OL Insight as told by Mike Onwenu

Submitted by Hail Harbo on October 30th, 2018 at 1:05 AM

Mike Onwenu gives some candid insights of the OL and a few other aspects.  Questions asked by Angelique and Nick Baumgardner among others.  BTW, it's quick but I believe MO says that while JBB didn't practice this past week, he's good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yu3bl8XXY1I

Clarence Boddicker

October 30th, 2018 at 2:22 AM ^

This has nothing to do with with your post--which is awesome by the way!

I just saw Parliament Funkadelic--George Clinton's last tour--and my ears are still ringing it was so loud.

GOD DAMN, YO!

Go Blue. One Nation Under A Groove..

blueinbelfast

October 30th, 2018 at 6:14 AM ^

Anyone else find it funny that they've got a plaque for Brady Hoke, but not one for RichRod? RichRod is in the full list of names. It's not so much that I think there should be a full plaque for RichRod, more that I'm a little surprised that Hoke was deemed worthy of one.

outsidethebox

October 30th, 2018 at 8:04 AM ^

What I find "funny" about this thread is that the OP includes Angelique and Nick to promote this thing. These two have to be the worst beat-writers in all of college football yet they get all this love...from the Michigan fans no less. This simply confirms the validity of my "pathological partisan fan" label I use. And that so many of these same fans hate on people like Chris Balas...OMG!!! Come on folks-step it up here.

Section 1.8

October 30th, 2018 at 10:13 AM ^

Angelique is a very good beat writer for Michigan.

Others may disagree; I might have a mild interest in trying to understand that disagreement, but I also might not care.

I will always remember the fact that Angelique's personal friendship with Mike Rosenberg, then of the Free Press, was broken over Rosenberg's reporting of the "Stretchgate" kerfuffle.  To her enduring credit, she did some excellent counter-reporting of that story.  She's a stand-up lady, and a nice lady too.

 

skurnie

October 30th, 2018 at 10:27 AM ^

Angelique is fine...adequate, even. I like her, I think she's funny on Twitter but I haven't really read anything she's written on Michigan in the past few years that stands out. 

In a state where Craham Grouch is a beat writer who is (presumably) paid real money to do what he does, I guess we're lucky to have her. 

DrMantisToboggan

October 30th, 2018 at 10:38 AM ^

I always thought Angelique was fine, until the last couple years when she's lost my respect with her questions at Jim's pressers. She knows the answers (or non-answers) that certain categories of questions will get, and she knows Jim well enough to know what annoys him, and yet she repeatedly asks those questions anyways. 

The response to this will undoubtedly be "She's just doing her job!" but the fact is that either way, whether she repeatedly asks Jim questions she knows he won't answer or not, her pre-game column will always be the same, but she chooses to go the route that rustles feathers. "Harbaugh was coy when discussing Player X's injury...Harbaugh had great praise for Upcoming Opponent Y". Why push Jim's buttons just to get the same lack of information? She's only adding to Jim's (and many others') distaste for reporters like her.

I realize that this is a very mild thing in the grand scheme of life - she's a sports beat writer, not reporting on human rights violations in Turkey - but that's why she irks me now. She's good for a few tiffs with Jim every year that are entirely on her being intentionally annoying.

OwenGoBlue

October 30th, 2018 at 10:55 AM ^

I think that's Angelique hearing a lot of reader/Twitter injury questions and wanting to get them answered. People do want to know, though they certainly don't have a right to know.

Jim will sometimes give an injury report on like 5 guys then he'll shut that down about it for a month, so she's hoping to get one of those days.

Have heard her lament that Jim doesn't do one-on-ones (Lloyd, RichRod, Hoke all did those with her pre-season), calls in to his radio show, and looks at press as an obligation. I get the frustration but as a fan I don't mind a prep-obsessed coach who's minimizing time on other coach obligations. 

DrMantisToboggan

October 30th, 2018 at 11:03 AM ^

Yeah I think your first paragraph says it all. Of course people want to know, but they don't have a right to know, and every sports reporter who is at all familiar with Harbaugh knows exactly what he is willing to share. He's publicly established how that line of questioning will go over the last 10-ish years of his career. Does she have an obligation to bang her head on a brick wall just because the public wants her to, knowing that all it does is make the brick wall mad? Idk, she just seems impish to me.

I Like Burgers

October 30th, 2018 at 11:30 AM ^

The whole point of being a reporter is asking questions you know probably aren't going to get an answer, or even ask questions you already know the answer to.  You can't assume he's not going to tell you JBB is healthy or not.  You have to ask.  You can't assume he's got nothing but platitudes to offer about Penn State. You have to ask.  Who gives a shit if it makes him mad?  That's not a reporters concern.

Take the post MSU game presser for example.  Would you have guessed that Harbaugh would take that opportunity to tear into Dantonio or MSU's program?  Been plenty of times where's he's brushed a question like that off.  But that's why you ask because you never know.

Also in general, you basically just described an environment that allows situations like MSU and Penn State under Paterno to flourish. When you start worrying about "making the brick wall mad" you're compromised and failing as a reporter.

None of us have a right to know anything at all the reporters are asking questions about, that's the whole point of the job.  If you piss some people off along the way, then you're probably doing a good job.

DrMantisToboggan

October 30th, 2018 at 12:37 PM ^

Yes, me specifically saying that Angelique knows what questions to Harbaugh about injuries will result in is akin to turning the other cheek to sexual violence. 

I know that nuance and compartmentalization is hard, but that is an insane reach. Let's keep the discussion in scope here. Angelique is not watch-dogging for abuse, she's asking what Jim thinks of Penn State and how Aubrey Solomon's knee is doing.

Hail Harbo

October 30th, 2018 at 11:58 AM ^

Well, asshole, as it turns out I don't know many beat writers by sight or sound.  I recognized Baumgardner's reflective image and Angelique's voice, so I included their names to give the original post a bit of gratuitous filler.  

The only agenda I can see is the one crammed so far up your ass it has turned the gray and white matter within your skull a shitty brown color.

outsidethebox

October 30th, 2018 at 1:49 PM ^

Wow! Impressive. I just find it hard to (impossible???) believe that anyone who has enough interest to come on an open blog like this values what those two have to say. Is that all you really know about the game-seriously??? Angelique pretty much knows nothing. Nick is knowledgeable enough but he clearly hates Michigan and NEVER  misses an opportunity to under-cut Jim Harbaugh and the Michigan football program...that is NEVER!!! Your misdirected anger is pathetic.

As a player and coach I have dealt with these writers and sportscasters enough to know the depth of their ignorance-about whatever sport they are covering. Jim Harbaugh has long had it with these folks and I am in complete agreement with the general treatment he gives them. Because, you know what, it's not about you whiney, ignorant fans. I hope you can learn to enjoy and appreciate the skill and effort the kids bring to the game-because that is what the playing is about.

4th and Go For It

October 30th, 2018 at 8:15 AM ^

Glad to hear Cesar is the "anchor" of the line and seeing things really well. One of the many struggles our O-Line seemed to have last year was IDing things properly and adjusting which seemed to leave them in bad situations regularly. Nothing against Kugler who is obviously still contributing to the program as a coach, but that didn't seem to be one his strengths the way it appears to be for Ruiz. Feels like with him at center and Warinner as their coach the line will be in good shape for the next several years. 

4th and Go For It

October 30th, 2018 at 9:55 AM ^

The UFRs from last year would disagree in many cases. There's a difference between knowing something and being able to diagnose and execute it on gameday. It was far from the line's only problem last year so who knows what was chicken and egg there but it was a consistent theme in the games for which we saw UFRs.