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Date Title Body
Godspeed, Ace

... see you (or your posts) when you're back

posted from iPhone

I don't know about anti-Christ, but he has definitely shown to be anti-Crist...

Extremes don't tell the whole story

If you take both stats and points scored into account, hopefully we can all agree that, while the offense was not as effective as we thought from the first games (in terms of scoring against good teams), it had incredible potential and was dangerous. I think saying that the offense did not work, therefore we needed change is just a major oversimplification. If there was one thing that was working last season was the offense (yes, I know, except for OSU and MSU, ntMSU).
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<br>To say that the offense wasn't working and stop right there, ignores that there were several reasons why it didn't perform to it's potential:
<br>
<br>- Denard as a first year starter. In spite of that, Big Ten Offensive POY.
<br>
<br>- Michigan offense needed a real alternate running threat. Once teams realized Denard wad the only running threat, they knew who to focus on.
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<br>- Michigan defense and special teams were disastrous. As an offense, when you know that you know that the only real chance at winning is to score a TD in almost every possession, it creates an incredible amount of pressure that only an offense filled with upperclassmen could handle.
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<br>Yes, the Michigan offense did not do enough to win key games, but in my opinion, the reasons above (not excuses), especially the defense and special teams, made "enough" a goal nearly impossible to reach. At the end of the season, I wanted change too. Change everything, defense, special teams. But at the risk of sounding like a grumpy old man, "get off my offense!" (lawn).

I disagree...

... He is not better than this. This is who he is. As a fan, I respect how a player conducts himself after he leaves Michigan, including how they support their Alma Mater. I am disappointed and lost respect for a few ex-players, including Desmond Howard, Braylon Edwards and Brian Griese.
<br>
<br>Not that they care what I think, but it is what I think.

SEC B1G Challenge

I love this idea, as long as the B1G teams get the home portion of the games played in late November. I bet the SEC teams would all choke playing in cold weather.

"Borges, unlike Mattison,

"Borges, unlike Mattison, obsessed over last year’s tape"

For some reason, the above statement makes me think the offense will be fine. I mean, why be obsessed over watching last year's tape if you are not planning to use at least some portions of that offense? To me what we saw in the spring game is just a practice on the new concepts, as in, why practice what they already know? Also, what Borges said about not wanting to show all of the offense makes a lot of sense to me.

Or I am in just plain denial...

 

Not thrilled...

... I was all in for RR, but just as I wished he had gotten more support, I will be open and embrace Hoke as the coach, and hope for the best.
<br>
<br>There is something that would really get me excited: that in the Ohio State at Michigan game, he gives a speech where he basically tells OSU that their days of dominance over UM are over. It would set the intention and the tone of what will be and that would get people excited. I remember when Tressel addressed the fans that basketball and stating how he would make everyone proud "31x days from now in Ann Arbor", and how the crowd got wild, and I was laughing thinking "how arrogant! we will give him a rude welcoming". Little did I know that in 10 years we would only win 1 game against Tressel?
<br>
<br>It's time to return the favor!

Exactly!

I'm so frustrated... But hey, what's done is done. I'll whine today... Move on tomorrow...

Please bring...

Scott Loeffler (sp?), please!

Can't stop laughing...

... I'm at work and I feel I'm laughing at a funeral

+99999999999

...9999999999

He later tweeted...

"Honestly, not sure why people are freaked about Hoke. You knew it'd be a Michigan guy, and there were only 3. Harb said no. Miles not easy."
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<br>I freak out because it did NOT have to be a Michigan guy. That's limiting! Hire Hoke if he's the best man for the job, not because he was the last choice among "Michigsn Men". When DB was at Domino's did he hire people who were "Domino Men"? Or did he hire the best available candidate?

What's done it's done but...

... I just can't imagine how any of what's transpiring is any better than keeping RR for one more year. Now we're down to Hoke? Is this how we move forward?
<br>
<br>I will support whoever the coach is. I will still be the lone screaming soul in my small town in Northern Canada when Michigan scores a touchdown, and will still mourn every loss. But I don't like where this is going at all, compared to thinking we might have been close to a great season next fall. Now we'll just wonder what if....

Wel...

... better than Hugo Chavez

Nah

Rosenberg has a crush on Miles... We're safe.

I don't find it that weird...

... He needs to appear uninterested in the Michigan job, but in doing so he is also appearing disingenuous when trying to say he's happy at LSU.
<br>
<br>One thing is obvious to me. If he weren't interested, why meet with DB?

Well, the track record...

... of College coaches trying it in the NFL is not good at all. He'll be dealing with big egos, not kids. Plus the pressure is going to be significantly higher. SF fans are NOT going to be waiting 5 years for significant improvement. Who knows his reasons, but if Michigan was willing to pay close to $5 million for him, how do you not go and coach in the place you said all this time you loved?

I hope he does well in the NFL, but I have my doubts that he will.

Thanks for posting this...

... all signs seem to point at Hoke. If he is indeed our next coach, please, let's give him the support he needs. I believe we really need someone who wants to be here. We need someone who will address the crowd at Crisler Arena and yells to the world:

"To The Ohio State Buckeys, I tell you this: your fun is over... we'll be waiting for you next November". He needs to set the intention, get people excited, and prepare all year for it. I thought Harbaugh would be that guy... but maybe someone with Hoke's passion and love for Michigan (and hopefully a healthy hate for MSU and OSU) will get it done. 

Edit: I know I posted above that I had my reservations about Hoke, therefore, contradicting myself. But reading that article, made me re-think about it. I think we need to be open.

But he hates...

... the spread, according to Brian's post. I frankly did not mind Hoke, until I read those comments. I don't necessarily buy the "We deserve better" argument; for all I know he may be a good coach that just needs a chance. But if DB said he was looking for a coach able to adapt his approach to the talent available, I don't think Hoke is that guy.

For the life of me...

... I just can't find a reason that explains this delay. What else is there to discuss? What other input does DB need? What else could RR possibly to help his case?
<br>
<br>/talkaboutbizarre

Surely...

... it's just a stop to refuel before heading to Palo Alto?
<br>
<br>/dreaming
<br>
<br>Well, if it's Hoke, let's get behind him. Maybe he is the choice that best guarantees that the transition won't be painful... And Denard doesn't transfer?

I don't know where the faith comes from ...

... But I figure that the way he took charge of the NCAA investigation, secured the first ever night game in The Big House, big match with Alabama in 2012, permanent lights for the Big House and hints that the basketball facilities will be upgraded, et all, in one year, seems quite impressive.

Does the above translate in knowledge in how to deal with a a coaching decision? no. But I respect the fact that he seems to want all data available before making a decision, and that includes how we perform in the Bowl game. So yeah, to me it is all hanging on the bowl performance. That is the only thing that explains to me, why the wait.

Just remember how...

... many "experts" had UConn beating Michigan. I know, UConn is not MSU, but I believe that if we're healthy, we win.

I don't buy it...

... Wolverines will be prepared and will play solid football, like they did vs. UConn. Michigan will not dominate toMSU but I do expect a close game and a Michigan win is definitely not out of the question.

I thought ...

... It was a Dee Hart reference?

I'm sure Denard would be...

.... successful in any system. But the question is what us the system that maximizes his abilities? I believe a system like RR's is the one that does

DB did say...

... that "had we performed better, we wouldn't be talking about this now". Maybe he would have endorsed RR. To me he is just waiting to see how Michigan performs in the bowl game, after the 15 practices. 15 practices should be enough to re-emphasize fundamentals, healing of hurt players, game plan for the oponent, etc. I would expect a performance like the UConn game. If after all that preparation, we still look sloppy, then I guess RR will be let go.

All that is true...

... but it was a veteran team.... the #2 team had lots of juniors and seniors and the 2007 had a senior Chad Henne, Mike Hart, Jake Long, etc. Veterans at key positions. The 2007 team was expected to compete for a BCS championship, so beating Florida and all, we underachieved. The 2007 had no upside.

But what few, if any saw coming was how vulnerable we would be one the veterans left. So we were on our way down, we just didn't know it at the time, or were too blind to see. And the coaching change accelerated our "depletion" of talent. 

In contrast, the 2010 has lots of upside, if we are patient enough to reap the benefits of all these growing pains. In 2011, we should do better; and it will be a year where we can know, almost for certain if what plagues Michigan now is just the growing pains of a team that is maturing, or if it is simply coaching.

To me, it's a no-brainer. It is reasonable to expect that the team will make another leap, with more experience. I'm in favour for keeping RR for another year, but if a coaching change must be made, then let's make sure that the next coach can continue what RR has built so far, otherwise, it will be 2+ more years of rebuilding. Do we want to go through that again?

I wouldn't surprise me...

 

... if Michigan State is next year's Iowa. MSU was very lucky this year, like Iowa was last year, and look at Iowa's record now. 

And we...

WILL be better!

Rich Rodriguez IS Bo

Rich Rodriguez IS Bo Schembechler.

If I read the OP correctly, this was meant to be interpreted as "both have started successful eras in the history of Michigan Football". Granted, we still don't know if the RR era will be judged as successful. But hey, I think it will be if given the right chance.

One thing that I didn't like

One thing that I didn't like about LC --and on the whole I liked him as a coach, a person, and spokesman for the team-- is that he made exceptions for certain players.

YEAH!  the "family values" that have eroded under Rich Rod!

Signed: Justin Boren

The offense is good, against anyone, period.

Second half and first half points count the same and while I could see some sort of argument that Wisconsin had lightened up on the pressure because they were ahead by so much, they didn't do that. They remained very aggresive until the last drive I charted above, whereupon they backed the safeties off to safety depth… and Roundtree immediately caught three balls for 28, 21, and 28 yards. There's one play in the whole game you can chalk up to Wisconsin having a big lead: a QB draw that worked on Michigan's final TD drive.

'nough said. The offense is good, but still young, has yet to reach its prime. And it is because of that youth and relative inexperience that it shoots itself in the foot and has not been able to seize all of its opportunities; it has not developed a killer instinct. But it will, if given the right time to mature, and when that happens, I hope we can all finally understand that all past and current struggles were all worth it.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all, from frigid cold Northern Canada.

Michigan fan base...

... was already divided before RR was hired. The factions were "Carr should go vs. Carr should stay" and then later it was "Les Miles vs. not Les Miles" or "It has to be a Michigan Man vs. Just bring me a proven coach, even if he's not from the Michigan 'bloodline' ".

The "Just bring me a proven coach, even if he's not from the Michigan 'bloodline' " faction won, but the  "It has to be a Michigan Man" side never accepted it. Just the fact that RR got the job alienated a lot of people. That's hardly his fault.

To me, the key point in DB's decision...

... will be how well Michigan does in the bowl game. With the 15 practices and all the time to prepare, neutral site, good weather, I am confident we can play with anybody and win. If we are manhandled again, I wouldn't be surprised if RR is let go, although I wouldn't agree with the decision. Let RR have next year and I think he will prove that the slow but steady progress has been worth it.

Spot on!

You sir, hit the nail on the head. This losing is making a plenty of people pissed, embarrassed, etc, and are letting those emotions rule them. Fortunately, DB seems like someone who will not be making decisions based on emotions, or even based on fans' emotions, but with facts in hand. And with facts in hand you can only conclude that:

  1. Our offense has improved over these 3 years. Improved in such a way that we are top 15 or better in many categories, despite this being a still young, inexperienced team.

     
  2. Defense and special teams have regressed. Period. No sugarcoat. There are reasons (different from excuses) for it. Some responsibility is on the coaches, mainly the retention of the talent. Some people criticize the recruiting, but remember we have been subject to a lot of negative recruiting, due to NCAA Investigation, losing, coaching job uncertainty, etc.

     
  3. With only one of the 3 components working at a respectable level (i.e. offense vs. defense and special teams) our W-L record has improved, we are going to a bowl game, we'll get the 15 extra practices, etc that will be important to set us up for next year and beyond. If we "are what our records says we are" then we have improved, period.

     
  4.  If we have improved and the program has an upside (who can even deny this?) then RR should come back, with changes in the defensive staff.

     

We as fans need to apply the "Those who stay will be champions" to ourselves as well. It is hard to take these losses, but we are headed in the right direction. If we stay the course, we'll be champions. Period.

Carr...

... never had it this bad in shortage of talent on defense. How would he do in this exact situation?

So basically...

... what he is saying is that kids don't learn? I would like to believe that we do have talent and simply the coaches on defense have not put these kids in a better position to at least be ranked 80th in the nation. Is being ranked 112th just a result of poor talent? I don't think so...

Agree

... but how long did it take him? Isn't is like 5 years? we are at year 3 and IMO, heading to 10+ wins in 1, 2 years max.

One of the things I remember...

... from the coaching search is that Harbaugh quickly said "I am not a candidate for the coaching position at Michigan", so no, he was not available. I am at work so I could not get access to a site that has that quote, to link to it.

The Big 10...

... is far more competitive now that in the 70's 80's and in the 90's Michigan started to get 3-4 losses per season (except in 1997). Maybe the style that won many, many games, won those games in the Big 2, Little 8 era. That style had an impressive bowl streak, but unimpressive record.

Remember the 90's? when we started losing games to Wisconsin,  Northwestern and Michigan state?, when Wisconsin would win at least shares of the Big 10 title? It was because those teams improved. All of a sudden Wisconsin.Northwestern, Purdue, Illinois were not gimmie games as before. So wgat we are suffering now is a combination of a drop in our talent/experience (at least defensively) and the rest of the teams getting better. This is our current reality The Big 10 is pretty good almost top to bottom.

Remember 2006? 2007? didn't we have a top defense in 2006? what happened when we played teams that spread the field? Remember the 2006 Ohio State game? Remember 2007 vs> Appalachian State? What about Oregon? what style did they play?

Facts are:

- Big 10 has gotten more competitive

- Michigan's offense now can score on anyone, and yeah, with RR's style

- Defense IS young and inexperienced

- If with a veteran team, Michigan keeps having turnover issues and poor tackling, etc. then the current coaching staff should go. Not now, when the there is still lots of upside.

How about talent comparison?

Yes, we hear and read a lot that Iowa is not Michigan. We read that we should not measure or try to predict what year 4 under RR will be, based on how years 3 and 4 went in Iowa under Ferentz. Someone made the point that before Ferentz Iowa was trending downwards and that Michigan was about even.

But this comparison based solely on W-L records. It would be interesting to compare level of talent in Iowa's 1st year under Ferentz and Michigan's 1st Year under RR. Did the mass exodus of talent we experienced here at Michigan put us at a level comparable to Iowa at that time? 

I really don't buy this "We are Michigan, therefore we have higher standards" crap as a sole criteria to decide if a coach stays or goes. Things happen, even to the best of us. It is pretty clear there are reasons (different from excuses) as to why we (Michigan) are not where we have been before. Question is, are headed back to the level of before, or better? Is the program headed for greatness? I think by just looking at the offense this year, with mostly freshmen/sophomores, and most coming back next year, we have been shown we can be scary and can beat anyone... if we even had a mediocre defense, which I hope we will next year. 7-5 is I "meets expectations" this year. Next year it might not.

I think the program is headed in the right direction, it shows promise of greatness. We just have to stay the course. It would be foolish to change directions at this point, with all the promise of the years to come. Do we want to set ourselves apart from other fan bases? Strength is shown in patience as well, we rise above the need for instant gratification and look at the big picture. The way I see it, I love the big picture we have in front of us.

Clearly a win at all costs

Clearly a win at all costs coach.... UNACCEPTABLE!!!

/sarcasm

 

Loss will cause me

 

Loss will cause me to... drink.

Win will cause me to... open one eye and look around in case the falling building didn't actually hit me.

 

.... and DRINK!!!!!!!

Yes, our standards have dropped...

... because we are in a different situation that we never had when the standards were high. Standards for next year will be higher for sure, and even higher the year after that with hopefully a veteran, big, fast and explosive team. This young team has shown that with a mediocre defense it would be probably 8-1 now. To me RR stays even if we don't win another game. Would be great if we do win the bowl game though.

Can't wait for the UFR

Great comment within the funniest post of the season.

Afraid of being disappointed again

This is what I think is happening to a great number of fans. Last year we were on a high with the great start; a bowl seemed like a foregone conclusion... only to have the year end at 5 - 7. I know I was very disappointed. So I find myself this year once again very excited about what I am seeing, but "cautiously" optimistic.

But what these fans (and myself at times) seem to forget is this year is not last year. The team is more mature, more experienced in the offense, they seem to be on a mission to prove all naysayers wrong, sort of like Charles Woodson saying prior to the 97 season "I'm tired of losing, we gotta win". No, I don't think this team is going to win a BCS Championship, but I do think this team is united around being tired losing and taking care of business.

Surely...

... there will be some really good defenses that can slow down / contain Denard. But to do that the might have to cheat / blitz / crowd the line for him, which I suppose will leave some of our receivers open. Obviously he's fast enough to avoid a pass rush enough to get the ball to them, in open space. For this offense to be successful, it has to show it can be multidimensional. I think vs. UConn it showed it can be, although it relied a bit too much on Denard. That should change. I am not worried about the offense, if it stays healthy enough.

After last year, I want to contain my excitement, but man is it hard. I think we are in for something special.

Great point...

... if our offense has improved so much that we lose 54-51, like that Northwestern game, I'll still be VERY disappointed, and feeling lucky there are no tall buildings where I live.

I have a feeling...

... UConn is going to start passing like crazy against our secondary, if only to try to open what should be our strength in defense, the run defense. I hope we get to Frazer quick, often and hard! He can't be given time to pass.