Far be it from me to argue that we need new offensive coaching blood. But I can’t help wonder if things would have been different if instead of fumbling the ball against SC in the 3rd quarter, Higdon instead goes in for the score. What would it have been then....26 to 3? Didn’t we have like 5 turnovers in a quarter and a half? Coaches don’t have a lot to do with that. Some, granted. But not all of it. Tough to win with 5 TO’s.
Makes you wonder if the storyline changes completely if Higdon gets into the end zone...
Buy out Drevno and Pep, let them both go, pay Jedd what he needs to come back and give him the entire offense, promote Frey to run the entire offensive line, and go get another coach like Wheatley or whomever to take over the RB...move Jay back to TE coach.
For Sunday brunch before you head out, I cannot more highly recommend Cafe Felix. A little pricey, but quite possibly the best North American brunch out there.
And if the team looks to be mired in mediocrity come next February, everyone will rise back up and call for his firing, game has passed him by, can't recruit, can't beat rivals, etc.
That's Beilein's fate at this point. Prove it every season.
Harbs is logically smacking down Saban for the hypocrisy. That's obvious. But don't underestimate that his OTHER audience for this kind of calculated tweet is his own team. He's constantly reinforcing the message that they're tougher than the next team...it's how he convinced Stanford they could beat USC.
Compare that to the tent - stake apology from Hoke. I believe the tone from Harbs matters.
Don't have premium info...just off the quote in the top thread, but I can see how both are true. Maybe VV talked to the coaches and they told him they wanted him to try for QB, but gave him a realistic assessment that it's going to be tough and LB might end up being a position he truly excels at. 'Course, Colin Kap was also a high ceiling player, so anythings possible.
Point is, unless you're IN THE ROOM when the conversation is happening, all context and nuance is removed. It's possible UofM626 heard what he heard, and it's possible JH wanted VV to come and try out at QB, but tried to set realistic expectations.
He's everywhere. Interviews,Twitter, local news, tigers games, out west, satellite tours...he's raised UM's profile 1000 times.
I'm starting to get a little uneasy that the hype may be too hard to live up to. We haven't seen a flood of five stars, and right now recruiting is about the only results we have to gauge the Harbaugh effect on until real games are played.
I just hope coach Harbs can equal or exceed Rock Star Harbs, cause sir grump a lot in Lansing, weak chin in Columbus, and the Godfather in Tuscaloosa aren't going anywhere.
Where are all the hungry reporters looking to break the story? I know the story is leaking from board #5, Twitter scraps, insider rumors, etc. Surely - surely - there is a reporter out there (national or local) that wants to "officially" break the biggest college football coaching change story in years? Where are they? Who's hunting down the bread crumbs to get two independent sources to put their name and paper/media company out there?
I mean, do we do investigative journalism anymore?
His decision is UM or NFL. If NFL, his self interest is best served by resigning after the season and signing with whomever he wants for a huge payday to a team that doesn't give 49ers a draft pick.
If it is UM, he resigns after the season and signs for a huge payday at Michigan.
The trade scenario over complicates this, and it's not happening. Nor will he be fired.
He may start to give smoke signals to Hackett and/or other NFL teams this week through intermediaries, however.
My go-to IPA and still undefeated champ in the hop hard category is Fat Head Head Hunter. Could be the most distinctive, most unmistakable tasting IPA on the market. IMHO, of course...
Harbaugh, Sean Payton, John Harbaugh, and Les Miles in that order. Jim H has until end of the season to say yes or no. Has already been offered - the money is agreed upon. Has to work out a settlement with his 1st wife on a custody issue.
If he changes his mind or can't work out a settlement, Sean Payton is our #2 pick, and he knows he's #2. He has expressed strong interest in leaving the Saints for the job.
John and Les are also interested privately, but are publicly denying any interest for obvious reasons. Payton's name has only recently leaked; he'll be publicly denying it too now until New Orleans eliminated or Jim turns it down.
Who really knows? If I had that gif of Michael Jackson throwing popcorn in his mouth from the thriller video, I might inset it here....
Also known as a busy fan. Lots of competing demands for time. Fair weather fans are the ONLY way to be. Think about it - who cheers for lousy weather? Nobody.
Unfortunately for UM, lots of people cheer for sunny weather, and they vote with their feet year after year down to frickin' SEC country.
Nobody cares whether Purdue wins or loses. Nobody cares about Purdue recruiting, AP polls, or playoff eligibility. No one cares about Purdue attendance records or the promptness of their students for kickoffs. And not one national (hell even regional) person waxes philosophically about the temperature of Purdue's head coach's seat.
In short: no one cares two flying fig newtons about Purdue football.
And that is, roughly, the emotional commitment from me that Michigan has earned. When they offer a better return on my 3+ hour investment, I'll pay attention.
Until then, they're Purdue to me. Like, "I'd rather paint my house than watch Purdue football" kind of commitment. I know I'm not alone, either.
I for 1 appreciate it. I had no idea Demons was as close to David Harris, stat wise, his junior year. Pretty cool. I would never take the time to look that kind of info up, so I like having this type of contribution. And even when I disagree, it doesn't mean I don't value the discussion.
My Dad was from AL, so I've always respected their passion, if not always their methods. I may be biased, but I think your contributions enrich our board.
RollDamnTide...my Dad is from Birmingham, Alabama. Loved the Tide. Met my Mom up in Michigan and relocated. Though I bleed blue and graduated from U of M, I've always had a little soft spot for Alabama, just because I respect their passion (Updyke aside...). And while we love to stereotype the "typical" 'Bama fan (like most would know), I've always found that for every nutjob there's 2 or 3 pretty well informed guys that just love college football and will talk about it for hours. That's my kind of deal.
You found a good board - this is by far one of the brightest, wittiest, sharpest college board out there. Keep visiting and posting - adds a little something. Hope it's a good game in Dallas!
Not sure if this comment deserves a separate thread, but I lack the points to do that anyhow. So on the topic of Hoke and recruiting and continuing the theme of "random recent dinner conversations" in other posts, I had the pleasure of meeting a 5th year senior from Ball State 2 nights ago. He was receiving an academic scholarship, business major. He also started for Ball State's football program.
So I asked him if Hoke had recruited him and what he thought, etc. His comments were basically. "Hoke is the most genuine guy I've ever met. You guys at Michigan probably don't realize what you have there yet, but you will. He sat on my couch and was just compelling. I may not have been able to play in some of the other conferences (he was their punter), but people gravitate toward him. You saw that with that D-Coordinator he snagged from the Ravens. I'm telling you, Michigan is going to be just fine with that guy at the helm."
A lot of players get bitter when their coach leaves, so I'm not sure that says more about Hoke or this kid, but it was a nice conversation, made me feel pretty good, so I thought I'd pass it along to the rest of the MGoBlog community.
I believe RR would have won 9 games next year had he stayed. Not saying RR is great or not. We had an easier schedule and a maturing team. Therefore, fair or not, I want BH to keep Denard, salvage this recruiting class, win 9 games, and beat either OSU or MSU. That is the minimum expectation I have, because that is what I believe we would have had. Long term, who knows whether DB is a genius or goat. But that's my criteria.
99 percent of our wins come from having better players than the other team. 99 percent of our losses come when the other guys have better personnel. Scheme is over rated.
Is shady. Yes - point made and taken. I don't know that I would consider it immoral. Maybe I should, but I don't draw such a black and white distinction. The other alleged stuff with other coaches wives, etc - that's the immorality that I just don't want to even factor into my approval or disapproval since I'm not there, it's gossip, internet slander/libel, and who knows what all is involved. That's the part that I think is between man and your God. The NCAA stuff with oversigning - we gotta be careful there. But surely you can concede that the Big 10 restrictions would aid in controlling any shananigans up in AA on that issue? If oversigning is not going to be an issue at Michigan with Les, and we compartmentalize the rest of the rumors, the two "cons" left on Les that we're left with is:
- Age
- Clock Management
So if he has a couple hi-po's on his staff to address the former and a great OC to help him think clearly at the end of games, I guess we're just left with a coach who recruits talent, knows our tradions, and wins. Oh, and he eats grass.
Our identity in the "real world" is defined by the quality of the instituition...and that isn't changing. The quality of our football program is judged by wins and losses. And morality, last I checked, was judged individually by God. Nobody knows for sure what happened with Les - it's rumors. And even if it's true, we as bloggers lost the moral high ground as soon as we started spreading them on a message board.
So bottom line, I think we should give Les a chance if he's qualified (he is) and leave the morality judgements for the professionals.
This is not an original thought, but it bears repeating:
- eat grass and win with talent = eccentric
- eat grass and lose with less talent = weirdo
Bottom line, winning covers up for a lot of ills. I don't want oversigning, crushing dreams of 18 year olds. So he's gonna need to be managed.
Now I know more, mostly from this blog. I think Les has some issues, but they all do. Even "the Savior" Jim Harbough was imperfect (messy transition in style, NFL aspirations). So Les is 57. If we get 5-7 good yrs and he builds a promotable staff, this could be an excellent move from an offensive scheme transition, player transfer, recruiting buzz, and alumni galvanization standpoint. Go Blue.
Look - I'll bite. A guy who's been on national television for the last 2 years broadcasting MNF, with his personality, would be the cat's meow on the recruiting trail. I mean, who wouldn't want to play for that guy? Shows up with his super bowl bling, gets up at 3:17 am to watch OSU film...I get it. But unless Tirico has been working some Jedi Mind tricks in the booth, I just don't see us prying him out of the booth. He just looks like he's having too damn much fun.
The over-riding impression, fair or not, that I came away with was that Stanford looked like a TEAM. They didn't execute everything perfectly or play flawlessly, but I couldn't help thinking that the only touchdown they gave up was on a terrific, super-athletic play by VT's QB, Tyrod. And he's a phenomenal athlete and quarterback. But it wasn't enough - not even close. The team always wins in football. I'm not saying you don't need athletes - of course you do. Nor am I saying that Stanford isn't athletic - of course they are. But they just all did their parts and the results speak for themselves. VT would have needed lots more special athletic plays to keep up with the superior blocking, gap control, sound assignments, etc. that JH threw at them.
If, and this is a big if, IF JH is coming, I'm surprised there hasn't been far more leaks from assistant coaches, families, etc. Someone else mentioned this awhile back on the board, I think, and to me it's the hardest to get past. Good news is we'll know in a week.
Recent Comments
Makes you wonder if the storyline changes completely if Higdon gets into the end zone...
That would make a difference in 2018.
For Sunday brunch before you head out, I cannot more highly recommend Cafe Felix. A little pricey, but quite possibly the best North American brunch out there.
That's Beilein's fate at this point. Prove it every season.
Compare that to the tent - stake apology from Hoke. I believe the tone from Harbs matters.
Point is, unless you're IN THE ROOM when the conversation is happening, all context and nuance is removed. It's possible UofM626 heard what he heard, and it's possible JH wanted VV to come and try out at QB, but tried to set realistic expectations.
I'm starting to get a little uneasy that the hype may be too hard to live up to. We haven't seen a flood of five stars, and right now recruiting is about the only results we have to gauge the Harbaugh effect on until real games are played.
I just hope coach Harbs can equal or exceed Rock Star Harbs, cause sir grump a lot in Lansing, weak chin in Columbus, and the Godfather in Tuscaloosa aren't going anywhere.
I don't have a rivals account, but someone tweeted back that some KY Rivals guy posted something similar.
Who knows...thought I'd share.
#5 stars (by any service) pulled in before signing day:
#of total recruits that ultimately sign
# of wins in Harbaugh's first year
Shefty? Snyder(God no)? Baumgardner? Rappoport? Webb? Lique? BRIAN?
Who's taking to Twitter to officially break this?
I mean, do we do investigative journalism anymore?
If it is UM, he resigns after the season and signs for a huge payday at Michigan.
The trade scenario over complicates this, and it's not happening. Nor will he be fired.
He may start to give smoke signals to Hackett and/or other NFL teams this week through intermediaries, however.
Commence your daily teeter-totter of panic/euphoria...
Harbaugh, Sean Payton, John Harbaugh, and Les Miles in that order. Jim H has until end of the season to say yes or no. Has already been offered - the money is agreed upon. Has to work out a settlement with his 1st wife on a custody issue.
If he changes his mind or can't work out a settlement, Sean Payton is our #2 pick, and he knows he's #2. He has expressed strong interest in leaving the Saints for the job.
John and Les are also interested privately, but are publicly denying any interest for obvious reasons. Payton's name has only recently leaked; he'll be publicly denying it too now until New Orleans eliminated or Jim turns it down.
Who really knows? If I had that gif of Michael Jackson throwing popcorn in his mouth from the thriller video, I might inset it here....
Unfortunately for UM, lots of people cheer for sunny weather, and they vote with their feet year after year down to frickin' SEC country.
In short: no one cares two flying fig newtons about Purdue football.
And that is, roughly, the emotional commitment from me that Michigan has earned. When they offer a better return on my 3+ hour investment, I'll pay attention.
Until then, they're Purdue to me. Like, "I'd rather paint my house than watch Purdue football" kind of commitment. I know I'm not alone, either.
GofrigginBlue!
Not. Even. Close.
Keep it coming, RDT.
RollDamnTide...my Dad is from Birmingham, Alabama. Loved the Tide. Met my Mom up in Michigan and relocated. Though I bleed blue and graduated from U of M, I've always had a little soft spot for Alabama, just because I respect their passion (Updyke aside...). And while we love to stereotype the "typical" 'Bama fan (like most would know), I've always found that for every nutjob there's 2 or 3 pretty well informed guys that just love college football and will talk about it for hours. That's my kind of deal.
You found a good board - this is by far one of the brightest, wittiest, sharpest college board out there. Keep visiting and posting - adds a little something. Hope it's a good game in Dallas!
Not sure if this comment deserves a separate thread, but I lack the points to do that anyhow. So on the topic of Hoke and recruiting and continuing the theme of "random recent dinner conversations" in other posts, I had the pleasure of meeting a 5th year senior from Ball State 2 nights ago. He was receiving an academic scholarship, business major. He also started for Ball State's football program.
So I asked him if Hoke had recruited him and what he thought, etc. His comments were basically. "Hoke is the most genuine guy I've ever met. You guys at Michigan probably don't realize what you have there yet, but you will. He sat on my couch and was just compelling. I may not have been able to play in some of the other conferences (he was their punter), but people gravitate toward him. You saw that with that D-Coordinator he snagged from the Ravens. I'm telling you, Michigan is going to be just fine with that guy at the helm."
A lot of players get bitter when their coach leaves, so I'm not sure that says more about Hoke or this kid, but it was a nice conversation, made me feel pretty good, so I thought I'd pass it along to the rest of the MGoBlog community.
Exac-er-ay.
Is shady. Yes - point made and taken. I don't know that I would consider it immoral. Maybe I should, but I don't draw such a black and white distinction. The other alleged stuff with other coaches wives, etc - that's the immorality that I just don't want to even factor into my approval or disapproval since I'm not there, it's gossip, internet slander/libel, and who knows what all is involved. That's the part that I think is between man and your God. The NCAA stuff with oversigning - we gotta be careful there. But surely you can concede that the Big 10 restrictions would aid in controlling any shananigans up in AA on that issue? If oversigning is not going to be an issue at Michigan with Les, and we compartmentalize the rest of the rumors, the two "cons" left on Les that we're left with is:
- Age
- Clock Management
So if he has a couple hi-po's on his staff to address the former and a great OC to help him think clearly at the end of games, I guess we're just left with a coach who recruits talent, knows our tradions, and wins. Oh, and he eats grass.
Does that about sum it up?
that would get the scoop. I'm telling you guys - he would be the shiz-nit, but I don't see it happening.
Look - I'll bite. A guy who's been on national television for the last 2 years broadcasting MNF, with his personality, would be the cat's meow on the recruiting trail. I mean, who wouldn't want to play for that guy? Shows up with his super bowl bling, gets up at 3:17 am to watch OSU film...I get it. But unless Tirico has been working some Jedi Mind tricks in the booth, I just don't see us prying him out of the booth. He just looks like he's having too damn much fun.
So for those keeping score at home, do we have 1 bit of evidence that Gruden is a candidate besides J. Hammond's tweet? Anything other than that?
The over-riding impression, fair or not, that I came away with was that Stanford looked like a TEAM. They didn't execute everything perfectly or play flawlessly, but I couldn't help thinking that the only touchdown they gave up was on a terrific, super-athletic play by VT's QB, Tyrod. And he's a phenomenal athlete and quarterback. But it wasn't enough - not even close. The team always wins in football. I'm not saying you don't need athletes - of course you do. Nor am I saying that Stanford isn't athletic - of course they are. But they just all did their parts and the results speak for themselves. VT would have needed lots more special athletic plays to keep up with the superior blocking, gap control, sound assignments, etc. that JH threw at them.
If, and this is a big if, IF JH is coming, I'm surprised there hasn't been far more leaks from assistant coaches, families, etc. Someone else mentioned this awhile back on the board, I think, and to me it's the hardest to get past. Good news is we'll know in a week.