Moving Forward

Is this what it's come to? Satisfied with losing competitively to MSU and OSU? This isn't pee wee football.  You don't get the ole pat on the back for giving it your all.  College football is a must win culture and should be at Michigan.  If we win 1 of those 2 games that makes Hoke 3-6 in the last 3 yrs against ND, MSU, and OSU.  Is that acceptable?  If your answer is no then in my eyes this staff needs to win both games to stay.  

Seems to me even Michigan in the heyday was upset by other teams. 

Its up to this coaching staff to figure out how to upset another team.  When is the last time that has even happened?

The team we saw play in South Bend Saturday night, loses to Utah. Hopefully that team does not show up. Utah can score points. They're not as good as ND but they'll win a shootout with us. 

We are a mediocre team in a mediocre conference. WE are no longer relevant in the national football picture. A once proud program to be feared by opponents is nothing but a shadow of its former self. What the ND game did was to confirm what nationally people were already saying; "Michigan football can no longer be considered a top 25 program."

Finally, beating much weaker opponents to qualify for some out of the way bowl game is not my idea of a team to be proud of. Better they stay home.

The team is not yet good, and we hope it will get better over time this year.  And if there is improvement, Hoke does not have to win a certain number of games.  I will be curious to see how we play the last game in November, but it being an away game, I am not expecting much, and I don't think Hoke's future depends on it.  Can you imagine if Beilien had been fired for early year struggles, or losing to a #14 seed, or losing to Penn State after being ranked #1?

I see these games as talent level referendum games: Utah, Minny, PSU, MSU, Maryland and OSU.  It looks like this will be a year where the team doesn't win unless they can out-talent the other team.  On the low end, those games could all be losses.  On the high end, I am still naive enough to think it's possible to run the table.  We'll find out soon enough.

and it's time to clean house. I don't wish this and support the players but enough is enough in year 4 of the Hoke era. At this point, it's hard to predict where this team will go - 9 and 3 wouldn't surprise me, nor would 6 and 6.

What was a really poorly timed Toyota slogan in the wake of their unintended acceleration lawsuit!

In my frustration with how the game went on Saturday, I hadn't thought much about the fact that the offense is still in the early stages of acclimating to a new system.

Let's see how the year plays out.

9-3 is possible, 8-4 likely, 7-5 ends Hoke's career here.

They're too young not to be inconsistent. Golson and the rest played about as well as they can, and won't do that every game. ND will lose at least 3 games and maybe more. Looking back, I think we'll see that UM got their best game...ND at their best is very good, but not elite, and they won't play like that every big game. I think ND is a borderline top-20 team at the end of the year.

UM has a lot of work to do to attain that distinction.

We get a bye week before State, and a bye week before Maryland then Ohio State.  That is a huge help.

I want Hoke to succeed, mostly because the chaos of anoher coaching search will put us back yet another five years.

A win at MSU or at OSU will help Hoke have a littile breathing room.

The issue I see is that different stakeholders want different things.  We all want to see improvment but some want improvement but don't need the wins others want to see wins but don't need the improvement.  What if we say go 9-3 but look like crap at MSU and OSU?  What if we go 8-4 but look good at MSU and OSU but still lose?  What if we go 6-6 but the losses are all in the final seconds? 

I hate to think of coaching search right now, research shows it generally doesn't work out any better unless you hire a homerun which is not readily available right now. Usually a new coach will appear better because of reversion to the mean not because they actually are.

For me I think for Hoke to truly be safe he can afford to lose one more game.  Be definition then he would beat MSU or OSU.  That is really the only way I will feel comfortable moving forward.

Has been the standard for over 130 years if you review the math.  So one game off that pace is reason to trash the entire football program and invoke the possibility of a 3-win season(s).  I don't support that.

I get that its the 21st century and we want More, Now.  We want to be a 10-win juggernaut year after year after year.

The days of the Big 2 and the Little 8 are over, fellow fans.  Football is harder than it seems when you consider the modern era of strength training and the way the media has blown up sports coverage.

I also would point to other Traditionally Dominant programs have stuggled to keep up that level.  Nebraska and Texas come to mind right off.  Alabama about 10-12 years ago was a complete nobody after Stallings left.  Some Georgia fans I know are foaming at the mouth for Mark Richt to be fired despite what I think is a damn good record in that conference.  In my youth the Huskies of Washington were a feared force.  Michigan State is suddenly one of the top teams in the B1G.  Urban Meyer's offense is currently running for its life.  What I derive from this evidence is that there's a slow rolling sine wave of adversity that affects every program.  A deeper affect is to also be tied to certain coaching staffs who have repeated success and so it seems like its better to speed that process and roll the dice with the idea it could come up Saban.  But the reality is the other 999 rolls are not Saban.

Last season was tough and its hard to maintain patience I agree, but lets see what Nussmeier can do.  When the rhythm was going I personally think it was better than last year.  I think we will have an answer in 6 years of Hoke coaching which way is right for the future.  So...wait for it.......wait for it... 8-)

For me it's not about going 12-0 or 10-2 every season.  Michigan has arguably the richest tradition in all of college football.  The product on the field should reflect the history, and tradition that this great program has given us.  At present, Michigan is not that team, and haven't been for some time.  

I'm at such a weird spot with Michigan right now.  Never in my life have I ever watched a game void of emotion. That Notre Dame game gave me an overwhelming sense of acceptance.  For the first time in my 20+ years as a Michigan fan I have finally accepted that this is what Michigan football has become.  I am not okay with it, I can't stand it to be honest.  Acceptance is a bitch.  

The toughest part about acceptance, for me, is the overwhelming advantage Michigan has with its academics, prestige,  facilities, and its finances.  Michigan should be able to put together an outfit much better than anything we've seen in recent times.  I don't know what the main issue is, but something has to give, so that we can have our program back.    

Brady Hoke gets 5 years before any of us can have this conversation.  Period.  That's what is best for our program.  I wish people would stop posting crap about coaching "searches" and calling radio talk shows saying how they don't want anyone to get fired BUT.... just stop.

I have not seen one comment yet where anyone has solutions.  Lots of generalities, sure.  I can generalize as well as anybody.  Win more games.  Have less turnovers.  Block more.  I disagree with your call there, Coach.  Bad call.  Take out X and put in Y.   Players are not passionate about winning.  Coaches are not passionate about winning.  Does that mean anything?  How would you improve the blocking? How would you make the players more passionate?  Discussion of all this stuff is fine, analysis is great.  Calling for firings is not the logical progression.

At the end of year 5, the assessment can be made.  Until then, support our team and show the world we are not fair weather, toxic assholes.  Show the world we support our team and let the coaches do their job.    I support our program - and always will, barring some Penn State type of atrocity.  Then all bets are off.