This was so Harbaugh: a reference to scripture (Hebrews 11:21) that is humorous, on point, and neglectful of the details or mixing the metaphors. So it was Jacob who leaned on his staff, not Abraham. But who would even have thought of that one, man? That Harbaugh's got a interesting head on his shoulders!
A world where MSU is perenially at the level of MSU circa 2000 is a world where the stars have aligned well and the spheres of the heavens still orbit in orderly fashion.
A world where OSU is perenially at the level of OSU circa 2011 is a world where the lighter elements have become heavy and the heavier lighter.
Or, abandoning the cosmological comparisons: everything's just as it should be if MSU is perpetually mediocre, but something's wrong if OSU is.
It's not nearly as much fun to hate Ohio State if Ohio State becomes Minnesota.
Before it ended, the feel of the game was a loss. But my feelers were still habituated by Rich Rod and Brady. Things're a bit different now. And it's good.
Right now, we're one Glasgow away from having the right to feel great about our chances against OSU. Even thugh we don't have that Glasgow, I feel great about our chances against PSU and good (not great) about OSU. That's still a nice place to be in at that point in the season!
Woo! No critical thoughts or feelings right now! Been beaten down soo many years: to win the close one on the road feels good. And Rudock? Looks like a much improved quarterback from even a few weeks ago. Hate watching the end of games like that-- love the win!
Starting as an 8 year old in 1998, and for several years afterwards, my brother would sneak me into the student section with him. Best Saturdays I can remember. Jumpstarted my perpetual love of Michigan football. But I don't think I could have loved it as as much if we had been shouting "you suck" at the end of temptation-- a kid doesn't need that level of negativity in his life.
This "tradition" is brand spanking new and has about as much dignity as block Ms above the MSU stadium and Chicken Dances after Notre Dame games. It's not what Michigan has been, and it shouldn't be what Michigan becomes in the future.
Maybe it's up the students to determine what they want the game day experience to be, but my game day experience is decidedly not improved by this. I believe that talking about it can make a difference. That's how change begins.
But do they always have advertising at the Spring Game? When I saw the PNC and Allstate adverts, I thought it was strange to have advertising in the Big House.
On the whole, a good article, collecting a history I remember in detail, albeit with great sorrow. The end of this piece took it too far. I was one of those marching against Brandon. I had opposed Brandon for about 2 years before that. Also, we can't disagree with the facts, e.g. show awful and petty those e-mails are. But I'm a firm believer in not hurting someone's reputation more than we absolutely have to. To say he's a shitty human being goes to far. Bo spoke very highly of him in Bo's Lasting Legacy, and so I gotta believe there's some good stuff in him--Bo had good judgement. I've never met him. I would leave it at the bad decisions he made and his rudeness to fans. Keep it professional. I wonder what his children would think reading something like that last paragraph... terrible mistake for U of M as he was, he remains a human being.
I loved listening to Dennis Fithian on TKA back when I was in High School. It was an important part of my budding interest in college athletics. Even had a nice email exchange with him. When he switched to 1050 (97.1) there wasn't much Michigan talk, but I still listen sometimes.
Doesn't he live in Ann Arbor? Or has he moved? If he lives in Ann Arbor, I'd assume he'd be occasionally around, even he's not officially invited to visit the team. All the more so cause he's still friends with Mattison.
Hoke and Mattison dramatically improved the defense,but after trying to impliment their offense, they basically abandoned it during the Notre Dame game and went back to most of the elements that had been run in the RR offense. It's fair to say that Hoke won with RR's offense, and the more he started implimenting his own, the less effective it was.
I wish I knew how each of our coaches stacks up theoretically against the coaches at some of the other big name programs. Unfortunately I don't know enough about the different position coaches at schools other than Michigan to make any meaningful comparison. Just gonna has to trust Coach Harbaugh and see how it plays out on the field.
I was about 4 when Tyrone Wheatley played at Michigan. Little kids live in smaller worlds and make connections between everything they hear and see. One day I saw a Wheaties commercial with a footbal player advertising Wheaties. My mind made an indellible connection. I thought maybe Wheaties was named after Wheatley. I was amazed that our football player had his own cerial--thought it was pretty cool. Even as an adult, I cannot get the association out of my mind.
Tolbert coached as the speed coach at Michigan with Gittleson during a time when Michigan's s&c program seemed to lag behind philosophically, becoming somewhat unbalanced toward muscle mass. At least that's my understanding. It didn't help, of course, that Michigan's weight room was extremely out of date.
Then Tolbert coached at Stanford, where he worked with some of the best high intensity training coaches. I don't know enough about the 49ers to know what their philosophy was.
He certainly has the resume and the experience, but do we know what his strength philosophy is? Is he going to help us acheive the reduction in injuries that Stanford saw under Turley? Would you describe him as a s&c pioneer, reactionary, or somewhere in the middle?
In my opinion, it's best not to inquire too deeply into a kid's life, especially when it might be academic or disciplinary. Let him keep his good reputation and hope he's successful at his next stop.
If it's true he wanted to stay but couldn't/wouldn't meet whatever requirements were requested, transfering can be the best option for both. Good luck to him, but always Go Blue.
I would want to upvote this, because I still find the blind arrogance of NFL guys kinda funny', and, at the same time, I can't because the idea is terrifying, even if I doubt the NFL would be able to steal him. Just gonna repeat to myself: "Harbaugh's in it for the long haul. It was a decision of the heart."
I don't know how good of reporters the local guys are, but I do know that local reporters are more likely to have good sources than people from the outside. The Harbaugh NFL thing was scewed because all sorts of Michigan sources had contact with Harbaugh, so our sources were better. But I doubt our reporters have better contacts in Kentucky than their own do.
Same thoughts I had. I am withholding judgement till tomorrow when we should know. Too much bad news for one night. The least I can do is wait till tomorrow and see if anything's changed.
Stanford seems like the only school where their S&C coach is the most beloved coach on campus.
Gosh, I would have loved to have gotten him wearing Maize and Blue and chanting the Victors.
As the cry of sources confirming that Turley isn't coming becomes more impossible to ignore, and as the Marrow and Anderson also begin to seem more unlikely, I find myself tempted to feel a bit more demoralized than I ought to this close to the Hapenning. But Coach Harbaugh only asked us one thing, that everyone who is for Michigan be for Michigan. I'd gotten my hopes up for Turley, but i trust Harbaugh to bring in someone who can do for Michigan what Turley has done for Stanford. I am for Michigan, and I trust our coach.
I always imagine Brady Hoke saying: "The Ohio game is the season. Plan a little for it every day, set aside some of our playbook for it, and when we win it, everything will come together." As far as stretegies go, btw, that's not the worst one imaginable. Aside from the fact that OSU is the last game of the season, beating the Bucks is definitely a ticket for success. I'm not sure that it's worth holding back some of the playbook all year for, though.
Remember at the beginning of 2011, when they tried to force Denard into power-I pocket passing? The glorious moment in UTL was when they abandoned everything new they had been coaching and basically reverted a stripped-down version of RR's offense.
It wasn't just that talented people left--though I'll grant you that that's what happened on the offensive line (thanks RR), but it was that as the talented people left, also the people left who had been coached by the coaching staff that brought up the offense of 2010.
Mattison's defense was always solid, even if personell loss and offensive incompetence caused some regression. It was on offense where the problems lied, and that wasn't merely come big apples leaving and the apples taking their place turning out to be smaller, that was a coaching staff unable to do what they wanted to with the people they had.
Strength and conditioning can make quite a bit difference. I realize that a lot of the skepticism toward Aaron Wellman stemed from an infatuation with Barwis, but we never saw the conditioning produce speed (something the coaches never seemed to care about *cough* playclock *cough*), stamina, endurence (why good teams win in the 4th quarter), resilience (injuries, injuries!), etc. Now before anyone says that Barwis' guys were sometimes injury prone too,my point isn't to defend Barwis, but to question the state of s&c under Hoke. This is something that could be corrrected relatively quickly. I'm eagerly watching the s&c position.
I had almost reached the end of the thread without seeing anyone mention the improvement in the offensive line (or, really, how good the defense will be). As has been noted, Morris was beaten up pretty badly at the Minnesota game, but it was behind an offensive line that was signficantly worse than the line was to become by the Ohio State game. Nuss' consistency payed off in that regard. I expect this improvement to solidy into a pretty decent line some time next year. That would help any quarterback.
We would have had a winning record this year with only a not-terrible offense, and I think the same logic holds for next year. Our defense could make the jump to elite at any time, and, at any rate, it's already good enough to keep us in the game. We're not asking for Ohio State's offense (something, I fear, we will never have), all we're asking for is an offense that scores some points turns the ball over less. I think we'll get that next year. 8-4 is a reasonable expectation.
all the NFL losers who constantly shot down this possibility on zero evidence. We suspected, then we were confident, then we knew, and they still where lost in their cloud of "No one leaves the NFL" -ness. Welcome home Jim Harbaugh. And congrats to John U. Bacon for breaking it. Bakes for the win! We're so pleased to have you on our side.
Wooo!
I'd rather have Harbaugh coming here cause he wants to be here than cause his stock fell at the last minute. Kinda feel bad for the guy. At the same time, I doubt this is gonna make him less attractive to NFL teams. Did we really gain anythig by him losing?
BTW, that was a ricidulous game! How does that even happen? (*gasp*)
Recent Comments
This was so Harbaugh: a reference to scripture (Hebrews 11:21) that is humorous, on point, and neglectful of the details or mixing the metaphors. So it was Jacob who leaned on his staff, not Abraham. But who would even have thought of that one, man? That Harbaugh's got a interesting head on his shoulders!
A world where MSU is perenially at the level of MSU circa 2000 is a world where the stars have aligned well and the spheres of the heavens still orbit in orderly fashion.
A world where OSU is perenially at the level of OSU circa 2011 is a world where the lighter elements have become heavy and the heavier lighter.
Or, abandoning the cosmological comparisons: everything's just as it should be if MSU is perpetually mediocre, but something's wrong if OSU is.
It's not nearly as much fun to hate Ohio State if Ohio State becomes Minnesota.
Before it ended, the feel of the game was a loss. But my feelers were still habituated by Rich Rod and Brady. Things're a bit different now. And it's good.
...JUST WIN...
Right now, we're one Glasgow away from having the right to feel great about our chances against OSU. Even thugh we don't have that Glasgow, I feel great about our chances against PSU and good (not great) about OSU. That's still a nice place to be in at that point in the season!
Wow. Just wow. Go blue!
& glad Indiana keeps on Hoosiering themselves. U Bacon's right. Gotta be the most unlucky team.
Woo! No critical thoughts or feelings right now! Been beaten down soo many years: to win the close one on the road feels good. And Rudock? Looks like a much improved quarterback from even a few weeks ago. Hate watching the end of games like that-- love the win!
I'll remember this impeccable bit of logic if I ever have to opportunity to be an offensive coordinator, and limit my cervesial intake accordingly.
Starting as an 8 year old in 1998, and for several years afterwards, my brother would sneak me into the student section with him. Best Saturdays I can remember. Jumpstarted my perpetual love of Michigan football. But I don't think I could have loved it as as much if we had been shouting "you suck" at the end of temptation-- a kid doesn't need that level of negativity in his life.
This "tradition" is brand spanking new and has about as much dignity as block Ms above the MSU stadium and Chicken Dances after Notre Dame games. It's not what Michigan has been, and it shouldn't be what Michigan becomes in the future.
Maybe it's up the students to determine what they want the game day experience to be, but my game day experience is decidedly not improved by this. I believe that talking about it can make a difference. That's how change begins.
I loved listening to Dennis Fithian on TKA back when I was in High School. It was an important part of my budding interest in college athletics. Even had a nice email exchange with him. When he switched to 1050 (97.1) there wasn't much Michigan talk, but I still listen sometimes.
Doesn't he live in Ann Arbor? Or has he moved? If he lives in Ann Arbor, I'd assume he'd be occasionally around, even he's not officially invited to visit the team. All the more so cause he's still friends with Mattison.
Hoke and Mattison dramatically improved the defense,but after trying to impliment their offense, they basically abandoned it during the Notre Dame game and went back to most of the elements that had been run in the RR offense. It's fair to say that Hoke won with RR's offense, and the more he started implimenting his own, the less effective it was.
I wish I knew how each of our coaches stacks up theoretically against the coaches at some of the other big name programs. Unfortunately I don't know enough about the different position coaches at schools other than Michigan to make any meaningful comparison. Just gonna has to trust Coach Harbaugh and see how it plays out on the field.
But ebola isn't very infectuous compared with other diseases.
Hip, hip!
"are belong to us."
I concur.
HARBAUGH!!!!
HARBAUGHS!
I was about 4 when Tyrone Wheatley played at Michigan. Little kids live in smaller worlds and make connections between everything they hear and see. One day I saw a Wheaties commercial with a footbal player advertising Wheaties. My mind made an indellible connection. I thought maybe Wheaties was named after Wheatley. I was amazed that our football player had his own cerial--thought it was pretty cool. Even as an adult, I cannot get the association out of my mind.
Welcome back Mr. Wheatley.
My confidence that being near Fred Jackson during the apocalypse will save me has plummeted.
Tolbert coached as the speed coach at Michigan with Gittleson during a time when Michigan's s&c program seemed to lag behind philosophically, becoming somewhat unbalanced toward muscle mass. At least that's my understanding. It didn't help, of course, that Michigan's weight room was extremely out of date.
Then Tolbert coached at Stanford, where he worked with some of the best high intensity training coaches. I don't know enough about the 49ers to know what their philosophy was.
He certainly has the resume and the experience, but do we know what his strength philosophy is? Is he going to help us acheive the reduction in injuries that Stanford saw under Turley? Would you describe him as a s&c pioneer, reactionary, or somewhere in the middle?
Congrats to the fam and to the little victor!
I like the thinner block ][v][. It reminds me of the M on the ceiling of Hill Auditorium.
In my opinion, it's best not to inquire too deeply into a kid's life, especially when it might be academic or disciplinary. Let him keep his good reputation and hope he's successful at his next stop.
If it's true he wanted to stay but couldn't/wouldn't meet whatever requirements were requested, transfering can be the best option for both. Good luck to him, but always Go Blue.
I would want to upvote this, because I still find the blind arrogance of NFL guys kinda funny', and, at the same time, I can't because the idea is terrifying, even if I doubt the NFL would be able to steal him. Just gonna repeat to myself: "Harbaugh's in it for the long haul. It was a decision of the heart."
I don't know how good of reporters the local guys are, but I do know that local reporters are more likely to have good sources than people from the outside. The Harbaugh NFL thing was scewed because all sorts of Michigan sources had contact with Harbaugh, so our sources were better. But I doubt our reporters have better contacts in Kentucky than their own do.
Same thoughts I had. I am withholding judgement till tomorrow when we should know. Too much bad news for one night. The least I can do is wait till tomorrow and see if anything's changed.
Stanford seems like the only school where their S&C coach is the most beloved coach on campus.
Gosh, I would have loved to have gotten him wearing Maize and Blue and chanting the Victors.
As the cry of sources confirming that Turley isn't coming becomes more impossible to ignore, and as the Marrow and Anderson also begin to seem more unlikely, I find myself tempted to feel a bit more demoralized than I ought to this close to the Hapenning. But Coach Harbaugh only asked us one thing, that everyone who is for Michigan be for Michigan. I'd gotten my hopes up for Turley, but i trust Harbaugh to bring in someone who can do for Michigan what Turley has done for Stanford. I am for Michigan, and I trust our coach.
but I'm afraid we have to wait till 2016 for Messiah to come.
I like how you put down Brandon as if he were one of the coaches. He probably was.
(though, to be fair, noon is personally my favorite start time)
glazed donut games?
I always imagine Brady Hoke saying: "The Ohio game is the season. Plan a little for it every day, set aside some of our playbook for it, and when we win it, everything will come together." As far as stretegies go, btw, that's not the worst one imaginable. Aside from the fact that OSU is the last game of the season, beating the Bucks is definitely a ticket for success. I'm not sure that it's worth holding back some of the playbook all year for, though.
sure puts into perspective. 115,000 follows just means 1 HARBAUGH home game worth.
Remember at the beginning of 2011, when they tried to force Denard into power-I pocket passing? The glorious moment in UTL was when they abandoned everything new they had been coaching and basically reverted a stripped-down version of RR's offense.
It wasn't just that talented people left--though I'll grant you that that's what happened on the offensive line (thanks RR), but it was that as the talented people left, also the people left who had been coached by the coaching staff that brought up the offense of 2010.
Mattison's defense was always solid, even if personell loss and offensive incompetence caused some regression. It was on offense where the problems lied, and that wasn't merely come big apples leaving and the apples taking their place turning out to be smaller, that was a coaching staff unable to do what they wanted to with the people they had.
Strength and conditioning can make quite a bit difference. I realize that a lot of the skepticism toward Aaron Wellman stemed from an infatuation with Barwis, but we never saw the conditioning produce speed (something the coaches never seemed to care about *cough* playclock *cough*), stamina, endurence (why good teams win in the 4th quarter), resilience (injuries, injuries!), etc. Now before anyone says that Barwis' guys were sometimes injury prone too,my point isn't to defend Barwis, but to question the state of s&c under Hoke. This is something that could be corrrected relatively quickly. I'm eagerly watching the s&c position.
I had almost reached the end of the thread without seeing anyone mention the improvement in the offensive line (or, really, how good the defense will be). As has been noted, Morris was beaten up pretty badly at the Minnesota game, but it was behind an offensive line that was signficantly worse than the line was to become by the Ohio State game. Nuss' consistency payed off in that regard. I expect this improvement to solidy into a pretty decent line some time next year. That would help any quarterback.
We would have had a winning record this year with only a not-terrible offense, and I think the same logic holds for next year. Our defense could make the jump to elite at any time, and, at any rate, it's already good enough to keep us in the game. We're not asking for Ohio State's offense (something, I fear, we will never have), all we're asking for is an offense that scores some points turns the ball over less. I think we'll get that next year. 8-4 is a reasonable expectation.
...batman smells...
I don't particularly care what one thin-skinned reporter thinks...
I'd rather have Harbaugh coming here cause he wants to be here than cause his stock fell at the last minute. Kinda feel bad for the guy. At the same time, I doubt this is gonna make him less attractive to NFL teams. Did we really gain anythig by him losing?
BTW, that was a ricidulous game! How does that even happen? (*gasp*)
And that GIF expresses the range of my emotions well.
I also dig Ace's game recap.
It just takes the Harbaugh, don't it?
I expect our searchbits will easily surpass the LXIX Superbowl number. Hurrah