The OSU response to Harbaugh's tweet is so Buckeye, it is perfect. JH should have it framed. It is like saying, "Sure, we mislead a recruit; but WOOOO!!!!, National Champs!!!!"
At 6 yrs/$48 million, regardless of whether you think it seems ridiculous, the AD has succeeded in making everyone in the market realize that U of M means business. It says "we feel this is one of the best jobs period, and if you are worthy of it, the pay is commensurate."
"Mr. Hackett, I have Nick Saban's agent on line 2..."
Who cares what the NFL talking heads say. They are talking about it because it got everyone's attention. They will be trying to un-paint themselves from the corner, and others will just spin it negatively. In this instance, there pretty much is no such thing as bad press. Keep on talking, nothing like having U of M in the news cycle for something other than not meeting expectations.
I would go after Jerry Kill before Kevin Wilson. Health issues aside, he has been succesful everywhere despite the health issues. SIU and NIU were not fluke turnarounds, and unlike the current situation, Kill has a track record of getting the most out of his players. He is probably too loyal to MN for giving him his first "big time" shot though.
As for most of the rest, if we want to talk about things that aren't happening, why not Dantonio!!! or even Pat Narduzzi. Now those are names that could increase the drama above its current level.
Give me coaches willing to adapt, from season to season based on the realities of the talent they have, and on game days based on the opportunities of the day.
has to consider how he would feel about scheming to stop Michigan's offense, and know that he would feel pretty good about those prospects if they were his next opponent. Surely that thought would make him want to have a conversation with the guy responsible for that offense. Surely. Right?
The only mistake Brian made in this critique is mentioning 'Rodriguez'. (the name alone is still too painful for most. It does help if you spit on the ground after saying it) This is a great critique of something that specifically was very frustrating to watch on Sat.
I don't like it either, but might the current offense be better managed by someone with a mindset for using Denard as a runner? At least some of the time, that answer is yes. Would Borges be more successful with Henne, Manningham and Arrington? No brainer. Will this be a long year if M doesn't figure out how to combat what Bama threw at them? Yes. You will see it from AF this week, and ND, Ohio and MSU will have it down to a science if they don't figure out the adjustments. That is how football works.
1) Committee. Rawls is still an unknown quality/quantity in my opinion, so I'm as anxious as anyone to see what he looks like this year. The falloff after Rawls should not be steep, but V Smith willl be completely different type deal. I wish Fitz had called a cab.
2) I don't think DR will "run around" on a D like Bama's, but he still may get some big plays with his legs... If he hasn't learned when to stay the course and throw; and when to take off and run during this off season, it might be a long day.
3) I hope M is in the situation where they could, but closer than 52 yards would be nice.
4) No. Your situation is one where the current guys is as good as the last guy but he just lacks experience. M is still feeling the pain of the RR years, not getting/keeping playmakers on D.
5) I'm hoping the extra year in the system will offset the loss of 3 quality linemen that really anchored that D last year.
6) I hope for at least that many, but I don't necessarily expect it. The talent disparity between these teams could make things ugly, but i do expect M to play with a lot of grit/pride. Bame is a legit 14 pt favorite, but that doesn't mean M is not dangerous enough to make a game of it if they get the right bounces... and those bounces can go any which way the first game of the year.
7) I feel less concerned about this than I thought I would be so far; especially considering M's performance when Molk was hurt at the start of the VT game.
8) Compared to the RR years, mental mistakes on D are much less a concern.
9) Sometimes yes, but Charles Woodson graduated a long time ago.
10) Bump and run, something else to make my mind wander back to Charles Woodson? Sigh...
11) I'm as anxious to see Denard's senior season as anyone. I hope he can fix all the little things. He is just about everything a person could want in a college athlete.
12) Athletic threat? Not really, but Jeremy Gallon does have a cloaking device. (See ND 2011.)
13) I think they have enough talent to do so without significant drop off, whether or not that's enough is yet to be seen.
14) Your welcome I guess. I think this game would be a lot more interesting if it were played 2 -3 yrs from now... but i will still be in Dallas on Saturday to see it. Go Blue.
Consider that Denard really didn't have any supporting cast of offensive weapons until Fitz emerged last year. The other QB's on those lists had other playmakers on their teams that the defense had to watch. What makes Denard so impressive, he would make big plays even when all eyes were on him.
Even if MR were to somehow win the Pulitzer for this article, I will never read it, or anything else he ever produces. He is dead to me. Therefore, the article doesn't even exist... Hey, what is thread about anyway?
Former 2012 Commit: "Sorry Brady, but I've decided to switch my commitment to Rutgers. They bring the best bagels in from some little joint in NYC every day during the season, and now they've added these new spreads that are off the charts."
Watching that Poinsettia Bowl footage make me think SDSU is going to be a very game opponent, especially given the extra motivation of playing their former coach.
...which obviously cannot include tomorrows data. When you look at it from the perspective of only what we know today, Rosenberg's conclusions seem reasonable. But if M throttles MSU in the Gator Bowl, DB will have a hard time maintaining credibility if he goes ahead and fires RR. On the flip side, he would also have a serious credibility problem keeping RR after that game if M gets throttled by MSU. So based on what he has said AND what could actually happen in that game... maybe he is still just waiting to make his analysis until after the entire season is over... Just like he's said 500 times b4.
That is the thing that will probably take two years... bringing around the D.
I think the O has the potential to be a juggernaut next year, but the D is still going to be young, and is still going to have some depth issues. Let's just hope the Michigan (insert position here) Hating God decides to take next year off.
One of the best works of modern fiction: Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.
One of the best non fiction books for fiction buffs that need historical perspecitive: Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the US Navy by Ian Toll.
I'm not saying I am absolutely right, but I'm definitely not wrong. Anyone who loves to read would never be disappointed by these books.
I'd say that his "staying" comment was pretty generic, as in, "As of now I'm staying... because ND hasn't made me an offer yet." That being said, I do hope he is telling the truth.
As for him being a habitual job changer, all up and coming coaches are "habitual job changers". Job change is inherent to the profession. If you plan on working your way up to the top, when the right opportunity knocks, you go. I'd say CMU to Cinci to ND would all be reasonable opportunities that an up and comer couldn't pass up. CMU is not in a position to contend with Cinci's potential, and likewise, Cinci doesn't really contend with ND's potential.
I like the system you use regardless of your adjusted rankings. Comparing the published and adjusted star values of each class quantifies the impact of all the attrition. The obvious next step is trying to figure out what can be done to minimize this type of situation in the future (I would imagine the coaching staff is generally aware and working on this).
As for the rankings themselves, without dwelling on whether Player X should be re-ranked higher or lower, I would stay away from ranking anyone still on the team as NC. Maybe drop them to a 2 or even 1 star. With the lack of depth, anyone that puts the uniform on is making a contribution, even if only to to push the marginal talent in front of him on the depth chart. You may also need to add some value for walk-ons to further true up the picture. Kovacs may not be All Big 10, but he is definitely making a contribution. Just think: if he wasn't there, the product on the field would probably be worse.
(Also, maybe list Boren, Clemons, Wermers... as negative #'s instead of just NC, since running their mouths had extra Neg. impact. Just kidding... sort of.)
The prospects for next year are the most painful thing about how things look right now. Seeing that last years team outscored this years team in those contests really drives that home.
More whiskey please.
Discussion and a link to the audio is on MGoBoard. The interview is good stuff. Bacon calls out Rosenberg's vendetta against RR and the crappy journalism of the article. Let's hope Bacon gets interview by ESPN.
...trumps all others in this situation.
RR needed to keep as much momentum as he could going. Regardless of the realities of "knowing what is needed" by going for 2 first, RR figured they would be doing well just to score again, and momentum would be key to making that happen. "Let's worry about getting 2 in the unlikely event that we can make it in the end zone again."
The whole thing boils down to a kid who was trying to cover up the fact that he quit something, just like Boren. Sure, they can argue that it wasn't about "couldn't hack it', it was about 'didn't fit in the new system', but the reality is: 'not fitting in' still falls under 'couldn't hack it'.
At their core, every competitive athlete knows it, "You walk away, you quit" no matter what the playing field is. You may prove yourself again somewhere else, but on that day, you failed/lost/quit... It is a hard thing to live with, and a harder thing to answer questions about. So Wermers decides to weasel out by questioning the program... so that people will stop questioning him.
15 practices is correct. They are also limited as to how many hours/week the players spend at their sport(which is a year round thing, but I'm not sure what the current # is). The 15 mandatory practices usually get interspersed with several "voluntary" workouts. This allows the team to get as much as possible out of the 15 practices.
The hours per week thing is a bit of a joke. It used to be 20 hours back when I was in school. When you took practices, conditioning/weights, position meetings, team meetings... I don't think I ever had a week that required less than 40 hours during the season or spring ball. That is why so much time gets labeled as "voluntary".
The situations are very different, as were/are the individuals involved.
RH was essentially the right type of QB for the system he was in, but was beat out. Fortunately, he was also the type of athlete that could compete at other positions. Lastly, he was still working with the same coaching staff that recruited him (which I can assure you from experience makes a difference in how the regime looks at their commitment to you).
ST was in a situation where he pretty much had the rug pulled out from under him from a system perspective. He is definitely not the type of athlete that could play another position at this level, and lastly, he has been reviewed by recruiting services as someone with great potential, but only as a drop back passer type QB.
I am quite sure that he is not going to find the "extras" at other places that he would at Michigan. However, if he has a burning desire to see how far he can go as a football player, that opportunity is probably the one thing he can no longer achieve at Michigan. I am skeptical as to whether he will ever come close to Joe Flacco type success, but I can't fault him for his desire to try.
Last of all, we don't know how his meeting with RR went. For all anyone knows, RR agreed that he would be best served elsewhere, and maybe even encouraged him in that direction.
Illinois hasn't beaten M in Champaign since 1983, and that Illinois team was as good a team as they could buy. Illinois has only won 11 games at home against M in the whole series.
Prediction: Michigan looks less than stellar in the early part of the season, Illinois will be overconfident after what they did last year, Michigan steals this game somehow. Illinois fans will find a reason to blame the refs.
The Wire is smarter, more social commentary, more realistic.
But I don't think I've ever seen a show that keeps the intensity cranked up like The Shield. Multi faceted plots, great characters...
I'm in the minority here, but if I had to choose just one, I'd go with The Shield.
Funny that you mention that one (nice job with the breakdown by the way). I actually thought that was one of the better defensive efforts, despite the score. There were breakdowns, especially late, but they looked less "confused" for the most part. I couldn't pin whether the D's play was more aggressive because of the scheme, or just due to the rivalry. I've always been a fan of aggressive scheming with the front 7 to create opportunities to upset the OLine's confidence, and get them over thinking, missing assignments.
I agree with you that pinning this on Schafer is a rush to judgement. No way anyone on the outside truly knows what is happening on the inside.
I have not had the chance to disect any games... I'm generally lucky to get a chance to watch most of them (lucky may be a bit of a strectch). But from I've been able to watch so far, the D doesn't seem to run a lot of line stunts. By stunts, I don't mean slants that include responsibility for engaging a linemen or maintaining a gap/technique. I mean full on jail break crash gaps and get into the backfield to make something happen stunts. Now maybe the reason this seems to be the case is that M has tried but that they lack the personnel to be successful, but I'd think they have the players to work this into the scheme a little more often to potentially disrupt flow, generate a big play, and maybe be a little less predictable... Get players thinking less and playing more aggressively.
Interested on whether you have noticed this, or if it is just a perception issue on my part.
"Oh Michigan Football Hating God, please accept the sacrifice that has been made thru the first part of this season as an offering that might allow Michigan to win the last game of the season."
What the hell, there have been a lot of streaks broken this year.
Recent Comments
The OSU response to Harbaugh's tweet is so Buckeye, it is perfect. JH should have it framed. It is like saying, "Sure, we mislead a recruit; but WOOOO!!!!, National Champs!!!!"
At 6 yrs/$48 million, regardless of whether you think it seems ridiculous, the AD has succeeded in making everyone in the market realize that U of M means business. It says "we feel this is one of the best jobs period, and if you are worthy of it, the pay is commensurate."
"Mr. Hackett, I have Nick Saban's agent on line 2..."
Who cares what the NFL talking heads say. They are talking about it because it got everyone's attention. They will be trying to un-paint themselves from the corner, and others will just spin it negatively. In this instance, there pretty much is no such thing as bad press. Keep on talking, nothing like having U of M in the news cycle for something other than not meeting expectations.
Jerry Kill. Great Coach.
I would go after Jerry Kill before Kevin Wilson. Health issues aside, he has been succesful everywhere despite the health issues. SIU and NIU were not fluke turnarounds, and unlike the current situation, Kill has a track record of getting the most out of his players. He is probably too loyal to MN for giving him his first "big time" shot though.
As for most of the rest, if we want to talk about things that aren't happening, why not Dantonio!!! or even Pat Narduzzi. Now those are names that could increase the drama above its current level.
Give me coaches willing to adapt, from season to season based on the realities of the talent they have, and on game days based on the opportunities of the day.
has to consider how he would feel about scheming to stop Michigan's offense, and know that he would feel pretty good about those prospects if they were his next opponent. Surely that thought would make him want to have a conversation with the guy responsible for that offense. Surely. Right?
an all name team back when M Football had Opong-Owusu.
I don't like it either, but might the current offense be better managed by someone with a mindset for using Denard as a runner? At least some of the time, that answer is yes. Would Borges be more successful with Henne, Manningham and Arrington? No brainer. Will this be a long year if M doesn't figure out how to combat what Bama threw at them? Yes. You will see it from AF this week, and ND, Ohio and MSU will have it down to a science if they don't figure out the adjustments. That is how football works.
1) Committee. Rawls is still an unknown quality/quantity in my opinion, so I'm as anxious as anyone to see what he looks like this year. The falloff after Rawls should not be steep, but V Smith willl be completely different type deal. I wish Fitz had called a cab.
2) I don't think DR will "run around" on a D like Bama's, but he still may get some big plays with his legs... If he hasn't learned when to stay the course and throw; and when to take off and run during this off season, it might be a long day.
3) I hope M is in the situation where they could, but closer than 52 yards would be nice.
4) No. Your situation is one where the current guys is as good as the last guy but he just lacks experience. M is still feeling the pain of the RR years, not getting/keeping playmakers on D.
5) I'm hoping the extra year in the system will offset the loss of 3 quality linemen that really anchored that D last year.
6) I hope for at least that many, but I don't necessarily expect it. The talent disparity between these teams could make things ugly, but i do expect M to play with a lot of grit/pride. Bame is a legit 14 pt favorite, but that doesn't mean M is not dangerous enough to make a game of it if they get the right bounces... and those bounces can go any which way the first game of the year.
7) I feel less concerned about this than I thought I would be so far; especially considering M's performance when Molk was hurt at the start of the VT game.
8) Compared to the RR years, mental mistakes on D are much less a concern.
9) Sometimes yes, but Charles Woodson graduated a long time ago.
10) Bump and run, something else to make my mind wander back to Charles Woodson? Sigh...
11) I'm as anxious to see Denard's senior season as anyone. I hope he can fix all the little things. He is just about everything a person could want in a college athlete.
12) Athletic threat? Not really, but Jeremy Gallon does have a cloaking device. (See ND 2011.)
13) I think they have enough talent to do so without significant drop off, whether or not that's enough is yet to be seen.
14) Your welcome I guess. I think this game would be a lot more interesting if it were played 2 -3 yrs from now... but i will still be in Dallas on Saturday to see it. Go Blue.
Consider that Denard really didn't have any supporting cast of offensive weapons until Fitz emerged last year. The other QB's on those lists had other playmakers on their teams that the defense had to watch. What makes Denard so impressive, he would make big plays even when all eyes were on him.
I hate to say it, but I'm going to side with the South on this one. It is that good.
Even if MR were to somehow win the Pulitzer for this article, I will never read it, or anything else he ever produces. He is dead to me. Therefore, the article doesn't even exist... Hey, what is thread about anyway?
Former 2012 Commit: "Sorry Brady, but I've decided to switch my commitment to Rutgers. They bring the best bagels in from some little joint in NYC every day during the season, and now they've added these new spreads that are off the charts."
Watching that Poinsettia Bowl footage make me think SDSU is going to be a very game opponent, especially given the extra motivation of playing their former coach.
...which obviously cannot include tomorrows data. When you look at it from the perspective of only what we know today, Rosenberg's conclusions seem reasonable. But if M throttles MSU in the Gator Bowl, DB will have a hard time maintaining credibility if he goes ahead and fires RR. On the flip side, he would also have a serious credibility problem keeping RR after that game if M gets throttled by MSU. So based on what he has said AND what could actually happen in that game... maybe he is still just waiting to make his analysis until after the entire season is over... Just like he's said 500 times b4.
UM to UofM would have to be the Most Ridiculous CC Speculation Ever... Of course, it will probably only hold that title for another hour or so.
Besides, if we always onside kick, I'd imagine our kicker might get better at various onside kick varieties... assuming we can keep them in bounds.
Saying this to your players is completely a non issue. If he had said it to the public, that would be different.
That is the thing that will probably take two years... bringing around the D.
I think the O has the potential to be a juggernaut next year, but the D is still going to be young, and is still going to have some depth issues. Let's just hope the Michigan (insert position here) Hating God decides to take next year off.
One of the best works of modern fiction: Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.
One of the best non fiction books for fiction buffs that need historical perspecitive: Six Frigates: The Epic History of the Founding of the US Navy by Ian Toll.
I'm not saying I am absolutely right, but I'm definitely not wrong. Anyone who loves to read would never be disappointed by these books.
Funny that you mention that one (nice job with the breakdown by the way). I actually thought that was one of the better defensive efforts, despite the score. There were breakdowns, especially late, but they looked less "confused" for the most part. I couldn't pin whether the D's play was more aggressive because of the scheme, or just due to the rivalry. I've always been a fan of aggressive scheming with the front 7 to create opportunities to upset the OLine's confidence, and get them over thinking, missing assignments.
I agree with you that pinning this on Schafer is a rush to judgement. No way anyone on the outside truly knows what is happening on the inside.
"Oh Michigan Football Hating God, please accept the sacrifice that has been made thru the first part of this season as an offering that might allow Michigan to win the last game of the season."
What the hell, there have been a lot of streaks broken this year.