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The older that I get, the…

The older that I get, the more I realize it is harder to ‘feel’. Life sucks our passions right out of us. We learn that the joy of committing to something isn’t worth the pain of losing it. At 46, most of my passions seem to have melted into nothingness.

 

But Michigan football remains. I have to say it’s largely because of MGoBlog. Here it feels okay to care about something, even while we acknowledge that we are rooting for a team, a group of kids that change from year to year, something we have little control of. We acknowledge that we have passions and that it is indeed okay to care, to be human. 
 

Thank you for this. Go Blue.

I guess this will have to do…

I guess this will have to do for 'content' during game week. I mean, I understand that normally this is vacation time because Michigan isn't 'normally' (ever) in the playoffs and playing a meaningful game and that it's a great time to recharge for basketball season. But we are still in football season...and this is almost, maybe, up until this point, a once in a lifetime occurrence. Gack! Sure, I can go elsewhere, but I mean, I would prefer to go the most trusted place for Michigan football. A week off from the 23rd is like...I don't know, the day before the game. Sure, beggars can't be choosers...but this can't be the way we are forced to learn new behavior (go elsewhere).

I have been looking for…

I have been looking for Michigan to go with a full 'clock based' rotation all season (vs situation based rotation). I saw that in this game. We have seen the front court rotate after the 15-minute mark previously, but in this game, we saw what looked like a fixed - clock based - rotation with Johns, Bufkin, Collins and Williams in the first half. Jackson's rotation in the first half didn't look clock based (situation based after Jones picked up a cheap foul before the half). In the second half though, Jackson came in with Collins to completely replace the backcourt. We'll see if these rotations last, but it was good to see. 

The most troublesome thing…

The most troublesome thing about this game and the past games is the rotations that Juwan is using. I can understand the difficulty in learning a NBA system, especially for very young players. But Michigan is using a 6-7 man rotation at times..max 8. Outside of Houstan and Diabate, no other freshman is getting consistent minutes. Houstan's minutes are extreme and unwarranted. Meanwhile, Bufkin and Collins are in for a stretch, never to be seen again. 

Jones is absolutely awful on the court. He can't handle ball pressure at all. He can't get to the rim, he struggles to get the team into the offense and he is a foul machine. I struggle to think of a worst point guard at Michigan over the past 8+ years. Where is Zeb Jackson? Collins and Barnes should be eating those minutes. 

I went back and watched the…

I went back and watched the film for the clapping by Nebraska and a couple things stood out:

1. Nebraska clapped several times and generally, the clapping was done by the defensive line (once was by a linebacker).

2. The clapping was usually on a short distance to a first down, usually a third and short. On a few occasions it was blatant. After Michigan was called for one if its false starts, the D-Line congratulated the D-tackle who clapped and drew the penalty. Even after they were whistled for the disconcerting signals, the clapping continued.

The gap between 8 Michigan…

The gap between 8 Michigan and 6 Ohio State is extremely small in this poll. No where on the poll are three teams within 20 points of each other except for Ohio St, Penn St, and Michigan. The only other spot where two teams are within 20 points of each other is at 18 Arizona St and 19 BYU. 

The new one or the old one?

The new one or the old one?

Joe Milton threw the ball 51…

Joe Milton threw the ball 51 times....against Michigan State. Cade has thrown the ball 54 times all season. While he hasn't turned the ball over and hasn't been sacked, the coaching staff doesn't appear to trust him to throw the ball and when the game was on the line last week, he was not effective throwing the ball.

I can't trust the RPS +/- in…

I can't trust the RPS +/- in the historical context. I can't ever recall seeing a RPS -4. This was for a play that only lost a yard. Another RPS -3 for a play that got zero yards. There are RPS - for plays that gained 7 and 8 yards. So to say that this was a top 3 - RPS game....I mean, I'm thinking a RPS -3 (or more) include a pick 6 or scoop and score or something. For a play that lost a yard? 

Excellent stuff, as always…

Excellent stuff, as always. Being a great basketball player is so much more than simply having talent. Learning how to play is about reading the defense in split second situations and then being able to make the pass, hit the shot. What impresses me most about Juwan's coaching is how fast Michigan gets into their sets. This is the primary difference between the NBA and college. By getting into their sets quickly, it allows for Michigan to get good shots even when their execution isn't the best.

While the starters make mistakes in running the sets, they 'get' what is supposed to be happening and still play well. When Michigan goes to the bench, there is a definite drop off. Austin Davis is solid coming off the bench (in terms of knowing what to do) but Johns and Brown really struggle at times. Brown is an excellent wing shooter but sets that require him doing much more than that generally are low percentage sets. This is why Brooks being hurt was so bad. CB would be well served to come back for one more year. He could be a valuable specialist in the NBA but I'm not sure if he is showcasing it as much as he could if he had a better grasp of the offense. FWIW, T. Williams seems to have a decent grasp of the offense as well.  

I will never figure out the…

I will never figure out the graphics chart. How Teske, who spent most of the season on the abused hotline, has a defensive star and Wagner, who routinely defends multiple positions, does not, boggles my mind. 

How in the world is Teske…

How in the world is Teske rocking a star?

Completely agree. Watching…

Completely agree. Watching the game, Patterson didn't look good to me. The long td was wide open and was a good pass but it wasn't a difficult pass. The interception was really bad. He had a near pick 6, where he was late with a sideline throw and it looked like he was throwing off of his back foot. 

I looked at a number of draft sites for their take on the Senior Bowl and if Patterson is mentioned, it is in the stock down category. I have yet to see anyone say that he had a good game. 

Uche, on the other hand, had an outstanding game and a really good all around week (played well in coverage during the week). Some sites are saying he has a chance for a late 1st pick.

The weight gains are eye…

The weight gains are eye popping to me. I don't ever recall ever seeing so many consistent gains across the board. That has to be the result of a change in S&C. Hopefully, the conditioning doesn't suffer.

I've been a subscriber since…

I've been a subscriber since they went live. I've read Steward Mandel (editor of the All-American, the college football portion of the Athletic) forever it seems. They have Bruce Fledman, who I used to read at ESPN, years ago and a bunch of other really quality writers. They have a couple writers who used to write for the Michigan Daily (Nichole Auerbach and Chantel Jennings) as well. It's very much worth it, imo.

Respond on the Field

I'm assuming that JOK means that BE has a history of making mistakes on the football field because that's what BE was criticizing JOK about. If that's the case, yes BE has some drops, but he's an all time Michigan great and to be honest, I'd rather see Malzone on the field on Saturday than JOK. Don't want to be crticized, don't play or play better. Them the rules.

 

Ourselves?

I love it (no, I don't really) when people include the collective in their own thoughts. If you disagree with something someone says, maybe you should distance yourself. I follow BE on twitter, he's not a fan of JOK. I don't have a problem with that. I can't even hold a grudge against BE because he's never done anything to me. Disagree with something he says/does, fine, but that's on you. Don't put it one everyone. 

High to Low

I'm wondering if O'Korn changed his reads as the game progressed. In his first few drives he threw more to the outside receivers. The reads took longer and his DSR was low. However, as the game progressed, he came off those reads a lot quicker and got the ball to his tight ends and slot receivers. 

Dangerous to put Speight out there

I went back and rewatched the film and Speight is just not seeing the feild and getting the ball away in time. It's like he has 'sparring partner syndrome'. Speight is a liability to the team and to himself. He's taking hits that he shouldn't be taking because he isn't getting rid of the ball. Even on the play he got injured on, he had a tight end open in the flat and he was looking dead at the blitz. In stead of dropping the ball off, he took the hit. Can't put a guy out like that on the field. 

Content

With the start of the season, I have to imagine that there is going to be a traffic surge. I'd much rather have a stable site full of good content than a new site that isn't quite ready and in which I can't find the UFR for the week. 

Joined Date

Maybe because I don't post a lot but that joined date is important to me. My brother has a Rivals membership and he's like 250+ months gold member or something...I'm like that's crazy. 

When Was Speight hurt?

I've been rewatching all the games from last year and in the Maryland game, Speight was really the best that I've ever seeen him. He was lights out for most of the game. However, on his last series before OKorn took over, Speight got hit after he threw the ball. When he got up, up he was rolling his shoulder like it was hurt. He didn't throw a signifcant pass after that point and the next series OKorn took over. The next week was Iowa. Maybe I'm off on this but the Speight that came out and played since that point was not the Speight that had been getting better and was looking like a real QB. 

Rutgers

Cristobal is probably the best recruiter in the Nation and I'm probably underselling him. His recruiting is legendary. Cristobal was Rutgers when Greg Schiano was having success there. It isn't a stretch to say that Schiano's success was directly tied to Cristoball's recruiting. When Cristobal left to go to FIU, Rutgers went back to being Rutgers. Cristoball got TY Hilton to go go to FIU over a lot of other big programs. At 'Bama, Cristoball has been top 3 national recruiter every year he's been there. Losing him would be a huge loss for Bama and a huge get for Oregon.

Out for Season v. Out for Regular Season

The attorney in me says that the statements should be read very carefully. Both easily could be true. In fact, Brian never said Speight was out for the season.

Citizen Band Radio

I tuned in and thought I was listening to a cb transmission (CB, not to be confused with CBC or CBS). Good to see that this isn't going to be the standard quality going forward.

 

At least not intentionally. 

Amazing Place

The world should never forget that Content is King. I love this site. I love the sites that get linked from this site. The writing is top notch. This site reflects AA; it's the most educated city in the country and this the most educated college football fan site anywhere.

Thanks Brian, Ace,Seth, Adam...special shot out to some of the long term posters that I see a lot. Great to see The Other Brian post...great article...ah, I'm all up in feelings...

Go Blue.

How is a trap formed?

Two dope boys and a Cadillac....

Dear Ma, I made it

Well, I called and got on the show. How about that?

Maybe not as ridiculous

Seemed to me that Utah was able to stack the box and Michigan couldn't pass them out of it. Hit a couple of the deep throws and those safeties stop walking down. 

A lot to digest

That's a lot of info...great addition the site. 

Epic

This post must be preserved.

Why MGoBlog is special

I don't comment alot but thanks for your comment. I have a 11 year old son and I can't wait to watch the game with him. 

Taxable..

Scholarships,football scholaships and basketball scholarships, probably should be taxable now. However, I completely agree with LordGrantham, and have made the argument to several colleagues that if this current movement for doing away with the notion of 'student athlete' to one of an student employee, deserving of 'fair' compensation persists, then too comes the dreaded tax man.

 

It isn't hard to calculate the financial benefit that the student athlete receives. For a school like Michigan, easily > $30k p/y. If this is treated as compesation to the student 'employee', the student would be required to pay taxes on that amount. Also, this could have a profound effect on the student's parents, who are likely still claiming this 'well compensated' individual as a dependent.

Mario Cristobal - OL?

If Michigan can manage to grab Mario Cristobal for the OL coach, that would be a huge recruiting coup. MC was the mastermind behind Rutgers recruiting success under Greg Schiano and he recrutied both TY Hilton and Jonathan Cyprian (Jacskonville Jaguars starting safety) to little known FIU. He has huge huge ties to South Florida and is regarded as a masterful recruiter. Previously was head coach at FIU.

X1

The difference between the PS3 and the PS4 is that the PS4 has better internals. Interface wise, the PS3 and the PS4 are very similar. The upgrade from PS3 to PS4 is not that significant because game play hasn't changed between the two consoles.

 

The difference between the Xbox 1 and every other gaming machine is very significant. I have my cable box plugged directly into my XBox and I use my Xbox 1 controller (or Kinect) to control everything. I can go from playing a game to watching TV without ever havign to put my controller down. On Saturday, I was watching the Alabama/Auburn game while using the ESPN app to scroll through all the other games that ESPN was showing...using my Xbox. The sheer amount of things that you can do with an Xbox 1 is staggering. Plus, Microsoft is indicating that the apps available on Windows 8.1 will be available on the X1...crazy.

 

Video game programmers didn't need more processing power to make video games. The Xbox 360 and the PS3 both had more than enough power to do everything that video game makers wanted to do with video games. After a certain point, game companies start losing lots of money trying to make a game too complicated. While the graphics may be better on the new systems, I don't expect to see a huge jump in actual game play between either the PS4 or the X1.

 

 

Get in the hole

Fitz is not hitting the hole hard at all. He's looking at the blocks before he even receives the ball. If he explodes through the hole he has a chance to break a long one here. Instead he pitty pats in the backfield and the blocks collapse around him. This was something that he consistently did all day.

Whenever I see Stauskas I

Whenever I see Stauskas I instantly think of American Pie and Stiffer's mom....

That makes sense

But it leads to the question: Why is Kovacs setting the edge??!? I wanted to scream at the TV. It felt like I was watching the Indiana game with GERG all over again. Brian writes it up as if Kovacs was supposed to be setting the edge. That can't possibly be true...can it??

Setting the edge

If I remember correctly, the sideline reporter spoke with Mattison at half time and he said that the CB weren't coming up fast enough to stop the run. When you look at the CB alignment, the CBs were playing around 10 yards off the ball as if they were afraid to get beat deep. That seems crazy to me against a triple option team. I'm not sure why the corner's weren't playing more press coverage, reading through to the backfield and setting the edge with S giving over the top help. That seems a more preferable than having the CBs catching blocks 10 yards down field with the S being forced to set the edge coming from the middle of the field. On a number of plays there was backside pursuit if only the edge had been set. Frank Clark consistently was chasing on the backside when the ball went away from him.

Yeldon Play

I've watched the Yeldon run where Brian conclude who was actually at fault, over and over. I've concluded that it has to be Demens. Either the TE or the tackle releases on Demens but basically is stumbling and makes no real contact. Gordon comes up and forces the run back inside. Demens has to get through the 'very' weak block and stuff the whole right there. Instead, he trips over the offensive player's fingernail and leaves a gaping hole.

Slight Guy

Roy is not very physical and gets pushed around around by physical DBs. He struggled to get off the line and to get seperation. On slants, DBs routinely beat him to the ball (see Iowa, etc). When Dbs would get physical with Roy, often he would break off his routes and look for a pass interference call. 



Roy needs to be in the slot to be effective. Michigan desperately needs another outside guy, someone with speed preferably.

Roundtree

I don't know how anyone can have confidence in Roundtree. The kid is too small to play wideout. He consistently gets thrown off of his routes when he is jammed at the line. If Roundtree is to be successful at all, it will have to be in the slot where he can get a free release. The reason why he didn't have more catches this year is because he couldn't get open.

Awesomeness

Anytime I am left with my afternoon coffee dribbling down my chin, I have to say it was a damn good post. Great anaylsis and truly TBS.

Reverse Bias

Looks like Michigan is getting dinged because their game film is actually broken down frame by frame and we see the weaknesses of the team. However, it is extremely hard for me to believe that a person can look at Illiniois game film and come away thinking that they are a better team than Michigan. 

'Jump Balls'

I wouldn't necessarily call them 'jump balls'. Notre Dame was playing man to man almost the entire night. The defenders had their back to the ball and couldn't see when the ball was in the air. All the receivers had to do was locate the ball.

 

 

In the Big House

Sport is a contrived event. It sits atop Maslow's pyramid. To the individual, sport is relevant as long as a person relates and cares about it. People care more when the team they follow does well, is admired, or hated. Losing, especially prolonged losing, doesn't cause anger, it causes apathy. Apathy is death of any sport (see NHL).

Is Rich Rod a good man? Was Bo a good man? Jim Tressel? For us, those questions are meaningless. What we care about is whether those individuals won games. Did Rich Rod cause people to care more about Michigan or did he inspire apathy? Is Michigan more or less relevant after RR. I hate Jim Tressel. Not as a person, but as a winner/cheater/Suckeye. John Cooper? I could care less. 

I don't know if Rich Rod is a loving father, a caring husband, a thoughtful son. What I do know is that there was a fuzzy stuffed animal on the sideline during the year Michigan had it's historically worse defense ever. Once overheard at a gentleman's club: Her 'I'm just doing this to pay rent', Him 'I don't care'.

Win Baby, Win.

Class of '28

Doesn't seem so far off any more.  

Hustle Hard

Not that Ace? 

Congrats

Congrats to the new guys but you have some big shoes to fill. Congrats to the Mathlete, I've always enjoyed your posts. Onward and upward!!

If taking the Bar tomorrow...

You should probably be doing some last minute studying, praying, breathing exercise, ...or at least that's what I was doing (probably a combination of all 3).  Good luck, relax and look forward to the time of no worries while you wait for the results to come back.