Wolfman

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3 days 11 hours ago Think the writer is correct, i.e., "better than Carr years"

outside '97, UM was usually out of consideration for NC hunt during our pre-conference schedule, normally due to not having the team ready for lesser talented ND squads, Appy St., et.al., and we even struggled to get by teams like San Diego St. And never have we recruited like this since the lifting of the 105 scholarship limit.

I imagine Bo had as many players as Brady that would be rated 4* if ratings existed during that time for the mere fact that OSU and UM took all the top players in the region and the other 8 teams got the left-overs.  And even during Bo's years, I can't recall being a year ahead in recruiting, which we basically are right now with all the players that have pledged-meaning most will honor that pledge- with all the players Brady and his asst's have brought in.  And as I mentioned in an earlier post, Mattison has proven to be better than his first go around in AA with all he has picked up during his many stays since he left for ND a long, long time ago. 

Denard has to be more selective when it comes to his passing to be in the hunt for the Heisman. He just can't afford to throw into the crowd and pray, especially when he has a first down waiting if he just runs to the end of the chain and gets out of bounds if danger threatens. But he should have a Denard like season regardless, and these small receivers like Gallon and Dileo really don't hurt us, but Roundtree could be a big lift if he learns to run better patterns. 

Personally, I think Kenny D. lets too many receivers get by him to be rated among our top ten, but Mattison might correct that this year, and I have to agree with all that any lbers ranked in the top ten has to start with one Jake Ryan.  What more does the kid have to prove. He'll be an all-conference performer, possibly even this year.

I like the future. I think BH has found a home for as long as he wants to stay. His recruiting is just unblelievable and as long as he can keep Mattison in AA, we should be just fine.
6 days 20 hours ago you are wrong

there are more hot girls in California, especially LA, for no other reason that more people who thinks they have a shot at getting by on looks, i.e., film, modeling, etc., are going to move there based on that alone.  Just walk down the streets of Santa Monica for example-take your pick of streets- and do the same in say Grand Rapicds and the disaprity becomes so clear it's amazing.

It is a town for young people, with a large number being of the extremely hot variety. I don't even know why you would make an argument against that.
1 week 1 day ago the '06 defense was second best under Carr

and the '07 offense had more weapons than any during Carr's regime so something is not adding up here.  DR is going into the season as probably the best the BIG has to offer this year, but that's based on production. Henne was a master from Day one whereas Denard, even through his Jr. season was making some freshman like mistakes. His production is inarguable, but so too are his tendencies to throw into a crowd and refusal to plant his back foot on too many occasions. 

None of us are able to look into the crystal ball at this time of the year, but I think what Al does more than any other person, and his decision on how he's going to use DR, based on how far along DR has come, will be the greatest determinant in next season's success.  If we see a repeat of the offense we saw in the bowl game, even though we won it, expect disaster. If, on the other hand, Al concedes the fact that it's best to have this kid run when he sees the first down marker rather than expect the river to bail him out on every hand, well Palmer might look he has some common sense.

And yes, even though Kirk never beat UM, Palmer like him has the requisite experience to analyze his position. He was coached at the top level and although he might not have been great, he is aware of the difference between a qb doing things correctly and the opposite. If he goes on record as saying Denard does not produce, well that's a totally different story.   
2 weeks 2 days ago I am left to wonder how such an omniscient mind

does not comprehend that the question will Trey Burke return or go pro is not a yes or no question. Also, but to a lesser degree, still somewhat befuddling, doesn't knowing the future but also the information on the future equate to the same? Afterall, isn't the information on the future contained in the future itself?  Lesser minds just have to know. 
2 weeks 2 days ago I thought Whitlock's comments, referenced above

were perhaps among the best free publicity M could get in terms of not just the university, but to parents of recruits who are going to hear about this debate, be it thru the water cooler conversation or some other avenue of conversation. 

Debate might have been won by proponents of  a never-to-be-seen ban of cfb because its' benefits and contribution far outweigh whatever point they were trying to make.  Believe it had something to do with it does not add to academics of an education or some such nonsense. Almost the equivalent of saying the mere admittance of an underpriviliged high schooler to an Ivy League school or to one with the status of a Michigan, Duke or Stanford, for mere examples, is not going to provide networks to future financial success and contributions to society that higher education was designed for in its infancy, perhaps in opposite order, than they would not have accessed without said admittance.

Revenue generating collegiate sports, as a whole, has opened more doors to not only superior athletes, but to millions of other young men and women than possibly any tax backed government program aimed at promoting higher education among the least advantaged. And, as an aside, it has probably also been far more instrumental in bridging the racial divide that lessens each year in our country than any one tax supported program as well. Simply put, college sports as a whole and it undisputed KING; the one that pays for it all, is a good thing. 
2 weeks 2 days ago There were reports that Switzer actually slept on his porch

The rumors about the night's sleep on the front porch could very well have been true, and have to be believable to anyone who knows anything about what the Bootlegger's son was doing in his time in Norman.  However, even with all the violations on record and those off, Marcus reports ultimately it was Switzer's swag that made him decide on OU, and many other h.s. players of that era felt the same way. 

You have to recall this kid was wanted so badly by Barry that he actually switched from the vaunted and proven wishbone to an I formation just to utilize Marcus's almost incomparable talents to maximum potential. They did build a tremendous rapport during his recruitment, but Barry also coached. He wanted Marcus to play closer to his h.s. weight - near 220- than at the extra 15-20 pds he put on, probably a result of natural growth.  MD didn't take kindly to BS's motivational tactics and we all know the ending. 

But as to your question, today's rule breakers have just gotten better with stealth tactics than the blatant violations of thirty years ago. For instance, it was not unusual for Bear to be hosting a recruit at a fine restaurant and have a young qb from the NY Jet's just happen to be in the same restaurant and merely by coincidence run into his old college coach.  The things Switzer did would be front page news or gone viral with today's wide spread media, but we all are now aware that even with this onmipresent danger, Tressel and Carroll exercised equally blantant violations and got away with them for years before discovered.  So my anwswer is No, they wouldn't get away with the same tactics they used, for the reasons stated above. However, just as effective as was Barry in his bending - hell, obliterating the rule book - so too are some of today's coaches, best two examples named immediately above.   If Barry were coaching at the collegiate level today, he would be just as good as implementing the tactics that today's rule shaper's use. Hell, when you  are the master at a given thing, different eras only cause you to use different measures.

The similarities I see with all three programs associated with the above-named coaches are that all three communities, Norman, Columbus and Compton are not only aware of what is taking place,in many cases they endorse it.  Garrett, after Carroll's fall from grace, "Name me one school who wouldn't trade the past ten years for what we did here?"!!!!! And during my year in OKC I was first surprised but later came to grips with the reality of the pride the boosters took in making themselves known. Best example came from a wealthy lady whose home we were working on after a 7-5, 8-4 campaign, "With the money we give that guy to bring in the best talent in America, there's just no damn excuse for a record like that." 

So, no these things are no longer allowed, but yes, equally flagrant violations do occur and certain schools just seem to have a propensity for pertuating this type of behavior. 
2 weeks 2 days ago "an effective tandem"?

Brown and Minor did not even combine for 1000 yds together. If this is effective, then Hell yes, RB recruiting matters.
4 weeks 3 days ago You are absolutely correct

and that's why we can afford to send our band to any game,anywhere, because our donors have assured us of this through their donations dating back some 100+years. The band is as much a part of Michigan football as is taking 4th string players that will take part only in preseason stretching and offering cheer support, along with the band, during the game.

 

There is, afterall, only one reason we're playing Alabama in what would have amounted to a Kick-off Classic only a decade ago.  It is because we are Michigan and when Michigan agrees to a game, it agrees to bring the entire "Michigan experience" which would be a disservice to all fans and prospective recruits setting in that stadium this coming fall.
4 weeks 3 days ago Thinly disguised extortion attempt by Brandon

Donors should not be treated in this manner. The MMB is as part a part of the Michigan football tradition as are the tunnel and the banner. 

Bo knew this first hand and devotes an entire chapter to the importance of the band in his book, Tradition.  It is Michigan's tradition to always have the band with them, be it at practice or at game venues.  Brandon's role inn this matter is inexcusable. True, he knows M's donors will not allow a travesty such as this to occur, and he would make an 11th hr decision to have the band travel regardless. He knows of the importance of the band as it relates to Michigan football tradition and his attempt at minimizing their importance is inexcusable. 

Many of you are far too young to recall Bo's Sunday afternoon  Michigan Replay with Dave Brandstetter. I recall one such program when asked about the "controversial" decision on Bo's - not the AD's- decision to have the team fly to a nearby venue instead of taking a bus. Dave mentioned that many BIG X schools would have opted for the far cheaper bus trip. Bo's reply was the correct one. "This is Michigan, and at Michigan everything related to football is done on a first-class basis only." 

Brandon know far too well that such is the case and he should not have opted to attempt to extort money from donors when the band should be penciled in automatically.  Inexcusable is the only word for such action on his part. 
4 weeks 4 days ago I agree with part of your paragraph.

A mistake was made in hiring RR, but I think it was RR that made the mistake in his acceptance of the job. You somehow summarily dismiss all relevant data exacerbating the reasons for his failure. That is just unfair to the man. He had no idea how divided the fan base was going to be at the mere suggestion of changing the perceived "Michigan way," even though LC had taken the last three years off until his hiring. Only then did he act and that was in a subversive manner.

Now watch Urban at OSU, taking over a team with roughly 80 percent of the talent he needs. His only primary weakness for his chosen way to success is lack of depth at WR, and I don't look for that to be too large of a problem after watching OSU's spring game.

But the question itself is constrasting DCs. One was absent but not awol. The other is proof that regardless of age, one becomes much better the longer he's in the game and open to learning new tactics and principles. Mattison's performance in 2011 far surpassed anything he had done here in his prior role in the same position. It's nice to have a man that is willing to implement all the new tricks he's added to his game since he's been gone.
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