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I played for Wabash in the…

I played for Wabash in the early 2000’s under Chris Creighton. Brian Ward was also on that staff who is now the DC and db’s coach at Wazzou. We really took control of the series during that time. Depauw had won 5 in a row prior to my freshman year. It’s an incredibly fun game to attend. If you plan to attend, decide which side you want to cheer for as they have different color tickets for each side of the stadium. The fan bases are separated with fencing and security inside the stadium during the game. I would suggest buying a red ticket. Wabash Always Fights!!

When I played in D3, bubble…

When I played in D3, bubble screens were part of our 3 step game. So, the QB had a run/pass check at the LOS based on the alignment of the defense. If the defense was giving us something easy in the passing game like that, we could take it. We would adjust formations to manipulate the defensive alignment, and any plays that we went to had been practiced many times. Implementing them in a game even if they weren't a part of the original game plan was usually not an issue with enough experience on the field. I imagine adjusting coverage to something that has been practiced but wasn't necessarily part of the original game plan would be similar for a defense.

I think your first point is

I think your first point is the most important.  Similar plays in the same game are getting called different ways, and over the last two years, Michigan is on the wrong end of that coin flip.  At the very least, there needs to be some consistency in how these games are officiated.

I think it was on Crawford.

I think it was on Crawford. To me it looked like Crawford should have been working to get inside of the hook/curl defender. That's exactly where O'korn threw it. If Crawford is two more steps inside, I think it's a catch.




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I played D3 in the early

I played D3 in the early 2000's, and the only locker rooms that weren't AC'd were the ones built before it would have been a common installation. I believe Purdue's facilities were just recently renovated.




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Michigan didn't have Peppers.

Michigan didn't have Peppers. He would have made a two point swing in the game in my opinion.




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Offsides?

Offsides?




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He tried to cut on his inside foot and fell down

He tried to cut on his inside foot and fell down




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He said he has had little to

He said he has had little to no contact with the staff for 7 months. Did he ever take an official visit to Michigan or try to set one up during the season?




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We get that you don't like

We get that you don't like Michigan Mark, but shouldn't you be preparing for Iowa?

Canteen's path wasn't flat enough to get that cut

Canteen's path wasn't flat enough to get that cut

I thought the guy behind Irvin was on his back

I thought the guy behind Irvin was on his back

4 for Akron

I have four tickets available for Akron for $65 each.  You can contact me at [email protected]

But that's the point. Those

But that's the point. Those banners will never be hung at Chrisler, and the Fab Five will most likely not be invited back for acknowledgment. Ohio just honored a guy who lied to the NCAA 3 times in the same investigation.

I do think it was terrible

I do think it was terrible play calling in the second half. Borges went away from everything that was successful in the first half. How many a gap iso's did they run in the first half? And how many times did they get denard to the edge for nice yardage in the first hald? And you repeatedly roll Gardner to the left in the second half which is a tough throw for a righty? I get that it was the wide side but he's just not as accurate on a roll out that way. I was puzzled to say the least. It will be better when the interior o-line has guys built for what Borges likes to do, but I don't think Borges put his guys in the best position to win. That is the frustrating part.

It looks like on the first

It looks like on the first Mealer and Omameh play, the DT might be aligned closer to head up on Omameh and then slants inside.  In the second play, he is lined up in the gap and Mealer helps.  Their blocking rules might dictate that Omameh is on his own if he's back side with a head up DT.

Yes, its usually the center

Yes, its usually the center or the QB who identifies Mike.  The QB has to know as well if he is making a run/pass call at the line of scrimmage.   

It looks to me like there is

It looks to me like there is a miscommunication on the iso as to which player is the Mike linebacker.  I don't know their blocking rule specifically, but it almost looks like Mealer is blocking like #45 has been designated as MIke, and Schofield is blocking like Compton has been designated as Mike.  But that's just a guess.

If the backside DE stays home

If the backside DE stays home every time, then there is 5 on 5 blocking for the Oline.  Thats the whole point of running the play.  It gives you a numbers advantage regardless of how the defense defends it.  You want to bring a safety into the box?  I'll hit a seam behind him.  You want to run the scrape exchange?  I'll run the zone read with a bubble or a triple option.  When an offense like that is executing at a high level, it can make the defense wrong on almost every play.

Quarterbacks do practice

Quarterbacks do practice throwing without stepping into their throws.  They practice throwing on rollouts and squaring their shoulders to the target while throwing on the run.  They practice throwing while hitching up into the pocket under pressure.  But when Manning had time on a three step drop, I bet he stepped into the throw.  Denard still hasn't mastered that basic throw especially when throwing to the left.  I think he will master this and other skills, but I don't think we will really see the results until next year.  Michigan did not play well today, but Sparty beats us 4 times in a row once a century.  Denard and Michigan will bounce back from this, and they will continue to improve.  

its disappointing because we

its disappointing because we did not play our best game.  I hate to say this, but we kind of choked against good competition.  The dropped snaps, fancy play action on fourth and inches when the a gaps were open for a few inches, and maddening incompletions to open receivers.  I figured state would make some plays on D, but way too many missed opportunities and unforced errors.  I also thought there were too many deep routes. Let the rb slip out and take the place of the two backers blitzing A gaps.  Give Huyge some help on #28 blitzing, because he obviously could not handle him one on one.  Do something to stop them from blitzing.  I personally did not like taking Denard out of the game as much as they did.  I don't know if that didn't allow him to get into the rythm of the game.  We saw some glimpses of Devin's talent, but his involvement was too sporadic, and he just wasn't seeing what msu was doing.  Now I'm writing half drunk run on sentences.  This one is going to hurt, but they have to regroup and play better in two weeks.  They still have a chance to win the division.  

A few things I'll be

A few things I'll be watching

  •  Denard's arm vs. 8 men in the box.  I think MSU will crowd the box early, and roll #9 down as an extra man.  Press coverage on the outside opens up 3-step slant/fade routes with a single safety.  Completing some passes early will keep the OLBs honest in their alignment, usually splitting the distance on the slot receiver.  Michigan receivers getting good releases against press coverage is also important. 
  • Michigan OL vs Gholston and Worthy.  The other D-linemen don't worry me, but these two will make some plays.  Worthy is going to get a couple TFL's, but getting doubles on him when he doesn't get a good jump could keep him under control in the running game.  Getting linemen off ot Bullogh will also be important as he reads and reacts very quickly.  Controlling Gholston on the pass rush and at least chipping him on backside pursuit is also important.   
  • RVB and Mike Martin vs double teams.  MSU had a hard time single blocking OSU's dline, and did not do a good job blocking linebackers when they managed to get to them.  Holding up to doubles and winning single battles will allow the LBs to flow to the ball and hopefully not bite on play action with receivers and TE's running crossing routes.
  • Cunningham vs Michigan Secondary.  This is the guy MSU wants to hit on a big play.  Even when he's covered, he can make a play on the ball.  I would feel pretty good about this matchup if Woolfolk were healthy.  Michigan also cannot let guys get open when MSU goes max protection and its 2 on 7 in the secondary. 
  • New packagaes. I have a feeling Borges and Mattison have a few things they've been working on but haven't unleashed.  Mike Martin could be moving around a bunch at the line like we saw in the spring on passing downs.  I could see Borges giving some looks they haven't seen, such as bubble screens if alignment allows, speed option out of the I, or triple option out of the gun.   MSU has seemed to have something ready for M they hadn't shown in previous games the last few years.
  • I think MSU gets a big play from Cunningham, and has a couple frustrating long drives using 3 step drops, short play action passes, and 3 yard runs.  I also think/hope/pray that Denard finally puts an entire game together with good mechanics, and loosens up the MSU D so the ground game gets going in the second half.  I'll take Michigan 24-20.

 

"Passing Game: Benny Friedman

"Passing Game: Benny Friedman and the transformation of football" by Murray Greenberg.  It tells the story of Benny Friedman's life and his great career at Michigan including the famous Benny to Bennie connection.

LOIC? repeat offender?  Just

LOIC? repeat offender?  Just what does it take to get any real punishment?

Two things:  The NCAA hates

Two things:  The NCAA hates liars, and the penalites are generally double the violations.  So you've got a head coach who lies three times to the NCAA and has ineligible players on the field for an entire season.  That seems like a 10 scholarship reduction for 2-3 years and a 2 year bowl ban to me. 

There is nothing wrong with

There is nothing wrong with the 3-3-5.  We ran it in college and shut down power running teams.  Its a matter of having a defensive coordinator who understands how to run it and talented players to execute the scheme.

I disagree about a hard cover

I disagree about a hard cover 2 corner.  Generally, the corner will funnel to the inside.  If he funnels outside, he turns his back to the QB and loses anybody coming into his zone.  Also, the receiver and QB and hook up for an easy cover 2 fade.  Thats why you always run double slant against cover 2 and not the slant/arrow combo on the 3 step.  That being said, most teams I played against ran a soft two where the corners would get depth until their flat was threatned. 

If you're looking for a

If you're looking for a breakfast place, The Farm on 5th street is outstanding.  I think I will be their myself on Sunday morning.

Yes it is under that policy. 

Yes it is under that policy.  Her purse will not be allowed in the stadium.

It was 10 yards from the spot

It was 10 yards from the spot of the foul which occured downfield.

Fans can't enjoy a win, and

Fans can't enjoy a win, and have to immediately question the competency of the defense?  Michigan just won in South Bend which is a rare occurence.  Fans should be happy and drink beer.

Can anybody enjoy a win for

Can anybody enjoy a win for at least 24 hours?  even the players get all day tomorrow to enjoy it.

If it really came down to

If it really came down to game day, they would not dress.  It is against the rules for somebody on the same team to have a different uniform.  We did something like this in college.  If you didn't pass the conditioning test at the beginning of camp, you didn't get your helmet logo stickers.  Anybody who didn't have them had to do extra conditioning at the end of practice every day or way early in the morning.  Once you passed, you got your helmet logos, but if you didn't manage to pass before the end of camp, everybody got their stickers the Thursday before the first game.  I don't know if RR would actually keep anybody from dressing, but nobody will be out there in a solid blue helmet.

Perhaps Desmond is the guy

Perhaps Desmond is the guy who can return the smoke monster to the waterfall and Jack takes over for Jacob?

They probably only wrote that

They probably only wrote that so if the defense is bad again they can say something like "coach rod BAD for DEFENSE and also whole PROGRAM. WE sAid this in JanruARY. WE ARE SO SMRT. no SUGARCOAT."

Come on, Teric Jones is a

Come on, Teric Jones is a true freshman playing a position he hasn't played before. Emilien is also a true freshman coming off major knee surgery. Turner is a true freshman and was late getting into camp. Give these guys a fair shot before passing judgement.

Coaches have different

Coaches have different terminology for a lot of different things, aside from the most basic stuff. Depending on how you learned the game, you probably have different ideas on what certain things are called or the responsibilities of certain positions.

My college team ran a 3-3-5, and we only had 1 safety. The other two positions were guys that played at linebacker depth or on the line. They blitzed a lot and almost always had the flats in pass coverage. But they would never be considered safeties.

Cover 4, at least in our offense, was always identified as a coverage where 2 deep safeties buzz their feet until they read pass. Then they dropped to their deep halves. The corners are usually man on #1, and it was mostly run by teams that liked to get their safeties involved in the run game. We almost always got a long TD or two on these teams with a play action post. The coverage you are referring to, we called quarters.

I haven't played in a few years, but I think our coach would have identified Stevie Brown as the Sam linebacker and not a safety. Although it would have been a little tougher to get a mismatch on him in the pass game because of his athletic ability, unless of course we would have had Graham Zug.

Seriously? The 1968 team

Seriously? The 1968 team went 8-2 with guys like Caldarazzo, Deirdorf, Craw, and Mandich. They had 7 All-Conference players. Does Michigan have anywhere close to 7 All-Conference players this year? or did they last year? Bo did not inherit a talent deficient team.

The problem with that is that

The problem with that is that you would be putting trips to the short side of the field. So you are putting more people in a smaller area, and the defense does not have to widen as much. If the ball is in the middle of the field, then you have a little more flexibility with formations. This also would depend on how Illinois adjusts to a trips formation.

Its been my experience that

Its been my experience that during practice, the O and D are very competitive. There are fights here and there especially during camp, and the competitiveness is amplified when you go 1's on 1's. But when practice is over, that all goes away. You win and lose as a team.

I think deep balls are still

I think deep balls are still getting called, but if you look at the Iowa game, Michigan's receivers were not getting very clean releases on the outside. This disrupts timing of routes. Also, from what I have noticed, a lot of Michigan's vertical passing game still comes off the 4 vertical concept. I'm not sure if receivers are not reading safeties correctly or if Tate just doesn't quite have the timing down yet, but these routes just aren't getting completed right now.

Your MSU friends know nothing

Your MSU friends know nothing about football.

Yes that is a speed cut.

Yes that is a speed cut. Some coaches think you can accelerate faster out of a speed cut. From my experience, there isn't much of a difference. Sometimes guys can get lazy with a speed cut, but I think Odoms' route there was fine.

Its great to see the Monon

Its great to see the Monon Bell game getting some recognition. Keystone light tastes the best when its being poured all over your face out of a 350 pound bell. A good friend of mine chipped his tooth on the thing after a big Little Giant victory in the year of "the Catch" 2001.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9b_-31wwtE

That was my freshman year, and we hadn't won the bell in 5 years. I almost got to play in the game due to an injury, but it turned out the guy just got the wind knocked out of him. The ironic part for Michigan fans was that the name of the play was Trips Lex Gun Colorado Red. Colorado for the Kordell Stewart play. Luckily, it was renamed to Bell Red after that game, and I did not have to be reminded of the Kordell Stewart play every Friday walk through, when we practiced that play, for the next 3 years.

But yes it is a very intense game for anybody that has never been.

If you want to complain about

If you want to complain about holding calls, please re-watch the game and see how many times Brandon Graham was held with no call. The fact is Notre Dame had the ball and the lead with less than five minutes left in the game. They have no excuses.

ND can keep Rudolph in to

ND can keep Rudolph in to block all they want. I would much rather have him attempting to block than running a pass route. Go back and watch the Nevada game and count how many times he just whiffed on guys.

Each position coach will

Each position coach will watch the game film and grade every player for every snap.

As far as question 3, many

As far as question 3, many teams walk the thin line between voluntary and mandatory. My guess is that the coaching staff and S&C staff has every minute of workouts and practice planned and classified as "voluntary" or mandatory. I'm sure they also know exactly what counts against NCAA hours. For example, time in the training for treatment of injuries does not count against the time. If thats the case, I doubt there will be any violations with the hours of practice, but I could be wrong.

Really?

You played and can't imagine putting in that kind of time? I'm not trying to personally attack you or anything, but I disagree. In the spring we had 6 am workouts 5 days a week with an evening workout on Sunday. The workouts lasted about 2 hours. We would have player led 7 on 7's or one on one's a couple times a week in the afternoon. People generally didn't stay on campus in the summer, but we had a workout plan. If you didn't follow it completely, you were going to be in for a rough camp. During the season, we had two hour practices in the afternoon, 6am film on Monday morning, position group lunch meetings two days a week, and an evening team meeting on Thursday. And that was D-3!!! I can absolutely see that amount of time being spent for a BCS level school. This whole article smells of sour grapes.

Actually at Carr's camp,

Actually at Carr's camp, there was a charge for underclassmen. Every senior got a free pic. I'm guessing you are talking about the high school camp.