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I also just got into the show

I also just got into the show having watched Season 1 on Netflix (in the U.S.). Unfortunately S2 is not available on Netflix here, or at least wasn't a couple of weeks ago.  You can either pay for S2 or if you're so inclined you might find a sharing / streaming site with it available.  Last night's episode was S3E1. 

I agree that S2 was not as good due to so much down time at the farm, but it's still a good show and watching the descent of Shane has been entertaining. 

I think the best actor in the show is Norman Reedus, who plays Daryl.  I can't wait to see if his brother shows up some where down the road.

As far as what was whispered to Rick at the CDC, it can't have been about Lori's pregnancy.  My guess is that the virus was man-made and got loose from the CDC. 

Win Probability

Look at it like win probability in ball game.  There are 2 options: team 1 wins or team 2 wins.  So either team winning is a 50% proposition, right?

In the recruiting realm it's very common to use a percentage estimate of probability, indicating either that a recruit is leaning toward a school or that there are data suggesting that he might be.

Speaking of which, the 24/7 recruiting guy on XM College Sports about 30 minutes ago was asked about DOB. He offered up 55/45 in favor of Michigan, but said he wouldn't be surprised at all if Danny went to UT. But he didn't give much rationale for why he felt that way. 

Nice Trailer

Well done. Thanks for posting and I look forward to watching the series.

Interesting

Great post. Thanks for doing this.

Right now Wisconsin appears to be by FAR the best team in the conference.  Russell Wilson has been superb and gives them the double-threat on O they've often lacked.  Now they can MANBALL you all day long with that huge line, then play-action or drop back and torch you through the air.  The D looks good, if not great, as well. To my eyes, they have as good a chance as any team to be playing for the MNC.

Illinois might be the second best team in the conference, though it's unclear how good the competition has been. Personally, I think they'll stumble, but time will tell.

Nebraska is the other team that has been impressive.  While the "black shirt" D hasn't appeared to be as good as expected, the offense has been efficient, if a bit one-sided towards running.  Martinez has shown some flashes in the passing game, but, not unlike UM, they'll need to keep the running QB healthy. If they do, I think they'll show they're the true second best team in the B1G.

After that, questions.  Was Sparty a pretender, or were they just undone by a road game against an ND that was much better than its first 2 games indicated (turnovers)? Can Michigan continue its rebound, despite the lack of running game and over-reliance on DRob, and will the D and ST's improve quickly enough to get them above .500 in conference? Is PSU as awful as they appear to be so far? Is karma real and is Ohio unravelling?  Will Iowa improve on D enough to challenge for the division? How good can NU be with Persa back? 

It will be fun to watch the season unfold to see how things play out.

Kick Coverage

The ST's overall are much better, but as has been stated, Kick Coverage has been pretty awful.  It's amazing to me that this can be so bad. It doesn't seem like an overly complex discipline (though I'm admittedly ignorant on the subject so school me up experts if I'm wrong). 

Do we have a coach dedicated to this? We're losing the field position battle horribly on punts and KC. Punts should get better when Hagerup returns but KC has to be a matter of coaching, doesn't it? Surely we can find 11 athletes to stay in their lanes, run down there and make a tackle?

Good Decisions

Gallon has consistently made good decisions on special teams. Keep it up, young man.

Going into the season I

Going into the season I figured we would drop 1 of the non-conference games.  SDSU will be a challenge, but we have a good shot of starting the B1G undefeated.  And we seem to be improving, slowly but surely.  If we can just come out in the spread and use the threat of #16 running to open up the passing and RB game, I think we'll win it.  If we come out and try to establish the Power game we'll likely start slow again and it will be more 4Q drama.

Except...

Except that we seem to be pretty awful at said MANBALL. 

Denard's Wrist Band

On this picture of Denard:

You can just about make out the plays on his wrist band.

Coach Kovacs?

Listening to / reading his answers, combined with the "great football IQ" that we've heard of so many times (evidenced by his uncanny ability to show up in the right place on the field) I can see this kid coming back some day as a football coach. What an inspiration he is and could continue to be. 

It did sound like they were

It did sound like they were trying to stir up some controversy among the players.  These kids are great, though, and nobody took the bait. I love the attitudes on this team.

Defensive Wheel of Fortune

Mattison is not yet throwing the proverbial kitchen sink in his defensive alignments / plays but he's getting close.  I suppose it would make us hard to scout.  He has to be thinking that the talent is sub-par so he has to make up for it with schemes and unpredictability, banking on the likelihood that the average college QB can't adjust quickly enough.  High risk? Of course, but thank goodness we have him.  Just be glad we're not facing Wisconsin's offense this year.  They've been IME the most impressive B1G team by far.

Blitz Adjustments

I was thinking the same thing on the blitzes.  Is Mattison setting something up here for the future? I sure hope so b/c we showed them so early and clearly that the audible adjustments not only negated them but turned at least a couple into big plays.  Shouldn't our D leader (Kovacs?) be adjusting to the adjustment?

41-21 Mich

----

 

Yes!

41-21 Mich

----

 

Yes!

ND

Ever since Spartan Bob and his shenanigans (is that an Irish word?) I always root against Sparty.  I might forgive them on my death bed. We'll see.

#1

I was thinking about the AC versus Braylon issue for jersey #1.  I agree with you, blueindy, that AC was the most deserving. But for generations that don't remember AC, they associate the jersey with Braylon.  Braylon also endowed a scholarship linked to the #1 jersey, so it might be difficult not to include him as a Legend.  I'd guess that #1 will end up representing both AC and Braylon.

Looked Great, But ...

I thought they looked great.  The players and recruits seemed to love them. The game, atmosphere and outcome (despite the many issues we clearly have) were all superb.

But, enough with the "throwback" jerseys.  These things were never worn before. If they had just not pretended these were from another era it would not have bothered me.

/Get Off My Lawn

Texts

I just texted my ND friends this:

"We've stolen your lucky charms...."

For some reason that seemed to tick them off.

Pressure?

I didn't follow him that closely, but I don't recall BK getting this worked up last year.  Perhaps we're seeing signs of the strain and pressure in the position, and the expectations at ND. These jobs must be so stressful.  Between the time commitment, lack of sleep, pressure from fans, alumni, etc., but especially due to the reality that you can't control the result.  There's an element of randomness (injuries, bounces, etc.) that must drive these type-A personality types near to breaking when it goes against you in the pressure-cooker of nodern CFB.

Either that, or he's just an A-hole.

 

 

Not scoffing

There's not a lot of scoffing here. RR makes a valid point.  He just approaches the game from a different philosphy than the current staff (e.g., impact of the type of O you run on your own D, both in practice and in game).  M tried his philosophy.  It worked very well last year on O (albeit with a once-in-a-lifetime athlete at QB), but the other elements were horrific. Hence change. His comments are of interest but not very relevant.

Favors M

I'm a lot more concerned with ND's passing offense than its rushing game. Rain should favor M.

Surely, THE KNOWLEDGE knew

Surely, THE KNOWLEDGE knew that THE KNOWLEDGE would receive notes casting aspersions on THE KNOWLEDGE's predictions, being able to transcend the temporal dimension that restricts us lesser beings.

Similarly, THE KNOWLEDGE no doubt has already seen what weaker minds will perceive this coming Saturday night.

THE KNOWLEDGE thus already knows that I will predict this, but I will still proceed with my feeble attempt, absent the ability to bend time and space:

UM - 31

ND - 28

Fearless bonus prediction: game will be decided in the 4Q (no OT).  Oh, and it will be night time.

------

Yes.

Kalis

That is a glowing endorsement of Kalis.

Come on Mr. Dunn, you want to run behind this line in the winged helmet.

Agreed

Yeah I noticed that too and was going to post it. Also on that play, Molk pushes a defender almost through the back of the end zone. Not sure it impacted the play, but it was great to see those guys bashing donkeys.

I know I look real big on HD.

Great line. Hoke has an amazing way of deflecting questions he doens't want to answer, and there's often some self-deprecating humor in there. I'm glad this guy's our coach.

Nice job

Informative and entertaining. Barring derps and yacketysax on ND's part (please, please), this looks to be a very tough challenge on both sides of the ball.

Adaptation

Solid game plans and adaptation to what happens on the field? Amazing.

Nicely done.

Kudo's for giving some well-deserved attention to Kovacs. I know it took me, like many others I'm sure, a long time to realize that his contribution is hugely greater than what one could expect from his high school recruiting rankings.

Well Done

Great choices for today, and a great job with the entire "There Are" series by Denarded and his Team.

Too Bad

This kid would probably transfer back and play for Hoke tomorrow if he could.  Too bad the NCAA doesn't allow kids to return to their original school without sitting out a year or any other penalty. I wish we had him right now and hope he has a good career.

Top Notch

Very nice blending the echoes of the past with the excitement of the coming season. Hail!

A Keeper

How do I bookmark this thread so that I can pull it up for every meal?

Felt it very clearly in DC. 

Felt it very clearly in DC.  A colleague in a 5th floor office had her file drawers pop open during the shaking.  My office got rattled pretty thoroughly (though I'm happy to report that my aircraft models all came through unscatched).

No power outages or traffic jams that I could see. Everyone was turfed out of their buildings for about an hour while they checked for gas leaks etc.  Got back in a short while ago. Seems to have been relatively minor here, which I think is only about 120 miles or so from the epicenter near Charlottesville. 

I noticed the local bars filling up pretty quickly.  I'm headed to one of them now.

In between?

Or perhaps he'll take off at Dilithium speed, while keeping his eyes downfield (I just can't bring myself to add "and his head on a swivel").  Perhaps just before crossing the LOS he'll float one to an incredibly wide open receiver who will then score. 

Agree with Misopogon

I'm inclined to agree with Misopogon.  Mostly because of the brilliant use of "Fuck-all".  But also on the substance. 

Fan excitement notwithstanding, and despite the evidence that the number of returning starters is one of the best indicators of improvement, and ignoring the brilliance (and sheer, unstoppable Mass) of Hoke, Mattison and the rest of the staff .... we have holes.  Big holes.  Giant, gaping, truck-wide holes that nearly produce event horizons.   We are thin.  So thin.  Wafer thin. 

Though even a wafer thin wafer can sometimes cause a glutton to explode, amiright? Can these guys Point and Iron Will these players into 9 wins? Aaargh I don't think so.  But please let me be wrong. Please let Mania and Manball and Tremendous Tradition steamroll over other actual football players lined up across from us.

Have I been jaded by the last 3 years, or am I simply trying to view this team rationally?   Time will tell but I'm hoping for jaded.

NCAA12

They definitely seem to have lifted a lot of the look from the NCAA12 series.  Life mimics art? Well ESPN isn't really life I suppose.

Very good news

So glad to hear a positive update.  

Thinking of them singing The Victors is so uplifting.

Best wishes to Austin from a former Saginaw boy and Go Blue!

WWL

If you can bring to the WorldWideLeader the same quality you've brought here they will be better off for it. Thanks for all your insights and especially the dignified and respectful manner in which you seem to deal with the recruits.

Welcome

You can't spell Heiko without Hoke. Welcome.

Welcome

Welcome, Ace. Recruiting is such a huge part of the CFB landscape now. A great opportunity to you and I look forward to getting your insights over the years.

I force myself to watch every

I force myself to watch every minute of each game no matter how painful.  My hope is that will no longer be punishment.

The Senator

Could Tressel come across as any less "senatorial"? It amazes me that image in this transcript is so removed from the image he has carefully cultivated as being intellligent, articulate and a man of great judgment.  Is this simply another act he is rolling out for the NCAA? Or is he a stammering dolt?

The Opening

When I first heard about the Opening, I thought "what a great idea for Oregon... get all those elite kids in there and they'll fall in love with Oregon."  Now from what we're hearing it sounds like it was a great recruiting event for ... Michigan.  Our commits recruiting other elite prospects at another school's event? Love it.  I know I'm exagerating, and I'm sure other schools (including Oregon) benefitted from it, but it does sound like the event worked out well for us.

On another note, I'm very impressed with the quotes from Bisnowaty, and relieved to hear that our commits won't be taking more visits.  Thanks much for the info, Tom.

Japanese Translations

I work with Japanese clients. For some reason translating English to Japanese produce some incredibly funny moments. 

Here is one.



Dude

You stole my Kipling quote....

 

 

 

 

 

.... glad to see you appreciate it as well.

Henne vs MSU

The url for the photo shows that it's 2005 vs. MSU so that's definitely Henne. 

The picture would have been taken in East Lansing on 10/1/2005 during Michigan's 34-31 OT victory.  

Henne went 26 of 36 for 256 yards. Avant caught 10 passes for 96 yards and a TD.  The TD was UM's second and occured on its second possession, with Avant making a "leaping, 2-yard catch in the corner of the end zone."  Mike Hart ran for 218 and a TD in his first game back following a hamstring injury.

The game was won on a 35-yard Garrett Rivas field goal in OT.

This followed the 2004 game in EL in which Sparty blew a 27-10 lead with 8:43 left before losing in triple overtime.

"When Michigan State is ranked ahead of you and you're Michigan, it's not good. That's pressure in itself," Hart said. "We were 2-2. That's pressure within itself. We don't ever lose three games a year. If we lost three, what would that make us look like? We knew it was a must-win."

Hoke WILL bring us back to that place again.

 

Brady & Avant

Great choice of pictures for Avant. I love that celebration shot with him and Brady.  I think I see green in the background as well so that might be at Sparty?

PS3 Demo

I played a couple of games last night. It looks good visually, but IMO only marginally better than last year.  They seem to have spent an awful lot of effort on the pre-game presentation for each team, which is nice but mostly fluff.

The blocking and tackling definitely seemed more realistic.  But I was able to get 7 sacks on All-American playing agains Texas.  With 2 minute quarters. Something's definitely wrong with the CPU's line protection and will need to be tweaked. 

I hadn't heard about the Road to Glory changes. These actually sound really good.  It will be fun to play through and entire high school season.  I hope you can change quarter lengths in that mode because that was annoying in the past.

I agree about progression in Dynasty. Are we sure it wasn't tweaked?

Other things that will justify for me the added expense:  coaching carousel, custom playbooks, dilithium dreads streaking through decimated OSU defense.

Pipkins?

I'm hoping that Pipkins is a silent commit and O'Brien is bing told "only one more spot" because that would make two. Hoke has talked repeatedly about the imporance of the "guys up front" on both sides of the ball, so it's hard to square that plus 4-3 D with only one of the 2 being taken if they both want to commit. 

I wait

I usually wait 2 weeks or so because I don't like playing without decent rosters and I don't to take the time again to create them myself (done that too many times!). 

So I'd also go for this type of preorder if someone finds one.