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V.O.R.
History
- Member for
- 8 years 32 weeks
Recent Comments
| Date | Title | Body |
|---|---|---|
| 7 years 34 weeks ago | It changes things... |
We can complain about whatever we want, it means little if anything at all. The point is that things have changed, this is a point of fact not conjecture. No matter how they configure the divisions and no matter how they try to schedule the Michigan-OSU game, it will not be the same any longer. It used to be "the game" decided the Big Ten title, and therefore it was significant is many ways. Now, it's simply going to be one game among many with an emotional attachment. If Michigan plays OSU twice in a given year, it will weaken the appeal of "the game." This is not to say that the hatred will not be there for both games, it will lose that extra something. If it doesn' change any thing for you, then great. However, for many of us who do look for the special game at the end of the schedule for all of the marbles, it will not be the same. IMO |
| 7 years 35 weeks ago | Coach needs to get mad |
I'd give twenty bucks to see Coach RR get mad and chew the media, refs, players and every that moves a new ass whole. He needs to give up this Mr. Nice guy being politically correct and crying in front of the cameras thing. If he'd cuss a few folks out and told them where to go, maybe the team would pick up on it and get a little tougher themselves. |
| 7 years 35 weeks ago | Things Have Changed...Get Used to It!!! |
This is a new era for the Big Ten, it will never be the same again. The days of three yards and a cloud of dust, the days of the Michigan vs. Ohio State game being "the" game to decide the BT championship has changed with the addition of Nebraska and two separate division. Money has become the priority of the conference and no matter how we squak about it, we better get used to the thought that this is not our daddies conference anymore. If we have to play OSU twice, it changes the dynamic of the meaning of "the game." If we don't play them for a given year, it does the same thing. Get used to it...as of now things have changed permanently. |
| 7 years 35 weeks ago | Still Hopeful |
I believe this years team though young, will be a shadow of a John Beilein team. He is molding this group into what we have seen at WVU but hopefully even better because of better players. I am still encouraged and excited. This european trip with extra practices and games should help this young group get a jump start on the season, maybe even surprise a couple of teams. Hopefully! |
| 7 years 35 weeks ago | Young CB's will fair ok considering... |
This is college football, not the pros. We've seen freshman QB's, RB's and DB's play and do well. Teams with great depth have the luxury simply replacing the injured with the next five star player in line. However, we've also seen frehsman/sophomore players step in and do well as long as the rest of the unit is solid. When we look at our defensive coordinator we see a man who has done it all. If anyone can develop a scheme to shore up the weakness in the defensive unit, he can. We know that opponents will key on our young secondary, and this simply means that they have to grow up quickly, but I believe overall they will be okay. Donnovan Warren played as a freshman and did well considering. If Michigan doesn't win the national championship this year, it won't be because of the young CB's. |
| 7 years 35 weeks ago | Is he ready yet? |
If he can handle the pounding at this level and he's in Big Ten football shape [keep in mind that he just came from high school], then he should see significant action. If he can't take the pounding then he will be used sparingly but used more starting next year. I figure if Brandon Minor being a Barwis graduate had difficulty with staying healthy, Hopkins is not a shoe in just yet. |
| 7 years 35 weeks ago | Too early to tell... |
Although possible, it's too early to consider transfering unless it is CLEAR that he has moved from starter to third string in two weeks. He is still a potential starter for this season. Tate may have cried to someone about the competition and that person ran with it, but I wouldn't buy into it until it actually happens. Now with that being said, I don't see Tate as a person who thrives on competition and wouldn't put it past him to transfer in the future if he loses to one of the other QB's. |
| 7 years 36 weeks ago | Another good one |
I'm still trying to get over the loss of Walsh, but I believe Posada is a good get and he has the flexibility to fill in at OG or OT which is a big plus. With the slots filling up rather quickly now is the time to focus on those key two to three OL candidates that we need. |
| 7 years 36 weeks ago | Ohio Graduation Test |
Here is a reference regarding the OGT. You ultimately still maybe correct however, hopefully this will shed some light on the situation: What happens to students who have met all of the curriculum requirements for graduation but do not pass the OGT before their intended date of graduation? Students who have met all of the curriculum requirements for graduation but have not passed all required parts of the OGT before their intended date of graduation will not graduate with their classmates. School districts decide locally whether or not students may participate in graduation ceremonies. Students may continue to take the OGT until they pass all required parts, which would then allow them to earn their diplomas. The first opportunity to take the test after their senior year would be in July during the summer administration of the OGT. Students should contact a school district well in advance of the test dates to learn of the requirements to sit for the test. Students who are eligible may test during any of the testing opportunities throughout the school year – March, July and October. Click here for test dates. |
| 7 years 36 weeks ago | Looks like he's got...ISSUES!!! |
This has got to be a reflection of issues off the field. I'm thinking that those on the inside have an idea what is going on, but we're just seeing the symptoms of the problem. He had difficulty graduating high school. He came into Michiganl a step behind, and he's been behind ever since. Other players, even walk-ons are busting their humps to contribute and JT gave the team nothing. He was considered to be more talented than most of the other CBs but he never took advantage of taking over the position when the opportunity was given to him. I am not saying he's not a good guy, because I don't know him, all I'm saying is, what we saw [or lack of it] is what we got...which is nothing. If he can't handle the pressure of big time college then maybe he should go and give the scholarship to someone else who wants and deserves it. NUFF SAID!!! |
| 7 years 36 weeks ago | Jordan Walsh Commits |
"Michigan Football Requiting" reported that Jordan Walsh committed to Iowa today. That is a big loss. I hope we land Zettle. |
| 7 years 37 weeks ago | Defense should be good this year |
"The defense should be good this year, with much more available depth, and more consistency. It's insulting to the team to peg them as a squad that will have to outscore people." I'm not sure if that was the author or the coach making that statement, but I do believe that the defense will be better OVERALL this year. There are too many question marks to determine just how much better, but there is room for more consistency which lends itself to natural maturity and growth. |
| 7 years 37 weeks ago | Looking for a successful RR from now on |
Listen, I love Les Miles but we need to get off of that band wagon. The only way Miles would end up here would be if RR has another bad year or two. I wouldn't want that because that would almost assuredly burry the Michigan program. I want RR to be successful and to be considered one of the greatest coaches in Michigan history. That would mean that the football team has taken a great leap forward. I don't think we're caring who the coach is as long as we win again. |
| 7 years 38 weeks ago | Good Get |
He is strong, fast, athletic and very agressive. Has the kind of talent that can allow him to play the OLB position if needed. Michigan can always use top athletes. |
| 7 years 40 weeks ago | I blog for points? |
Now I know why there has been so much useless blah blah blah comments posted, it's because bloggers are trying to raise their point levels in case they lose some points. That is sad. Before, I would only speak when I had something to say, but now I need to be like everyone else I guess...more blah. |
| 7 years 44 weeks ago | I doubt this helps us |
I would imagine that juniors and seniors who are serious about graduation would think twice before transferring to another school. Keep in mind that the everything is not transferable and the degree programs may not be compatible. Plus realistically the pro scouts are still going to be watching USC probation or not. I don't expect a mass exodus from that school. IMO |
| 7 years 45 weeks ago | Rejection Could Hurt Our Recruiting |
I understand that Michigan's standards have to be maintained. However, I am concerned when students commit to Michigan after receiving an offer, and are not admited that it will negatively influence future potential recruits that maybe concerned about their academic status; especially if they don't have anything to worry about. They may dismiss Michigan to avoid embarassment and go to Ohio State [et al]. The president and the athletic director should force the athletic department and the admissions office to work together. When the admissions office rejects an offered candidate it is Michigan shooting itself in the foot. Schools like ND have very high admission standards for their students but it seems as though somehow they aren't having this problem. Unless we get ourselves together on this, this will hurt our recruiting. IMO |
| 8 years 3 weeks ago | You can't blame him |
We wish Manny and DeShawn well in their futures. When you consider the options for Manny you can't really blame him. These are difficult economic times, and the families in the state of Michigan especially the inner cities are having to deal with stressful financial challenges. Manny will surely be signed somewhere if he's not drafted, and he will have the opportunity to help out his family and himself if there is such a need to do so. I am not saying that I know his financial situation, who knows, Manny's family maybe financially well off, however, if that is not the case, he certainly has an opportunity to help them through this recession. This maybe the reason why so many young players leave early and try not to risk ending their athletic careers by getting seriously injured an extra year in college. We thank him and DeShawn for the time and effort they have given to us and wish them a prosperious professional career. |
| 8 years 8 weeks ago | The Buck Starts and Stops with the Head Coach...Always!!! |
What it means overall is that the buck stops with the head football coach. Even though he maybe busy doing other "football things," EVERYTHING relating to his football team is HIS responsibility. EVERYONE, and I mean EVERYONE who works under the head coach, should be so on board, and so afraid to be called onto the carpet for screwing up "their job," that they should be on top of what they do, and give a report of 100% to the coach when he asks for it. This monitoring over sight would not have happened under Bo or Vince Lombardi. Coach Rod is a great guy and a great coach, however, he dropped the ball on this because he should have had a structure in place to confirm that EVERYTHING, is as it should be. He should not have had to wait until there was a report to the freep to look into possible breakdowns. We don't know how things were handled at WVU, however, WVU was not a major program with rivals like [freep] trying to bring the program down. They could slip up and who would really care? You have to be very careful and diligent in all areas at Michigan. Also, let us not fool ourselves, every penality will continue to harm the program's progress because it will strike in the areas of need. However, this is the price that we will have to pay for this over sight. |
| 8 years 9 weeks ago | Nice Win |
Nice win for Michigan even against a struggling team because Michigan played solidly and they did it on the road in the Big Ten. We have to keep it up during this stretch and go into the BT tourney playing this way. Yes, we still need to get better and work on a number of things but I believe this team can pull it together. |
| 8 years 10 weeks ago | We have to trust in Rod |
Coach Rod impresses me as being a big loyality guy. He likes to hire staff that will hopefully stay and be loyal to him and he will look out for them. This Adam Braithwaite (AB) was with him at WVU and followed him to Michigan. Now he can promote him and he will probably be with him for a while. Coach Rod said that AB knows the system very well. He also knows the players he has on the roster and has a good idea of what he has coming in. Coach Rod has to hit the ground running with this guy who doesn't need to find a place to live, move his family, learn the area, learn the staff and the system. To Rodriguez this is a low risk, potential high reward move, especially if AB actually knows how to coach these positions. Some may say that this move was about saving money, I don't think so. Michigan needs to get back on the winning track and the football team's success year in and year out actually pays the bills. To make a good hire, was necessary...NOW. Coach Rod's future at Michigan hinges on making smart moves "now" not next year (2011). If this is a good hire or not, only time will tell. Let's hope so. |
| 8 years 13 weeks ago | Low Risk High Reward |
Sleeper or not, this kid was named to the first team at his position at a power school, at the highest level in Ohio. He may have been a sleeper going into the year, but someone noticed him enough to elect him over every other player in the state of Ohio. That says something. Therefore, he is worth taking a chance on. He also fills a position of need. I'll take him. |
| 8 years 14 weeks ago | Some random thoughts... |
The coaching carrousel didn't appear too much of an issue for Michigan fans until we had to experience the hiring debacle of 2008. We felt that Michigan was a prime job that "anyone" would want. We learned quickly that, that was not the case. The fans wanted Les Miles, but some administrators didn't. He wanted to come to his "dream job," however, something didn't quite work out and so now we're interviewing candidate number three. Rich Rod, the interview that really wasn't an interview. A multi-million pay out to a coach and WVU that didn't like Michigan taking both their basketball and their football coaches. There were court hearings and things said that made Michigan's new football coach look bad. We shouldn't forget that T. Pryor informed the media that as soon as RR was hired by Michigan, he informed him on a WVU phone that he was now going to Michigan as the head coach. Somewhat "Kiffinesk" so to speak. IMO, the true victims in cases with coaches running off to the NFL or other college programs after they've almost destroyed a program [Carroll, Kiffin, et al] is the students and the fans. Recruiting classes are disrupted or destroyed. Assistant coaches and their families will have to relocate, again. Tennessee's program has to endure another set back, and what scares me is that if we're not careful, this can happen to us. Just an example, when Hopson left, it didn't bother me so much because he was new and may not have felt comfortable here. However, now that Magee is interviewing for a job (dream job???) it makes me wonder, is this a sign of something else happening behind the scenes? He's been with RR for years, never candidated for another position until now. Are the rats leaving the ship because it's sinking or is this more of what happens in the coaching carrousel? Just something that makes you say hmmm. Most top athletes with a future will eventually be fine and land on their feet, however, it's the rest of us that bleed our school colors that are left holding the bag and have to pick up the pieces. I know "it is , what it is," however, I hope the NCAA will eventually attempt some means of regulating a form of Ethical employment practices when it comes to hiring coaches from other schools. |
| 8 years 14 weeks ago | The Wetzel Plan 2007 |
Here is a link to the Rivals.com article "The Wetzel Plan" written in 2007, and he gives a break down what I think the NCAA may eventually use because it is similar to what works in the lower divisions. I am sure many of you have seen this before. Scroll down and review the 2007 brackets. The bottom line is, there will never be a system that works for everyone. Coming up with arguably what is viewed as the most fair system may be what they will settle for here. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/football/news?slug=dw-playoff112707&prov=yh... |
| 8 years 14 weeks ago | Another Point Of View |
Just another point of view. Money aside, when major football coaches are not on board with the playoff idea, it makes one wonder why, and a possibility comes to mind. With a play off system, your team may "never" make it through the play offs to a championship game. Like the NCAA basketball tourney, most teams never make it to the summit. In a tournament setting, many top basketball teams are defined as either a "Final Four" or "Elite Eight" or "Sweet Sixteen" class team, implying their strength or lack of strength or inability to get to the top. Can you imagine that in football? A school like Notre Dame would be viewed as a "Sweet Sixteen" team and Utah could be viewed as a "Final Four" team. If you're the coach of a football powerhouse, you wouldn't want to be viewed that way. Then to add insult to injury, suppose your team averages an 8-4 or a 9-3 record and you're never invited to the Championship tournament? Like basketball, it would put more pressure on the coaches to get to the big football dance. Now when we define conferences as BCS conferences or BCS teams, it sounds like we're talking semantics but we're not. We're indoctrinated to believe that if you're not going to the "Champtionship title game" then a BCS bowl game with a big BCS check is a solid accomplishment, so everyone is satisfied and all of the participants are on a somewhat level playing field. However, with the current system every team that has an undefeated record is at least in the conversation for the champtionship game. Even if they aren't invited, then they can complain about being snubbed, e.g., Boise State Univerity. Also unlike the basketball tourney where a team has to fight their way to the top through the best teams, a football team like Boise State can pull out all of the stops and trick plays and win that ONE game to be crowned the champion. So to put it bluntly, you can play crap teams all year, become undefeated, and possibly trick your way through one championship game. If there is a play off system, some coaches may be afraid that they couldn't get passed the lower rounds every year, or lose to "weaker" lower seated teams. Big time Alums would be upset and financial support could further dictate how things are done, who stays or goes etc. I still believe we should have a D-1 play off system. If the lower divisions can have one, then so can the top levels. |
| 8 years 14 weeks ago | Low risk |
He is a low risk, potential high reward proposition for coach B. Michigan doesn't burn a scholarship and can afford to have him as a project who works on the scout team while developing his game. If he works himself into the system and becomes a real player in two years, he may find himself in the rotation. He is a natural shooter which is needed in this system. If he can shoot at this level and improves his defense, then we have a winner. |
| 8 years 16 weeks ago | Another Tough Loss |
Another tough loss, but keep in mind that Michigan even with the best teams we've had has always found it tough to win in Bloominton on their court. Last year we narrowly escaped with a win that we maybe should not have had. This team has a long ways to go for sure, but it's difficult to judge the Big Ten season on this particular opening road loss when this loss has been par for the course at Indiana. Let's see how the team does with the next two games. I expect them to play better. |
| 8 years 16 weeks ago | McLimans and/or Jordan Morgan possible? |
It is a tough break for both Cronin and the Michigan basketball team. I'm sure, coach B was hoping that Cronin would be able to contribute espcially during the Big Ten season. The bigger body would help espcially with his defensive rebounding and shot blocking abilities. Michigan can really use some size under the boards, causing opposing teams to account for him. It is difficult to read at the present whether or not coach B will burn the red shirt of either, McLimans and/or Jordan Morgan, but I believe if he thinks he has a shot with Morgan he may burn the shirt, especially if he's healthy. If he gets an early feel that the season is a loss he might leave things as they are. |
| 8 years 17 weeks ago | Maybe it's better this way... |
Coach Rod has got to let Greg Robinson hire Hopson's replacement. It would help at least in a few ways: 1) Since coach GR knows defense better, then he should be able to better evaluate the proper staff qualifications for that position. 2) It gives GR some additional ownership of the defense and what happens. If it's his guy then he takes the flack for it. At the current time, coach Rod put this defensive staff together and maybe for the wrong reasons(?). 3) With a better linebacker coach that has a greater skill set, it should transfer to the players. The rule of thumb is, that you can't teach what you don't know. The linebackers for their part, needs to know how to make rapid adjustments on the field of play, and make better decisions. 4) I've gotten the impression somehow that Hopson was never really happy here. Maybe he felt out of place, I don't know. If he's not recruiting well, it's difficult to convince recruits to come to a place that you yourself is not sold on. |
| 8 years 17 weeks ago | The Kid's Got Skills! |
Even though there is never a guarantee with high school kids playing on the major college level, I agree that Josh Furman is a quality young man that has a great upside. He's dominated on his current level, and once oriented to the Big Ten should transfer that same skill and intensity here as well. Michigan needs to give serious attention to the defensive side of the ball, that being said, if that wasn't an issue, I would assume the staff would see what he could do with the ball in his hands. The kids got skills! |
