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I don’t know where you think…

I don’t know where you think a top-tier starter is going to enter the portal from or why they would join an offense like Michigan’s if they did. 

I don’t really think…

I don’t really think basketball, which essentially IS the national identity of Gonzaga, really compares to baseball here. 

Calling Dillon Gabriel just…

Calling Dillon Gabriel just a high floor QB is weird. The guy has 15,000 passing yards, 125 TDs and 26 picks at 8.9 YPA. He’s an electric QB with a ton of talent.

Dante Moore isn’t improving enough in one offseason to surpass that. 

Well it’s more than just…

Well it’s more than just high school stats that give the impression that he can’t throw. We’ve seen him in spring games, it wasn’t pretty. We had four QBs attempt a pass last season, he was not one of them.  There’s far more data saying the kid struggles as a passer than there is saying he’s competent in that area. 
 

They put Orji in games. He wouldn't have gotten time in the playoffs if he was not considered as part of the present and future of the program
 

Okay but none of that points to him being a starting QB. He was put into games because he’s 240 lbs and freakishly athletic. He was put on the field to use that athleticism and size as a runner. Nobody said he’s not part of the present or future of the program. There are plenty of roles he can fill that don’t include being QB1. 
 

Now obviously he can develop the arm and learn to be an all-around QB. But nothing we’ve seen has suggested he’s close to that point. 

Don’t get too caught up with…

Don’t get too caught up with the rankings as far as predicting matchups, the committee will alter opponents/regionals to fit geography and avoid inter-conference matchups in opening games, so all we really know for sure is that we’ll be a 3 seed 

That’s not true at all…

That’s not true at all. People metabolize alcohol at different rates and alcohol tolerance plays a part as well. For someone who regularly drinks alcohol, their body becomes accustomed to having alcohol in the system and it would take more alcohol to affect the system.
 

What that DOESN’T do is alter the BAC levels. .08 is the legal limit regardless of the effects it has on that particular individual. But not every individual will experience the same effects at that level and plenty of people function the exact same after 2-3 beers as they do without alcohol. Hell, some alcoholics get to the point where they actually need alcohol in their system or they get uncontrollable shakes. 

I think a lot of people…

I think a lot of people clutching their pearls right now don’t really understand how easy it is to reach a .08 and how functional many people still are. I’d wager many of us have reached that threshold and had no clue. It is a very low threshold and many people aren’t affected by alcohol at that low of a level.
 

Alas, if Scruggs was out late, that's probably not what happened here. He likely had more than a light buzz on
 

But that’s speculation, and it isn’t really fair for us to sit here and call for a guys job on speculation. That’s why I’ve been sitting here saying we need to wait for the details. 
 

Scruggs had to be pulled over somehow, which suggests that he was driving erratically.

He was also out driving at 3am on a bar holiday weekend in a college town. Safe to say a completely sober driver would have caught the attention of the police. I’ve been pulled over twice in Ann Arbor simply for being out around 2:30 on a weekend. Could he have been driving erratically? Yup, but it’s completely speculation at this point.

That’s not any more…

That’s not any more effective though. He was charged with drunk driving, taking a test in a courthouse the next day or an at home test isn’t going to prove he was drinking and driving. 
 

Unless your implication is that he’s completely barred from drinking, it is ineffective and an overreach. Barring him from drinking entirely, would also be a massive overreach. 

For all those saying "We don…

For all those saying "We don't know what he blew," it doesn't matter.
 

Okay but it DOES matter. Nobody is saying he shouldn’t be punished. He should. He broke the law and it’s a repeated offense for him. But there’s a vast difference in what that punishment should be based on what he blew and the circumstances surrounding his arrest.
 

He should not receive the same punishment for blowing a .09 and complying with officers as he should for blowing a .24 and being belligerent and uncooperative. Not to mention the unreliability of breathalyzer tests to begin with. That’s why “we don’t know what he blew” is being brought up. 

Well for starters, he was…

Well for starters, he was only convicted of one DUI. He pled not guilty to a second and accepted a reckless driving charge. 
 

The DUI he was convicted of occurred over a decade ago while he was in college. How long do you think a dumb decision a college kid makes should be held against him in the employment world? Keeping in mind how notorious college kids are for doing dumb shit. 

I mean I don’t have an issue…

I mean I don’t have an issue with removing a drunk driving charge that occurred in college from someone in their mid 30’s. Dumb kids do dumb things and I don’t think a non-violent charge should follow you to the grave.

Well if you set the limit to…

Well if you set the limit to .5, the drinker would be dead… and that’s over 6x the current legal limit…

Nowhere did I claim what day…

Nowhere did I claim what day of the year it was made it right or wrong. Simply that the guy was out drinking on a holiday weekend known for drinking and we don’t even know what his BAC was or the circumstances of his arrest.

.08 is pretty low, yet still illegal, and there are many people who experience zero adverse effects from a BAC content that low. You can have a glass or two of wine with dinner and blow a .08. 

It is crazy to me how much…

It is crazy to me how much it costs a team to move up a few slots in the draft, and then the same players taken in those slots are worth nothing on the trade market.

Michigan actually has a time…

Michigan actually has a time frame where violations are wiped off your record. This will be treated as a first-time offense

B) what is he doing out at…

B) what is he doing out at 3AM during his first week on the job
 

It was a Friday night and he’s a grown man. 

I don’t know what state you…

I don’t know what state you live in, but Michigan has more severe penalties for individuals who blow twice the legal limit (.17+)

This seems ineffective.
 

This seems ineffective and an overreach. He’s not drinking on the job. 
 

When is he being tested? You gonna put him on house arrest after you test him every day?

Sorry about your friend, but…

Sorry about your friend, but that doesn’t overrule science or the law. Both of which say there’s a world of difference based on your BAC. Harsher legal penalties with higher BAC, and more severe functional impairments with a higher BAC. 

 

So… yeah there’s a difference. Capisce? 

Well it’s actually…

Well it’s actually definitely up to the math. There are more severe legal penalties the higher your BAC is. 
 

Nobody is saying it’s “acceptable,” but simply that the details are what should determine the severity of the punishment. 

I’m not making excuses for…

I’m not making excuses for it. I’m saying we need details before we rush to punish and call for the guy’s job. The penalty for blowing a .09 should be pretty mild compared to blowing a .25. 
 

.08 is pretty low. Still illegal and shouldn’t be just brushed off, but he shouldn’t lose his job over something like that. That’s absolutely ridiculous to rush to that level of punishment. But again, that’s why we wait for the details. 
 

The guy went out for some drinks on a drinking holiday, something a good chunk of this country (and a large portion of the college students) are also doing. HOW drunk he was matters. The circumstances surrounding his arrest do as well. That’s all I’m saying here. 

Listen. If you don’t know…

Listen. If you don’t know the difference between blowing a .11 and a .24, it’s probably best to research yourself and avoid this topic until you do. 
 

Simply put, there’s a broad spectrum of “drunk” with varying effects on your body. Different people will react differently with the same BAC, and while you should obviously avoid toeing that line, it’s easier than you’d think for many people to reach that .08 threshold and still be in complete control of yourself with no adverse effects.

Idk, the legal limit for…

Idk, the legal limit for alcohol content in the blood isn’t actually all that high. It takes roughly three-four 12 oz. Beers in an hour to get to .08 (obviously some other factors in play there). Plenty of people can drink that and still be highly functional and not notice any adverse effects, while still technically being over the legal limit. Poor judgement and all but we’re talking about having some drinks at the bar on a Friday night on St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Let’s not act like he’s leading the players down a path of eternal damnation. 

 

Seems like we’re rushing to judgement and criticism without the details. Calling for his job before we get that seems premature. He deserves, and will receive, some sort of punishment. But calling for the guy’s job at this point is excessive.

I would assume they want…

I would assume they want details surrounding the arrest before deciding on firing him.
 

Did he blow a .09 or a .20? Was he compliant with officers or belligerent? Was he speeding or driving recklessly? Was there any accident or injury involved? 
 

A lot we don’t know that is relevant to determining the severity of the offense here. 

You know, background checks…

You know, background checks ARE notorious for their inability to predict the future. 

Arm refers to the whole…

Arm refers to the whole package. Strength, touch, accuracy. 
 

Having a cannon is completely irrelevant if you can’t hit the broad side of a barn (what we’ve seen of him, he struggles in this area). The ability to throw a rocket is irrelevant if you’re throwing 100mph on a slant route the receiver can’t catch.

They did. But he was the…

They did. But as with most candidates on the board you’re looking at a good chunk of the players being inherited as well. Both for the successes and failures of each candidate. 
 

Beilein players or not, Juwan had postseason success when he was able to make it there. More than any other B1G school. That doesn’t make him a better coach than someone like Painter or Underwood.
 

 

 

I certainly follow our #2…

I certainly follow our #2 and #3 sports.
 

Well Warde’s job is to oversee the success of all sports, not just the top 3. Though the top 3 have all seen their fair share of success during his tenure as well. 
 

Howard and Pearson) didn't work out the best, and yet, they were easy hiring decisions


Howard was really the ONLY option based on the timing of Beilein’s departure and he had initial success. Warde also moved on from him when it was clear the success isn’t going to return. Pearson was a very successful hire, the issues with Pearson came off of the ice. Naurato took the team to the Frozen Four during his interim season and was widely considered one of the top young coaches rising through the ranks. Again, no brainer. Making the easy decision means making the right decision and not trying to be the smartest guy in the room and going off script. That’s a plus in an AD.

 

Beyond that, our most successful programs have tended to have coaches whose hirings predated Manuel. 

And yet, the most successful stretch of conference titles in school history didn’t occur under any of the ADs that preceded Manuel. Why does he only get credit for the success of coaches he hires? It’s still his responsibility to make sure those coaches have the resources they need to compete long after they’ve been hired. Considering we’re winning more conference titles than we (or any other B1G school) ever have, sounds like he’s doing that.
 

Again, if we’re looking strictly at the results, he’s been very successful as Michigan’s AD. Using the metrics his superiors would use to judge success, he’s passing with flying colors. Win and make money. Any questions related to his job status would be centered around his handling of specific events/scandals that have occurred. Which is a fair criticism, but it’s unclear whether any of it is worthy of causing the guy his job on its own.

If we’re going to claim that…

If we’re going to claim that more value should be placed on post-season success than regular season consistency, I feel like I should point out that since Juwan Howard was hired, no B1G coach has more tournament wins that he did. So be cautious how much value you’re placing on that. Is a 17-14 season where you lose in the Sweet 16 really better than a 24-7 season where you lose in the Round of 32? Winning one more postseason game outweighs 7 more regular season wins and no trophy in either? 
 

I get that post-season success is very important, the trophies are why the game is played, but I don’t think it’s constructive to devalue the 30+ other games that are played to focus on the results of single games in the post-season which are often toss-ups. 
 

Beilein had Elite 8 and Sweet 16 runs before coming to Michigan
 

It took until his 13th season for him to win more than 1 game in the NCAA Tournament. And took him initial Year 6 at Michigan to do the same. Let’s be real here, it is difficult to win in the NCAA tournament if the situation isn’t laid out perfectly. Smart is 8-9 in the tournament through 14 seasons. Beilein was 8-7 before making his first run to the national title game with Michigan in his 21st season as a D1 head coach.

 

Now I’m not saying Smart is better than Beilein but it seems like you’re being somewhat selective in your memory. And valuing two Sweet16+ runs for Beilein in his 13 and 14th seasons over a Final Four run for Smart in Year 2. 
 

Beilein was eventually successful at Michigan but he didn’t have the resume coming in that you’re making it out to be.

Greg McDermott signed a long…

Greg McDermott signed a long-term contract extension with Creighton.
 

Events like this are often cited as deterrents to coaching hires. But all it takes to get out of a contract is paying the buyout. People have blamed Warde for not getting Harbaugh signed earlier as if it would have prevented him from going to the NFL. It wouldn’t, the Chargers would have gladly paid that buyout. Similar to Bama paying DeBoer’s $10 million buyout with Washington.

Creighton is a private school, so they don’t have to disclose the salary of their coaches but Wikipedia says his salary is $1.4 million (likely before the extension). So it isn’t like he’s being paid an obscene amount of money and I can’t imagine it’s some outlandish buyout that Michigan wouldn’t easily be able to pay. 
 

Whether McDermott would be interested is another issue entirely. But McDermott (or any other potential candidate) signing a recent extension isn’t a major hurdle. 
 

 

Even keeping it simple, it…

Even keeping it simple, it requires him to make the right decisions consistently. You’re cutting down on the number of reads, but not necessarily the difficulty level of those reads.
 

The much bigger issue though, is whether or not he has the arm to execute in the passing game. Making the right read is only half the battle.

Apparently you don’t pay…

Apparently you don’t pay attention to anything other than our #1 sport. We literally broke the school record for most conference championships each of the past two years… 
 

https://www.on3.com/teams/michigan-wolverines/news/michigan-wolverines-athletics-wins-13-record-big-ten-championships-in-2022-23/

“The Maize and Blue won 13 Big Ten championships, a school and conference record, one year after taking home 12 Big Ten (and 13 total) league titles in 2021-22“

That’s the thing. Michigan…

That’s the thing. Michigan athletics is making money hand over fist and we’re winning conference titles at an unprecedented rate and competing on the national stage. We are winning and making money. The results are there. There’s really no debating that. 
 

I don’t like many of the decisions that have been made or the scandals that have happened during his tenure, but I also struggle to sit here and say any of them are fireable offenses on their own. It’s also not my job, nor the job of anyone on this blog, to make that determination. Much of the criticism of Warde seems to be people upset about a certain outcome and looking for a scapegoat or a general ignorance of the inner workings/hierarchy of running an athletic department. Specifically one the size of Michigan’s. 

Here’s the issue. It seems…

Here’s the issue. It seems like every decision Warde makes (or any AD for that matter) makes is either wrong, and he deserves the blame for it, or it’s an obvious decision and he deserves no credit. 
 

Warde made the right decision. Yes, he deserves credit and should be applauded for that move. It doesn’t matter if it is an seemingly obvious decision. And no, it does not outweigh all of his poor decisions or make him a great AD. 
 

Someone who is bad at their job can still do a good thing and it’s okay to acknowledge that. 

Almost like those guys…

Almost like those guys transferred or switched positions because they couldn’t pass Dobbins and Henderson on the depth chart…

He’s recruited two of the…

He’s recruited two of the best running backs in the big ten that we’ve seen the last decade… Dobbins and Henderson were both three year starters and you’re trying to criticize him because they weren’t surpassed by other players he recruited… sorry, didn’t know I needed to spell it out.

 Hayden is not an RB1 IMO…

 Hayden is not an RB1 IMO. There is literally nothing to base that on except fan speculation.

Holy shit. Talk about irony. Youre speculating that he’s not RB1 and saying people claiming he is capable are… speculating… wow.

What does their position…

What does their position have to do with anything? Great recruiters can recruit more than just their own position. Shocker. You’re telling me the guy can step in and recruit an elite DT or WR, and that’s a bad thing? Oh the horror. 
 

And who said OSU “had” to hit the portal to find a viable RB1? People have been clamoring for Dallan Hayden to play a bigger role. But when an upgrade is available in the portal, you’d be foolish not to pursue. Mind you, it was also his job to recruit said transfer to the team to share carries… doesn’t sound like he’s a bad recruiter there either.  But none of that means the guys you have aren’t fully capable. 

 Huh? Immediately after…

 Huh? Immediately after Dobbins they went to Henderson, who was widely considered one of the top 3 backs in this years draft class but elected to return. Who else was he supposed to send to the league? The Dobbins/Henderson duo has started 6 out of his 9 seasons. Dobbins was drafted. Henderson would be drafted if he entered this year. He also inherited Elliott (NFL), had Weber drafted (NFL) and Trey Sermon transferred in (NFL). 

 

https://247sports.com/coach/tony-alford-210/alltimerecruits/

 

He’s been the recruiter for 15 top 150 recruits… 

Well for starters, 4-5 yards…

Well for starters, 4-5 yards per carry from your top two backs is actually pretty bad. 127 players rushed for 5+ yards per carry this season alone. Indiana ranked 111th, 69th, 106th, and 114th in team yards per carry in Hart’s four seasons there. Again, the productivity of his units were not good. 

 

Remember you are talking about Indiana's offense here...

Congrats, you circled back to the point I’ve been making from the start. You can’t judge a running backs coach on the productivity of the unit he coaches. Im not ragging on Hart as a coach, but you’re claiming he had productive units at Indiana and that’s just demonstrably false. He had pretty terrible production at Indiana but that doesn’t say much about him as a coach. Similar to how Oklahoma not having great production doesn’t say much about DeMarco Murray as a coach. 
 

But you’re just completely off base if you’re arguing Hart had that running game looking productive. They had a power back that never improved after his freshman season and were amongst the worst rushing offenses in the country.

 

I’m not sure what your first…

I’m not sure what your first paragraph has to do with anything I said. 
 

As for the development of our backs, that’s again attributed more to their natural abilities and the fact that they’ve played behind the best OL in the country 2 of the 3 seasons, and the year they DIDN’T, there was a significant drop off in efficiency. But nowhere did I say Hart (or any RB coach) doesn’t have a hand in development. I said it’s the least impactful of any of the coaching positions. 
 

now let’s look at Hart’s tenure at Indiana, specifically his top two backs each year:

2017: 236 carries, 1,132 yards, 4.79 YPC, 7 TDs 

2018: 260 carries, 1,278 yards, 4.91 YPC, 12 TDs 

2019: 259 carries, 1,120 yards, 4.32 YPC,  13 TDs

2020: 188 carries, 657 yards, 3.49 YPC, 5 TDs 

 Where are the “good results” exactly? Those are pretty putrid running stats and they got worse the longer Hart was there, so he wasn’t improving things. Specifically in the context of judging a coach specifically on the production of his unit, which I brought Hart as an example of why NOT to do that. Because there are too many other factors. 

 

I’m not saying there’s no…

I’m not saying there’s no hands-on coaching involved, just that there’s significantly less in comparison with other positions. Which is why it’s widely considered the easiest position to coach and the easiest position for freshmen to see the field. 
 

If you’re looking at production from the backs as a grading scale for the coach, you’re doing it wrong. The individual abilities of the back, the blocking he gets, and the playcalling/offensive scheme play a bigger role in production than what the running backs coach is going to be able to do. 

There’s no hire that is…

There’s no hire that is going to be jaw-dropping based on production. It’s going to be name-recognition and the attention that brings from a recruiting perspective. If you look at what Hart produced at Indiana, it wouldn’t have been considered a great hire. But it was an amazing hire to almost every fan for the simple fact that it’s Mike Hart and there was a name-recognition that came along with that. 
 

I also hesitate to attribute running game production to a running backs coach. That is probably the position that is the most reliant on the natural abilities of a player. You can’t teach the type of cutting ability and explosiveness of Corum. You can’t teach power or speed. Aside from that it’s up to your blocking to create space for you to work and the back developing vision and patience. It is often considered the easiest position to coach in football. 

To me that just comes across…

To me that just comes across as an unconnected source looking at the fact that Hart’s contract expired and isn’t returning as him not being welcomed back. 
 

The only way I can see him “not being welcomed back” is if Moore was looking at the timeline and not getting a straight answer from Hart on his return and Moore needing the position filled.

 

If it was just as simple as Hart not being welcomed back on the staff, I see no reason that Moore would have waited this long to try and fill the spot. 

I had assumed the jaw…

I had assumed the jaw-dropping hire would have been DeMarco Murray. Some overlap in playing at Oklahoma with Sherrone Moore. But he’s also the RB coach at Oklahoma, his alma mater. 
 

I don’t really know how much of a “jaw dropping” hire you can really make at running back coach. So I just jumped to big name. DRob is too easy, has too little experience and makes too much sense to be a jaw dropping hire. 
 

Alford wouldn’t be jaw dropping outside of the fact that he’d be jumping rivals.

The wording here makes me…

The wording here makes me mildly cautious. “Intends” doesn’t necessarily mean he’s able to, as it’s unclear whether he’ll need a waiver from the NCAA and whether that process has been completed. 

I think they were sticking…

I think they were sticking with football programs, which LSSU does not have 

Well Harbaugh seemed to be…

Well Harbaugh seemed to be their main target, so it would seem that with him gone now we would be on a more level playing field with other schools when it comes to NCAA rules enforcement. 

He’s currently (or was last…

He’s currently (or was last year anyway, not sure how the coaching changes have affected the support staff) the Assistant Director of Player Personnel. The specific duties probably vary school to school, but essentially they oversee the day-to-day operations of the football program and keep things running smoothly behind the scenes for the players and staff, with some overlap into recruiting aspects. 

Would be a good one for sure…

Would be a good one for sure, but Moore’s hires so far have come from personal connections or at the recommendation of Harbaugh/Minter. So it wouldn’t really fit the trend.

 

DRob would be a fan/local favorite, brings a splashy name, and his personality would really resonate with recruits. I think he checks enough boxes and the transition would be much smoother than an external hire at this point. But this is what Moore gets paid to do so we’ll see.