Damning quotes from Nebraska DE Randy Gregory

Submitted by FrankMurphy on

I've been one of Borges' staunchest defenders on this board, but this game and these quotes are the straw that broke the camel's back for me. Borges needs to go.

Gregory: "They had certain tendencies. Whatever formation they came out in, we knew what they were going to throw at us." #Huskers

— Samuel McKewon (@swmckewonOWH) November 10, 2013

Gregory on Gardner: "After the game, you could just tell: He was kind of out of it. That's what we wanted to do: Take him out of the game."

— Samuel McKewon (@swmckewonOWH) November 10, 2013

TruBluMich

November 10th, 2013 at 4:41 AM ^

Next your going to tell me water is wet?  Joking of course, but this isn't a real new devolpment, I watch the game every weekend with my wife who knows next to nothing about football, beyond the very basics.  She is however very good at picking up on tendencies and patterns.  During the Akron game she began telling me if it was a run or pass and she was right about 90% of the time.  If a person who knows nothing about football can be that accurate, is there any question that a trained professional didn't figure it out.

evenyoubrutus

November 10th, 2013 at 7:00 AM ^

Yes but up until yesterday there was still a significant group defending Borges on this board. I don't see what happened yesterday that hasn't been happening all year that has suddenly changed so many people's minds. I even was accused of being narrow minded for bringing up this same idea a few days ago. Some people just think that by going against the crowd they are somehow more intelligent than the crowd. In this situation it is safest to just stick with the obvious answer, which was apparently confirmed yesterday.

ijohnb

November 10th, 2013 at 7:54 AM ^

A matter of degree. Nebraska stinks man. I think most people secretly expected us to kick their ass. I actually expected a comfortable win. For it to be so painfully clear that Borges simply has no other gear was a pretty nasty wake up call for some people. His "scheme" has no chance, these players are beat before the snap. It has moved beyond troubling and is now clearly job loss worthy and I think yesterday was just real eye opener.

BlowGoo

November 10th, 2013 at 2:01 PM ^

What has changed so many people's minds?

 

Flukes versus trends.  You have negative yardage against one of the nation's top defenses?  Sucks but understandable.

 

You do it AGAIN at home against a crappy defense?  Now it's a trend.  And it causes everyone to reevaluate retrospectively all the other struggles in the context of a team that's trending historically badly downward.  People change their minds fast.

 

The house of cards falls.

 

The emperor has no clothes.

Muttley

November 10th, 2013 at 7:27 AM ^

I place the blame first at the fundemental level...the O-line coach is responsible for the worst O-Line in Michigan history, even with NFL prospects Lewan and Schofield on the field.

I usually don't like to call out play-calling, because if you recruit and develop the talent (see above), then the play-calling will have a secondary effect. See the Les Miles School of Clock Management. He's still in the NC conversation nearly every year.

But at some point, Borges needs to recognize the pathetic level of play of his O-Line and stop calling down-wasters so often.

Sagarin team ratings

2010 60
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/fbt10.htm

2011 11
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/fbt11.htm

2012 20
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/sagarin/fbt12.htm

2013 54
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/ncaaf/sagarin/

UMFan95

November 10th, 2013 at 6:57 AM ^

That Is Starting To Sound like the old rich rod days, how can this program Be that bad not knowing how to pick a head coach for ur most revenue generating sport. whoever says fire borges is not smart cuz the problem syarts with hoke. he Is over his head and needs to go

ijohnb

November 10th, 2013 at 8:05 AM ^

Is not getting fired. They are not going to start playing coaching musical chairs. What is the only thing worse than michigan right now? Notre dame for the last 20 years. Hoke will have a lot longer than this to correct course. Borges on the other hand may be fired today.

jmblue

November 10th, 2013 at 4:26 PM ^

The 2004 team won the Big Ten title while starting a freshman QB.  We were literally an inch away from blocking Texas's FG and winning the Rose Bowl.  I don't think you can call that year a failure, even if we lost in Columbus.

2006 won 11 games, most of them by blowout margins.  There is no reason to call it a "mirage." We lost by three in Columbus and played a bad second half in Pasadena, but it was still a good season.

2007 is a fairer year to begin the decline. 

WineAndSpirits

November 10th, 2013 at 6:59 AM ^

This seems to point out a couple of things:



1. vanilla play calling with a lack of creativity and complexity.



2. an inability by the coaching staff to make adjustments.



3. Until the team, and Gardner, can prove they can beat the blitz, it's coming every time.



Clearly Hoke isn't a football mastermind. As a former line coach, it's uncertain how well he understands the Xs and Os beyond blocking schemes. So, if Borges can't carry his fair share in this regard, we're sunk. Additionally, you'd think the coaches would recognize this and try and play call to Gardner's strengths, so they can build his confidence.

ijohnb

November 10th, 2013 at 8:23 AM ^

You like Borges? I am not saying that Morris should play, but typically you just shoot down other people and scoot. And TTB, while good reading, rarely gives any info on how you feel about the course of the team. Do you think Borges is solid. What are your thoughts on how poorly the offense is performing?

In reply to by ijohnb

robpollard

November 10th, 2013 at 9:46 AM ^

Starting a true freshman over a RS JR, when that true freshamn has not shown -- in practice or in limited game time -- anything in terms of his QB performance is crazy. Gardner is playing erratically, but he has saved our bacon more than once this year. Without him at QB, with this porous OL, do you somehow think a freshman with less escapability would do better?

So Magnus doesn't have to detailed response to posts that are 97.1/sports radio call-in level in terms of their reality.

ijohnb

November 10th, 2013 at 9:55 AM ^

Not defending Borges but if you think devin has done us any favors the last two weeks you have not been watching close enough. Gardner cannot read defenses. I actually kind of feel bad for him because I think he is being asked to do something he can't do. Yes, I think it may be time to see if somebody else can. There are plays that he is holding the ball preposterously long even when protection is initially solid. I'm sorry but I don't think he gets a free pass because he beat Minnesota last year.

In reply to by ijohnb

543Church

November 10th, 2013 at 10:07 AM ^

If the QB can't read defenses (most college QBs cannot do that well) then why not send in an audible from the sidelines after the D is set up?   Another MGoBeef that I'm sure will be repeated many times this week from Master Brian.

 

In reply to by ijohnb

PrincetonBlue

November 10th, 2013 at 10:16 AM ^

In most of the Notre Dame game, Devin was spot on with his throws against the blitz.  I remember how he stood in the pocket, tall and still as a statue, and gunned it to a short route.  Why can't he do it now?  He has the talent; Devin showed us early in the year.  However, I think because Borges does not understand that short routes are all we can play to keep Devin from being led to the torture chamber, Devin is playing afraid.  

Long-developing play actions + nonfunctioning running game = Bad Devin.  Short drop backs + quick passes = Good Devin.  Those hits add up; the less Devin gets hit, the better he will play.

umchicago

November 10th, 2013 at 10:53 AM ^

is also like a boxer.  early in the year, he was fresh and confident.  now, he has been gut-punched so much that his hands are now coming down before the opponent even throws their punch...he's been hit so much now, he probably assumes he's going to get whacked before the snap.  that has to affect anyone's play.  he's human.

aiglick

November 10th, 2013 at 11:37 AM ^

So much this.

You hear it from the broadcasters every week but QB pressures, rushes, and sacks take their toll. Devin Gardner has been sacked at least 13 times in the past two weeks. That is abysmal. It takes its toll on him. Yes he made some bad decisions but if Borges would call plays that take less time to develop it could bring back "Good Gardner". That's the thing I don't think he has gone away just his confidence. This stems from the putrid play calling we are witnessing.

We heard great things about Gardner all summer from that QB expert, George Whitfield, that ESPN keeps bringing in to talk about all the other great QBs. Devin Gardner has the ability to be one of them but because Borges is calling plays that seem predicated on us having an Alabama O Line, runs up the middle and long developing routes, he seems worse. This is tragic.

Dave Brandon - Please get us some good offensive coaches.

In reply to by ijohnb

robpollard

November 10th, 2013 at 12:50 PM ^

Gardner almost single handedly beat ND -- our only victory worth a darn -- this year, so not sure why you're bringing up Minn.

Second, the question is whether a true freshman is better than Devin right now, not if Devin needs to do better/improve (which he obviously could). If you think a true freshman, who missed significant time his senior year of HS and hasn't played hardly at all this year, would be a whiz at reading defenses behind a record-level porous OL (or even better than Devin), you're delusional.

umchicago

November 10th, 2013 at 11:09 AM ^

your paragraph on playcalling is what i've been screaming all year with DG.  face it, we are NW or Purdue from 10+ yrs ago.  we get dominated at the line.  so spread the damn field and hit quick passes.  but the borges apologists said i was a fool and that manball will eventually work with this clown calling the plays.

TheLastHarbaugh

November 10th, 2013 at 11:20 AM ^

"However, the final straw for me was in the fourth quarter when Nebraska lined up defensive end Randy Gregory at inside linebacker over right guard Erik Magnuson. Michigan slid the protection left, matching up right tackle Michael Schofield on Gregory. Schofield promptly made about a 3% effort to pick him up, allowing Gregory to have a 6-yard running start on an overmatched Fitzgerald Toussaint. Sack."

I vividly remember watching this play from in the stadium, seeing Schofield do nothing and just, sack. I remember thinking that if I had to pick one play that would sum up the team's struggles this year, that would be it.