Does Ward have the stones and political capital required to out right fire Jim Harbaugh? I'm concerned that he won't make a move in a year like this given the optics of paying a buyout that has been estimated around $10M for Harbaugh's contracts final season. The best case scenario is Harbaugh sunsets himself after this year regardless of how many more games we win. Saying he needs time to recharge and be with his family.
I love Jim and was very excited when he came home. I'm sad that we've not approached the level of success our talent warents. While we aren't a Death Start level program would should be better then Alderaan when we play decently talented teams. Outside a few examples (PSU and Wisconsin games) we always come up short.
Morgan is the definition of a pick and stick QB that doesn't have to read coverage. This is what you call a system QB. The adjustments Michigan players made on the fly to respond to the nuances of the game are amazing. Football is as cerebral as it is physical. Don Brown devised some clever schemes to stop this offense. Kudos
Thank you for the detailed analysis. You spoke truth to a hypothesis I've held for a while, there's just not many guys each year that play DT, those that due are hotly recruited and rarely leave home.
I agree with your point about the QUANTITY vs the quality of the guys we've tried to recruit. UM has been very selective with they type of kid they are going after for the DL. It's been written on this site and others, UM wants athletic, versitile guys. The space eaters aren't a priority for the scheme we've chosen. Victory Vaka is a great example, he was very interested in UM and highly ranked. We cooled on him as the coaches continued the evaluation and decided he wasn't a fit for scheme. I understand recruiting the right guys for what you're trying to do, part of me wishes DB was more flexible and could fit talent into a position of need. OSU has taken their fair share of athletic DTs and space eaters. Just having a guy or two to be large and stand up against the huge Wisconsin interior line on run downs would be nice.
Defense in college football is difficult. When you're playing an elite offense you're really just need to slow the other team down vs stop them. One way to help our defense stop getting exposed is our offense can compliment them with more points and force the other offense to get away from the run.
I'm reading lots of positive chatter on the finale. I stopped watching in season 4, not sure I made it to the end. I might jump back in since we've got a lot of time on our hands. I heard the show improved considerably.
Given the dire need at DT I question why Michigan won’t even evaluate guys to see if there was interest? (see the Bailey and Hemingway notes below). Why not take a filer and shape the scheme around the players talent? They did lots of that this year with the 3 man lines. Perhaps the grades aren’t there. Maybe the kids don’t play with the right intensity. At the same time you where in a situation this season where you just needed a warm body to not get steam rolled for 4 quarters. You have to consider a flier or two on a guy if it means you can tread water until you find what you’re looking for. We have to do better, it’s too important a spot to thumb your nose and not even look at prospects.
This is a great win for the staff. Really impressed with the work Moore has done in his short time with the team. Hill is an impact player without question. I do wonder if he's got developmental upside. He's already college sized and displays athletic skills as good or better then our current safties. His technique looks pretty developed as well, very fluid and natural in the back peddle. With a game so polished, how much more can the coaches squeeze out of him?
There's going to be year to year variance in how many recruits we get in state. The poster is showing you the track record. Clearly the staff values in state recruits and they're doing a better job then previous regimes at collecting in state talent. BTW, it's just a crystal ball. The kid hasn't committed yet. Lots of run way left. Michigan is off to a strong start with this class. Let's see how it all plays out.
When someone is being abusive and toxic block mute report away. That's not what happened here. He just didn't like the fact I wasn't immediately sympathetic to his hurt feels because posters had the audacity to question him. I wasn't following him anyway and was unaware of him until this thread went up. I posted the circumstances only to highlight how little it takes to have him go "nuclear" on twitter.
He blocked me for suggesting he shouldn't take criticism of his motives or sources personally. I didn't even get my moneys worth, I was tyring to engage him in a reasonable conversation. That's where I went wrong apparently. LMAO
This guy is more senstaitive then the San Jose reporter that blocked half of UM twitter during the Harbaugh hiring saga.
Spot on. Our two year run was fueld by Jordan Morgan. A guy that dug in on defense, communicated and worked his butt off to secure rebournds. If we had 1 or 2 of him we'd balance the teams high skill level with some "grit" to push competativeness on def.
Our main issue is recuriting. The two year run to the title game and elite 8 bore zero fruit in recuriting. The kids we get are all projects. They don't come in with the physical stature that makes them ready to play in conference. Look at the Freshman playing signifianct minutes on the teams in conference. They have a physicality that we lack. Our guys are all thin. If they where explosive players that could get to the cup I could live with it. They could drive and kick, play physical defense and rebound. We don't have the physical cability to compete night in and night out. Our guys are below the rim players (except DJ). Even when they manage to box someone out they still get out muscled for the rebound. I've defended JB for years, pointing to injury and unexpected attrition as reasons for our poor performance. Those where just excuses. I've seen enough to tell me it's time for a parting of ways. The style and vision he has for the program isn't working. The steps he's taken to improve on our weak points aren't working. Change is required to move Michigan into a position to be a consistent B1G MBB team.
Can we stay paitent? I've been preaching that to my buddies calling for JB to step aside. It's getting harder to argue with them after each sub par defensive performance. We brought a renewed emphasis to that end of the floor and the results are essentially the same. I don't understnad why we can't be average at worst defensively? We have atheletes, competent coaching/resources and I beleie the guys are trying. Yet the results aren't there. JB took us to the finals and the elite 8 a few short years ago. He's not a bad coach. He should have Michigan as a consistent B1G contender and we're not. Last year it was injuries, the year before injuries and attrition, what's the explanation this year? At some point we have to look at the results and demand more. We can't keep explaining away mediocrity.
I know we have a 5 star guard ready to play next year and DJ/Mo have shown significant improvement. The issue is that's not doing anything for us right now. We HAVE to make the dance this year. We need to win a game. I want to see real progress. Lots of hoops left, but as the post says: Time is running out.
Good for him landing in a situation that was in his best interests. I think he would've been excellent in our program but I lack the full information he has. 10% chance of a position change to find playing time is a lot when you know in your heart there's a place for you on the other side of the ball. I wish him well
At this point, it's tough to figure out which of M's top four WR targers is the least likely to end up in the class. I would've answered Martin a month ago; now it's probably Nico Collins, who's paid his way to visit Ann Arbor from Alabama several times.
I'm surprised that's the takeaway on Nico. I'd say he and DPJ are the two MOST likely to end up in the clase. Nico has paid his way several times to come to AA and everything you read says the kid loves it up here. If I had to guess which WR doesn't end up in the group it'd be Black and even that is a stretch. Honestly think we take all 4.
First set of off/def drills. Wilson first qb working w the group. All running plays. Other qb and wr working on other side of field doing passing drills
I'd say in a situation where the kid still has reasonable time to sort his options the answer is yes. He knew enough about how things were going to get relationships built with other Big 10 schools to land on his feet. Does it matter that it was a month before signing day when he found out? I will say if it was my son I'd want to know far enough in advance that we can make an informed choice anbout what to do next. The cut off is arbitrary and really about personal comfort levels. I hope Michigna never falls to the point that kids are trying to fax LOI's and have been told they can committ only to find out at the 11th hour things have changed.
As Michigan finds its way back into NC contention and continues to close on the top level recurits we're going to see a lot more stories like this and some of the other decommits. Personally I don't like it. It draws negative attention to the program and not every kid will have the options Swenson has. At the same time this is the game and these are the rules that govern that game. I just hope Michigan maintains the personal standards of the program and doesn't get completely swept up in "crootin"
I wonder if Strib is being disciplined for actions during the week? Only other option is injury in practice late that they won't disclose till end of game
It's ok. Happy trails man. Now your pops can be a headache to SU. I think his dad pushed him to stay closer to home. It wasn't meant to be. Our team will still be good. Though it would've been guaranteed amazing with T Battle
I wonder what Caused him to keep lines open with other coaches? I honesty don't think JB did anything "wrong". Hopefully we find a way to recover. Going to be difficult this is was good.
On a certain level I feel bad for the current QBs on the roster. None of them are JH's guys. I hope they embrace the opportunity to show JH that they can be players as well. I'm rooting for Shane to get the job next year. I think he hasn't been developed at all during his time here. Kid still has talent, I hope JH can whisper some sweetness in his ear.
I can only think of one Scenario where Hoke stays. It's becasue Brandon somehow manages to convince the Regents he's refomred and retains his job. If that happens I'll cry becasue it means we'll never get passed this crap. UM not replacing the AD by December and the coach shortly after would be disaster. I hope we're not in an echo chamber here and the Regents/President are prepared to act, quickly.
Clark seemed very firm in his commitment to UM. I wonder what's made him decide to take officials, knowing that he'll have to decommit? Aside form the fact his 18 and has already shown a willingness to change his mind (see NC commit/decommit). Could it be the staffs continued interest in Wheatly Jr? Have they note continued to show enough ongoing interest?
Whatever happened to that dude? I've seen him as low as 3rd on their RB depth chart. I seriously thought he was going to be a beast for Ohio. Neither he, nor his cousin Dymonte Thomas, seem to have lived up to the rankings yet.
UM is still not quite on MSUs level overall. We've made swift progress but we have one out right title and a final four. Lots more winning to do for is to pass them. I hate St as much as you guys do but am objective enough to see their run of success put them in a different place. We are getting closer, and beating them head to head feels sweet. A few more years of this and hopefully a NC title will truly set us apart from sparty
For all that is decent and noble, return Michigan Athletics to Nike. I hate the color addidas calls "maize", and I don't like their vision for alternative jerseys. It's only a matter of time before they force our guys to play in stupid short slevel jerseys. Make it stop.
Going to a school with the name recognition of UM is access to the alumni network. It's the same think that seperates a Harvard from UM. Both great schools but Harvard can provide a differnt level of access to the student.
His parnets should have kept this whole thing in house. Would've been much easier to manage. I don't blame them from wanting to put them in the siutation they feel is best for their son. They know him better then any of us. They know how they've tried to raise him and what values are important. Somehow he'll convince his folks the can handle the situation maturely and not fall into the situations they're worried about. He'll end up at State and do well.
Campbells stock has risen significantly during his Jr season. I think UM killed his visit and he went with us becasue we were the best optoin he'd seen. After a great year and more interest from the big dogs he's right to change his mind. If the UM coaches are worth their salt they'll keep him interested and may still end up with him. Most of the top players (peppers aside) tend to stay down south in the SEC especially if they're from there. I've been wondering if he and the RB from KY were risks to committ for a while.
As a Lions season ticket holder, U of M alum and Tigers Fan 2013 has been the worst sports year in recent memory. I'm 34. The issue for me is the expectations for my teams versus there performance was widely vaired. In the case of the lions they made be beleive with a blisering start and legit talent. Now the whole season comes down to winning out and hoping chicgo and green bay lose this weekend. Michigan footballs struggles are well documented in this blog. Having to hear Spartans chirp all day at work makes my head hurt. Tigers blowing another golden chance to bring home a title.
Sports aren't that fun for me this year. I really only watch my teams and no other games. I need 2014 to reset my sports passion.
You guys really killed the photos! Welcome to Bryan Fuller, great debut on the Blog...love that sky written HAIL! That's my new screen saver BTW! GoBlue!
and i want that Tshirt! Brian any chance for 3x t shirts? also, is there a way to get the old versions of the mag as well? maybe add a new reward level!?
i've used kickstarter numerous times, it's legit folks!
Recent Comments
Does Ward have the stones and political capital required to out right fire Jim Harbaugh? I'm concerned that he won't make a move in a year like this given the optics of paying a buyout that has been estimated around $10M for Harbaugh's contracts final season. The best case scenario is Harbaugh sunsets himself after this year regardless of how many more games we win. Saying he needs time to recharge and be with his family.
I love Jim and was very excited when he came home. I'm sad that we've not approached the level of success our talent warents. While we aren't a Death Start level program would should be better then Alderaan when we play decently talented teams. Outside a few examples (PSU and Wisconsin games) we always come up short.
Morgan is the definition of a pick and stick QB that doesn't have to read coverage. This is what you call a system QB. The adjustments Michigan players made on the fly to respond to the nuances of the game are amazing. Football is as cerebral as it is physical. Don Brown devised some clever schemes to stop this offense. Kudos
Thank you for the detailed analysis. You spoke truth to a hypothesis I've held for a while, there's just not many guys each year that play DT, those that due are hotly recruited and rarely leave home.
I agree with your point about the QUANTITY vs the quality of the guys we've tried to recruit. UM has been very selective with they type of kid they are going after for the DL. It's been written on this site and others, UM wants athletic, versitile guys. The space eaters aren't a priority for the scheme we've chosen. Victory Vaka is a great example, he was very interested in UM and highly ranked. We cooled on him as the coaches continued the evaluation and decided he wasn't a fit for scheme. I understand recruiting the right guys for what you're trying to do, part of me wishes DB was more flexible and could fit talent into a position of need. OSU has taken their fair share of athletic DTs and space eaters. Just having a guy or two to be large and stand up against the huge Wisconsin interior line on run downs would be nice.
Defense in college football is difficult. When you're playing an elite offense you're really just need to slow the other team down vs stop them. One way to help our defense stop getting exposed is our offense can compliment them with more points and force the other offense to get away from the run.
I'm reading lots of positive chatter on the finale. I stopped watching in season 4, not sure I made it to the end. I might jump back in since we've got a lot of time on our hands. I heard the show improved considerably.
Given the dire need at DT I question why Michigan won’t even evaluate guys to see if there was interest? (see the Bailey and Hemingway notes below). Why not take a filer and shape the scheme around the players talent? They did lots of that this year with the 3 man lines. Perhaps the grades aren’t there. Maybe the kids don’t play with the right intensity. At the same time you where in a situation this season where you just needed a warm body to not get steam rolled for 4 quarters. You have to consider a flier or two on a guy if it means you can tread water until you find what you’re looking for. We have to do better, it’s too important a spot to thumb your nose and not even look at prospects.
This is a great win for the staff. Really impressed with the work Moore has done in his short time with the team. Hill is an impact player without question. I do wonder if he's got developmental upside. He's already college sized and displays athletic skills as good or better then our current safties. His technique looks pretty developed as well, very fluid and natural in the back peddle. With a game so polished, how much more can the coaches squeeze out of him?
There's going to be year to year variance in how many recruits we get in state. The poster is showing you the track record. Clearly the staff values in state recruits and they're doing a better job then previous regimes at collecting in state talent. BTW, it's just a crystal ball. The kid hasn't committed yet. Lots of run way left. Michigan is off to a strong start with this class. Let's see how it all plays out.
Pleae remember....Supa Hot Fire is not a rapper...he's an experience
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He blocked me for suggesting he shouldn't take criticism of his motives or sources personally. I didn't even get my moneys worth, I was tyring to engage him in a reasonable conversation. That's where I went wrong apparently. LMAO
This guy is more senstaitive then the San Jose reporter that blocked half of UM twitter during the Harbaugh hiring saga.
Spot on. Our two year run was fueld by Jordan Morgan. A guy that dug in on defense, communicated and worked his butt off to secure rebournds. If we had 1 or 2 of him we'd balance the teams high skill level with some "grit" to push competativeness on def.
Our main issue is recuriting. The two year run to the title game and elite 8 bore zero fruit in recuriting. The kids we get are all projects. They don't come in with the physical stature that makes them ready to play in conference. Look at the Freshman playing signifianct minutes on the teams in conference. They have a physicality that we lack. Our guys are all thin. If they where explosive players that could get to the cup I could live with it. They could drive and kick, play physical defense and rebound. We don't have the physical cability to compete night in and night out. Our guys are below the rim players (except DJ). Even when they manage to box someone out they still get out muscled for the rebound. I've defended JB for years, pointing to injury and unexpected attrition as reasons for our poor performance. Those where just excuses. I've seen enough to tell me it's time for a parting of ways. The style and vision he has for the program isn't working. The steps he's taken to improve on our weak points aren't working. Change is required to move Michigan into a position to be a consistent B1G MBB team.
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Can we stay paitent? I've been preaching that to my buddies calling for JB to step aside. It's getting harder to argue with them after each sub par defensive performance. We brought a renewed emphasis to that end of the floor and the results are essentially the same. I don't understnad why we can't be average at worst defensively? We have atheletes, competent coaching/resources and I beleie the guys are trying. Yet the results aren't there. JB took us to the finals and the elite 8 a few short years ago. He's not a bad coach. He should have Michigan as a consistent B1G contender and we're not. Last year it was injuries, the year before injuries and attrition, what's the explanation this year? At some point we have to look at the results and demand more. We can't keep explaining away mediocrity.
I know we have a 5 star guard ready to play next year and DJ/Mo have shown significant improvement. The issue is that's not doing anything for us right now. We HAVE to make the dance this year. We need to win a game. I want to see real progress. Lots of hoops left, but as the post says: Time is running out.
VIPER (!!!)
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At this point, it's tough to figure out which of M's top four WR targers is the least likely to end up in the class. I would've answered Martin a month ago; now it's probably Nico Collins, who's paid his way to visit Ann Arbor from Alabama several times.
I'm surprised that's the takeaway on Nico. I'd say he and DPJ are the two MOST likely to end up in the clase. Nico has paid his way several times to come to AA and everything you read says the kid loves it up here. If I had to guess which WR doesn't end up in the group it'd be Black and even that is a stretch. Honestly think we take all 4.
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The OP got me so excited for the return of The Team this weekend. Great job man.
I'd say in a situation where the kid still has reasonable time to sort his options the answer is yes. He knew enough about how things were going to get relationships built with other Big 10 schools to land on his feet. Does it matter that it was a month before signing day when he found out? I will say if it was my son I'd want to know far enough in advance that we can make an informed choice anbout what to do next. The cut off is arbitrary and really about personal comfort levels. I hope Michigna never falls to the point that kids are trying to fax LOI's and have been told they can committ only to find out at the 11th hour things have changed.
As Michigan finds its way back into NC contention and continues to close on the top level recurits we're going to see a lot more stories like this and some of the other decommits. Personally I don't like it. It draws negative attention to the program and not every kid will have the options Swenson has. At the same time this is the game and these are the rules that govern that game. I just hope Michigan maintains the personal standards of the program and doesn't get completely swept up in "crootin"
2. Honey Nut Cheerios
3. CTC
On a certain level I feel bad for the current QBs on the roster. None of them are JH's guys. I hope they embrace the opportunity to show JH that they can be players as well. I'm rooting for Shane to get the job next year. I think he hasn't been developed at all during his time here. Kid still has talent, I hope JH can whisper some sweetness in his ear.
I can only think of one Scenario where Hoke stays. It's becasue Brandon somehow manages to convince the Regents he's refomred and retains his job. If that happens I'll cry becasue it means we'll never get passed this crap. UM not replacing the AD by December and the coach shortly after would be disaster. I hope we're not in an echo chamber here and the Regents/President are prepared to act, quickly.
Clark seemed very firm in his commitment to UM. I wonder what's made him decide to take officials, knowing that he'll have to decommit? Aside form the fact his 18 and has already shown a willingness to change his mind (see NC commit/decommit). Could it be the staffs continued interest in Wheatly Jr? Have they note continued to show enough ongoing interest?
Whatever happened to that dude? I've seen him as low as 3rd on their RB depth chart. I seriously thought he was going to be a beast for Ohio. Neither he, nor his cousin Dymonte Thomas, seem to have lived up to the rankings yet.
For all that is decent and noble, return Michigan Athletics to Nike. I hate the color addidas calls "maize", and I don't like their vision for alternative jerseys. It's only a matter of time before they force our guys to play in stupid short slevel jerseys. Make it stop.
Going to a school with the name recognition of UM is access to the alumni network. It's the same think that seperates a Harvard from UM. Both great schools but Harvard can provide a differnt level of access to the student.
His parnets should have kept this whole thing in house. Would've been much easier to manage. I don't blame them from wanting to put them in the siutation they feel is best for their son. They know him better then any of us. They know how they've tried to raise him and what values are important. Somehow he'll convince his folks the can handle the situation maturely and not fall into the situations they're worried about. He'll end up at State and do well.
LOL, what is a posbang?
Campbells stock has risen significantly during his Jr season. I think UM killed his visit and he went with us becasue we were the best optoin he'd seen. After a great year and more interest from the big dogs he's right to change his mind. If the UM coaches are worth their salt they'll keep him interested and may still end up with him. Most of the top players (peppers aside) tend to stay down south in the SEC especially if they're from there. I've been wondering if he and the RB from KY were risks to committ for a while.
As a Lions season ticket holder, U of M alum and Tigers Fan 2013 has been the worst sports year in recent memory. I'm 34. The issue for me is the expectations for my teams versus there performance was widely vaired. In the case of the lions they made be beleive with a blisering start and legit talent. Now the whole season comes down to winning out and hoping chicgo and green bay lose this weekend. Michigan footballs struggles are well documented in this blog. Having to hear Spartans chirp all day at work makes my head hurt. Tigers blowing another golden chance to bring home a title.
Sports aren't that fun for me this year. I really only watch my teams and no other games. I need 2014 to reset my sports passion.
You guys really killed the photos! Welcome to Bryan Fuller, great debut on the Blog...love that sky written HAIL! That's my new screen saver BTW! GoBlue!
other projects i've funded send out a survey or some other communciation asking for address, size, etc one the project is successful.
and i want that Tshirt! Brian any chance for 3x t shirts? also, is there a way to get the old versions of the mag as well? maybe add a new reward level!?
i've used kickstarter numerous times, it's legit folks!