Member for

10 years 4 months
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Recent Comments

Date Title Body
Worry if...

Josh Groban makes an appearance at the football bust. Actually, they should just get it over with and have him perform at halftime.

A decade ago

That's how much time seems to have passed since the ND game.

Reasonable Expectations

All I'm asking for is a team that competes annually for the B1G title and occasionally for the national title. Is that too much to ask for?

Why?

Because our team is bad and only getting worse. We have no championship to play for and no chance of beating tOSU. Meanwhile, the Suckeyes are only getting better and they do have a championship to play for. I never felt this way about the team during the Carr era, but this is the fourth time in the past six seasons that I've felt this way leading up to the Ohio State game.

This team...

Is like an old dog that, for mercy's sake, is just begging to be put down. I've been watching this dog limp around for the past month and now my pity for the team is turning into contempt. My contempt is not directed at the players (though they have often been out-executed), but for the offensive coaches, who so often put them in position to fail. I admire the players for how they've handled their disappointment - I'll be cheering for them on Saturday. Go Blue!

Un. Watch. Able.

I live in Canada, so I'd have to pay a lot of money to watch every game on my TV. When Michigan is good, I'm sad that I live in Canada, but when they're this bad I'm so grateful that I didn't have the option of wasting three hours watching the unwatchable. I went to the Indiana game and saw more offense than Michigan's put up in the last month. As for the Weis comparisons, Michigan's schedule is easier, their defense is better, and Hoke seems like a more humble guy. 

This game won't come down to weather

Here's the formula: Road game + Opponent of comparable quality = Loss

My expectations

Is it too much to hope for perennial B1G title contention and occasional national title contention?

One other thing

I think the Nebraska game could be why we lose to Northwestern. Opposing DC's now have miles of tape documenting UM's inability to handle the blitz.

I like your optimism, but...

I went from "We could beat tOSU twice this season!" in September to "We might not win again until next September" on Saturday night.

Brian, you are one dedicated man

I reviewed the game and I believe that most of the execution problems stem from UM's blocking schemes leaving them very little margin for error. In theory, Slide protections should cancel out a lot of blitzes, but why not use Half-Slide to try and get a better big-on-big protection? Toussaint is awful at pass pro (remember how good A-Train and Chris Perry were in the passing game?), but when you've got five blockers sliding to three pass rushers that's UM's coaches getting beat as much as it's Toussaint getting beat. I think Power is a good base play for a pro-style offense, but not for this offense. Your base play should enable you to "take" something from the defense, causing them to adjust and setting the offense up for the big play, but Power usually ends up with a runner taken down for little to no gain. With two pro-caliber tackles an off-tackle run makes sense, but the interior can't move anybody backwards and the TE's can't seal the edge. I'd base this offense off the Sweep (using both a straight pitch and an option). That would get Toussaint and Gardner in the open field, open up misdirection, and give the outside receivers some opportunities deep. Quick passing would also neutralize the blitz and keep the OL from having to hang onto their blocks for longer than they are able. As for Gardner, he seems rattled, indecisive, and unenthused. Rattled? He looks lost at the slightest protection breakdown. Indecisive? Cutting inside on an option keep when staying the course could have netted him a first down and maybe more. Unenthused? On a late-first half Toussaint run to the boundary on third and short, Gardner handed off and just watched the play. Where's the bootleg fake, man? Deep breath...you've probably all stopped reading this by now...

This offense is baseless

What are Michigan's base offensive plays? Borges calls offensive plays like he's playing Madden football.

The truth hurts

Now I have even less hope that the OL can improve this year. IMO, O-linemen shouldn't be counted on to contribute until their third year in the program (e.g. Glasgow, Miller, Bryant) and should be expected to struggle if they play any earlier. Did I expect this O-line to dominate? No, but I expected Lewan and Schofield to make the other linemen better. Should we expect this O-line to struggle? Yes. Did I expect them to struggle to the tune of -69 rushing yards the past two weeks? No, that's where I blame the coaches. The early season plan was to run behind Lewan and Schofield on stretches and counters, getting Toussaint into the open field, where he excels. I think poor TE blocking and Gardner's turnovers caused the coaches to change their plan, and every time they've tried to solve their problems they've made them worse. Also, I think the staff has shown their narrow-mindedness by assuming that the only way to play ball control football is to run between the tackles.

Would've worked as a Sweep to Toussaint

If I were the OC I wouldn't use any formation that makes Funchess ineligible, but it was blocked well enough that Toussaint gets a first down and more if Borges calls a Sweep. Getting Toussaint into the open field quickly is the best way to use him, because that's what he is - an open-field runner.