the position. His teammates treated him as if he was just another dude on the team. He wasn't looked to for leadership or motivation. This was apparent in both his on the field play and his sideline demeanor. He got the job for this year. But he certainly did not take the job.
We need a leader at the position... whether it is Peters, Speight or O'Korn.
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But, in all seriousness, I'll take the W against a quality opponent. Yes, it was a largely frustrating game, but I LOVED the clutch play in 4th. Speight to Amara... Lewis' ridiculous INT... our guys stepped up in spectacular form when it counted.
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Double digit wins is still on the table. Go Blue!
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for these guys. Especially the line, "...take a bow, Cole, Braden, Glasgow, Kalis and Magnuson. You've helped your team get much better." Some folks were beginning to write these guys off as recruiting misses and busts. I'm glad to see the hunch that most of us on this blog had was true: they just needed coaching.
Positive reinforcement on a national level has to feel great for these young men. I couldn't be happier for them. The best is yet to come... Go Blue!
That and there are a lot of unnecessary double-clutches when he drives the lane. Those layups will get eaten alive by college level bigs. However, that's not uncommon when you're used to physically dominating your competition at the HS level. JB will correct it. Ibi's a solid pickup. He's skilled, has good size (and wingspan) and definitely plays with bravado, for what that's worth.
If you're a 5th year player and have yet to contribute significantly, then it's time to turn attention towards younger players that can impact the future trajectory of the program. I have no problem with this. The players had the opportunity to earn their degrees and they've been here for four years.
Our play in recent years has been soft and entitled... as if walking on the field in maize and blue is enough to earn wins. That was not just a gameday issue - it was a reflection of the personality of the program. Wearing the winged helmet is a privilege, not a right. I don't want to ever see my alma mater stoop to unethical behavior. However, I have no problem with decisions that change our past culture of entitlement.
All said, he still signed for more money with a better team. However, it's clear that LA is where his heart was. That what matters most.
Jordan's agent is very close with Cuban and also represents Dallas' Parsons. The facts are beginning to suggest that the agent may have been adding fire to the alleged Paul and Jordan beef and playing up the fact that the Clips weren't interested in order to get Cuban his prize center. Very bad faith.
This brings a bit more context to the situation because I was confused as to why he'd take $30 million fewer dollars to go to a lesser team. I mean, Devin Harris vs. Chris Paul feeding you... Really?
You're so right. That movie had me in the edge of my seat. In fact, I'm going to go watch it again.
I have a strong feeling that 3-4 years from now we're going to pinpoint this summer as the turning point for a very successful run. Go Blue!
The short game is the ability to connect with current recruits. The long game is to connect with HS coaches and communities where we do not have a pipeline.
One solid summer of this could shape the program for years to come. Harbaugh knows we can cannot base our classes on recruits from these regions. However, the ability to take a couple of key recruits from each region on an annual basis would be program changing.
And are you really stating that Matta and Crean recruit on the same level as Calipari and Coach K? The schools that I mentioned have a consistent floor product to go along with elite recruiting. To me, that defines an elite basketball program: a consistently great floor product and consistent excellence in recruiting.
The key word is consistent. Yes, there are programs that occassionally pull in great classes. Certainly Crean and Matta have done that on occasion. But, again, neither one of them is regularly doing so on a national level. Further, neither Crean nor Matta is consistently winning floor or recruiting battles against the programs I mentioned.
Crean and Matta are closer to Izzo in recruiting (though they aren't as consistent in level of teams they field): most of their talent is in-state/regional with the occasional national recruit. Remember, the jewel of Crean's best team at Indiana was Cody Zeller, an Indiana product.
Sorry, my friend. There's no comparing Indiana and OSU to Duke and Kentucky. Whether in recruiting or floor product.
Like him or not, there's no denying Izzo's coaching prowess, especially in March. However, MSU is not elite. I define elite basketball programs as those schools that can routinely walk into someone else's backyard (regarless of geographic proximity) and take players of their choosing. Kentucky need not recruit KY or its neighboring states to annually field a championship level team. The same can be said of Duke and Kansas.
There is no way Izzo could do that. It's very rare that MSU will win recruiting battles against the elite schools. He typically gets 4-star talent from within or around Michigan and coaches 'em up. To his credit (similar to Dantonio, unfortunately) he knows his type of player and largely sticks to the same formula - and it works.
I don't see us reaching a Kentucky level anytime soon. Like others have said, I think it's possible but it will fall on the shoulders of the coach that comes after Beilein. However, we are knocking on the door of being at MSU's level. The only real difference is consistency. And I think we are well on our way to this as I consider this year an aberration.
If Levert comes back, we compete for the B1G title and are easily in the tourney. Couple that with getting Brown and we're in a position to do real damage come this time next year.
Agreed. Johnny represents how 90% of us would handle being thrust into fame at the age of 18. It gives me that much more respect for the way guys like Lebron and other well adjusted teenage phenoms have handled themselves.
I hope that Johnny gets the help that he needs.
Are people taking the Deepak Chopra Gratitude Challenge or something? How many posts do we need thanking Hoke? I'm also guessing there's a high overlap between those now giving "sincere" thanks and those who would have had a meltdown if Hoke was retained.
Hoke wasn't doing this for charity. It was his job... and he got paid more in four years than most of us will in our lifetime to do it. Brady's ego is hurt, I'm sure. But, he'll be fine.
No hard feelings, but let's chill with the "Thank You" threads.
A Harbaugh and competitive Lions squad for the holidays? Yes, please.