Don't criticize me until you've walked a mile in my shoes!! I got fired today, my mother didn't love me and I drank a 12 pack after work! Don't criticize me for beating my wife and kids, you judgmental snob, you might have done the same thing! Did you get fired today? Did you have two loving parents? You didn't? You did? Then don't talk to me.
"Or maybe one of the assholes waving him goodbye in the comments to make themselves feel better about themselves would have made the same screwup in the same situation, bottle-deep in a miserable football season after literally living a feral existence on the streets of Los Angeles for most of his youth." Please say stuff like this to the face of the woman he hit and then please tell all victims of domestic violence (and all violent crime while we're at it) that the economic background, intoxication level and shittiness of the football season (??) excuses/explains/mitigates/pick whatever verb makes you feel good is relevant to why she took a punch. Seriously, what the FUCK does the fucking football season have to do with what happened? Jesus.
Dour, I like that. But hasn't Michigan always been dour? I'm trying to remember the last plucky and jolly Michigan team. This year's microcosm is Devin, IMO. As I've said before, I don't know where all of Devin's on-screen elan and joie de vivre goes during the game, and it bugs me. Even when he's lighting up Indiana, he's limping and trudging around, isolating himself on the sideline, and generally not giving off positive vibes. Understandable given the beating he took against State but even then I'd love to see some fire and excitement from Michigan's on-field leader. Even some Tom Brady-esque O-Line/WR ripping would be fine. Makes me wonder about the captaincy voting, why the fourth-year program member and starting QB didn't make it.
I like my QBs a little more rah-rah than DG, that's just me. Probably silly and unimportant but I feel better when I see my team's QB exhorting his teammates. It looks like Devin often isolates himself on the sideline, doesn't interact much. In his defense, the sideline reporter did say that in the second half she saw him urging his OL to give him more time. I'm also not a huge fan of his frequent limping/ginger walking off the field. Even when he scores. Where's the exuberance, DG???!! Seems like the weight of the world is on his shoulders. Sorry this was supposed to be the appreciation thread.
I didn't like that he either (a) lacked the awareness to pick up that final yard, or (b) shied away from contact rather than pick it up. On him being out of the game, If I learned he asked out of the game or did not vehemently disagree with the coaches for taking him out, I would be disappointed. If it's true Hoke benched him over vociferous objection, I don't have a problem. But whether it was Gardner or Hoke, it wasn't a good look for the team's leader to sit the bench with a vacant stare while his team was still getting pummeled on the field.
Caris' experience, versatility, defense, and improved shooting mean he's going to play 30+ min per game. I agree with the poster above that he has the second highest ceiling on the team (or he's tied for second with Irvin, who remains a less-known quantity). Despite his pedigree, I see Irvin filling Caris' role last year (with maybe a couple extra minutes and shots per game) -- 10 minutes one game, 20 the next, not much beyond that. I also think Caris is going to be an All-B10 player his Jr and Sr. years (i'll admit I might be a little too pro-Caris).
My only concern is who the screener will be. McGary is great in that role, with his Clark Kellogg-endorsed hands and Withey-defeating finishing ability. Morgan, not so much.
Just curious, how are you so sure they're giving it their all? I'm not saying they're not but how are you so sure?
And here's a hypothetical: what if you knew GRIII or Stauskas weren't giving it their all? What if you knew they loafed on certain plays for one reason or another? Would you criticize them or would they get a pass because they're freshmen/college students?
I didn't mean to start a debate about whether college athletes should be paid (I happen to think that they should). I only meant that it's not unreasonable for THJ to feel some responsibility above and beyond his immediate team members and coach because, among many other reasons (this is a relatively minor one, imo), he's getting a benefit from the university (a benefit that most students don't get). That's all.
Again, I'm not saying he owes anyone an apology. Just saying it's not crazy (and in fact, it speaks well of him) that he feels bad for the fans, alums, etc., who root like crazy for his team.
You're right that we don't have the freshman talent Kentucky had. Most don't have those expectations (although some do, it appears). My issue is effort: GRIII has not put a body on someone in 3 or 4 games. I don't believe he grabbed a single defensive rebound last night, which is hard to believe for a guy 6'7 with elite jumping ability. Fatigue is a weak excuse because he didn't box anybody out against Indiana either, which was the start of the gauntlet, rather than its merciful finish. Youth is a weak excuse too... did you see fellow Indiana five-star Gary Harris' peformance (or his performance in a hostile environment at Indiana)?
Forget execution, effort was the disappointing part. When there's a lack of effort (or "into-the-gamenesss" might be a better, less pejorative word than effort), I look at the coach.
Exactly. No one demanded it and nobody should. But it's nice that he did and it's nice that he sees himself as connected to more people in the Michigan family than just his teammates and coach.
They don't play in an empty gym. They don't play for free. And they don't play just for themselves, they play for the name on the jersey and as THJ aptly put it, a "nation" that is much bigger than the players. There's nothing wrong with taking pride in being part of that family, nor is there anything wrong with apologizing to other members of the family.
Don't put up some straw man that Tim is giving in to "demands" from fans for an apology. Nobody's doing that. He wanted to take ownership of his performance, and he did. I like it, and I think it bodes well for his and the team's future performance.
That doesn't explain our junior guard having his third awful game in a row at Breslin. Sometimes I question whether the staff is capable of getting these guys in the right mindset for tough road games, State in particular. I don't blame the kids cuz they're kids and most of them are young but Beilein has to realize that when Michigan walks into Breslin, MSU is out for blood. The main reasons we won 2 yrs ago were (a) we snuck up on them because were were terrible at the time, and (b) we had a player who was not afraid to scream his head off to wake up his teammates.
Thank goodness for some rest and some Nittany Lion, this team is running on fumes.
Why patronize him? Compare him to the other 17-18 yr old recruits in the past. How many said, after signing with Michigan -- "don't worry, Ohio State, I still love ya" or something to that effect? I can't recall one. So he suffers in comparison even to those in his own cohort.
I agree he shouldn't be crucified but let's stop letting 17 yr old kids off the hook for saying stupid sh*t. It's way too easy.
And I agree that no one should ever tweet negatively at a college athlete on Twitter -- it's sad and pathetic.
I don't think he received an offer from OSU. He might love OSU more than Michigan even though he decided to play at Michigan. Michigan was probably his biggest offer. He might not even like Michigan, but if your next best offer is Illinois, you suck it up and head to Ann Arbor, right?
If he were a big-time recruit, I'd have much less of a problem with this. But here's a guy Michigan saved from the jaws of mediocrity or worse, and he repays the offer by going off about how he he'll be a fan of our biggest rival until he dies. (I'm assuming the reports of his initial comments are accurate)
He's 17 or 18, not 7 or 8. Most of us had filled out college applications at that point in our lives, and we were clever enough not to write an essay about how much we wanted to attend State. Point is, you don't have to be all grownz up to know (before you blurt it out, not after) that professing one's undying love for Ohio State is not the way to endear yourself to Michigan fans.
I don't care about loyalty or Michigan Man-ness or whatever... just makes me question his smartz.
BUT bottom line: if he can cover and tackle, I DON'T CARE how clever or loyal he is. Go get 'em, Reon!
it wouldn't kill Hoke to say one or two things about Denard Robinson before his last game at Michigan Stadium. That's all. When a reporter asks about a guy who had a great game, Hoke usually doesn't say, "THEY ALL PLAYED A ROLE IN THAT GUY'S GREAT GAME, I WON'T TALK ABOUT ONE PARTICULAR GUY. THEY ALL WEAR THE HELMET." He usually comments on the specific player (albeit in his restrained way). Sometimes a guy stands out and deservers a little extra praise or reflection. Denard has stood out over four years, and reporter(s) are rightly asking Hoke to reflect.
Just feels a little off key is all.
EDIT: and this isn't about Denard's "feelings." Denard couldn't care less, I'm quite sure. This is for the fans who root for the team and want to hear what the coach thinks about the program's greatest player over the last four years on the eve of his last home game. Does Hoke really feel he's doing disservice to the other seniors if he comments on Denard??
I guess I'm missing something, but I will stop berating all of you now.
no more important than a guy on the Scout team? We will agree to disagree.
and to others, i don't think you can blame a reporter for wanting to cover Denard before his last home game. That's not a bad guess as to what your readers want. You're looking for his coach to comment on the player's prodigious career... and the coach won't do it, even in a short soundbite. Hoke's drawing a too-strict line here.
Why is Hoke so stingy with his comments re: Denard's legacy? I don't think a few statements like Mattison and Borges made about Denard's dedication, athleticism, career accolades, etc. would kill him, or his team-team-team mantra. Certainly the players (e.g., Roh) realize how important Denard has been. C'mon, Brady, show one of the most memorable Wolverines ever some love!!
Ace - Saying Daniel Horton "has nothing on" Trey Burke seems gratuitously disrespectful of Horton's abilities and tenure at Michigan, not to mention completely wrong -- Burke might be better but Horton "has nothing" in comparison? Did you watch any games Daniel Horton played? And "laughing" about how bad former players are in comparison to this team after 3 stinkin' games seems premature and a little mean. Most of those guys did the best they could. If anything, "laugh" (if you must) about the comparison between Beilein to Ellerbe or even Amaker. If you think Gavin Groninger wouldn't have been a far more effective player under Beilein, you don't know squat about basketball.
But to channel Ace's youthful giddiness in a more constructive way, great showing for this team through 3 games. Very very excited to see them in action against a rugged Pitt team next week.
Ace's position that "until Conley actually takes a visit, there's no reason for consternation" is a little too blithe. I hearken back to one David Dawson. Dawson hanging out with FL recruits during the summer + Chris Fox (I think?) making less-than-friendly commits about Dawson + rumblings about Dawson wanting to take visits... I guess I don't have ice water in my veins like Ace because that stuff, when viewed together, made me worried. Made me feel some consternation even. I don't care about the OSU offer but the same "rumblings" about Conley thinking he accepted too early are troubling. I look at it this way: if you assigned a "decommit probability" to every single committed recruit, you'd have Shane Morris on one end and Gareon Conley, probably, on the other end, based simply on "circumstantial evidence" or "smoke" or what have you. Two weeks ago, you would have had David Dawson more on the Conley end of things. When a guy is more on the David Dawson/Conley end of the decommit probability scale, I worry more about that guy staying committed than I do about Morris. Does it keep me up at night? Unless I've also had caffeine after 5 p.m., not usually. But do I think about it when I read Ace's recruiting updates? Yes I do.
BTW, any non-journo type who talks to a recruit on Twitter, much less says bad stuff, needs to reexamine his or her life.
I'm going to speculate wildly and say he's including Tommy Schutt in that group. I presume it would have have been Mattison's (and Hoke's, of course) call on whether to go after him. They passed, despite his supposed interest and gaudy starrage.
Close-ish loss to Duke on neutral court, loss to UVA (a better-than-expected team) on the road. Those will probably both be "good" losses later this year. We've taken care of business otherwise, including decent wins against Iowa St (should been a blowout), Oakland and Memphis. I don't think our resume is worse than Northern Iowa's or SDSU's...
Regardless, we won't make a move in the real polls until we play at Indiana on Jan 5...
I agree that those two situations are different but I don't think Example 1 describes Hoke's policy. At least I'd be surprised if it did. Do we think Pharaoh Brown was free to come back from his Oregon visit (say, the following Monday or Tuesday) and say, "Coach Hoke, I checked out the other college/dealership and your offer is better, therefore I wish to remain committed/buy the car at the price we discussed."
My understanding is Hoke would not have allowed him to recommit so easily. Otherwise, Hoke's rule would have zero teeth, and commits would visit other places, roll the dice that no other player would commit in that 48 hour span, and re-commit on Monday. I think Sam Webb discussed this last week and said something to the effect of, "If Pharaoh Brown is allowed back in this class (at least, without serious reflection by the Michigan coaches), the other members who wanted to take visits but didn't (e.g., Richardson) are going to be a bit miffed."
I don't think Sam said "miffed" but you get my point.
Obviously, the column is typical Rosenberg... sensationalist, conclusory, and not all that well written. THAT SAID, I think we're overstating how much the column is about Floyd Landis' accusations and their effect on Lance's guilt/innocence. The column seems to be more about how Floyd is just the latest in a loooong line of people to accuse Lance of doping. You don't have to believe Floyd 100% to put his accusations (and that's all they are -- unsubstantiated allegations) on the scale and give them whatever weight you see fit...
But, in all honesty, I might just be saying this because if you put a gun to my head and asked me if Armstrong took PEDs, my answer would be an unequivocal, "Yes." Too dirty a sport, too dominant an athlete, too many accusations... smoke, fire, etc.
Honestly, I don't know. I'm not sure a line can be drawn. Does any criminal conduct automatically preclude you from playing for Michigan? Hmm... I would say no. If you were booked for "simple battery" because of a schoolyard fight that got out of hand, I don't think you're per se S.O.L. A little marijuana possession at your buddy's house? A bit more troubling than the fight (because everybody knows that's illegal) but probably not something to bar you from Schembechler Hall. When you start getting into felony-type stuff though I get leery... and when there are multiple occurrences, I get even more leery. We know that Demar admitted to home invasion, actually came face to face with the homeowner (a scary scene for the owner, I'd imagine) and took off running (which was better than a Sean Taylor-like alternative, obviously... but still, not good). I just think that what we know of his actions puts him beyond the pale...
which isn't to say he should do life w/o parole... i just don't think he should be suiting up for the maize n' blue...
aand that said, I wish him all the best and will be rooting for him like crazy. Not sure if that makes me a hypocrite but I definitely don't want him to fail... so... I guess that means I want him to succeed!
I'll confess up front: the comment I'm about to make is motivated by my "Michigan exceptionalism" (as some have discussed above, Michigan is "different," "better," etc.) Simply being good at football should not be enough to play for Michigan. Simply wanting to change your life should not be enough to play for Michigan. Simply having gone 2 years without having gotten in legal trouble should not be enough to play for Michigan. I give him credit for making changes and don't think he should wear a scarlet letter for the rest of life. But there are consequences for making bad decisions... even when you're 16 yrs old. One of those consequences SHOULD be (in my opinion) that you do not get a full scholarship to play football at the University of Michigan.
A related point is that Demar Dorsey is not a charity case. RR is not giving him a scholarship to get his life together (though that may be a secondary factor). RR gave him a scholarship because Demar Dorsey is a stud on the football field and RR thinks Dorsey can help him win games. RR weighed the costs and benefits (hopefully) and determined that signing Dorsey was a better decision for Michigan that not signing him. I think we can all agree this decision was about W's for M... nothing more.
Recent Comments
Don't criticize me until you've walked a mile in my shoes!! I got fired today, my mother didn't love me and I drank a 12 pack after work! Don't criticize me for beating my wife and kids, you judgmental snob, you might have done the same thing! Did you get fired today? Did you have two loving parents? You didn't? You did? Then don't talk to me.
"Or maybe one of the assholes waving him goodbye in the comments to make themselves feel better about themselves would have made the same screwup in the same situation, bottle-deep in a miserable football season after literally living a feral existence on the streets of Los Angeles for most of his youth." Please say stuff like this to the face of the woman he hit and then please tell all victims of domestic violence (and all violent crime while we're at it) that the economic background, intoxication level and shittiness of the football season (??) excuses/explains/mitigates/pick whatever verb makes you feel good is relevant to why she took a punch. Seriously, what the FUCK does the fucking football season have to do with what happened? Jesus.
Dour, I like that. But hasn't Michigan always been dour? I'm trying to remember the last plucky and jolly Michigan team. This year's microcosm is Devin, IMO. As I've said before, I don't know where all of Devin's on-screen elan and joie de vivre goes during the game, and it bugs me. Even when he's lighting up Indiana, he's limping and trudging around, isolating himself on the sideline, and generally not giving off positive vibes. Understandable given the beating he took against State but even then I'd love to see some fire and excitement from Michigan's on-field leader. Even some Tom Brady-esque O-Line/WR ripping would be fine. Makes me wonder about the captaincy voting, why the fourth-year program member and starting QB didn't make it.
excellent
I like my QBs a little more rah-rah than DG, that's just me. Probably silly and unimportant but I feel better when I see my team's QB exhorting his teammates. It looks like Devin often isolates himself on the sideline, doesn't interact much. In his defense, the sideline reporter did say that in the second half she saw him urging his OL to give him more time. I'm also not a huge fan of his frequent limping/ginger walking off the field. Even when he scores. Where's the exuberance, DG???!! Seems like the weight of the world is on his shoulders. Sorry this was supposed to be the appreciation thread.
I didn't like that he either (a) lacked the awareness to pick up that final yard, or (b) shied away from contact rather than pick it up. On him being out of the game, If I learned he asked out of the game or did not vehemently disagree with the coaches for taking him out, I would be disappointed. If it's true Hoke benched him over vociferous objection, I don't have a problem. But whether it was Gardner or Hoke, it wasn't a good look for the team's leader to sit the bench with a vacant stare while his team was still getting pummeled on the field.
Caris' experience, versatility, defense, and improved shooting mean he's going to play 30+ min per game. I agree with the poster above that he has the second highest ceiling on the team (or he's tied for second with Irvin, who remains a less-known quantity). Despite his pedigree, I see Irvin filling Caris' role last year (with maybe a couple extra minutes and shots per game) -- 10 minutes one game, 20 the next, not much beyond that. I also think Caris is going to be an All-B10 player his Jr and Sr. years (i'll admit I might be a little too pro-Caris).
doesn't seem to be holding Jeremy Clark back. I wouldn't want to go across the middle against that guy.
My only concern is who the screener will be. McGary is great in that role, with his Clark Kellogg-endorsed hands and Withey-defeating finishing ability. Morgan, not so much.
Just curious, how are you so sure they're giving it their all? I'm not saying they're not but how are you so sure?
And here's a hypothetical: what if you knew GRIII or Stauskas weren't giving it their all? What if you knew they loafed on certain plays for one reason or another? Would you criticize them or would they get a pass because they're freshmen/college students?
Ryan
Least likeable to most:
Ryan (easy)
Izzo (the whining, the ref working)
Crean (this guy could turn into a monster)
Groce (I think this guy has smug troll potential once he's winning)
Matta (he's made a few snarky comments over the years)
Painter (I respected his reasonable take on the Manny Harris incident a few yrs back)
Smith (eh)
McCaffrey (his own players probably rank him higher)
Dudes who coach PSU/Braska (?)
Carmody (baffled, beleagured, sad, defeated, seems like a decent guy)
Beilein ("John Beilein is a saint!")
I didn't mean to start a debate about whether college athletes should be paid (I happen to think that they should). I only meant that it's not unreasonable for THJ to feel some responsibility above and beyond his immediate team members and coach because, among many other reasons (this is a relatively minor one, imo), he's getting a benefit from the university (a benefit that most students don't get). That's all.
Again, I'm not saying he owes anyone an apology. Just saying it's not crazy (and in fact, it speaks well of him) that he feels bad for the fans, alums, etc., who root like crazy for his team.
You're right that we don't have the freshman talent Kentucky had. Most don't have those expectations (although some do, it appears). My issue is effort: GRIII has not put a body on someone in 3 or 4 games. I don't believe he grabbed a single defensive rebound last night, which is hard to believe for a guy 6'7 with elite jumping ability. Fatigue is a weak excuse because he didn't box anybody out against Indiana either, which was the start of the gauntlet, rather than its merciful finish. Youth is a weak excuse too... did you see fellow Indiana five-star Gary Harris' peformance (or his performance in a hostile environment at Indiana)?
Forget execution, effort was the disappointing part. When there's a lack of effort (or "into-the-gamenesss" might be a better, less pejorative word than effort), I look at the coach.
Exactly. No one demanded it and nobody should. But it's nice that he did and it's nice that he sees himself as connected to more people in the Michigan family than just his teammates and coach.
They don't play in an empty gym. They don't play for free. And they don't play just for themselves, they play for the name on the jersey and as THJ aptly put it, a "nation" that is much bigger than the players. There's nothing wrong with taking pride in being part of that family, nor is there anything wrong with apologizing to other members of the family.
Don't put up some straw man that Tim is giving in to "demands" from fans for an apology. Nobody's doing that. He wanted to take ownership of his performance, and he did. I like it, and I think it bodes well for his and the team's future performance.
That doesn't explain our junior guard having his third awful game in a row at Breslin. Sometimes I question whether the staff is capable of getting these guys in the right mindset for tough road games, State in particular. I don't blame the kids cuz they're kids and most of them are young but Beilein has to realize that when Michigan walks into Breslin, MSU is out for blood. The main reasons we won 2 yrs ago were (a) we snuck up on them because were were terrible at the time, and (b) we had a player who was not afraid to scream his head off to wake up his teammates.
Thank goodness for some rest and some Nittany Lion, this team is running on fumes.
Why patronize him? Compare him to the other 17-18 yr old recruits in the past. How many said, after signing with Michigan -- "don't worry, Ohio State, I still love ya" or something to that effect? I can't recall one. So he suffers in comparison even to those in his own cohort.
I agree he shouldn't be crucified but let's stop letting 17 yr old kids off the hook for saying stupid sh*t. It's way too easy.
And I agree that no one should ever tweet negatively at a college athlete on Twitter -- it's sad and pathetic.
I don't think he received an offer from OSU. He might love OSU more than Michigan even though he decided to play at Michigan. Michigan was probably his biggest offer. He might not even like Michigan, but if your next best offer is Illinois, you suck it up and head to Ann Arbor, right?
If he were a big-time recruit, I'd have much less of a problem with this. But here's a guy Michigan saved from the jaws of mediocrity or worse, and he repays the offer by going off about how he he'll be a fan of our biggest rival until he dies. (I'm assuming the reports of his initial comments are accurate)
He's 17 or 18, not 7 or 8. Most of us had filled out college applications at that point in our lives, and we were clever enough not to write an essay about how much we wanted to attend State. Point is, you don't have to be all grownz up to know (before you blurt it out, not after) that professing one's undying love for Ohio State is not the way to endear yourself to Michigan fans.
I don't care about loyalty or Michigan Man-ness or whatever... just makes me question his smartz.
BUT bottom line: if he can cover and tackle, I DON'T CARE how clever or loyal he is. Go get 'em, Reon!
Exactly. I can't lie, this bothers me. And he's not even highly ranked. Better be worth it.
once that guy figures it out, watch out
it wouldn't kill Hoke to say one or two things about Denard Robinson before his last game at Michigan Stadium. That's all. When a reporter asks about a guy who had a great game, Hoke usually doesn't say, "THEY ALL PLAYED A ROLE IN THAT GUY'S GREAT GAME, I WON'T TALK ABOUT ONE PARTICULAR GUY. THEY ALL WEAR THE HELMET." He usually comments on the specific player (albeit in his restrained way). Sometimes a guy stands out and deservers a little extra praise or reflection. Denard has stood out over four years, and reporter(s) are rightly asking Hoke to reflect.
Just feels a little off key is all.
EDIT: and this isn't about Denard's "feelings." Denard couldn't care less, I'm quite sure. This is for the fans who root for the team and want to hear what the coach thinks about the program's greatest player over the last four years on the eve of his last home game. Does Hoke really feel he's doing disservice to the other seniors if he comments on Denard??
I guess I'm missing something, but I will stop berating all of you now.
no more important than a guy on the Scout team? We will agree to disagree.
and to others, i don't think you can blame a reporter for wanting to cover Denard before his last home game. That's not a bad guess as to what your readers want. You're looking for his coach to comment on the player's prodigious career... and the coach won't do it, even in a short soundbite. Hoke's drawing a too-strict line here.
Why is Hoke so stingy with his comments re: Denard's legacy? I don't think a few statements like Mattison and Borges made about Denard's dedication, athleticism, career accolades, etc. would kill him, or his team-team-team mantra. Certainly the players (e.g., Roh) realize how important Denard has been. C'mon, Brady, show one of the most memorable Wolverines ever some love!!
Ace - Saying Daniel Horton "has nothing on" Trey Burke seems gratuitously disrespectful of Horton's abilities and tenure at Michigan, not to mention completely wrong -- Burke might be better but Horton "has nothing" in comparison? Did you watch any games Daniel Horton played? And "laughing" about how bad former players are in comparison to this team after 3 stinkin' games seems premature and a little mean. Most of those guys did the best they could. If anything, "laugh" (if you must) about the comparison between Beilein to Ellerbe or even Amaker. If you think Gavin Groninger wouldn't have been a far more effective player under Beilein, you don't know squat about basketball.
But to channel Ace's youthful giddiness in a more constructive way, great showing for this team through 3 games. Very very excited to see them in action against a rugged Pitt team next week.
Ace's position that "until Conley actually takes a visit, there's no reason for consternation" is a little too blithe. I hearken back to one David Dawson. Dawson hanging out with FL recruits during the summer + Chris Fox (I think?) making less-than-friendly commits about Dawson + rumblings about Dawson wanting to take visits... I guess I don't have ice water in my veins like Ace because that stuff, when viewed together, made me worried. Made me feel some consternation even. I don't care about the OSU offer but the same "rumblings" about Conley thinking he accepted too early are troubling. I look at it this way: if you assigned a "decommit probability" to every single committed recruit, you'd have Shane Morris on one end and Gareon Conley, probably, on the other end, based simply on "circumstantial evidence" or "smoke" or what have you. Two weeks ago, you would have had David Dawson more on the Conley end of things. When a guy is more on the David Dawson/Conley end of the decommit probability scale, I worry more about that guy staying committed than I do about Morris. Does it keep me up at night? Unless I've also had caffeine after 5 p.m., not usually. But do I think about it when I read Ace's recruiting updates? Yes I do.
BTW, any non-journo type who talks to a recruit on Twitter, much less says bad stuff, needs to reexamine his or her life.
...
I always do my best thinking in the bathroom
I'm going to speculate wildly and say he's including Tommy Schutt in that group. I presume it would have have been Mattison's (and Hoke's, of course) call on whether to go after him. They passed, despite his supposed interest and gaudy starrage.
ever seen Aquaman and TomVH in the same place?
I'd like to see a video interview from Tremendous.
Close-ish loss to Duke on neutral court, loss to UVA (a better-than-expected team) on the road. Those will probably both be "good" losses later this year. We've taken care of business otherwise, including decent wins against Iowa St (should been a blowout), Oakland and Memphis. I don't think our resume is worse than Northern Iowa's or SDSU's...
Regardless, we won't make a move in the real polls until we play at Indiana on Jan 5...
Seth Davis doesn't have us in his Top 25 or as a team on the cusp. I do not understand.
I agree that those two situations are different but I don't think Example 1 describes Hoke's policy. At least I'd be surprised if it did. Do we think Pharaoh Brown was free to come back from his Oregon visit (say, the following Monday or Tuesday) and say, "Coach Hoke, I checked out the other college/dealership and your offer is better, therefore I wish to remain committed/buy the car at the price we discussed."
My understanding is Hoke would not have allowed him to recommit so easily. Otherwise, Hoke's rule would have zero teeth, and commits would visit other places, roll the dice that no other player would commit in that 48 hour span, and re-commit on Monday. I think Sam Webb discussed this last week and said something to the effect of, "If Pharaoh Brown is allowed back in this class (at least, without serious reflection by the Michigan coaches), the other members who wanted to take visits but didn't (e.g., Richardson) are going to be a bit miffed."
I don't think Sam said "miffed" but you get my point.
Obviously, the column is typical Rosenberg... sensationalist, conclusory, and not all that well written. THAT SAID, I think we're overstating how much the column is about Floyd Landis' accusations and their effect on Lance's guilt/innocence. The column seems to be more about how Floyd is just the latest in a loooong line of people to accuse Lance of doping. You don't have to believe Floyd 100% to put his accusations (and that's all they are -- unsubstantiated allegations) on the scale and give them whatever weight you see fit...
But, in all honesty, I might just be saying this because if you put a gun to my head and asked me if Armstrong took PEDs, my answer would be an unequivocal, "Yes." Too dirty a sport, too dominant an athlete, too many accusations... smoke, fire, etc.