UM on Mike & Mike this morning
Gary Anderson was on M&M this morning, and afterwards the talk got around to the Michigan coaching hire.
Greeny brought up the topic of which is the better coaching position--UM or Wiscy. He had some stats comparing the two schools and the number of NFL players in the draft and on the field and it was markedly not in our favor. CC's take was that even the perfect hire wasn't going to turn things around quickly since UM just doesn't have the bodies.
Although I wasn't expecting a fair shake with three OSU, ND, and NW honks in the group, I couldn't argue with their findings completely. That being said, they agreed that UM was still a prestigious program with a ton of cash and the ability to hire top-shelf coaching talent.
EDIT: Let me clarify that I couldn't argue with Greeny's stats about the number of players in the NFL. I certainly don't agree with their overall negative take on UM.
December 12th, 2014 at 8:51 AM ^
Greenie hammered the football team and the basketball team in his intro to a Michigan segment earlier this week. I had to turn it off to keep from being pissed. Since I usually don't watch them anyway, it wasn't difficult.
December 12th, 2014 at 9:21 AM ^
He said UM people came out of the woodwork to hammer on him. He deserved it.
December 12th, 2014 at 1:03 PM ^
I think that's the whole point with those two buffoons (and most of the programming from the "Worldwide Leader" {an interesting little mini-advertisement all by itself}). MAKE the news. Get people talking about *you* (ESPN).
December 12th, 2014 at 9:57 AM ^
Was wetting his pants this time last year hoping that the Leon County (Tallahassee) DA would clear the FSU, Jameis Winston, so that the Heisman Trophy voters could vote in "good conscience". Told me everything I needed to know about Greenie.
December 12th, 2014 at 8:53 AM ^
We know. Michigan football has been down for a while. No shit. But i don't think they know anything about the talent on Michigan's current roster.
December 12th, 2014 at 8:58 AM ^
So true, so true. Preach on, brother!!!
December 12th, 2014 at 10:17 AM ^
He was talking about how small Michigan is and that he sends his players to UW all the time. So UW has the large bodies and lost 59-0 to OSU, after Ohio State played a competitive game against Michigan the week before in Columbus. Nice logic.
December 12th, 2014 at 8:58 AM ^
Absolutely. That is a very talented 2 deep. Just needs to be developed, energized, and deployed. I am amazed at the vast ignorance of so many people in the sports media industry.
December 12th, 2014 at 9:07 AM ^
You can't expect people in media to know the two deep on every pro and college team in the country AND know the background on those players to know if they are untapped potential or just bodies.
December 12th, 2014 at 9:13 AM ^
most people understand that point. The problem is that he made the comment and showed he's talking out of his ass.
December 12th, 2014 at 10:10 AM ^
December 12th, 2014 at 9:15 AM ^
Yes I can. If you are getting paid to talk about the subject then you should be doing the background research into your topics.
Lets not sit and pretend that the topics are surprises, it's not a pop quiz. Do you think these guys actually know all the facts and figures they spew out? No, the information is pulled and provided.
December 12th, 2014 at 12:51 PM ^
if they don't know, they should stop pretending they do; but in that case they wouldn't have a job.
December 12th, 2014 at 9:21 AM ^
IF there was only an easily searchable tool to tell you about things. I mean it isn't like there job is to talk about things with some knowledge.
If you haven't done research about a subject and you bring up, I have to wonder if you are good at your job.
December 12th, 2014 at 9:21 AM ^
Yes, really we can. If they are getting paid to talk about such things. I do not understand your point. hat's the problem w/sports "journalism" or just plain "journalism" in general these days. Lazy, retweeting, purposely inflamatory statements or just simply talking out one's ass.
Come informed or shut it.
December 12th, 2014 at 9:23 AM ^
Really? Isn't that their job? To know something about the sports that they talk about? Do they need to know the 2 deep of every program? No, but how about the final four teams.. and oh I don't know.. the team that they are currently talking about. The winningest program in history that is currently in the middle of a coaching search that is being talked about daily all over the country... 3 minutes of show prep would have given them 50X the knowledge than they were clearly dealing with. I would love to walk into a meeting and talk about the Ford Focus pickup truck.. and after my boss would say, its an honest mistake, there are really a lot of vehicles on the market. You can't be expected to know about all of them.
December 12th, 2014 at 9:29 AM ^
either research it before you say something, or don't say something about what you don't know.
His whole point was we haven't had a lot of people drafted, which is a trailing measure of the exact hole we have been wading through. But his error was using the trailing measure as a leading measure for the current roster talent.
December 12th, 2014 at 9:41 AM ^
That's kind of the problem with national hosts and writers in general, jack of all trades masters of none. It's just entertainment and nobody should be looking at these guys for any kind of meaningful insight.
December 12th, 2014 at 10:58 AM ^
number of guys who are drafted into the NFL or make it there through free agency?
Apparently, Golic asked the other day in comparison to Wisconsin and Michigan who had the best known players in the league: for Michigan, easy, two likely Hall of Famers, and two of the best players ever at their positions, Tom Brady and Charles Woodson. And then he mentioned Russell Wilson and JJ Watt for the Badgers.
And by namng the recent Super Bowl winning qb at Seattle and former rookie of the year who then had a mediocre sophmore pro season before bouncing back this year, Golic claimed that this cinched his point that Wisconsin is the better program because it has put younger stud players in the league.
Really? What a lame contention. First off, Russel Wilson was a fifth year senior when he played his one season at Wisconsin, and JJ Watt was an unheralded draft pick who ripped it up as a first year pro. Wilson developed his qb talent at NC State and then transferred in his final year of eligibility and has played for a very good Seattle team doing a great job directing their offense as a runner and passer, albeit not bearly in the same ballpark as Brady as a passer.
Woodson is an icon, Watt is a solid all-pro and may someday reach Woodson's stature.
The point of this was apparently to demonstrate that Wisconsin has done a better job of producing strong NFL players in more recent times than Michigan. I wouldn't argue this contention but Michigan starting quarterbacks going back since the 90's have regularly been drafted into the NFL or given free agent opportunities. They've had Olinemen drafted into the league under every coaching regime. Very few colllege programs can claim that.
I don't think it makes much difference because I college football isn't about getting guys ready for the pros. It's just that the NFL treats college football as their incubating factory and unpaid minor league systsem to obtain talent. So, If that's the point of college sports, then why don't we just call what Kentucky does in basketball, an NBA developmental team.
The bottom line is, Golic and Green aren't worth listening too for any kind of football analysis. They are at best a couple of ESPN brand names who entertain on the radio. Good for them.
December 12th, 2014 at 11:55 AM ^
December 12th, 2014 at 5:50 PM ^
Woodson is an icon, Watt is a solid all-pro and may someday reach Woodson's stature.
Watt is a little more than a "solid all-pro".
I'll agree he has some time to put in to achieve the sustained success over time that Woodson has, but Watt is already a pretty strong HOF candidate in the 4th year of his careeer.
December 12th, 2014 at 10:04 AM ^
It seems to me that you are contradicting yourself when you say we have a very talented two deep but it needs to be developed. How do you really know what the outcome will be until you actually see on-field performance? If you are relying solely on recruiting rankings, I think that might be a bit of a slippery slope.
I am very concerned about our QB situation and with Funchess' departure, we are not quite as deep as we thought we were at WR. Until Green or Isaac really start showing something behind an O-line that may be improving but still is not at a level that remotely approaches better programs, I just can't share your optimism.
When you look back at the level of NFL talent we had in 2006 and before and compare it to what we have now, it is not even close.
December 12th, 2014 at 11:21 AM ^
December 12th, 2014 at 5:06 PM ^
December 12th, 2014 at 9:51 AM ^
I'm not so sure many Michigan fans do, either, considering how many of them are convinced Funchess is a sure-fire NFL success
December 12th, 2014 at 10:01 AM ^
Michigan fans (like pretty much everyone else) are convinced he's a sure-fire NFL talent, which is undeniable, and a sure-fire early-round pick in the NFL draft.
December 12th, 2014 at 10:53 AM ^
We don't know much either about the talent on the roster. We think there's a lot, but for the casual outsider, and M&M are that, it doesn't appear to be a talented team out there.
December 12th, 2014 at 11:19 AM ^
is soooo easy! Anybody remember Alabama pre-Saban? That was a tire fire / monkey rodeo for 10 years ... which included the Mike Price coaching hire (what ! - I can't go to a strip club ? WTF !!!). This is Michigan are not just words. 42 B1G championships is still #1.
Fuck them. Harbaugh would bring "fire" back into Michigan football.
Funny - now I'm hearing how being an NFL coach is so much easier than a college head coach. I know - there's too many people out there looking for the "easy way", versus what they love. Harbaugh loves coaching and he knows damn well that millionaire football players don't care for his enthusiasm and fire. However take an 18 yr. old kid that knows his college success can lead to that "millionaire status" and they'll want that challange and leadership.
Harbaugh is a proven winner, as a player and a coach. Michigan needs him, and sorry anyone but Harbaugh will be 2nd choice. And who wants that?
Go Blue!
December 12th, 2014 at 10:09 PM ^
Mike Price wasn't fired for going to a strip club. He lost his job because a stripper claimed he paid her for sex, bought and used cocaine with her and because when she recognized him and said "Roll Tide" he replied by screaming "IT'S ROLLING, BABY, IT'S ROLLING!"
almost none of which was ever proven to be true, btw... he sued SI over the story and I believe they settled out of court.
December 12th, 2014 at 8:52 AM ^
December 12th, 2014 at 9:12 AM ^
Just to clarify a little.. When they were talking about bodies, they weren't reffering to the numbers, they were referring to the "body types" of our players compared to those of the Wiscos, OSU and MSU teams, saying are team looks much smaller with far fewer NFL type players. I'm not saying I agree, because I don't, but that's what they were talking about.
December 12th, 2014 at 9:39 AM ^
December 12th, 2014 at 11:29 AM ^
Based on what? The progress pictures that these guys post? The majority of those pictures were from guys who are skill position players who are at an advantage if they remain lean.
More importantly, at what position isn't Michigan sufficiently bulky? The only position group that could possibly fit that description is the offensive line.
December 12th, 2014 at 12:03 PM ^
Which position group on our team is undersized? Serious question.
I don't fucking buy this at all. We've had guys who were underdeveloped and the scheme wasn't always great. Our DBs were disappointing, but that doesn't have anything to do with bulk. Our OL was pretty young, but still not small for Big Ten standards.
So which guys on our team should have been bigger?
December 12th, 2014 at 9:16 AM ^
December 12th, 2014 at 9:17 AM ^
that we've been lacking. Which makes the assertion that it will take a little time kinda apropos.
December 12th, 2014 at 9:46 AM ^
I am not sure we truly know that...especially at QB. What do we have at that position? As far as I am concerned, we have an unacceptable option in RB, a highly talented but uninspiring QB in Shane, and two freshman status players who we haven't seen throw the ball. We truly need the QB whisperer here...
December 12th, 2014 at 11:50 AM ^
Anytime someone is talking Michigan and says something like "Michigan just doesn't have the talent / depth / etc" I immediately tune them out because they clearly have no clue what's going on here. Michigan has tremendous amounts of talent and pretty great depth at every position.
A good coach can come in and have this team be good almost immediately
December 12th, 2014 at 8:52 AM ^
December 12th, 2014 at 9:02 AM ^
While he was only a 3* - he was the #12 overall QB in the country to Rivals. It's not like they picked up some bum off the streets and threw him in there.
December 12th, 2014 at 9:41 AM ^
December 12th, 2014 at 9:57 AM ^
I'd bet that if Shane Morris went to OSU, and was the 3rd string, he would've gone out there against Wiscy and put up #'s. Urbz makes it easy on his QB's and develops them in his system.
December 12th, 2014 at 10:23 AM ^
Exactly. They actually develop.
December 12th, 2014 at 8:53 AM ^
There are still holes and lack of depth on the team, particularly at quarterback. Hopefully improvoement will come quickly. Success will take a while.
December 12th, 2014 at 8:59 AM ^
Next season we will have three highly rated QBs on the roster: Shane (Jr.), Speight (RS Fr.) and Malzone (Fr.).
What lack of depth is there at that position?
December 12th, 2014 at 9:01 AM ^
Depth isn't an issue, we have numbers at QB. Talent is my concern. I don't know what to expect from any of them.
December 12th, 2014 at 9:05 AM ^
I don't understand this argument at all. Has there ever been a point where you knew what to expect from 2 out of 3 QBs that have yet to play a college game? Did you know what to expect out of Henne when Gutierrez went down? Or what to expect out of Threet, or Tate, or Denard before they played a game? The only one on the roster that we have any idea about is Shane: Laser rocket arm with questionable decision making (but how much of that was him and how much was coaching?).
December 12th, 2014 at 9:46 AM ^