breaking news

My icebreaker question when I meet a football coach is to ask what's his signature drill. They all have them, they all have a point, and the point that the coach wants to emphasize will tell you a lot about what he values.

Via former Michigan linebacker Jim Scarcelli, Gary Moeller's drill was called "The Perfect Play" and here's how Scarcelli described it:

So it started with a sprint to Coach Moeller. He would stand somewhere and give you a formation. … and the sprint has to be perfect. The adjustment and the alignments have to be perfect. The communication has to be perfect. So when all that it is done, Coach Moeller is going to drop back and the defense is going to drop into a pass coverage, and then he's going to throw the ball. Now we're just playing on air. One of the eleven defensive players has to intercept the ball at its highest point. And then the other ten guys got to run and block, and the player has to score a touchdown, and then all eleven guys gotta go crazy in the endzone.

The point of the drill was to get back to playing the game with intelligence, energy and passion. This is how every guy who ever played for Gary Moeller would describe him as well.

They're all over at Michigan events, these Moeller guys: old men who played for him at Bellefontaine High, men in their 40s who played for him with the Lions, Jaguars, Bengals or Bears, men in their 60s whom he recruited to Illinois, men in their 80s who remember him as an Ohio State captain. They show up at Michigan events with an odd pin or tie that doesn't match the occasion, eager to seek out someone who knows of the Perfect Drill from a vast sea of Gary's maize and blue sons.

Those sons played all over the field too. The young assistant who followed Bo after two years at Miami (not That Miami) would coach the ends, the defense, the quarterbacks, the defense again, the offense, and then the whole damn team for the last five seasons of 23 in Ann Arbor. His Michigan winning percentage of 75.8 is better than that of any man to coach here since. The Arthurian comedy that ended his Michigan career seems more ridiculous with each passing season of college football, his subsequent alienation from the program surely just recompense for any role he might have played in the real tragedy of his time. His final act was a front row seat to the return of Jim Harbaugh, but fittingly the last time we saw him was on the sideline cheering for Michigan against his alma mater, flanked by two of those sons from two different generations, over a rivalry he deserves as much credit for as anyone.

To children of the 90s like myself, the brand of football played under Gary Moeller feels like a moment unappreciated until well after its time, an exhale after the stubborn irascibility of his predecessor and mentor, a breath before the venerable solemnity of his friend and successor. For half a decade, Michigan recruited with the elites, threw the ball downfield, crushed Ohio State, then laughed about it on Michigan Replay. Howard passed into Alexander, Ricky Powers gave way to Tyrone Wheatley, and Elvis entered the building, pursued by a line of pro arms still represented in the NFL today.

Spoiled as we were, this was never mourned in its time. Young Alex Drain asked me once what Michigan fans thought then, and after answering truthfully—back-to-back 8-4 seasons were "unacceptable"—it struck me that we lost something…jejune…about Michigan when we lost Moeller. There was a kidness to early '90s Michigan, a sort of "Let's see what they think of this…" insanity of a man who'd call a sight read fade to Desmond Howard on 4th and 1 of a three-point game then ask Jerry "should I be kicking a field goal?"

His final years were a sufferance of aging's worst indignities, when the surest sign you were at a Michigan event was two men greeting with smiles turning to solemnity and two words: "How's Gary?" Well Gary's fine now, and Michigan plays on, with intelligence, energy, and passion, committed to running it back until we get it perfect, and remembering to end it with a cheer.

The Michigan Daily’s Ethan Sears reports that the state health department is shutting down Michigan athletics for at least two weeks, in order to prevent an outbreak of the more contagious British variant of COVID-19. MDHHS issued recommendations that the university shut down all athletics and quarantine all members. It is typical when a scientific government agency issues guidance that the entity will treat that as orders.

The Daily reports there are already five cases of the variant within Michigan’s athletic department, and that the original carrier from the U.K. was a Michigan athlete.

The first case of B.1.1.7. was brought back by a U-M athlete. This order won't affect MSU or any other state school.

— Ethan Sears (@ethan_sears) January 24, 2021

This was confirmed by Brendan Quinn:

Can also confirm reporting from The Michigan Daily that the Michigan heath dept. plan to suspend Michigan athletics — inc mbb and wbb — for upwards of 2 weeks after a positive for B.1.1.7 COVID-19 variant.

More details coming. Not sure on timing of a formal announcement.

— Brendan Quinn (@BFQuinn) January 24, 2021

…and one of our sources as well.

A two-week lockdown would mean athletics can resume, at the earliest, on February 7th. Michigan basketball was scheduled to play a rescheduled game with Penn State on Jan 27. Games with Indiana (1/30), Northwestern (2/3), and MSU (2/6), would also presumably be postponed due to the shutdown. Hockey would have to reschedule its Wednesday-Thursday home series against Penn State scheduled for 2/3 and 2/4.  Women’s basketball was set to play rescheduled games with MSU in a packed schedule that will now have to find another time to play Purdue (1/24), at MSU (1/26), MSU (1/28), at Rutgers (2/1), and Minnesota (2/4).

Officials have been warning the public since last week that at least one case of B.1.1.7. was in Washtenaw County. The county health department sent out an exposure notice on Saturday morning for the Saline Meijer and Briarwood Mall last Sunday: 

Washtenaw County Health Department is now aware of a possible public exposure. Brief, public exposures are not normally a COVID-19 exposure concern but the B117 variant is more easily transmitted and could lead to more cases, hospitalizations, and deaths.

As a precaution, the Health Department recommends immediate COVID-19 testing for anyone in the following locations at the specific times provided:

• Sun, Jan 17 at the Meijer on Ann Arbor Saline Rd., Ann Arbor MI from 9:00 to 10:00 am
• Sun, Jan 17 Briarwood Mall, 100 Briarwood Circle, Ann Arbor MI from 1:00 to 2:00 pm

According to the CDC the B.1.1.7. variant, which originated in the United Kingdom last September, has an usually large number of mutations and is associated with a markedly higher rate of transmission, but not a greater severity of symptoms nor resistance to the vaccine. The decision comes in the middle of turnover at the state Health Department. Former MDHHS Director Robert Gordon resigned on Friday, and is expected to be taking a senior position with the national department. New director Elizabeth Hertel was promoted Friday from the deputy position at MDHHS.

We’ll add an official post from the athletics department when it’s available.

UPDATE 10:30PM 1/23/2021: The university has put out a press release:

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Under a Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) decision made Saturday (Jan. 23), the University of Michigan Athletic Department will immediately pause athletic activities in all sports, including games, team and individual training sessions, until further notice and up to 14 days.

While U-M has worked diligently on testing and reporting within state and Big Ten Conference guidelines, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is mandating a more aggressive strategy for this B.1.1.7 variant, which exceeds current program efforts designed around the standard form of the virus.

The mandate follows positive test results for the SAR-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 variant virus infections from several individuals linked to the U-M Athletic Department through its diligent testing regiment. The B.1.1.7 variant is thought to be approximately 50 percent more transmissible than the standard form of the virus, leading to faster spread of the virus, potentially increased numbers of cases, and additional hospitalizations and deaths. Therefore, a pause of all athletic activities and a closure of all U-M athletic facilities are being taken to strengthen the public health intervention. Team members (student-athletes, coaches, and team staff) must immediately isolate/quarantine effective Jan. 23 until further notice and up to 14 days (Feb. 7).

"Canceling competitions is never something we want to do, but with so many unknowns about this variant of COVID-19, we must do everything we can to minimize the spread among student-athletes, coaches, staff, and to the student-athletes at other schools," said Warde Manuel, the Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics.

University public health officials are working closely with the Washtenaw County Health Department and Michigan Department of Human Health Services on additional mitigation strategies to address the COVID-19 B.1.1.7 variant in the university community. The university will be carefully considering additional mitigation measures. There are many unknowns that remain under investigation by U-M, local and state public health officials.

No determination has been made on how the pause may impact scheduled games beyond Feb. 7.

Hopefully the lockdown can contain the spread of the variant, those who have been infected don’t get seriously ill, and everyone can get healthy as soon as possible. There is no content after the jump.

Minutes after the story broke on Twitter, Michigan confirmed the game on Saturday is off due to a COVID outbreak in the Michigan program. Press Release:

December 2, 2020

Football Game against Maryland Canceled as Michigan Pauses Practice until Monday
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan Athletic Department announced today (Wednesday, Dec. 2) that it will be pausing football practices and that Saturday’s game against Maryland has been canceled and will not be rescheduled. This decision to pause in-person football activities was made in consultation with medical professionals and the local health department.

“The decision by our medical professionals to stop practices and cancel this Saturday’s game against Maryland was made with the health, safety and welfare of the student-athletes, coaches and staff as our utmost priority,” said Warde Manuel, the Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics.

“We have seen an increase in the number of student-athletes unavailable to compete due to positive tests and associated contact tracing due to our most recent antigen and PCR testing results.”Daily testing will continue and medical professionals will make a determination when to resume practice. The earliest practice can resume will be Monday, Dec. 7.

These outbreaks typically cancel at least two games so The Game now seems unlikely to happen as well. I'm off to burn my FFFF charting.