Unverified Voracity is BETRAYED by PITBULL
OH NO COULD THIS WEEK GET ANY WORSE. Folks.
#RickPitino congrats on the new book. Like most great people, society tries to find ways to knock them down but those who stay strong become legends. Rick, you’re a living legend. God bless, keep up the great work, it's just the beginning of a new chapter in life, Dale! pic.twitter.com/Rql4M56cCF
— Pitbull (@pitbull) September 4, 2018
No heroes anymore. Just the black void!
Speaking of black voids. Basketball's gonna play in that weird ballroom again:
Sources: North Carolina, Gonzaga, Michigan, Oregon, Iowa State, Seton Hall, Alabama, and Southern Miss will headline the 2019 Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) August 30, 2018
I dislike playing in that tournament because I have crazy theories about how playing in a hotel room with a ten foot ceiling affects your long-range shooting, but that should be three good games unless things go very pear-shaped and they end up playing Southern Miss.
Speaking of black pits of negative expectation. Poor Damn Mikey Dudek:
BREAKING: #illini Lovie: Mike Dudek suffered season-ending knee injury during Week One.
— Jeremy Werner (@JWerner247) September 3, 2018
That is his third season-ending knee injury, which is brutal for both him and Illinois.
[After THE JUMP: it gets cheery!]
Time lost. The Mathlete quantifies the hurry-up issues at the end of the game:
Timed up the last two M drives: seven plays run against a running game clock, snapped the ball with an average of 16 seconds left, best was 24, worst was 6 seconds left. All of these were Shea.
If snapping with 25 seconds left is best case, on average, that's 63 seconds lost.
It didn't end up mattering because tackles, but that's a significant loss of time because you're not prepared. Michigan was already down to about a minute when the turnover occurred, needing a touchdown, with no timeouts, about 50 yards away from the endzone. That extra minute easily could have been the difference. Except, you know, tackles.
We're all inebriated, sir. Braylon Edwards got suspended from the BTN and called out at the most recent press conference for the tweet that made the game column. He explains:
“Was the original tweet a little excessive?” Edwards told The Detroit News. “I admit I was excessive and emotional and inebriated. Mix those together. But the focus of my tweets remains intact. I stand by that. I was over-excessive Saturday night at 10:29, but I don’t back down on my overall stance as an alum and a fan. I’ve always defended Michigan. Even this year, I was high on Michigan.”
Buddy: we were all inebriated at that point, and practiced at being so during a football game. There's a not-at-all fine line between criticizing someone's play and criticizing their character. Sometimes... you just gotta log off.
Shooting overseas. Basketball lost their last couple exhibitions games on their Spain trip but since one of their opponents was a futuristic battle robot named KK MEGA BEMAX I wouldn't read too much into it. Also they were using international rules. This is possibly alarming...
SHOOTING AND SPACING IS A HUGE CONCERN
Michigan shot 17.5% from 3-point range over three games, but that might not even be the most concerning number. The Wolverines only attempted 20.4% of their field goals from 3-point range. The Wolverines attempted 43.2% of their shots from 3-point range last year and have only attempted less than 40% of their shots from 3-point range in one season under John Beilein.
...but it's such a huge outlier, as noted, that I don't think it'll be at all reflective of what happens when the season rolls around. Beilein's teams usually start off awkwardly before rounding into their final form in January or thereabouts; take the early season Beilein frustrations and then delete two months of practice plus Beilein himself and you get something that's probably not too representative.
Michigan won't be a great shooting team this year because they have a non-shooter at PG and won't get the same production from the center position, but the severity of that deficiency is yet to be established.
FWIW, UMHoops notes that Michigan sought out real professional teams (and futuristic battle robots) insofar as that was possible instead of the tomato cans that they got on their trip to Italy four years ago.
Post-game. From Hoover Street Rag:
I worry genuinely that Michigan will never be Michigan again. That this is the permanent new reality, relegated to being a perpetual also-ran in the Big Ten East while schools that have sold their souls to the machine move ahead with no actual real price paid. That even the best possible coaching candidate for this school could not save us from the long decline. Then I worry that I don't care enough about other people's suffering and that the smallness of this feeling makes me petty and cheap. I know I am not alone in this latter worry, Geoff excellently trod upon this ground last week. But we arrived back where we started without ever knowing the place we left, or at the very least, appreciating it.
SPECIAL TEAMS CHAMPION – The choice is obvious but Ambry Thomas’s 99-yard kickoff return TD re-energized the maize and blue when they were having a difficult time finding their collective legs in South Bend. This series between UM & ND is chock full of special Special Teams plays & players and it was great to see a #1 take it to the house – kinda like how AC did it back in 1982:
Etc.: Michigan is a 25.5 point favorite over WMU. Niyo on stuff.
September 4th, 2018 at 3:14 PM ^
Go AC.
Maize pants fantastic.
Bo M hat fantastic.
M Get back to basics.
September 4th, 2018 at 3:18 PM ^
keep up the great work, dale!
September 4th, 2018 at 3:19 PM ^
yes, i think that "probably not too representative" is a pretty good way to view mbb's trip to spain.
September 4th, 2018 at 3:21 PM ^
While it's hard to come to terms with his support of Pitino, it's harder to come to terms with the ugly truth revealed in that tweet. I would've never guessed in a million years that Pitbull's real name was Dale. That makes me question everything he's ever created.
September 4th, 2018 at 3:31 PM ^
The real Dale is pissed that some poser Dale is in love with Pitino.
September 4th, 2018 at 3:40 PM ^
It actually makes more sense to me now.
September 4th, 2018 at 4:09 PM ^
Lol. Not sure if it's a joke, but Dale is Spanish for "let's go" or "go ahead".
September 4th, 2018 at 4:44 PM ^
no, estoy mas o menos seguro que quiere decir el nombre "Dale".
September 4th, 2018 at 5:48 PM ^
Pitbull’s real name is Armando. Much less interesting than “let’s go.”
September 4th, 2018 at 3:27 PM ^
"Michigan won't be a great shooting team this year..."
That right there tells me expectations for basketball should be a 2nd round exit at best. Le sigh.
... but see, this is why rooting for Michigan basketball is more fun than rooting for Michigan football. With basketball, there are no "we're the #1 program of all time" expectations to live up to. You get the occasional Big Ten title, and the occasional Final Four appearance, but seasons where you don't achieve that are ok no big deal. At least Beilein gives us paydirt every couple seasons or so.
September 4th, 2018 at 3:42 PM ^
Michigan was a bad shooting team last year and made the national championship...
September 4th, 2018 at 8:18 PM ^
They weren't bad but they definitely were average (156th in D1 at 35.2% and average was 35.1%).
So yes, they weren't a great shooting team last year and won the Big tourney and went to the title game because of defense (3rd in the country). They could be an even better defensive team this year.
No reason to think the ceiling isn't the same as last year and that's winning a title. That's ceiling mind you, not at all the expectation.
September 4th, 2018 at 3:31 PM ^
When the interception officially ended the game, I wasn't even upset. It was more of a relief that it was over. It felt like two year ago against MSU, except this time on the opposite side. Dantonio just wanted to get the score close, and wasted all of his remaining time doing so. I think Harbaugh got to the point where he just wanted to be able to say that they did score an offensive TD...
By far the most disappointed I've been in the coaching. Against PSU last year, I was proud that he was going for it on 4th and 15 on our own half of the field. It said "who cares if we lose by 14 or 28, a loss is a loss". I'd rather have a 0.1% chance of winning than a 50% chance of making the score look respectable. With how slow they were going, they chose to go with the later.
September 4th, 2018 at 3:39 PM ^
I guess him going for it on 4th and 5 from the 45 this weekend was somehow different?
September 4th, 2018 at 3:54 PM ^
Are you talking about early in the game? I thought that was a good call.
I specifically referring to the last 2 drives.
September 4th, 2018 at 3:42 PM ^
I think Harbaugh got to the point where he just wanted to be able to say that they did score an offensive TD...
Come on, that's ridiculous.
A more straightforward explanation: having a new center and QB, we simply took a longer-than-normal time to get set . In fairness, we did avoid penalties and looked competent enough running the plays themselves (pass protection aside).
September 4th, 2018 at 3:58 PM ^
Calling run plays, pass plays where the intended target isn't past the 1st down marker to stop the clock, etc. There was no sense of urgency. Even after everyone was set, Shea still waited 10 seconds to snap the ball...
September 5th, 2018 at 11:35 AM ^
We ran the ball inside the 5 because that's generally what teams do (and what we really should have done in the first half). We had all three timeouts, which gives you more leeway in playcalling.
Fans underestimate how much random stuff there can be going on on a typical play. Not everything is done to the exact specifications of the coaching. Jim himself said he didn't like how much time we used up before snapping.
September 4th, 2018 at 5:08 PM ^
I'm very confused. Are you talking about our game?... the one where we were down by a touchdown with possession of the ball with 2 minutes on the clock? You honestly were "relieved" when we lost that fumble (not interception) with all the momentum on our side? You honestly think JH really had no intention of trying to win the game at that point, he was just happy that he got out of there with an offensive touchdown? Seriously??
September 4th, 2018 at 6:51 PM ^
My bad, yes fumble...
When you have 1:40 to go 75 yards, and it takes you 1 minute to go 20... we were maybe hoping to get to half field to be in hail mary range.
You really felt like we had momentum..? ESPN gave us a 3% chance of winning when we got the ball back, to me that feels generous. If Shea had just been sacked, we probably only have 1 play left with the pace we were going at. It shouldn’t be that hard to run a 2 min offense in college. Throw the ball everytime, never short of the 1st down. If there’s a incomplete pass and chance to huddle, call the next 2 plays. Turn it over on downs before running out of time, at least then you tried...
September 4th, 2018 at 4:07 PM ^
While I fully understand the no politics rule, may I propose:
#Pitbull2020
#Pitbull4POTUS
#Dale2020
#MrWorldwide2020
#NotMr305butMrWorldwide#2020
September 4th, 2018 at 7:22 PM ^
You may not propose that.
September 4th, 2018 at 4:16 PM ^
I worry genuinely that Michigan will never be Michigan again.
What Michigan do you want? 10-3, 10-3, 8-5 is Michigan since 1990. The difference is that 10-2/9-3 seasons aren't good enough to win the B1G championships consistently like they were in 1998/2000/2003/2004.
2016 could have easily been 1997, but turned into 2006. Those years happen and it's a coin flip if it works out.
When people say they want Michigan to be Michigan again, what they really want is modern day Alabama and color Bo's program under that light. Even our at our height, when Bo went 41-3-1 from 1971-1974 we failed to win a National Title, and only made one bowl game. Make excuses but the backbone of our program is built on failing to win the big game at the end of the year while everything is on the line. How much more Michigan can we be right now? Here FTFY.
I worry genuinely that Michigan will only be Michigan again.
After everything that happened in the past 10 years, why can't we enjoy this product for what it is? Put together a string of competent 8-10 win seasons and enjoy our status as Iowa plus for a bit. That is so much better than being a team capable of missing bowl games (Michigan in 08/09/14, MSU & ND in 2016). That is so much better than being a program like MSU/PSU/OSU who repeatedly valued winning over violent and sexual harassment towards women and children. This Notre Dame game isn't the end of the season. We still have all of our goals in front of us. Depending on how down you are about a 7 point loss to ND, we have 2-5 weeks to figure it out. Let's get beyond the first week of the season before we say Michigan will suck again and forever.
September 4th, 2018 at 4:24 PM ^
FWIW, Geoff at the Hoover Street Rag expressed nearly my exact current sentiments about college football at the end of his piece. Being wrapped up in it emotionally seems not just self-defeating but like an abjugation of adulthood. The state of our country demands our attention elsewhere if we have the time and energy to give it.
This isn't to say that I am above being fixated on the outcome of a Michigan season. But that sure seems like something I ought to strive for.
September 4th, 2018 at 5:12 PM ^
Git off my fucking lawn!
September 4th, 2018 at 6:38 PM ^
Was it just me or did it seem like Patterson (and McAffrey for that matter) would do the clap thing to tell the center to snap the ball, and then Ruiz wouldn't snap it, and then eventually the QBs would do the hand motion and then Ruiz would snap the ball. I think Ruiz was having a hard time hearing the hand clap, but could see the hand motion. This would take 2-3 seconds (or more) on every single play on offense. I was amazed to see that the QBs could not figure this out.
September 4th, 2018 at 9:46 PM ^
Ruiz needs to keep his head up to see the defense alignment and make calls. When he hears the QB clap he knows its time to look between his legs and be prepared to snap. Once he sees the QB do the low hand gesture he knows to then snap it.
I don't care what kind of system you use to snap the ball in loud away environments but I don't know if we even installed a 2nd snap count for this game. You are putting your OL at an instant disadvantage if the D can time your snap count.
September 4th, 2018 at 6:46 PM ^
There's no doubt that we're in a dark place. This may not turn out well, but I remember the 2010-11 basketball season. With no regard for the recent history up to that point, people were prematurely calling for Beilein's head. After a 1-6 start in conference, Beilein kicked off a 7-3 finish by beating MSU at Breslin in a gritty classic.
Yes, football is bigger and by its nature different. Yes there are issues that have the potential to derail the season with the tired narratives. Saturday sucked, but it was game one against a good team in a hostile environment, and in spite of those who can't see past the negative (understandably), there were signs of improvement over last year.
The caveat on these comments is I'm hopelessly optimistic about Michigan sports, but Harbaugh does have a decent track record. I'm at least going to wait and see how the team develops and grows before I do as my Dad has and find better things to do on game day. I have a problem in that I have to live the thing, even if it's a train wreck, because I don't know how else to function. I realize that can be unhealthy, but there's a football Saturday hole that only Michigan football fills, even if Richrod or Hoke are on the sidelines.
September 4th, 2018 at 7:19 PM ^
So Brian's message to Braylon is to "quit drinking and go to bed"
Wise words from a wise man... or something.
September 4th, 2018 at 10:21 PM ^
Interesting, I wondered and posted a lot over the last few seasons if Michigan football was basically a shell of what the program once was, and that it would most likely never get back to what Carr was able to do in the mid to late 90s. I was called a “concern troll”’and had my points nuked. I predicted 8-4 last season and turned out to be correct.
September 4th, 2018 at 10:42 PM ^
In that case, please provide us your stock tips and lottery number insights. /s
September 5th, 2018 at 9:46 AM ^
I worry genuinely that Michigan will never be Michigan again. That this is the permanent new reality, relegated to being a perpetual also-ran in the Big Ten East while schools that have sold their souls to the machine move ahead with no actual real price paid. That even the best possible coaching candidate for this school could not save us from the long decline.
I really am beginning to wonder if we can hope to win in the current climate and still maintain our ethical center. When you consider most of the criticisms that people on the board are making with regards to Harbaugh and his staff, it's that he hasn't elevated us to the level of the elites at this point, but as long the NCAA abrogates it's oversight responsibility and let's the likes of OSU and Alabama do whatever they want in their quest to maintain competitive advantage in acquiring talent, it's hard to see how any coach could adjust that equation.
September 5th, 2018 at 2:08 PM ^
Pitino wrote. "I would not advise any school to ever voluntarily penalize themselves because they hope the NCAA will be lenient in the future. In my view, this rarely, if ever, happens."
Hey Rick.... how about advise schools against cheating, that way they don't have to worry about self penalizing in the hopes of leniency.
What a scumbag! I wonder if he and Urban hang out.
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