Token_sparty

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Date	Title	Body
31 weeks 2 hours ago	Unfortunately	I believe that the broken record this year will be repeated during the Michigan game.  MSU's defense will play well for three quarters but wear down because the offense can't sustain drives, giving up the bulk of yards and scores in the 4th quarter.  MSU's O-line has a weakness- blocking.  Sadly, that's their main job and if they can't do it the playcall really doesn't matter.  If I were the OC I'd run 80 screens a game because the O-line only has to run out and hit someone.  Meanwhile, in Competent Coordinator Land, MSU's defense seems to be, encourage Denard to throw the ball and pounce to create turnovers, but once they get too gassed they won't be able to pounce and the plays will be there. My only keys to the game: a) Can Michigan's D-line contain the run, and b) Can MSU's O-line block well enough to sustain some drives.  If the former is true, Michigan will win.  If the latter is true, MSU will win.  Let's see how it turns out.
1 year 52 weeks ago	How about this for a retort?	We actually teach our players to play well- which is why we have kicked your tail the last three years.  Crow about recruiting all you want- those 4- and 5-star recruits got posterized by walk-on Blair White for three years running.  Want to trade QBs?  I love Denard Robinson, don't get me wrong, but pretty much nobody recruited Kirk Cousins, and I wouldn't swap them in a heartbeat.  You guys keep harping on the 'Sparty Noooo' theme in recruiting, and we'll keep actually teaching our guys how to play.  By the way, I'm still laughing at 5-star Will Campbell- how's that working out for you, LOL.
2 years 10 weeks ago	NOW it gets interesting	Okay, so the Vest is suspended for two games and fined $250,000. Why is this a problem? Because it's tantamount to admitting he committed a whole host of NCAA major violations, including unethical conduct, failure to monitor, failure to promote an atmosphere of compliance, of a level and gravity much more severe than anything Coach Rodriguez or the UM football program is accused of. If the NCAA has any fortitude at all, they will start digging, and keep doing it. They could well end up crucifying Tressel, if not Ohio State. Worst-case, if they dig up everything (including Pryor's magical car deal), penalties could and should be worse than USC. Yeah, it's that bad. The only good news- NCAA is slow enough that UM will probably get a chance to exact some revenge on the Vest before he leaves/is pushed out. Ball's in your court, Infractions Committee.
2 years 11 weeks ago	Duly posted	http://mgoblog.com/content/m-u-p-p-e-t-s-0#comment-995974 I'll quote to save you the trouble: "I heart A +1 to anyone referencing 'The Shining' in any way, shape, form, or fashion. On to accountability:  congrats to UM, they played well and beat my Spartans, much to my chagrin.  I talked some smack pre-game about how MSU would beat UM handily; it's only fair that I post to eat my crow.  Tastes like chicken... UM came out and made the first run- all this time, I thought MSU would understand the importance of that and try to go up early.  That's what I get for thinking, and I'll take my medicine like a man."   I recommend crow, especially as part of a Pancheros burrito.
2 years 11 weeks ago	Here we go again, Brian whinging about a minor skirmish.	(don't even start. I put 'whinging' in there instead of 'whining' because the British do it, and that's good enough for me.) I love that Brian links to message boards to prove his point about class. Thing is, I read the first page of each of them and was surprised by the number of 'so what- it's a rivalry, no big deal' responses there. A theme if not a majority. I don't find anything bad in what Morris did- it's a rivalry game, or did someone forget the definition of that? If we were up by a similar score, I'd expect a layup. Every chance to kick a rival while they're down is an opportunity not to be missed. As for the 'get the f off my court' quote, good on him- they swept MSU, they have a right to feel good about it- and to talk some all-important smack. I also don't have a problem with Lucas firing the ball at him- I remember the Bad Boys Piston era. They could have taken a lot lower route than throwing a ball.  I mean, can't we all just get along? 'Class' has no consideration in a rivalry game- trash talk and hard feelings do. Let's stop whinging about this non-story and enjoy that this game matters again. I'm happy about it, and wouldn't have it any other way. Now, on to football!
2 years 11 weeks ago	I heart	A +1 to anyone referencing 'The Shining' in any way, shape, form, or fashion. On to accountability:  congrats to UM, they played well and beat my Spartans, much to my chagrin.  I talked some smack pre-game about how MSU would beat UM handily; it's only fair that I post to eat my crow.  Tastes like chicken... UM came out and made the first run- all this time, I thought MSU would understand the importance of that and try to go up early.  That's what I get for thinking, and I'll take my medicine like a man.
2 years 11 weeks ago	Sorry	You can check one of the other game recaps then.
2 years 11 weeks ago	The only thing that worries me about this game...	... is Draymond Green's ankle.  He'll play, but who knows for how long?  By the way, I'll still predict an MSU win, but not as much as if Dancing Bear were 100%.  69-60.  Could be a 20-point blowout if Green can play most of the game. I will be back here to eat my crow if MSU loses, but I'm highly amused by some of the, er, enthusiasm you Wolverine-lets show.  It's so cute!
2 years 14 weeks ago	Early entrant	LEVITICUS PAYNE is my early entrant for the 2016 Name of the Year competition. Even better than the football player from Louisiana (I think) named Barkavious Mingo who won it a couple of years ago. I'd vote for him too, even if he went to UM.  But naturally, I'd prefer he went to MSU, lol. Apropos of nothing, the line about Tom's all-seeing eye reminded me of:  I would suggest he use that wherever possible, copyright law be damned.  Twitter icon? TOC's analysis of Lucious and his impact on the team was great on the offensive end, but MSU is also doing a TURRIBLE job of defending the perimeter, to the great joy of Wolverine fans everywhere (actually, might be more accurate to say 'any team in the Big Ten').  During their game at Breslin, UM fired off a lot of uncontested threes.  OSU was also giving up threes in the first half, but locked the perimeter down in the second- I think that's why UM lost the game.  But MSU isn't doing that.  It looks like a lack of effort to me on defense.
2 years 15 weeks ago	Well, alrighty then.	You must have missed the point where the Detroit News asks the top 15 Michigan recruits the same question every year.  As in, this isn't new.  And of those 15, 4 committed to MSU, 3 of those also took visits to UM, and 2 of them had something negative to say about Michigan- one, that he wasn't seriously recruited (if I'm a star recruit, I'd probably take exception to being recruited by an assistant too), and the other, that he visited but didn't like the way they talked to him (ok, whatevs).  Wow, 50%, that's a lot!  Let me make a chart out of that and hope no one notices the 'n=4' at the bottom!    If the MGoCommunity wants to make hay out of this sample size, who am I to stop them?  I would say the story is the 8 of 15 SOM recruits who are leaving the state and why they are leaving, but what do I know, I went to State, LOL.  Surely my grasp of statistics is much weaker than your own.
2 years 15 weeks ago	Brian, you're developing a rep as a whiner with a MSU complex.	[QUOTE] This continues the theme from these Blue Chip articles in the News since the beginning of time: Michigan commits asked about State say something short, polite and vague, State commits asked about Michigan rant about a lack of respect, and the guys towards the bottom of the list submit a tear-stained questionnaire because neither school thought they were good enough. This will happen next year, and the year after, and so on and so forth.[/QUOTE] Awesome. MGoPosters, click through and read the whole article.  I doubt you'll come up with the same characterization that Brian did.  For me, it was fascinating to read all the recruits' reasons for picking or not picking certain schools, especially those who went outside the state.  I wouldn't read that as anything more than 'It's hard to know the minds of 17-year-olds', but several of the players did mention that Michigan didn't recruit them very hard, or came late (that latter charge also came MSU's way a couple of times, in all fairness).   After all, how dare anyone not love UM in all its respects?  Oh, the horror.
2 years 15 weeks ago	That's a reassuring defensive lineup.	I don't know, maybe it's the 43 front, but I like the look of that (projected) defense.  The front four can/should dominate the LOS, leaving Demens and company to flow and shut down the run.  Still a little weak in the secondary, but more at the safety spot than the corners- I'd take that.  Need to balance the safety numbers and move some bodies over from SS to FS, but as long as the Angry Michigan-Secondary-Hating God stays in his cavern, that should be a decent defense.
2 years 16 weeks ago	Accountability haiku	Retrospectively Not the best idea ever Let chickens hatch first
2 years 16 weeks ago	Hilarious indeed	Maybe UM can borrow the catchphrase, as RichRod's tenure at UM (15-22) wishes it were as good as even John L. Smith's (22-26 career at MSU).  No balm in Gilead for that sting... I assume you're talking about '53, '65, and '66.  We played and beat OSU in the latter two years.  In MSU's 7 Big Ten title years, we played and beat OSU 4 times.  Now, that's a long time ago, I'll grant you.  MSU could plausibly claim 7 national championships overall- and all have come between UM's 10 national championships from 1901-1948, and Lloyd Carr's championship '97 football team.  So yeah, keep pretending to UM dominance.  I think you're seeing regression to the mean- which is good for MSU, not so much for UM.
2 years 16 weeks ago	Ha ha, that was fun.	For the record, that's one error ('We won't WON again') against name-checking an internet meme (Morans) and an allowable use of Bobby Williams as a noun modifier.  Excellent work indeed; those letters aren't going to capitalize themselves, you know. Enjoy the laugh now, but keep in mind that no Spartan fan will take you seriously.  When you stop treating your basketball team as a leper colony UNLESS they pull an upset, then we might.  Hockey I'll grant you- MSU stinks, victory this weekend (and aberrant 2-2 record against UM) notwithstanding.  That was essentially the mirror image of what happened in basketball.   I watched the game, and it amazed me.  Before the game, I thought 'just close out on the 3-point shooters and you're good, UM's inside absence is not worth worrying about' and then watched MSU play like Dwight Howard had a Michigan jersey on.  Instead, MSU's perimeter defenders kept sagging off the ball and leaving guys open for three.  Not surprisingly, UM's outside shooters shrugged, said 'Umm, okay, I'll shoot then', and rained threes from all over. Pacing aside, they shot very well- and MSU never adjusted.  Go figure. Besides, Brian's so cute when he gets riled up about the Juggalos.  He's venturing into the 'Their very presence on this earth offends my spirit' territory.  It's rather fun to watch.
2 years 16 weeks ago	Seen and raised	It must be asked Because no one remembers Michigan plays hoops?
2 years 18 weeks ago	Friends are great, but USEFUL friends especially so.	Good to hear that Hoke is getting all this love, but let's not kid ourselves.  His top priority (now that Denard is staying) is holding on to this recruiting class and picking up a few more defensive recruits.  If Desmond and the other guys can help with that, that will be 'friend in need' type help. Of course, the MGoCommunity could also lend a hand; Coach Hoke can use a hand in recruiting, and who better than you to Photoshop Coach Tressel in an S&M outfit (actually, might not be necessary to Photoshop if you have good sources) or Coach Dantonio as Lucifer (same caveat applies)?  You guys are geeky enough to find his e-mail; it sure didn't take me very long.  Do what you can.
2 years 18 weeks ago	This post's title sums up the content perfectly.	I think (apropos to your directive not to misinterpret the point you're trying to make, we have desperately searched - in vain - to find your point, or any point) that your intended message is this:  instead of hiring a nationally-known coach, UM will continue to wallow in mediocrity because they hired the first Michigan Man (TM) who didn't turn them down.  Get over yourself- you just were rudely reminded of the fact that the world doesn't revolve around UM football.  It won't be the last time, either.  Ask yourself:  if this really were the pinnacle of college football, don't you think Harbaugh or Miles would've taken the job?  Harbaugh took a look and said, "I want to coach in the NFL and Mike Singletary's going to single-handedly cement my rep as a football genius."  Miles took a look (I believe he focused on the defensive 2-deep) and said, "I love Michigan enough to put an out clause in my contract, but I could contend for a national championship here at LSU almost every year, or put Humpty Dumpty's pieces back together at Michigan, take 2-3 years just to contend with the Sweatervest, and get mercilessly nitpicked at every turn by the bluehairs who say I'm not 'ethical' enough for UM?  Thanks, Pizza Guy, but no thanks.  Love the Philly Cheese Steak pie though, that's stuff's awesome!" Basically, you just put out a diary whining about how Michigan settled just because they didn't hire a 'name' coach.  College football is rife with profiles of seemingly underwhelming coaches who go on to excel at that program, just as it is with profiles of 'name' coaches who faceplant big-time in a new gig; you can think of close-to-home examples of each.  No one knows right now if Hoke will turn around Michigan or not, and only a moran (ha ha, love that image) would claim that they know in advance how it will work.  In other words, you (and Drew Sharp, but we're all safe to assume his presence).
2 years 18 weeks ago	The process, the process, the process.	No matter your position regarding Hoke's hire (and as an MSU fan, I have to say I'm not a bit scared by Hoke's hiring, though I would have been troubled by the Mad Hatter and terrified by Harbaugh), I think we can all agree that the process of the hire has been troubling.  Would it have really been so bad to say after the OSU game, "I've seen enough" and fired Rodriguez?  No one would have been surprised by that.  Put in an interim coach and give yourself time to woo some guys.  I mean, how do you put out all kinds of noise about having a 'national search' and not even OFFER Harbaugh the job?  Even if that guy tells me to my face that he's signed a contract and going to the NFL, if I'm the UM AD I'm still offering.  If you have one guy that you know will win for you- and make no mistake, Harbaugh was that guy- you find a way to hire him, or die trying. What's bugging me is the mismatch between the stated goals of the search and the results.  National search, riiiiggghhhtttt.  Not that I'm complaining, mind you- I'm perfectly willing to assume MSU will continue its recent dominance over UM, and if Hoke proves me wrong, so be it.  As it stands now, there's maybe a 50-50 chance DRob transfers (he's going to need to hear the perfect words to stay, really- remember the "I came here to play for Coach Rod, who was like the only guy to recruit me as a quarterback" comment?) and then UM is left with the Force and Devin Gardner, who may or may not be ready to play in whatever system Hoke implements. All is not lost, though- let's say Hoke brings in an OC who uses enough spread concepts to keep Shoelace on board, and Hoke focuses on the defense, as he should.  In that case, things are set up for a good year- in the words of Marcellus Wallace, "You happy now, motherf****r?"
2 years 23 weeks ago	oh, why not.	If anyone can prove their inadequacies at Photoshop, why not me?
2 years 24 weeks ago	Don't worry, you're not the only one.	At least you're in good company.
2 years 24 weeks ago	LOL	You're assuming without warrant that this topic is important enough to have some flack put together talking points. Yes, I listened to the audio.  And yes, I LOL'ed.
2 years 24 weeks ago	And yet, if Dantonio had said something similar...	Would you not be LOLSOHARD-ing about that?  Well, maybe not as hard as I'm LOLSOHARD-ing about your 'good and holy about Michigan' comment.  Not nearly. For the record, I think Coach Rodriguez is a good coach.  I don't like the Josh Groban thing because of the occasion- it was a banquet honoring the team, and he basically got up there and begged for his job- having set up the music to play beforehand.  You raise ME up?  That's the problem right there.  Have you ever heard him take responsibility for anything that went bad?  I haven't.  Before this banquet scene, I respected him even if I made a joke here and there.  After this, I'm not sure I can respect him, even though he and his staff have done so much good (Brock Mealer, the offensive improvement, etc.). This is not about defending or slagging him, but putting the situation in context.  What does it tell us about Rodriguez?  It says that he'll stage a faux-emotional outburst to plead for his job.  In the end, it's all about him, even when it shouldn't be.
2 years 24 weeks ago	I, for one, am appalled at your lack of editorial creativity.	You had a perfect opportunity to use the title, 'Dee-committed?', and chose to forego it, may God have mercy on your soul.
2 years 27 weeks ago	THAT was an awesome Google Images search...	Oh screw it, I'll try later.
2 years 27 weeks ago	Whatever.	Spare us your sanctimonious bullcrap, please.  There is a difference between asking tough questions and calling Jim Everett 'Chris Evert' to his face as a stupid grandstanding ploy to increase the audience, a la Jim Rome.  That was a question intended to be insulting to Coach Rodriguez, and for my part I thought he showed admirable restraint by not saying anything.  My response would have been 'I wonder how many newspapers in the country would even have you in for an interview if you weren't peddling your sewage at the Freep.'  But then again, I'm a Spartan fan and uncouth (redundant, I know), so take it for what it's worth.
2 years 28 weeks ago	Gah.	I'd put this guy out of my mind entirely- he was in the Memory Hole, never to return. Thanks a lot, arod.  Many fond memories of the day this jabroni was fired. As to the picture pages, Brian's analysis gives food for thought, but I think the real problem with the play is the D-line getting blasted off the ball by an injury-depleted Penn Schtate O-line.  Multiple free-release second-level blocks and combo blocks- they got everything they wanted on that play, and got Kovacs on Royster 1:1.  Kovacs, to his credit, slowed Royster down enough to allow tacklers to converge, but Penn State still had to be happy with that matchup.  A missed tackle by Kovacs and this play could go a long, long way.
2 years 28 weeks ago	Examining your premise...	You're telling me they left because they didn't have a work ethic, or they realized they were slow despite being a hyped recruit?  Does it not fall on the defensive staff to weed out guys like that, to separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak?  As to Turner, he came in overweight and out of shape for 2 fall camps in a row- sure, that's on him, but why isn't anyone talking to him?  He was all but guaranteed a starting spot, especially after Woolfolk went down, and he still couldn't learn two words ('I'm full')?  And I have to believe that him transferring to West Virginia was an FFFFFUUUUUU to the current coaching staff.  So what's his deal?  In re Emilien, he was coming off an injury- who's in his ear to say 'it's football, stuff happens, keep working and you'll get a chance'?  Everyone gets injured at one point or another.  It's as if there's no leadership on the team- and I say that not to denigrate, I'm just trying to diagnose what's happening.
2 years 28 weeks ago	Somewhat neutral viewpoint	1.  With all due respect to Brian, the right question is not 'who is the best coach for the next three years'.  The right question is 'who is the best coach to fix the defense?' 2.  You have to bear the terrible truth:  Michigan will not beat a quality team until it fixes its problems on defense.  That defense cannot stop anyone.  This is really the only information that is relevant to solving Michigan's problems.  I'm not talking about offense because the offense has proven itself to be great, capable of winning any game if it has defensive support. 3.  Intelligent minds may differ on this, but I posit the defensive issues, in order of DOOM-bringing, thusly: Personnel shortage- whether by injury or by attrition, Michigan does not have enough high-quality players to compete against upper-echelon teams. Player development- even for those players they have, there has been a general inability to develop players well enough to get them capable of starting, or even identifying who is best to play a particular position.  See Ezeh v. Demens.  Don't give me the BS recruiting five-star argument; the defensive staff doesn't need recruits, they need players.  Kovacs can play.  I think Talbott can play.  They need to find those kids (like MSU did with Greg Jones and Blair White, among others) and coach them up. Inexperience- nothing but time can heal this.   RR's point that the defense is very young is on point, but his staff has had something to do with that too. Scheme- I don't think the 3-3-5 is conducive to winning in the Big Ten, but it is far from the biggest issue. So, looking at these issues, is Coach Rodriguez the right person to fix these issues?  If he can get the DC from West Virginia, maybe- GERG has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is not the guy to fix these problems.  And even mediocrity would help the team immensely- look at what Auburn's doing.  They light teams up on offense and ask their defense to make a few stops per game.  If they can do that, they believe they will win.  If Rodriguez can hire a DC/defensive staff who can recruit players and identify starters, I say keep him.  If Dave Brandon doesn't think Rodriguez can do that, he should be gone, and let Harbaugh or another man take the job.  And let the chips fall where they may.
2 years 29 weeks ago	Two issues	1.  Why do defensive players keep leaving the program?  I'm thinking most recently of Vlad the Empaler and J.T. 'got a fork?' Turner.  Vlad was like 5 minutes away from being a starting safety- the job opened up right after he transferred.  And Turner couldn't get in shape despite near-certain knowledge that he'd be able to play this fall?  It doesn't make sense. 2.  Pair that with the overall personnel losses on that side of the ball and I'll say it doesn't much matter who is DC, though if I were Coach Rodriguez I'd fire GERG right away.  Seriously- maybe it's injuries, maybe it's player losses, but stuff ain't right.  Dude can't even speak to the media (not that I'd want to, were I him) and give some idea of direction, where does the team go from here?  Peace out, dude.  I'd take a flyer on an assistant and see what he can do for the rest of the year.  Time for action is, like, yesterday- and I don't even like firing coaches mid-season.  Sometimes you just know, you know?

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