Petition to fire Al Borges
Al Borges is continually bringing us down with bad play calling. He does not put our players in the postion to succeed and it is killing us in our big games. Couldn't score a touchdown against ND, MSU, Nebraska, and the second half aginst OSU. He continually tries to make our players do what they can't do. Running it up the gut with Vinny Smith, or trying to make denard a pro style passer. I know our players don't execute at times, and have turnovers, but he has a lot of the blame on him becuase he is not helping them at all with playing to their skills.
I'm worried what needs to be done never will becuase Borges's ineptitude is covered up by weaker big 10 teams and soft non conference oponents inflating our record.
November 24th, 2012 at 3:52 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 4:02 PM ^
It will only get worse as the day goes on.
I can't wait for the inevitable, "Now that we've had some time to think about the game rationally, and divorce ourselves from it, FIRE BORGES!" post in 3 hours.
November 24th, 2012 at 4:14 PM ^
These posts do tend to come in waves, even when some of them have valid points they get lost in the congestion of 12 new threads. Beware, it is coming....
November 24th, 2012 at 4:14 PM ^
Second.
November 24th, 2012 at 3:53 PM ^
If you think an online petition is going to get Borges fired you're an idiot. Everyone knows David Brandon doesn't give a shit what the fans think.
November 24th, 2012 at 4:01 PM ^
"Everyone knows David Brandon doesn't give a shit what the fans think."
Absolutely this.
November 24th, 2012 at 7:23 PM ^
November 25th, 2012 at 11:17 AM ^
He cares entirely about what the fans want. Your mistake is that you think that the "fans" are represented by 1,000 blog followers who think that adding one layer of extra piping to a jersey or playing music over the speakers is the equivalent of deficating on Yost's grave.
He is a business man that focuses on the demands of his entire customer base. Trust me, if over half of the base felt the way that many on this blog feels, he'd do just as you like.
November 24th, 2012 at 4:06 PM ^
only head coaches do.
I would doubt Dave Brandon would even think of doing it himself, much less pressuring Hoke to fire him.
I'm not a Borges fan, but I don't know firing him is the right thing to do either for purposes of continuity and the fact that the spread era is pretty much officially over starting next year.
November 24th, 2012 at 3:54 PM ^
signed,
Mike Debord
November 24th, 2012 at 3:57 PM ^
i won't take you seriously until you set up a firealborges.com website.
November 24th, 2012 at 4:45 PM ^
Done son. Looks like someone has taken your idea and run with it.
November 24th, 2012 at 3:59 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 4:08 PM ^
I don't agree with this thread but your second sentence is complete b.s. Go check the game thread, that's not 20/20 hindsight.
November 24th, 2012 at 4:00 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 4:50 PM ^
...some kind of energy drink.
November 24th, 2012 at 4:00 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 4:10 PM ^
Exactly. If Borges is still OC next season I will be disappointed but still think we can have success. I would really prefer if people would discuss who they would like hired rather than just yell "rabble, rabble, rabble, fire Borges."
November 24th, 2012 at 4:00 PM ^
Yes, the University of Michigan requires some anonymous idiot posting internet petitions to "save" itself because only some guy "MTurner" has the key to saving the 100+ year history of Michigan football.
This is why it is better to turn off your internet connection until you sober up.
November 24th, 2012 at 4:12 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 4:21 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 4:01 PM ^
I knew this was coming! LOL Fire Borges Borges free my people you make me verrry mad Al Borges.
You made people fumble and miss blocks! It's all your fault fire yourself now!
HAhahah
November 24th, 2012 at 4:08 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 4:49 PM ^
What argument was made to rebut?
The argument that any number of people on the internet know how to call an offense better than a professional with 25 years of experience?
The argument that watching a game on TV gives the proper complete perspective to decide what should or should not have been done, and what worked and what did not.
The argument that within 2 hours of the end of the game these internet experts have had time to thoroughly review the game to determine clearly that it was the playcalling rather than anything else (missed assignments, good defensive calls, luck etc) which was the main culprit)
The argument that an internet petition to fire a coach is a) needed or b) productive for the university because Mr. Turner clearly has his fingers on the pulse of the football program
I do not consider any of these to be arguments worthy of serious consideration.
I don't like losing. I really don't like losing to Ohio State. But more than anything else, I don't like people who don't know how to act (and not over-react) when they do lose.
November 24th, 2012 at 5:12 PM ^
I was telling my wife during the game that I could grab the playsheet and call better plays than Borges as long as I could determine the formations from it and knowing nothing else. I stand by that statement. How does Borges not know by now that his interior O-line is not very good and that I-form/interior plays will not be very successful against OSU?
November 24th, 2012 at 5:43 PM ^
Well, I may have underestimated you and I apologize for that. That is a real skill- you should take advantage of it. The good news is that there are likely to be 10-20 openings at the end of this year for Division I offensive coordinator positions. Generally, they pay very well.
Having the skill to be OC for a major program such as Michigan with a complex offense would put you in a good position for any of those openings. I think you should put together your tape from this game along with your play calls and send it off.
I have been surfing the web, and there are an awful lot of bad OCs out there who seem not to know how to call plays. I think that you could really help a lot of these programs. (not to mention making quite a bit of money for yourself)
November 24th, 2012 at 5:27 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 4:02 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 4:03 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 4:04 PM ^
He struggles in marquee games (Alabama, Notre Dame, Nebraska, Ohio State).
His playcalls are inexcusable. He's got two huge threats in Devin and Denard, so what does he do? Hand off to the tailback, up the middle. Hand off to the tailback, up the middle.
Great gameplan with Devin and Denard in against Iowa to roll up 42 points, what does he do in the 2nd half? Rotate in Denard/Devin each play, killing off any momentum either of them would've gained and making our offense insanely predictable: Devin's in, they throw/hand off run up the middle; Denard in, they run.
Michigan is an elite football program, we need an elite offensive coordinator. Maybe give him another year with a lot of marquee games at home, see if he can gain any semblance of competence, but if he blows next year, out.
I've got 2/3 of my body in the "Fire Borges" bus. Let's go.
November 24th, 2012 at 5:09 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 4:04 PM ^
Okay - but who was responsible for changing the play calls in the second half? Hoke? or Borges? Without knowing that (and you never will) you can't make a rash decision like that.
More sad to see Denard go like that.
November 24th, 2012 at 4:05 PM ^
FULL DERP ACTIVATED
November 24th, 2012 at 4:10 PM ^
You are a disgrace to the Michigan fanbase. Enjoy Bolivia asshole.
November 24th, 2012 at 4:12 PM ^
.......stop it - I can go to a LOT of games over the last 4-5 years where we had issues scoring in the second half and BORGES was NOT a coach in many of those instances. Players have to execute, play with discipline and not commit turnovers. In the second half of this game - We did not do the cumulative sum of any of those three things better
November 24th, 2012 at 4:13 PM ^
Who the hell in Al Petition?
Three things:
1) The team got to midfield on the first drive of the second half, Hoke made the call to go for it. Baffling call to do so, alright Denard up the middle was not the move and that was likely on Borges, but the offense should not have been on the field in the first place. That turned the field and it lasted almost the entire second half. You can only do so much from your own 12 yard line with two quarterbacks that were turning the ball over like they were having some kind of contest.
2) Michigan has no bailout, big time receivers right now. There is simply no place for the OC to run and hide when a good defense clamped down like OSU you did, nothing comes easy.
3) Borges got somebody open on every play of the last drive, Gardner made some really poor throws.
November 24th, 2012 at 4:13 PM ^
Ah, nothing like the sweet smell of seeping douche in the afternoon. Went this far? You're a disgruntled fan complaining about playcalling after a loss on an internet message board. Taking a step outside right now without a t-shirt is more courageous. Bravo.
November 24th, 2012 at 4:13 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 4:13 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 4:16 PM ^
Everyone is angry now, but just wait until next year when Borges finally gets to unleash all the Rawls halfback dives he wants behind an all sophmore o line.
November 24th, 2012 at 4:23 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 5:10 PM ^
well played
November 24th, 2012 at 4:17 PM ^
I've defended him quite a bit, but the second half was mystifying. It's like the coaches got together at the half and said, "Hey, all that stuff that was working pretty good in the 1st half ... let's do none of that." I just don't understand playing our biggest weakness to their biggest strength. I don't understand so little of both QBs in the backfield together, nor the constant rotation that allowed no one to get into a groove.
All that being said, your petition idea is stupid. (And is probably a good argument for us low point total members not starting threads.)
November 24th, 2012 at 4:18 PM ^
Not happy with how the offense was called in the second half
November 24th, 2012 at 4:24 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 4:20 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 4:20 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 4:20 PM ^
November 24th, 2012 at 4:37 PM ^