Sometimes Things Are Bad, And That's Okay Comment Count

Brian

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either it will work or it will not work [Eric Upchurch]

Hey guys! As you may have noticed, the theme of this week on the blog is "nah." When I thought to myself "I should start a Michigan blog" back in 2004 I did not anticipate that about every three years things would descend into a melee of recriminations and stupidity. Insofar as it's possible I am opting out of this edition.

I could point out various reasons that things aren't going well again, but what's the point? I've already said the things, and people willing to listen have already read them. What's the point in arguing with this guy who's all up in my inbox?

Brian, your mattress story ,while creative in another genre, makes michigan football fans look like a bunch of smoked out , entitled, arrogant assholes. How so? It puts an emphasis on quirky,smarter than the rest of football  fan bases,and takes away from the team of mostly working class players whom have little in common with you or most of your followers.

Its time to end this little money making with little to no sweat, blood,or tears called mgoblog while profitting off the Michigan athletes and get a real job...oh wait, that is not in your genetic makeup.

There isn't one. Nor is there a point in arguing with people who don't think Brady Hoke and his #37 and #20 2014-15 recruiting classes don't still have an impact on Michigan's performance. While assaulting previous regimes for failures has been somewhere between plausible and a holy quest, to do so after this start from Harbaugh...

In Harbaugh’s first season, Michigan doubled its win total from five to 10 and improved from 48th in S&P+ to fifth. The Wolverines won seven games by at least 21 points and lost to only three opponents (Utah, Michigan State, Ohio State) that combined to go 34-7. Against Utah, they lost because of a pick six. Against Michigan State, well, you remember that one. Not a bad debut.

In 2016, Michigan came within a spot of the Big Ten East title. If officials mark J.T. Barrett’s fourth-down conversion attempt slightly differently, the Wolverines go to the Big Ten title game and likely go to the College Football Playoff. As it stands, they merely backed up the previous season with another 10-3 record, another top-five S&P+ finish, and losses by a combined three points against Ohio State and Florida State teams that won 21 games. All this despite a late-season shoulder injury to quarterback Wilton Speight.

...given Harbaugh's track record is asinine. To do so after Michigan returned the fewest starters of any Power 5 team and lost their top quarterback, left tackle, and wide receiver to injury is brain dead. Yes, I thought things would be going better, but my preseason prediction didn't bake in injuries to Speight and Black; without those the chances that Michigan is headed towards 9-3 at worst are what, 90%? Have we already forgotten what a truly bad team looks like?

I get it if you're a rival and you're getting your yucks in. If you're a Michigan fan and your reaction isn't along the lines of "well, this is very disappointing but lets see what happens next year" I don't want to talk to you. Because what good would it do?

Comments

ScooterTooter

October 24th, 2017 at 4:28 PM ^

I mean, results-wise we are at Hoke level. This team is 5-2. That team was 6-2. Similar losses. Scuffling offense (yes, bronxblue, I know the offense scored some points in 2013). Youth and injury excuses. Grumblings about scheme. Grumblings about the OC (and offensive staff). 

Do I think we'll end up 7-6? No. I think its highly possible that Harbaugh and Co improve this team to the point it upsets one of Wisconsin/Ohio State and win 9 games. Which in that case, the Hoke level fall will have been averted. But at the moment, the team is where there are. 

Red is Blue

October 24th, 2017 at 5:58 PM ^

The year Meyer came in, he was hired early and OSU already had a coach, so all he had to do was recruit. Contrast that with Harbaugh who was hired very late with little time to recruit. So in Harbaugh's third year he is really on working with only two of his recruiting classes. Whereas Meyer was on his third. This also doesn't consider the class before they were hired. Michigan's Harbaugh - 1 class was not good. I suspect OSU's Meyer -1 class was probably good. Further your statement to which i commented was in regard to 2016. All of a sudden you conveniently switched to Harbaugh year 3 (2017).

ScooterTooter

October 24th, 2017 at 7:13 PM ^

If we assume that Hoke's recruiting wasn't all total busts (he recruited a lot of 4 star players), then Michigan had a talented, veteran team coming into 2015 that had been severely undercoached. I actually think its crazy to think that Michigan should have done worse than 10 wins in 2015. I can't imagine being that dejected from the Hoke era to abandon all logic in regards to returning starters, improved coaching staff...you know going from Brady Hoke to Jim Fucking Harbaugh. 

In reply to by You Only Live Twice

ScooterTooter

October 25th, 2017 at 9:34 AM ^

Whoa, the mods didn't stifle a football debate on a football blog? They sure are tolerant. 

You seem frail when it comes to debate. Maybe don't comment on things you can't handle. 

ScooterTooter

October 25th, 2017 at 1:15 PM ^

I find you to be annoying. You talk about spam, yet you add nothing of merit to a conversation about football....on a football message board.

You're the one hinting the mods should ban me, then you try to turn it around, which is just typical fragile behavior. 

Here is a simple question that no one has been able to answer rationally. It will give you a chance to add to the conversation instead of whining on the sidelines like a moaning ass: 

Why would it be unreasonable to suggest that Jim Harbaugh win ten games in 2015, given the fact he brought in a superior staff and the players were a year more experienced? Isn't the idea behind firing a coach based on the fact that he doesn't win games he should? Thus one would expect a 5 win Hoke team to have won 7/8 games if coached by a competent professional? 

Go ahead. Answer it, instead of bitching. 

Fezzik

October 24th, 2017 at 2:09 PM ^

For you to say a coaching staff at Michigan who has not finished higher than 3rd in their division yet and is 1-4 against rivals has exceeded expectations tells me you have very low expectations.

My expectations were a well coached team who would not set a record for penalties in a game. I did not expect (2-6) Cincinnati and (3-4) Air Force to play us close until the 4th quarter.  I didn't expect Purdue to be beating us at halftime and within a score entering the 4th quarter. I fully expected to beat a MSU team coming off their worst season in well over a decade. I did not expect our offensive staff to think it would be wise to pass often during a monsoon. I expected at least one serviceable QB in year 3 of Harbaugh, an OL that could at least be considered average, at least one RB who we can count on to pass block, and a general improvement from players as they age in the college system. Did any offensive player who played last year actually improve this year? Cole, Hill, Speight, Bredeson, Evans, Isaac, Higdon, Perry all seem to be at the same level or regressed from a year ago. I believe Poggi looks better but even that could be debated. Lastly, by year 3 I expected our offense would be great at something, anything. Instead we try a lot of different things but have no play, player, or identity that we can hang our hat on.

Other teams are achieving more with less. Complaining about injuries or recruiting is dumb because every single team every year has injuries and every team, other than 2-3, have annual recruiting issues. These are to be expected every year, not used as excuses for our struggles. We have something broken that needs fixed.  

ijohnb

October 24th, 2017 at 2:57 PM ^

is not one of them, but the truth of the matter is that some people completely went off the deep end irrevocably after the MSU loss.  Quite a number of Michigan fans had taken so much personal satisfaction in MSU's presumed downfall that the State game became far too much of a high leverage situation than any fan should ever put themselves in with one game.  A narrative was created about where each program was going that was shattered during that game.  I think there are actually some Michigan fans who find themselves in a situation where it doesn't even matter if Michigan is good at this point if Michigan State isn't bad, if that makes sense.  To those people, I don't even know if winning out would make any difference.

wolverine1987

October 24th, 2017 at 3:54 PM ^

are putting all the eggs in the "who have you beat during Harbaugh?" column. I know that because that's what I heard Valenti say the other day. The point they make is what good is 10-3 when you don't beat your rivals, and you have not beat any real good team since Harbaugh arrived. They also say 10 wins is relatively easy now that the schedule has gone to 12 or 13 games, so the key is beating good teams, which we have not done.  

Mack Tandonio

October 24th, 2017 at 4:05 PM ^

This right here sounds awfully reasonable. Despite the uncertainty with the offense, The defense will still likely lead us to 9 wins. PSU is a scary, scary offense and I don't expect to see another like it this year even if OSU is quietly putting up some solid numbers. Frankly, I'm a little surprised by the outrage this week. Were we watching the same team the first half of the season? Collectively, my friends and I gave us about a 10% chance to win.

Squader

October 24th, 2017 at 2:56 PM ^

"For you to say a coaching staff at Michigan who has not finished higher than 3rd in their division yet and is 1-4 against rivals has exceeded expectations tells me you have very low expectations."

So it's Harbaugh's fault that Blake O'Neil dropped a snap on a freak play and that OSU got so much home cooking that they managed to barely edge out M at home in overtime?

Look, the reason this take is crap is not that we shouldn't expect to finish higher than third or be better than 1-4. It's that, yes, sometimes you just get screwed and it doesn't mean the coaches are bad. If two tiny things change over the past two seasons, the team is 3-2 against its rivals, has played for or won a B10 championship and probably played in the playoff, and you're on here slobbering over Harbaugh as the second coming. Because the team missed those things by (charitably) six total inches, you're on here saying the staff "isn't meeting expectations." I mean, ok. Forgive us if we don't join you on the "UNACCEPTABLE" bandwagon.

 

Squader

October 24th, 2017 at 11:37 PM ^

It's not about "speculation," it's about the fact that the difference between incredible success (playoff) and just regular success (10 wins) is so small that it tells you nothing about the quality of the coaches. It's not speculation that UM wins if Barrett goes down two inches sooner. How is that in any way attributable to the coaching staff? The same people holding up "1-4" as proof that Harbaugh is suddenly bad at coaching would be holding up a playoff appearance in year 2 as proof that he is god if that one play goes the other way. 

He molded the first M team capable of outplaying a playoff-calibre OSU team in Columbus in two decades, and they lost by an inch. Sucks that they lost, I know. But if someone thinks that loss is useful evidence in building a general case against Harbaugh's abilities as a coach, they are, to put it charitably, not thinking clearly.

 

pescadero

October 25th, 2017 at 8:13 AM ^

"it's about the fact that the difference between incredible success (playoff) and just regular success (10 wins) is so small"

 

...and that is where I have to disagree.

 

The gap from regular 10 win team to regular playoff team is MORE difficult to overcome than the gap from regular 5 win team to regular 10 win team.

mgobaran

October 24th, 2017 at 1:56 PM ^

Harbaugh overachieved twice already.

9-3 regular season his first year with a team that didn't make a bowl game the year before. 
10-2 regular season in which we were a legit National Title contender who fell unluckily short (or OSU was marked unluckily long). 

Absolutely no one thought Harbaugh could have us that high in 2 years. Now, in year three, to see very little step back from a #1 overall defense losing 9.5 starters is OVER ACHIEVING. Your LT being in year 2 of a knee injury is unlucky. Losing your top QB* and WR is unlucky. And we still have a legit chance at 8-4/9-3. Not great, but far from the lows of the previous regimes. Or even the 2nd lowest from those regimes. And Harbaugh may be having a down year as a coach. What part of his history makes you think he won't turn it around?

*Speight was bad this season, but at least he hit some deep balls. And the ground game is so much better today than it was when he was starting. Things are so much worse now that we have to rely on that ground game against a box that does not respect our ability to pass it over their heads.

 

 

Kmart Carcajou

October 24th, 2017 at 12:26 PM ^

I'm so sick of trolls like Finebaum and Valenti getting their shots in against Michigan and ignoring the vast amounts of evidence pointing towards Harbaugh having Michigan on a steep upward trajectory.

zh2oson

October 24th, 2017 at 12:54 PM ^

But Clay Travis and Paul Finebaum think Harbaugh is the most overrated coach in the history of college football.  How can your "facts" compete with thier "logic"?

 

Also, what is our stance on tweeting players and their families?

saveferris

October 24th, 2017 at 1:03 PM ^

The only way to shut up lazy analysts like this whose agenda is to sully our program is to win.  Absent of that, they're going to boil everything down to wins and losses and dismiss any more detailed analysis as excuses cooked up fanboys.

Keep your skin thick, because this is probably going to get worse before it gets better.

Crime Reporter

October 24th, 2017 at 12:26 PM ^

I'm coping with it by spending Saturdays (when I'm not working) with my wife and 2-year-old daughter. I didn't see any live snaps from MSU and PSU and it helps. Life is too short to be sulking about this shit.

Rabbit21

October 24th, 2017 at 1:16 PM ^

Same approach here, my kids are SUPER busy on the weekends and I just can't carve out that time every Saturday the way I could when they were younger.  It's helped me be more objective and enjoy my fall more.  I knew the PSU game was going to be a blowout and so was able to disconnect, see who my Dodgers were going to play in the World Series, and drink some Bourbon with a good friend under the stars while my son ran around in the woods like a crazy person on his campout.  

I love watching Michigan but when it's ugly football it's not fun and I like that I now have other things to do.

Cranky Dave

October 24th, 2017 at 1:33 PM ^

only going to watch games that you are certain Michigan is going to win? i believe the term is bandagon fan.  I'm extremely diappointed that we haven't won a championship  in years.  and am not happy with the play of the offense (or defense against PSU).  But I've watched as many games as I can even during the 3-9 season. 

mgobaran

October 24th, 2017 at 2:15 PM ^

Just cause he doesn't fan as hard as you, doesn't make him a bandwagoner. He has other priorities. And it's not like he knew we would lose to MSU. Most of us expected a less than comfortable victory. No reason to not watch. A 2-year old might be reason to not watch though. It sounds to me like he missed a fair share of our victories as well. Or at least live. I could see it being much easier to catch the hour long version of every game 3 days later on youtube. 

Me on the other hand, I can't wait a second. I need my Michigan games to start at Noon on Saturday cause I'm too damn nervous sitting around. Even against Rutgers. 

Crime Reporter

October 24th, 2017 at 2:40 PM ^

I missed the MSU game because I was visiting my parents in Knoxville and I attended a comic con earlier with my father. And PSU, well, I spent time with the family and then worked. I love Michigan football. I love it to unhealthy levels. But I also have enough stress working as a 911 dispatcher at a big comm center. I work a lot. And I'm finding time spent with my little girl instead of watching football helps ease so much of that unhealthy obsession. If that makes me a bandwagon fan so be it.

Cranky Dave

October 24th, 2017 at 3:48 PM ^

exclusively you, and I know that came across as kind of harsh. I took your comments to mean you didn't watch only because you thought we would lose. 

 I've been following Michigan football for over 40 years and set my schedule around games. I spent 6 years living in London and the first 3 years i listened to the radio feed on my computer including the 2003 comeback game against Minnesota that started at midnight.  In '97 my sister got married on October 18th the day we were playing Iowa.  We were supposed to be taking pictures at 3pm, right in the 4th quarter.  I snuck into the bar at the reception venue and watched the end of the game and took pictures late. 

I say this not to imply that i'm a better fan just that I have an unhealthy devotion to Michigan football and have a hard time ever missing a game. 

 

I'll let you keep your fan card

/s