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If it spares the back to…

Oopps. Double post and I haven't even started the Friday drinking ... 

If it spares the back to…

If it spares the back to back media timeout bull shit, I'm all for it.  That seems to be the impetus, but if it creates some worse unintended consequence ...   

Just give Michael F'ing…

Just give Michael F'ing Barrett the job and let's roll ... 

Punxsutawany Phil didn't see…

Punxsutawany Phil didn't see his shadow, so as much as I'd like to say Minter is not over, the groundhog has spoken. 

Dad joke for groundhog's day.  Apologies in advance.  

One thing I liked about Jim…

One thing I liked about Jim is that whether other coaches like him or not, the dude is connected and seems to have a wealth of people to turn to on hire recommendations. Can't expect More to have that kind of network in this point in career, but hopefully JH gives him access to the Harbaugh Family Football Rolodex now and again, which I imagine is a real Rolodex somewhere in Jim's office, handed down from Jack. (John and Jay go digital)

And thankfully reached Jay…

And thankfully reached Jay before all of the hijinks with Daniel Stern and Joe Pesci ensued. 

I say, why stop there at mid…

I say, why stop there at mid season?  Mid game transfers could mean the ultimate halftime adjustment.  #Chaosball 

It's an interesting question…

Kelly does seem like a fish out of water but I have a suspicion he'll get LSU going. 

Depleted?  Not like casual…

Depleted?  Not like casual fans of rivals think. Defense won't be depleted.  Offense? Depends on some key decisions.  

Reminds me of a Fletch…

Reminds me of a Fletch classic ...

You know, it's a shame about Ed.

Oh, it was. Yeah, it was really a shame. To go so suddenly like that.

He was dying for years.

Sure, but... the end was very... very sudden.

He was in intensive care for eight weeks.

Yeah, but I mean the very end, when he died. That was extremely sudden.

With Oregon, USC and…

With Oregon, USC and Washington entering the picture, PSU's hold on #3 team in the B10 is in jeopardy, I think.  

Elston I think you meant,…

Elston I think you meant, not Elko. Otherwise Texas A&M might be ticked :  ) 

Yeah I get that. I suspect…

Yeah I get that. I suspect that that injury is also what's driving the go decision too, or at least in part. Knows how things can turn on a dime, so likely in the get the dream while I have the opportunity. 

That's awesome.  Great…

That's awesome.  Great memory for you and your son (to go with all the others I'm sure you've had over the years at games).  

Michigan is great at…

Michigan is great at development.  How many players speak without mentioning "Coach Herb."  And from a technical standpoint, they obviously get great on field instruction. 

I also think Michigan does a great job, probably better than many, of identifying "elite" talent that scouting services just don't recognize.  From the moment Zinter hit campus, you heard the talk. I don't know if guards are ever 5 stars but doubt there was a better guard in his class. Graham clearly scouted a ton but somehow services didn't see it.  Clearly a 5-star talent in retrospect.  Loveland rose late but would love to see how he'd be re-ranked.  Anyway, they may have only had 2-3 players that technically were ranked as 5-stars in HS, but guys like Zinter, Loveland, Graham I think would be special anywhere. 

 

Yeah I'm with you on the…

Yeah I'm with you on the defense. That UGA defense from 2021 had more top of the draft talent from a NFL perspective. But but this defense has a lot of NFL players on it and as a unit, I would put them up there with some of the best college defenses in the last several decades.  

Listened to Cover 3 guys…

Listened to Cover 3 guys post game thoughts.  Meh.  They kind of give a nod to Michigan a few times, but you can tell they don't think this team is anything special.  "Not among the very elite CFP winning teams."  "Lack of a dynamic passing game" seems to be a chief complaint.  Think JJ is very good but not great (and in the passing game, that's probably fair) but when you factor in his legs and some of the plays he makes (like the one handed catch last week on the backwards pass), I think they undersell his talent as a football player.

Fornelli has conflicting takes.  Says Michigan's defense dominated, won the game.  But also says if Penix hits some throws, Washington wins the game. Probably makes it a different game, sure, but he says it like it's a given. He did say Stallions stuff is pretty meaningless given what team did. 

Can't spell McLaughlin…

Can't spell McLaughlin without a laugh 

Zappa with the Zepplin I…

Zappa with the Zepplin I reference!  I knew your time was going to come.  

Remember all of that mileage…

Remember all of that mileage they got for beating ND in South Bend, even though ND kind of blew some opportunities to ice it? Pundits kept using the Nigel Tufnel victory assessment method, an 11 on scale of 10.  

Well it is Michigan vs…

Well it is Michigan vs. Everybody, so ... 

Bowman's grand kids actually…

Bowman's grand kids actually may get to see him play at this pace. 

"Meaningless."  Yep, about…

"Meaningless."  Yep, about sums this piece up.   

Yeah I think generally their…

Yeah I think generally they're more interested in being funny/entertaining than being homers. They don't seem to have any sacred cows -- they'll make fun of anybody and everybody, even if they don't land the plane all the time. What I always appreciate about these guys (and others like them), is they're generally putting out stuff pretty quickly after CFB Saturdays. They go from idea and concepting to scripting/storyboarding, to costuming/props (although many times these are basic), to filming, to editing, to market in all in day or two. 

I don't know, man. There was…

I don't know, man. There was a huge vocal block of fans/alumni (maybe majority?) calling for Jim's head. Many were saying JH would never get over the hump. That was the overwhelming narrative within the fan base and within the media. But Warde made a calculated decision, forced Jim swallow the pay cut with the incentivized contract. That move didn't seem lazy to me. It seemed almost Machiavellian. Yes, he mitigated the shit he'd have to take if it went further south with the pay cut contract, but it would have been on Warde if it went south. He wouldn't have survived it, I don't think.   

Can't wait until Tavvy wins…

Can't wait until Tavvy wins a natty.  (that sentence grossed me out as i typed it) 

True. College Football…

True. College Football Blogger years are like 7 regular human years.  

Especially beginning next…

Especially beginning next year, when (like the Big10), the arrival of more big programs like Texas and Oklahoma makes it even harder on mid-tier conference teams like Kentucky, Missouri, Texas A&M to have double digit win seasons.  

If Deboer stays at…

If Deboer stays at Washington, their prospects are solid to remain in that good to very good range.  

I probably have some years…

I probably have some years on you, but Mizzou was at the heart of two huge plays that impacted national championships in the 90s. The first was the Colorado "5th" down play against Mizzou. Buffs went on to split the title in 90. The other was the "flea kicker" vs. #1 Nebraska -- Huskers were able to get a touchdown to send the game to OT on a play that wouldn't fly today. They went on to win in OT. That win kept Nebraska undefeated and impacted Michigan when the national title vote was split in 97.  

Yeah that's a nice platitude…

I don't give a flying fuck about what Pete Finebaum says and neither should you.

 

Yeah that's a nice platitude, but people tend to care when media types with a national platform and regional biases are talking shit about their teams. It's okay to give a FF. I typically don't care what Finebaum says in the normal course of a CFB season. He plays to a base. I get it. But when he perpetuates the idea that Michigan wins are and continue to be tainted, it's an opportunity to poke holes in the narrative. While beating Alabama won't change his mind, his nonsense will be recognized more broadly as nonsense in the aftermath of a Michigan win over Bama,

True though Penix has shown…

True though Penix has shown over his IU and UW career that he can perform against good defenses.  He can and has put a team on his back. McCord? Maybe he'll get there one day, but I don't see the same kind of talent.  

Agree with this generally…

Agree with this generally but it's not really apples to apples, IMO, because Washington has a QB who can put the ball on the numbers down in and down out.  OSU doesn't.  

...  tells Petitti to turn…

...  tells Petitti to turn around, places contract on his back, uses his sharpie to sign on dotted line, hands it back. Says, "Good shit, Santa."  

Would typically try to head…

Would typically try to head out to beat some traffic home (live in the area).  Stayed two years ago but didn't bother last year. I'm assuming if Michigan wins, this moment will be one of the more memorable of the evening, and all of the people like me who might want to get to a car or a post game cocktail any other night will be in the house, ready let the commish have it.    

At the 37 thanks to a fumble…

At the 37 thanks to a fumble squirting right to an OSU player when there were like five Michigan players in the vicinity. As long as we're playing make believe, could argue OSU was very fortunate to even get a snap on M's side of the 50.   

Ha ha.  What's the frequency…

Ha ha.  What's the frequency, Kenneth!  

Agree on Wilson. Tough to…

Agree on Wilson. Tough to replace, but there's a chance portal can get replacement or near replacement level if JJ returns. Here's a wild thought: try to convince Donovan to come back in that role, move him to WR, take him out of backfield.  Sacrilege? Maybe, but I think it's his best chance at next level to have a career, not a stint, in NFL. 

I think Morris is already replacement level CJ. Sophomore Morgan > Freshman Morgan.  Maybe English and F. Moore make some hay, but I think team will need try to get a proven upperclassman WR in portal. If JJ returns, I think odds go way up a portal guy would look at Michigan.   

Yeah I'm not sure why people…

Yeah I'm not sure why people think next year's team will have a big drop off. Will they be as loaded as this year's team? Probably not. But we'll have to see who returns and who comes in via portal. Still, the roster will be very competitive, barring unexpected exits.  

We have terrible cheating…

We have terrible cheating pad level.  

 I really don’t blame him…

 I really don’t blame him because I doubt he even knew it was against the rules 

Unless I'm missing something, the fact that he apparently did it on his own, paid for it on his own, and kept the fact from others on staff (as far as we know) indicates to me that he likely knew it was a grey area, at a minimum. 

 

West Texas Crude was on a 30…

West Texas Crude was on a 30-day slide.  Had to pull the trigger to mitigate losses  : ) 

C'mon man. Imagine you're 18…

C'mon man. Imagine you're 18 or 19. You're offered a job opportunity with a $500K sign on bonus at company A, no claw backs. The money's yours. But uou're offered the same job at company B without a sign on bonus, but told you might do well down the road. You trust company B isn't BS-ing you, but company A is a sure thing. The companies are largely similar, in the grand scheme of things. Going to one vs. the other are both good options for your long-term career plans. What are you going to do? 

I'm guessing most people are going for Door 1--I know I would--and it would have nothing to do with "true colors." 

Why? Unless he's indicating…

Why? Unless he's indicating privately he's gone, there are a lot of reasons.

1. He seems to love playing for this team and these coaches, and seems incredibly loyal to Harbaugh. If team falls short of goals this year, I can easily see him pulling Blake, especially knowing his return is probably the difference in a Top 5 team vs. a Top 20-ish team. 

2. He'll be a pre-season Heisman favorite (if not "the") and his NIL opportunity will only go up

3. The defense will be excellent next year again. I think a chance to be as good, but without the  same depth, barring portal adds at edge and interior DL

4. RB room will be down but still very good--and it's not like Corum and Edwards have set the world on fire this year. Unless Edwards does something special over next few weeks, not sure he has the draft stock he anticipated he'd have, and a decent chance of returning even though he doesn't want to. Even if he exits, I think the RB room will be fine to good with Mullings, Hall, Marshall, Cabana, and who knows, maybe even Kaapana is an early revelation.

5. Receivers? Maybe slightly down. CJ is fine, but I think Morris is a 1:1 replacement there, and eventually a greater than a 1:1 replacement.  Third-year Loveland better than 2nd year Loveland. 2nd year Morgan better than 1st-year Morgan, who is already a weapon. Wilson is big loss but I think they can find someone one in the portal to get another experienced receiver, if not as dynamic. Plus I think they'll find something in Moore, Clemons, English to replace a current Morris type contribution. Losing Barner hurts but with Marshall, Klein, Toninelli ... they have options and could easily land another older portal TE with impact. 

5. OL I think will be fine. Tackles have been decent this year, not great. I think decent next year is likely the floor floor. Guard play will probably be a downgrade, sure, especially relative to Zinter. But I think on several teams at Power 5 level, guys like El-Hadi and Andersen are starters, and Herring and Gentry could push to start next fall. Center will be fine if Crippen and Andersen are the options. And let's not forget, two years in a row they went out and grabbed impact OLs in the portal. Why couldn't they do it again to shore up any of the positions?    

6.  With the above, and with plenty of opportunity on the schedule (SOS), I think even with 2 losses, they have a good shot to make the playoff in new format. Actually better odds than this year, given the 12-team format. This year they have to be perfect, next year they don't.  

7. I don't know where JJ's draft stock is right now. I suspect he'll be a Round 1 pick, but where in Round 1?  If he plays lights out against OSU, and they make playoff and he plays lights out in a couple more games, he's probably a Top 10 pick. But he has Williams, Maye, Nix, Penix probably all ahead of him right now just at his position. Maybe mid to late round 1 is good enough for him.  But if he's not a projected early Day 1 pick, he could set himself up to be a top 10 pick next year, and maybe even the top overall pick.  

 

All of our down linemen…

All of our down linemen stood over with the ineligible receivers on the 2-pt conversion.  First one to recognize "WTF I don't need to stay here" and try to get in the play?  Kenneth Grant. 

My first thought too.  Nolen…

My first thought too.  Nolen and his family seemed to like Michigan.  He's probably got bunch of NIL $ in the pocket.  Want to come play for a playoff contender? If JJ comes back, which I think there's a good chance, I would think UofM would be among the favorites again in 2024.   

Sorry, OSU, your invite…

Sorry, OSU, your invite might have gotten lost in the mail.  

One thing that would be fun…

One thing that would be fun to see is a renegotiated B10 TV deal, if Michigan left. I suspect teams left behind would be looking a different payout.  I'd like to think substantially less, but who knows. Would be a nice little parting gift, if that were the case.   

Lavar. 

Lavar. 

"Day-ja Vu"

Headline in…

"Day-ja Vu"

Headline in Columbus Dispatch (online) Nov. 25