Personal Criticism of Players by Name
With the level of negativity directed toward our guys, particularly our young interior linemen, I'm hoping the mods might allow this to have it's own thread. This post says it well and speaks for a lot of us. Hat tip to MGrad.
I am uncomfortable with the level of personal criticism directed at the players by name in all of these threads.
They wear the Michigan uniform and play their hearts out for the Michigan team, and for that they have my 100% support for everything that they do on that field, even if they struggle.
They are still very young inside the tackles. Those names getting criticism are going to be excellent linemen in a year or two and we will all be smiling about their performance then, so support them now.
A little change-up right now makes sense, Let's see what happens over the next few weeks,
OL, OC and S&C coaching critical assessment, on the other hand, is fair.
October 19th, 2013 at 2:05 PM ^
October 19th, 2013 at 2:18 PM ^
I'm sorry, but that's fucking assinine. Do you really think they need you to tell them they're doing poorly? I bet you're the type of person that yells at kids at little league games.
October 19th, 2013 at 2:24 PM ^
October 19th, 2013 at 2:56 PM ^
College athletics that rely on gameday atmosphere to attract recruites =/= Pro athletes who will play in Jacksonville for the right price
October 19th, 2013 at 2:27 PM ^
October 19th, 2013 at 3:11 PM ^
October 19th, 2013 at 2:06 PM ^
But it makes him feel so good.
What's more important?
October 19th, 2013 at 1:58 PM ^
You have the right to boo. I also have the right to hope you get hit by a semi on your way home from the game. That doesn't make either of them right.
October 19th, 2013 at 2:12 PM ^
October 19th, 2013 at 2:14 PM ^
Serious question to OMG Shirtless. Exactly what do you think upset fans SHOULD do then if not boo? Is it not permissable to show coaches whose boss requests I pay upwards of $150/game (inclusive of PSLs) for the priviledge of watching the game) that I think their game plan and play calling are costing those very players we care about a chance to win?
I'm not booing. Hell, I wussed out and came home so I'm not even going to be there. But I do question philosophically the idea that it's ok to charge a LOT to watch a game but it's not ok to express displeasure with the product.
October 19th, 2013 at 2:18 PM ^
I just refuse to boo college athletes.
October 19th, 2013 at 2:24 PM ^
So you won't boo adults who play a sport?
October 19th, 2013 at 2:31 PM ^
I won't boo anyone who is not considered a professional athlete. If this puts me in the minority, so be it.
October 19th, 2013 at 2:38 PM ^
October 19th, 2013 at 2:25 PM ^
But that's the point. I do too but it's not the players I'd be booing (if I was booing). It would be the COACHES....are they also immune from being boo'd?
True story - years ago Michigan was playing somebody and playing badly. With about 2 minutes to go and down more than a touchdown whoever Lloyd's OC was at the time called a QB Waggle and hit the TE for about a four yard gain on a 4th and 16. I went nuts (as did the rest of the stadium it seemed) and started booing. Not the players...the IDIOT coaches who called such a stupid play.
On the drive home Lloyd was on the radio going off on the fans for booing the players. I wanted to scream through my radio "it's not them...it was YOU everyone was booing".
How do you let highly paid coaches know they are killing those very players we both agree shouldnt be boo'd?
October 19th, 2013 at 2:45 PM ^
We have completely different views on sports and that's completely fine. You're emotionally and financially invested. It's just a game to me. I used to let losses bother me. I'd spend the afternoon/night yelling at the clouds. Now I'm just here for the cat pictures.
October 19th, 2013 at 2:26 PM ^
I feel pretty safe saying that Mr. Analytics Dave Brandon has a pretty good pulse on the mood of the fanbase, which he passes on to the coaches at his discretion without you actively having to do anything.
The flip side is, why do you feel you need to let the coaches know you're not happy. Do you believe that everyone isn't totally invested in the team succeeding, unless constantly prodded by fans to do so? Up to a point, coaching a team shouldn't be a crowd-sourced endeavor. If you believe we're at the point for Dave Brandon to start firing people, well just stop buying tickets and merch and I'm sure that'll get his attention a lot faster than booing ever will.
October 19th, 2013 at 2:30 PM ^
October 19th, 2013 at 2:32 PM ^
Well to take your arguement to the extreme why make any noise at all? Why not just sit quietly and watch the game silently and hope your team prevails.
Oh shit we tried that here for several years.....never mind.
October 19th, 2013 at 2:39 PM ^
October 19th, 2013 at 2:41 PM ^
October 19th, 2013 at 2:54 PM ^
So hypotheticaly let's say Big Al comes out today and decides that the problem last week was simply the wrong offensive lineman were playing and not his play calls so he continues to run Fitz into 8-9 man fronts for no gain or losses. Let's say he is SO committed to this failed strategy that Fitz gets something crazy like 27 carries for 27 yards (crazy example I know - would never happen in real life) what you expect the reaction of the fans to be when he calls the same play the 28th time with the same results - especially if he calls it down 10 late in the 4th quarter?
What would be acceptable to you? Cause the vast majority of people watching would be losing their mind in frustration.
October 19th, 2013 at 3:12 PM ^
October 19th, 2013 at 2:43 PM ^
I think you're missing the point. I'm not saying you don't have an impact, in fact I'm saying you do have an impact and you should be careful to use it in a way that helps the team. Cheering helps the teams morale and has a positive effect, booing hurts it.
Second, noise on defense is actually a tactical advantage, as seen by our numerous false starts and guys not getting off the line at the snap count last week. It's one of the few ways a fan can actively influence a game.
October 19th, 2013 at 3:00 PM ^
October 19th, 2013 at 3:05 PM ^
Please post your place of employment then so we can come Monday and boo your performance. (kidding)
October 19th, 2013 at 3:15 PM ^
October 19th, 2013 at 3:07 PM ^
So you're one of the dipshits sitting near me in the stadium who was booing our own players during the 2010 Iowa and MSU games.
October 19th, 2013 at 3:21 PM ^
and I think that should mean something. If it's the Lions, yeah BIG MONEY is involved and the fans are there to be entertained but at a college game aren't we all there to support the Alma Mater or the school? Finally, why boo anyways? Booing to me is a very selfish thing, "I'm not happy, you are not pleasing me!!" If I was a player busting my a*% and things aren't going well I would not appreciate being booed by a bunch of folks that are supposed to be on our side. Booing to me represents this 'third' side, 'The FANS', and if they are going to be a mercurial bunch quite frankly I could do without them.
October 19th, 2013 at 3:25 PM ^
October 19th, 2013 at 1:28 PM ^
In general, the rule essentially is as follows:
Criticism of performance or production or in-game decisions = fine
Ad hominems and other personal abuse = not fine, up to and including a ban.
Actually, that rather goes for your fellow MGoBloggers as well. Critiques of arguments are welcome as always, but to use the example of a now-former user, calling someone "the stupidest poster ever" and then proceeding to tear into them further is indeed Bolivia-able, if you will, even up to a ban depending on the severity.
October 19th, 2013 at 1:37 PM ^
Participation ribbons for all!
October 19th, 2013 at 1:59 PM ^
October 19th, 2013 at 2:01 PM ^
I'd like to put some perspective on all of this who is to blame business coming from the eyes of a current college lacrosse player. I personally hate when people blame my coaches for our team's loss. You can blame coaches all you want but at some point the players on the field have to look at each other and put up or shut up. And that's how we think as players when we lose. We have never blamed our coaches because they put us in position to win. The outside world doesn't know what goes on in the huddles or in practice. Granted i'm not a huge fan of Borges' playcalling sometimes, but in the end I've seen us win running the same plays too. So it's time for every player, not just the o-line, to step up today and get this season back on track
October 19th, 2013 at 2:18 PM ^
Thank you.
October 19th, 2013 at 2:22 PM ^
October 19th, 2013 at 2:23 PM ^
Go M-Lax!
October 19th, 2013 at 2:35 PM ^
October 19th, 2013 at 2:12 PM ^
October 19th, 2013 at 5:19 PM ^
(Oh wait, they no longer make those games...)
October 19th, 2013 at 2:17 PM ^
This will be tough to expect. The blog staff itself has been pretty brutal in player assessment. Always expect worse from the drunken posters than the actual writers.
October 19th, 2013 at 2:17 PM ^
I realize that just saying "so and so sucks" isn't exactly insightful analysis, but if for example, Kalis didn't play well last week, then young Mr. Kalis didn't play well last week. I'm not going to launch into personal attack but I'm not going to sugarcoat either.
I believe Coach Hoke himself has stated that college football on this level is "big boy football."
National tv, national exposure, you ain't in high school anymore bud. If you play poorly, the whole country is going to see it.
Doesn't excuse base, low brow berating of a player, nor does it warrant personal attack. But it is what it is, if they play poorly people are going to notice and talk about it.
October 19th, 2013 at 2:20 PM ^
Some of you people really need to get some thicker skin. These are kids who play in front of 110, 000 people on a given Saturday. They're on highlights on national television. Hell, most of you knew more about these kids' ACT scores and physical attributes when they were 16 than their parents did. They're big boys, and like it or not, D1 football has opened them to the peering eye of the critical fanbase.
So we're just supposed to start pulling out the kid gloves? Come on now. If criticism is out, why even have the blog?
October 19th, 2013 at 3:55 PM ^
all the band members are OK with me booing their performance?
October 19th, 2013 at 5:18 PM ^
Obviously the same thing.
October 19th, 2013 at 5:38 PM ^
LOL. Point to Don.
October 19th, 2013 at 2:38 PM ^
October 19th, 2013 at 2:43 PM ^
October 19th, 2013 at 2:53 PM ^
October 19th, 2013 at 3:01 PM ^