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I predict this will not go…

I predict this will not go well. 

Sure, but how are we doing…

Sure, but how are we doing right now if we don’t promote Moore and instead do a full coaching search? Everyone seems to be worried about guys hitting the portal, but that hasn’t happened (yet, at least), and we’d likely have much more attrition if it looked like we were going to bring in an outside person for HC (and again, who the hell would that be, exactly). Tell me how it’s a thoughtful exercise to do a full head coaching search in the current landscape. 

Your reasonable take will…

Your reasonable take will not be tolerated!

Well, Warde should have…

Well, Warde should have pulled a quarter billion dollars out of his ass. The fact that he didn’t means he was actively trying to tank the program. I mean, if Warde didn’t suck so hard, all those coaches would still be at Michigan, amirite?

Agree wholeheartedly with…

Agree wholeheartedly with this sentiment. 

Not paying attention to any…

Not paying attention to any of those things either, FYI. 

They’re not reading your…

They’re not reading your emails, FYI. 

Who would we have hired,…

Who would we have hired, then, given the timing?

How could anyone be baffled…

How could anyone be baffled that Harbaugh anointed Moore? He basically came out and said as much when he was hired, and it was assumed well before that point that Moore was the coach in waiting. 

This also assumes that Warde…

This also assumes that Warde is 100% in control of the decision making, which means Ono and the Regents are giving him carte blanche, which I have a hard time believing. Warde sucks, to be sure, but he still reports to those above him and can’t make unilateral decisions. At this point I think we have to also wonder what the priorities of Ono and the Regents are. 

So what, now we’re going to…

So what, now we’re going to fault Warde for actually following through with the succession plan that was in place, presumably endorsed by Harbaugh himself? Warde has plenty of professional failings, but we can’t have it both ways. Also I doubt that Harbaugh said on his way out “You should name Moore HC, and by the way I’m going to try to take the majority of the staff with me.”

Yeah, while Warde certainly…

Yeah, while Warde certainly isn’t my favorite, I have to be a bit annoyed at Harbaugh too for getting his guy (Moore) advanced into a head coaching gig and then undercutting him by raiding his existing staff. That’s a complete and total dick move in my book. He talked up Moore as being the best man for the job and then poached his staff. Why even have a coach in waiting if you’re going to do something like this?

"Jim does not thrive in c…

"Jim does not thrive in c-level corporate jobs. You would think by age 60 he would know that about himself."

Such a good point, but I imagine Jim as being someone who can't/won't acknowledge his own limitations. He's always going to bet on himself, for better or worse. I would have thought his time in SF would have been instructive in terms of how the dynamics between a head coach and the GM/ownership of an NFL team can play out, but he probably believes he can overcome that if given the chance again.

To be fair, it’s not like…

To be fair, it’s not like GEO is a beacon of good faith negotiating. 

The fact that Harbaugh could…

The fact that Harbaugh could be granted “immunity” by the university, and still insist on being able to explore NFL coaching positions with a minimal buyout in place is ridiculous. He can’t expect the university to agree to the immunity demands while essentially accepting him still being a free agent. Jim has to give something here too. 

Man, just spent the last 3…

Man, just spent the last 3 consecutive hours listening to this and the end especially just hit me right in the feels. Great job, folks. Your insights and commentary are unmatched. I’ll always look forward to these posts, and will be better for them. 

Safe to say there’s probably…

Safe to say there’s probably no drop off in D line production next year. 

Been there

Been there

I thought that first…

I thought that first touchdown run was doomed because of his vision, but luckily Washington left that gap open. 

Insert John Malkovich gif…

Insert John Malkovich gif here. 

No argument here. That D…

No argument here. That D line is the strength of the defense. 

This a weird post, but I’m…

This a weird post, but I’m sitting here listening to Polaris and the music from The Adventures of Pete and Pete (if you’re of a certain age you get it) and for some reason it just feels great in this particular situation. 

Scott Frost’s mom begs to…

Scott Frost’s mom begs to differ

Man, I became a fan at the…

Man, I became a fan at the tail end of Lloyd’s tenure and never thought I’d see this day. This was a hell of a season and an even better team. 

This is one of those things…

This is one of those things I wasn’t sure I’d ever experience, but now that I have it feels incredible. I’m not filled with a sense of euphoria so much as a sense of warmth and appreciation for this group of guys. They truly deserved this and while I’m incredibly happy in the moment, it also makes me sad that I may never witness this kind of team ever again. But at the end of the day, the fact that I was able to watch this great group of guys, game in and game out, and how much they obviously care for each other is a better reward than a national championship. We’ve been lucky witnesses to something truly special, something incredibly rare in sports these days, and I hope that we’ll all remember that. 

If a person is engaged in an…

If a person is engaged in an official university activity, and especially if they’re paid for their services, they would absolutely be considered a vendor. 

I’ll be honest - on the…

I’ll be honest - on the replay reviews I was just waiting for a decision to not go our way. But overall the officiating seemed… good? There were calls that I didn’t agree with, particularly with the Haskins spot, but generally there seemed to be very little chicanery. 

I was generally pessimistic…

I was generally pessimistic about how the offensive play calling was going to go today (read: hanging our hat on running into stacked boxes) but am very glad to say that I was pleasantly surprised by our willingness to pass and the general success in the passing game. One of those times I’m very glad to have been wrong. 

Win will cause me to: just…

Win will cause me to: just believe this is a shitty Wisconsin team 

Loss will cause me to: wait for the next opportunity for this team to drop a game we should win. 

You’re right of course, but…

You’re right of course, but I’m not saying the risk aversion is rational in any way. It makes no sense to beat your face into the wall over and over, yet here we are. 

I bet there’s a comment box…

I bet there’s a comment box at Schembechler Hall. Have you considered leaving your feedback there?

Given that winning a game by…

Given that winning a game by relying on the offense seems to be forbidden, that coin flip isn’t going to come out on our side, I don’t think. 

I agree with everything you…

I agree with everything you said, but the sad thing is that over the years it seems that we’re just happy to lose in a rock fight if it means calling the plays that we believe, philosophically, should be the core of our offense. 

Agreed. Once Michigan finds…

Agreed. Once Michigan finds themselves in a hole, or any adverse situation really, they revert to the most conservative play calling possible. Against Rutgers this manifested as running into stacked boxes and refusing to test the edges. The risk aversion really comes to the fore when we don’t have the game well under control. 

Except for the fact that the…

Except for the fact that the rules that the teams agreed to (arbitrary as they may be) mean that OSU isn’t eligible for the title game. They’re obviously the best team in the conference, but if the rules aren’t going to be upheld, doesn’t that make the B1G look even more like a joke? It makes the conference look like they’re pandering to OSU even when they’re still likely to get selected for the CFP. 

Okay, but is it really the

Okay, but is it really the offense's fault that they were set up with a short field? If anything, they should be expected to score in those situations, and it seems like you're faulting them for it.

Actually, you did imply that

Actually, you did imply that when you said "And I think people who think he's "great" are going to be disappointed."

It's not just the offensive

It's not just the offensive line that needs to improve. The running backs were terrible at picking up blitzes.

Wilton plays scared

Maybe part of the reason for that is his running backs seem to be incapable of identifying and blocking LBs sent on a blitz.

Good ability to move the offense

But I'm concerned about his ability to hit receivers downfield. Now, that could be a result of not having a lot of reps with the first team offense at this point.

That's a very fair point.

But it also plays into part of my argument - if you're placing the overall success of your offense on just a handfull of deep throws (which, I agree, were open and should have been completed), you're relying on only a few, high variance plays to determine the success of the offense. I think the lack of consistency in the running game and short passing game ultimately cost us against Iowa. I think we agree completely on what stalled the offense in the OSU game.

I completely agree.

I worry about our ability to have sustained drives on offense without a reliable run game. We might get some big pass plays that could lead to scoring opportunities, but it seems like this will be a close game, largely dictated by the defenses and special teams.

Part of the reason

he's never looked good in a big game is because our running game has suffered. Had we been able to run the ball successfully against OSU in the fourth quarter, we could have closed out that game. Also, against Iowa I think we didn't even manage 100 yards rushing on the game. He's made some mistakes, sure, but when you need to rely that much on your passing game, you're setting yourself up for some of those mistakes.

While I agree

on the importance of the passing offense to Michigan's success in this game, I can't imagine that Harbaugh's choice for starting quarterback next season will depend solely on the outcome of this game. Especially if some of Speight's mistakes are related to a lack of protection in the pass game.