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Date	Title	Body
21 weeks 6 days ago	Borges and WRs	When high school WRs look at our offensive coordinator, what successful WRs do they think of?  Did someone flourish under the Gerry DiNardo/Al Borges combo, and if so, does any high schooler know about it?
22 weeks 4 days ago	No	No one here -- even the RR defenders -- has said Casteel is "Mattison but good at coaching defense."  Casteel had a pretty good track record at WVU  This is his first year at Arizona, and they apparently were starting five walk-ons on defense at times this year. Everyone here, including the RR defenders, loves Mattison.  What many folks don't love, however, is that we have gotten a WCO re-tread who has a history of regressing offenses at each of his stops.  (Yes, we hired Gerry DiNardo's OC.  Glad we saved that money and kept our Manball philosophy alive.)  This was the first time in over forty years we had three games in which we didn't score a touchdown, if I remember correctly.  And that was with a senior Denard Robinson, who holds many of the all-time leading Michigan offensive records.  Look at what RR's first year Arizona team did offensively, and then look at our slide in all offensive categories from 2010 to 2011 to 2012.  If you do not understand why some of us still wish we had a RR offense (or a Sonny Dykes or Kliff Kingsbury or Chip Kelly, etc. offense), instead of Big Al's, I don't know what to tell you.  By what metric is Al Borges doing well here and showing progression?  By what metrics did he show progression at Auburn, Cal, Indiana?  Since you appear to like numbers, here are a few: National Rank in Total Offense (Michigan) 2010: 8 2011: 42 2012: 81 National Rank in First Downs/Game (Michigan) 2010: 22 2011: 50 2012: 99 It appears we are sacrificing a lot just for a few quips at post-game press conferences.  I suppose it all depends on what you value more.
24 weeks 1 day ago	Everyone is better than Bielema?	If we take off the maize colored glasses, under what objective criteria is Hoke a better coach than Bielema?  I mean, Hoke seems like a better human being, but he hasn't even won a conference title yet (in any conference -- MAC, MWC, B1G).  Bielema has done a pretty fine job at Wisconsin.
25 weeks 11 hours ago	Zen riddles and defending Borges' offense	When we are ranked 81st in total offense, 99th in first downs, and had three games without scoring a touchdown (for the first time in over forty years), does there really need to be a name to our offense?  Is that really hampering the ability of the teams we are facing?
25 weeks 2 days ago	Trends that cause optimism	Michigan's national rank in first downs per game: 22nd in 2010; 50th in 2011; 99th in 2012.  I am as optimistic about our offense under Borges for a third year as I was about our defense under Greg Robinson for a potential third year.  (Borges' 2004 year at Auburn gives me as much hope as Greg Robinson's 2004 year as DC for Rose Bowl winner Texas or Greg Davis's 2004 year as OC for Rose Bown winner Texas: almost none.)
25 weeks 3 days ago	Potential good news?	We're bringing back coach Frey?  Interesting fact #1: we were 13th in the nation in rushing in 2010; Arizona is 15th this year Interesting fact #2: SDSU has gotten steadily better in rushing with the departure of Borges and Funk: 48th in 2010; 30th in 2011; 16th in 2012. But let's blame the personnel.  Obviously coaching only affects results on the defensive side of the ball.  When it comes to offense, you need four or more years to judge results, right?
25 weeks 3 days ago	Borges word of the day	I thought it was "sinecure"?
25 weeks 3 days ago	Agreed - Talent is there	Amazing how at the beginning of the season, we are incredibly worried about the lack of talent on defense, yet the coaching from Mattison and Hoke always seems to turn underperforming players into overperforming players. When the opposite happens on the OL -- highly ranked upperclassmen regress -- we start blaming the lack of talent, and say that Borges and Funk will need four years to get their players and system in place.  Of course, Borges and Funk have never had success in year four anywhere, but let's not let facts and history get in the way of blind hope.
25 weeks 3 days ago	Borges as QB coach	For the record, I am not a fan of Borges and have not been from the start.  I believe the only "QB development" that any Borges defender can point to in the past decade is year one to two at SDSU with Ryan Lindley.  It is worth noting that at SDSU, there was a separate QB coach, who had played under Don Coryell.  Again, I don't think anything with Borges (e.g., adding a QB coach) is the answer, but I don't think many people realize he was not the person coaching Lindley.  The record of his QBs at every other stop he has had the past decade plus give me further reason to doubt that we will see positive strides made at the QB spot or anywhere else on the offensive side of the ball.
25 weeks 3 days ago	Our offense versus ND going forward	What gives you reason to believe that MIchigan's offense going forward will be as good or better than ND's?  I admit that I have not been a fan of the Borges hire from the start.  Our total offense ranking has gone from 8th in 2010 to 42nd in 2011 to 81st in 2012.  Having studied his past failures as places like Indiana, Cal, Auburn, etc., we are getting the regression that I expected.  Hoke admittedly has no role in our offense (a defensive version of RR), so we don't need to debate the Hoke v. Kelly angle (which would not favor Hoke).  I would love to have optimism about our offense, but see no basis for it.  The fact that Borges doesn't recruit just makes the comparison to Greg Robinson uncanny.  What logical reason is there to believe that we will be able to be as good or better than ND on offense with this offensive coaching staff?
25 weeks 3 days ago	Moving up vs. being fired	Surely you recognize the difference between moving up in positions (e.g., from ND to Florida to a very good NFL team) and bouncing around multiple locations, being fired, not coaching for a year, and ending up in the Moutain West after your last position was in the SEC, right?  Greg Robinson also held a lot of positions, and has more success on his resume than Al Borges.  There is a reason why Greg Robinson was not in demand when RR hired him.  There is a reason why Al Borges was not in demand when Hoke hired him.
25 weeks 3 days ago	It might show he got it	Unfortunately, I don't think he does.  When he said that Bellomy was prepared for Nebraska, I think Borges might have believed it.  A good coach would have said, We didn't do enough to have our team ready -- that falls on us.  When asked about whether he'd save anything for Ohio, he could have said something clever (e.g., If I did, would I tell you?) and actually have something ready for the Game, instead of showing every new idea in a blowout against Iowa.  When asked if he would do anything different after the Alabama game, he might have recognized that his game plan did not work, and at least admit that.  Instead, he wouldn't change a thing.  Failure hasn't prevented him from being repeatedly hired, so there are no negative consequences in his mind.  It wasn't that he was wrong; it's that reality refused to accept the correctness of his vision.  I suppose the only comfort we can take is that he is employed in a field where stubborn refusal to adapt to reality only results in lost football games and secondary effects in terms of other people's professions.  If he were in the military or medicine, the immediate negative repercussions of his approach would be much more dire.
25 weeks 3 days ago	Good fits at his other stops	One of the biggest problems I have with Borges is his history.  His history does not suggest that the offense here will show progress.  His best success has been a first year in which he inherited senior first round RBs and a senior first round QB, all of whom someone else recruited and coached.  The longer he stays, the worse his offense becomes.  He cannot recruit or develop talent.  Even at SDSU, he was not the QB coach who developed Lindley (who didn't break a 60% completion rate in the MWC with Borges' "system").  Unfortunately, he is our new Greg Robinson.  The only arguments I seem to see being offered in his support could apply to all failing coordinators: (1) they are in the business, you are not, therefore your criticisms are invalid; (2) it is the lack of talent, not coaching (what Mattison continues to do with our shallow defensive corps put the lie to this); (3) give him multiple years to implement his system with his players (though he has apparently never been able to get in "his players" or "his system" anywhere except in the aforementioned first year at Auburn with senior first round picks Jason Campbell, Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown).  Using the logic of Borges' defenders, it would be equally prudent to re-hire Greg Robinson.  If anything, Greg Robinson has more bright spots on his long resume than Al Borges does.
25 weeks 4 days ago	What he had to work with...	Did the personnel at his disposal change significantly from the first half of the game to the second?  Did something happen that forced his hand into running up the gut again and again without success in the second half? Also, the defensive coaches took a D line that everyone rightfully worried about pre-season and worked wonders.  Our O line continues to regress (even Lewan).  Just as Mattison and Hoke might be good defensive coaches, maybe our regression on offense has something to do with our coaches.
25 weeks 4 days ago	New favorite statistic to show offensive regression	Relying on a couple big plays to keep things close, without the ability to move the ball....  I looked at our first downs per game today, and it's my new favorite statistic to show how much we are regressing under Borges.  (I admit that I have never been a Borges fan; I wish we had brought in someone else to complement the excellent Mattison.)  2010: 22nd in country 2011: 50th in country 2012: 93rd in country Being familiar with Borges' long history (we hired Gerry DiNardo's OC -- hooray!), I don't see this ending well.
25 weeks 4 days ago	A new era for Michigan, ND, and OSU	"This is Michigan" Means offensive dark ages Rivals do not lose
25 weeks 4 days ago	Congrats to Denard.M	My all-time favorite Wolverine.  So sad to see him not out on the field (as RB, with Devin at QB) during the last drive against OSU as a senior.  I realize he missed a block earlier, but taking him out of the game completely, except for telegraphed runs in which we removed Devin, was madness.
25 weeks 4 days ago	We were beaten by a better team	When we played Alabama, we were beaten by a better team.   Now, can we talk about the other games we have played, and what Borges, Funk, et al. have done with this offense?  Thanks.
25 weeks 4 days ago	First downs	After hearing last night how RR wants to score a certain number of first downs per game, and after they pointed out on the broadcast today at the half how most of our yardage came on two plays, I looked at our first down totals over the past couple years.  The stats are even more depressing than our regression in total offense (yardage): 2010: 22nd in country in first downs/game 2011: 50th in country in first downs/game 2012: 93th in country in first downs/game Al Borges is our new Greg Robinson.
25 weeks 4 days ago	All is trending up?	Unless we wish to gauge things by hopes and dreams (Borges plus a junior Shane Morris will be great!), the offense is not trending up.  We have steadily and significantly declined from 2010 to 2011 to 2012 on offense -- be it total yards, first downs, etc.  Al Borges might be more entertaining at press conferences than Greg Robinson, but his effect on the offense is similar to Gerg's on defense -- steady and significant regression.
25 weeks 4 days ago	O-line and Coach Funk	Serious question here -- doesn't this (Lewan's regression) cause you concern about Coach Funk?  Obviously the interior line has been problematic all year, but with even Lewan regressing, I'm worried that we simply took a significant step back in coaching on the offensive side of the ball in 2011 (with an obviously significant step forward in coaching on the defensive side of the ball).  Given that Mattison's staff continues to make something pretty good out of what we thought was nothing special, the results on the other side of the ball are very troubling to me.  I'd be interested in other people's thoughts.
25 weeks 4 days ago	Personnel excuses	Each year, we have pre-season worries about personnel on the defensive side of the ball.  With very good coaching (Mattison), those worries/limitations are overcome. The exact opposite happens on offense.  As we regress further on offense, instead of looking to the coaches, we simply start blaming the players (many who had success prior years).
25 weeks 4 days ago	Bona fides	Apparently, to some posters, the only person smart enough to assess Al Borges and the "progression" he has made with this offense is a former pizza CEO.  Since you are not a former pizza CEO, your mention of our regression in all relevant offensive areas over the past two years is meaningless.  Your discussion of Al Borges' failures over the past decade plus is superfluous.  It is affront to the tradition of this great program that you might point out we are now 93rd in the country in first downs, and 67th in total offense.  It strains credulity to legitimately query why it always seems that Mattison is able to get so much out of players and positions we have concerns about pre-season, while the offense shows new problem areas (which should be attributed to talent, despite being in the program for years).  In other words, please stop thinking -- the pizza guy has this covered. P.S.  Please change excellerate to accelerate, and I will sign.
25 weeks 4 days ago	Beating USC	Of course, a Michigan coach has beaten USC recently -- unfortunately, it was after he had been fired by Michigan.  I admit that I sometimes watch Arizona just to see what their offense does.  There was an interesting point made last night -- RR has a goal of how many first downs he wants in a game.  I had never focused on that before.  (I've seen our regression in terms of total yards, etc.)  I just looked -- we were 22nd in 2010, 50th in 2011, and are now 93rd in 2012.   Al Borges is our Greg Robinson.  I hope we can put a competent OC together with Mattison, who won't be here forever.
25 weeks 4 days ago	Criticism of GERG, Tony Gibson, Al Borges, Darrell Funk	There was plenty of criticism of Greg Robinson during the RR era, with Dave Brandon ultimately deriding even our wins in shootouts, like the Illinois game.  Rightfully so -- we had a putrid defense.  This is despite the fact that Greg Robinson has some achievements on his resume, like two Super Bowl rings and a Rose Bowl win. Now, we have hired an OC that washed out after his time in the SEC, has never lasted anywhere, whose QBs have shown largely shown steady regression and an inability to crack 60% completion rates (because he believes in very high risk, high reward vertical passing).  We haven't fully regressed yet, but we're getting there.   We've gone from 8th in the country in total offense in 2010 to 42nd in 2011 to 67th in 2012.  Al Borges is the offensive Greg Robinson.  Yes, he has a few nice things on this resume, like Greg Robinson.  But there is a reason why Greg Robinson was not in demand when RR hired him.  (RR needed someone cheap, and the person coming in had to be okay with little stability.)  There is a reason why Al Borges has bounced around, including not working for a year after being let go from Auburn, and ultimately ending up in the Mountain West.    We don't need to overthink this.  It's like investing in companies that disappoint because they have to turn around.  No, they don't.  If we want to succeed on offense, we should invest in coaches that have shown a consistent ability to achieve success in college football in the recent past.  (The game has changed since the '90s.)  That will cost us more than Borges costs us.  Also, Hoke/Brandon believe that imposing your will on offense is critical -- e.g., Hoke's comments regarding defenses being soft if they see spread offense in practice.  I really wish that 1950's mindset would die.  Were Urban Meyer's defenses at Florida soft?  Will his defenses at OSU be soft?   Hoke does not know anything about offense.  That's fine.  But bring in an OC who does, fergodsakes.
25 weeks 4 days ago	A career of failure and regression	He has failed everywhere he went.  Notice how when OSU noticed we were playing soft on the corners, they would throw quick passes for 5-9 yard gains -- i.e., taking what the defense is giving you.  We failed at running up the middle all day, but Borges/Hoke/Brandon think Michigan football/MANBALL is about imposing your will.  Doing the same thing over and over again when it fails every time is insanity, especially when there are other options.  Dave Brandon got the OC he deserved, and he is seeing the results.  Someone should let him know when his next marketing meeting is over that OSU is not going to be going back to an interim coach anytime soon, and though we have added Maryland and Rutgers to the B1G, this isn't the MWC.   We can do better than an OC that has bounced around for two decades and ended up at SDSU.
28 weeks 6 days ago	Facts and evidence	Earlier in the thread, you say (in response to Borges criticism): don't let facts and evidence get in the way of good internet spleen.  Now you claim that Michigan was top 20 in yard and points per game last year.  With even a little research, you would know that that is false.  2010 (RR): 488.7 Yards/game -- 8th in nation 2011 (Borges): 404.7 Yards/game -- 42nd in nation 2012 (Borges): 378.1 Yards/game -- 82nd in nation We also were not top 20 in points per game last year.  The overwhelming facts and evidence of Borges' long career show failure and regression.  Is it perfectly linear regression?  Of course not.  But his offenses have by and large not shown improvement at his various stops this century, be it in the Pac-10 (Cal), Big Ten (Indiana), or SEC (Auburn).  So we are left with the "progression" of the 2010 Mountain West team in which a NFL-drafted QB managed to complete 57% of his passes.  Furthermore, the QB of that team (Ryan Lindley) was coached by SDSU's QB coach, Brian Sipe (who studied under Don Coryell himself).  Based on the historical evidence we have, the likelihood that Borges will be able to develop a successful offense in the Big Ten and develop a QB who will be able to throw the very high risk, high reward long balls with slow developing plays that Borges embraces is just not very high.  There is a reason why so many other teams on the college and pro level have embraced high-percentage plays and up-tempo offenses.  And there's a reason Nick Saban is worried about those kinds of offenses (complaining that teams shouldn't be able to play that fast), and not worried at all about the offense Borges would like to create.
29 weeks 5 hours ago	Unless three first round pick seniors (1 QB, 2 RBs) transfer...	Unless we are blessed with transfers of three first round picks who happen to be seniors (and were thus developed by a different staff) at QB (like, for instance, Jason Campbell) and RB (Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams), we will never have the personnel in which Borges has achieved success in a big six conference this century.  I am not optimistic that we will be getting those three transfers any time soon. Meanwhile, when Holgerson started at West Virginia, he was able to use that personnel pretty well.  RR, in his first year at Arizona (which won all of four games last year), has used that personnel to go 5-3 so far and put up 39 points on a ranked USC team, 59 points on a ranked Wisconsin team, 35 points on a ranked Oregon State team, and 48 points on a ranked Stanford team.  (That offense is now ranked 4th in the country in yards per game and 20th in points per game.)  Meanwhile, our offense statistically regressed last year (80 fewer yards per game, for one), and has now taken regressed further.  There is no reason to expect anything but further regression next year.  Borges supporters say we should be patient for year 4.  Yet the only place at which he has lasted four years this century reveals a story of consistent regression.  (Year one he enjoyed the three senior first round picks in the backfield.)  I am interested to hear of other major programs who are moving to a WCO and achieving success.
29 weeks 13 hours ago	Borges is omniscient	What is interesting to me is that given Borges' omniscience, and the fact that he called the Alabama game perfectly (wouldn't change a thing), and had Bellomy prepared mentally and physically (no question), the teams that he coaches always seem to have so much execution and talent regression.  I mean, even regression in the two years at Indiana under Gerry DiNardo. He must be the most unlucky person on the planet, given his prowess at playcalling and coaching, to be forced with the failure and regression of his offenses.  It's like all of the players and fate are conspiring against him.  Everywhere he goes, he keeps getting it right, and the kids keep getting it wrong -- he's the anti-John L. Smith (MSU rant).
29 weeks 1 day ago	Indiana	I haven't watched them play, but they put up 30 against Navy, 27 against Michigan State, 39 against Ball State (in the loss you mention), and 49 against Ohio State.  Does Indiana have more talent than Michigan on offense?  Do they have more highly recruited and talented OL than we do?  I find that hard to believe.  But they do have our former OL coach, and they likely have better coaching in general on offense.  Moreover, Indiana is putting up with these numbers starting a true freshman at QB.  Yet people are saying that years of QB regression or stagnation are excusable in Borges' offense, and we should wait until a chosen one receives years of tutelage in his arcane system before we evaluate.  I think the years of failure and regression at Borges' previous stops bode ill for us, and we are seeing ample evidence of that right now.  We can dance around it, and make excuses, and say things like: he's been doing this for year -- did he forget how to coach?  I would say this our current regression is consistent with his previous coaching stints, and Greg Robinson had far more ammunition to make the argument that previous successes (four Rose Bowl wins, two Super Bowl wins) should drown out recent failures.

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