Leaking of plays from practice
RR said in the press conference that he is closing Wednesday practice to media because of the leaking of plays in the press and on blogs (he mentioned blogs twice).
I think we've all seen stuff here that, while not always credible, makes me cringe if it were true.
The team, the team, the team.
October 12th, 2009 at 11:45 AM ^
I'm betting that's in reference to this Daily article, which described the pitch play M debuted against Iowa.
http://www.michigandaily.com/content/carlos-brown-limited-minor-should-…
October 12th, 2009 at 11:54 AM ^
RR and company cook up something new, and Michigandaily announces it to the world before the game. How dumb is that.
October 12th, 2009 at 11:59 AM ^
If you invite the media in, don't show them anything. They are only there for what, the first half of practice or less? Show them some crazy play that you'll never use.
By the way, did RR show the media the plays where UM drops punts and throws interceptions? LOL
SARCASM ALERTS
too soon?
October 12th, 2009 at 12:36 PM ^
"If you invite the media in, don't show them anything. They are only there for what, the first half of practice or less? Show them some crazy play that you'll never use."
People keep suggesting this sort of thing (e.g., when plays from practice were discussed here in the past) but it would be a monumental waste of time. The team needs all the real, actual practice time they can get. Having enough time to prepare for the upcoming game is enough, taking time to fool the media is just impractical.
October 12th, 2009 at 12:43 PM ^
You do something crazy, like te "Statue of Liberty"
I can tell from your post that you are probably one of the 6 most boring people in the world.
October 12th, 2009 at 12:45 PM ^
Wow, great response. Nice to have you around.
October 12th, 2009 at 1:35 PM ^
Don't worry, I smell a banhammer coming his way...
October 12th, 2009 at 12:44 PM ^
If you put in 14-hour Sundays and 40+ hour weeks.
October 12th, 2009 at 2:16 PM ^
I don't know how different the UM and ND practice sessions are but that does come off as a pretty weak excuse. ND allowed the media at practice for the first 30 mins from Tues-Thurs which included stretching, warmups and some time with position coaches, no scrimmage, no actual plays.
What do you have the media there for if you don't want them to report on what they see? I guess it doesn't matter now
October 12th, 2009 at 12:01 PM ^
I think Brian concluded that Michigan should do this from doing the State UFR. No offense to Brian's football scheming. But if he can conclude Michigan should do it, I am willing to bet Iowa might think the same thing.
October 12th, 2009 at 12:11 PM ^
and these clowns scouting our practice for Iowa.
"In a rotation that was repeated about four times, a quarterback and running back lined up to practice a simple outside pitch play. Though the play was basic, the pairings were different than usual.
Freshman quarterback Denard Robinson was paired with first-string running back Brandon Minor, and redshirt junior backup quarterback Nick Sheridan next ran the play with sophomore running back Mike Shaw.
On the third team was freshman quarterback Tate Forcier, who has started all five games this season, running the drill with fifth-year senior running back Kevin Grady. Forcier originally came out on the field Wednesday wearing a green jersey, signifying limited action, but changed into a regular jersey before walkthroughs.
In the last rotation, Forcier ran the play at quarterback again, but with Robinson at running back. Though it wasn’t practiced during the first part of practice, the play could potentially give the opportunity for Robinson to pass the ball to a receiver off the pitch."
You've got to be kidding me?
No comparison between talking about a wrinkle we're trying to add to the offense during practice and commenting on existing game footage.
I don't blame him for closing practices. Next overblown hitpiece and I can see him shutting down access to the players as well.
October 12th, 2009 at 12:12 PM ^
...given that this issue has been brought up, I'll just note that the UM practice field is in an open area. I drive by Stadium during the day, and you can see the practice clearly from several points along the road. I see other people, such as joggers, casually looking at the practice as they jog by. In fact, I live near this area, and it's occurred to me that I should change my jogging route so that I can catch a few minutes of practice during my jog.
It's really not closed off from public view.
Anyway, if RR's really concerned about this, he might want to look into how visible it is from the surrounding area, particularly for the week leading up to MSU or OSU.
October 12th, 2009 at 12:51 PM ^
I'm sure the sensitive stuff is done indoors, like they always have been. The outdoor areas are great for drills and basic plays, but you handle all the real stuff indoors.
I'm okay with letting OSU know we still know how to stretch, and that our O-linemen can still move sleds.
October 12th, 2009 at 1:24 PM ^
In a secret service kind of way, they do not allow people to watch practice for more than a few minutes. For instance, when the soccer field was next to the stadium you could stand on the top of their bleachers and watch practice. Within minutes you'd be asked to leave. But also, they have people who take note of anyone who could be watching from the bridge on Stadium that overlooks the practice field. It's really kind of weird but I do know that it's done.
October 12th, 2009 at 3:40 PM ^
I've even seen football staff people (college-aged-underling types) patrolling up by the overpass, making sure no one lingers. It's most definitely monitored.
October 13th, 2009 at 4:49 PM ^
I was just going to write the same thing but you beat me to it.
I remember, when I was a student at UM, walking by a soccer game and realizing I could sit at the top of the bleachers (pretending to watch the soccer game) and watch football practice. Within a couple minutes, I was asked to move down to a lower section of the bleachers.
October 12th, 2009 at 12:39 PM ^
opposing teams' media outlets and blogospheres, I am really shocked and impressed. Another possibility is that some fan has been trolling around and then passed on the information to the Iowa staff, in which case, what is the Iowa coaching staff doing reading fan emails? How do they have time? Perhaps someone close to the Iowa program, someone they trust and have time to listen to, read this information and passed it along.
I guess Ferentz is a big fan of Sun Tzu.
October 12th, 2009 at 12:39 PM ^
And the wisdom of the Fort Schembechler mentality becomes increasingly evident...
October 12th, 2009 at 1:22 PM ^
Bye bye Glasnost!
Damn shame too. I enjoyed it while it lasted.
October 12th, 2009 at 1:30 PM ^
No sugarcoat, janitor not just WATCH some of PRACTICE, but also FIND playbook in TRASH CAN.
October 14th, 2009 at 7:15 PM ^
Just drove by the practice field, and there is tarp covering the fences now. I haven't driven by/haven't noticed this before. Is this new in response to the play-leaking or has it always been there?
October 14th, 2009 at 9:25 PM ^
There has never been a way to see into the practice fields from the State Street side of the complex. The fence has always had a tarp-like apparatus that allows light to pass through the fence, but does not allow passersby to get a view through it. I don't know of a better way to describe it, but I think you know what I mean.