My futile attempt at stopping tomorrows "unacceptable" posts. OSU edition.

Submitted by wolverine1987 on

Reading through the threads today, I'd estimate over 80% of the blog expects us to lose tomorrow, and only somewhat fewer than that expect a blowout ala Baumgardner's prediction. I also expect us to lose, and in truth see little chance of winning, and none if JOK starts. Of course there is always hope, and as one poster said "the odds against Rocky versus Drago were higher than this!" 

Expectations guide reaction to events, and as has been noted by Bill Connelly and others most of us predicted 9-3 this year, 10-2 if everything clicked. The fact that we will likely be 8-4 with our third QB (or a #2 guy that is unfortunately very bad at playing QB) and major offensive line problems is not actually that surprising. Yes disappointing, very disappointing and concerning for sure. And it's completely fair to question the coaching this year--particularly on the 0-line, whose inability to pick up stunts and twists is actually mystifying. Next year is a major year for this staff, and it will be fair to say that this staff has something to prove in 2018 to back up their deservedly good reputations. 

But this is known, and anticipated. I get that immediately after a loss people's emotions are frayed. But we should remember our predictions today, when it's time to comment tomorrow. Or not, and flame away...

And lastly, we suffered through a run of 3, 5, 7, 11, 8, 7 and 5 win seasons--one in seven that was good. We now have had two 10 win seasons, and an 8-9 win season with an acceptable explanation(s). Anyone that says the program isn't in better shape now doesn't know what they are talking about. And that despite a tough schedule there is every rational reason to expect next year will be much better. Go Blue. 

Maynard

November 24th, 2017 at 4:27 PM ^

Not driven away by internet trolls. Driven away by a slow groundswell of opinion is what I was talking about. Hopefully we don't have to worry about any of that. Better scenario would be just kicking it into gear over the next couple of seasons and getting the results we're all looking for. I still am optimistic about that but more for 2019 than next year. Let's be honest though, it could change for the better just as quickly with the right couple of wins.

You Only Live Twice

November 24th, 2017 at 4:54 PM ^

I have no doubt that you have accurately described what underlies a lot of the trolling agenda. 

Venting is one thing, criticisms and differing opinions happen here all the time.  And you'll see plenty of "drive-by" trolling attacks after a loss.  That happens among all fan bases, at least, I'm pretty confident saying that without actually reading other fanbase blogs.  :-)

What you identifiy, though, makes the most sense in trying to understand what the hell motivates the more determined troll accounts.  It's just waaaay too much effort to go to, without having a purpose.   We've got fans here who are seemingly never happy (again doesn't every fan base?) but I think the majority of trolls are MSU, OSU, PSU or perhaps ND.

It's a waste of their time though.  The Brandon references that pop up indicate that some people think that the "groundswell" scenario can be replicated - and the situations are not analogous in any respect. 

 

Trebor

November 24th, 2017 at 2:31 PM ^

There's no such thing as an acceptable excuse for how this team has performed in general this season. OSU lost two QBs on their way to a national title. A freshman/redshirt freshman QB has played for the national title 3 times in the last 5 years (2013 ND, 2014 FSU, and 2017 Alabama).

There are teams that routinely recruit less talented players than us but consistently reload. Wisconsin, for example, had exactly 0 top-250 guys in their starting lineup based on the FFFF. They, for all intents and purposes, kicked our asses. Penn State had 1 on defense and 5 on offense. They kicked our ass all the way back to Ann Arbor, and now they're starting to recruit at or above our level. Indiana had 0 and took us to OT. Michigan State had 2 on offense and 1 on defense, and they've now beaten us 8 times in 10 years. There's no excuse for struggling against these teams in this way. I'm not asking for 45-7 blowouts every week like we're an Alabama machine, but something better than a 20% win rate against a rival we're routinely far more talented on paper than would be nice.

NateVolk

November 24th, 2017 at 2:53 PM ^

Wow interesting.

Haven't read this very whine in about 40,000 different forms and word orders in the last month.  

You need more false equivalences to round your presentation and get your gold membership in the Unacceptable Club.

If you thought this team was winning either of those two road games against veteran top 10 teams with a bunch of 19 year olds all over that offense, you're willfully blind. 

Take away our starting quarterback and put the game in the middle of a monsoon, and the MSU game is absolutely losable. There are like 5 teams this season in the whole country which have won ANY game without it's first string quarterback. 

Michigan won multiple games with 3 different guys. 

The unacceptable crowd all have one thing in common: they choose to see this season as a failure and no facts will influence them otherwise.

Even actual experts who aren't on this message board who chart plays and know the game aren't going to influence them.

Like the OP said, just brace ourselves tomorrow for more whining and more future doomsday predictions from football novices. All of it a weak disguise for "wah, wah, wah. I want my wins!!!"

Maynard

November 24th, 2017 at 2:58 PM ^

You packed a lot of excuses into one post. Nice job. You got youth, monsoon, veteran opponents, and injuries in one paragraph. You missed refs to round out the usual buffet but I suspect you were holding onto that one for tomorrow.

Michigan doesn't have a single good win this year. Hopefully that changes tomorrow.

MileHighWolverine

November 24th, 2017 at 3:09 PM ^

The problem with your argument is that we looked borderline terrible even before Speight went down. We struggled against teams that are awful even though we had massive talent advantages and in one painful case, lost to a less talented but better coached team at home.

Sorry...the only word for this, when one considers the resources thrown to the FB team...IS unacceptable.

 

SalvatoreQuattro

November 24th, 2017 at 2:53 PM ^

Your analogies are bad and you should feel bad.

Penn State returned in most important players on offense and I believe they returned more than one starter on defense. That does not ring true. Anyways, UM’s problem is on offense where experience can matter more depending on the scheme.

Your OSU example fails because the offense are very different and OSU had a more experienced team in general. The spread is a plug and play system. Harbaugh’s offense is not.

JH only owns two of the eight losses. Not sure why you referenced the six losses of RR and Hoke for a oof aout this season.

Wisconsin has been running the same system for over two decades. Comparing that to a team in it’s third season is quite frankly ridiculous.

Before the season expectations ran from 8 wins to 11. UM is at it’s low end, but still meeting expectations however underwhelming the season has been.

MileHighWolverine

November 24th, 2017 at 3:11 PM ^

"Your OSU example fails because the offense are very different and OSU had a more experienced team in general. The spread is a plug and play system. Harbaugh’s offense is not."

I can't speak for anyone else but my biggest complaint is that our offense seems way too complicated for the kids we have on campus. The truth is it doesn't NEED to be complicated as evidenced by OSU success so why are we making it so damn complicated? 

That's on the coach(es) and it needs to be addressed.

Casanova

November 24th, 2017 at 3:44 PM ^

I for the life of me, cannot understand why we think the complexity of the Harbaugh offense is a thing of pride.

The greatest coaches make their offense “plug N play”

The fact of the matter is there are more players who can run Urban/Saban offense than Harbaugh.

We have to “wait until next year” ad nauseam for the second coming of Andrew Luck.

Trebor

November 24th, 2017 at 5:21 PM ^

If the spread is such a plug-and-play system where anyone can come in and be successful, why aren't we doing that? Why would you ever use an offense where 5th year seniors or first overall NFL talent at QB is what it takes to win big games? If Harbaugh is the QB whisperer that everyone says he is, why is it that the QB we discarded is having a better season than any of our QBs, even considering the difference in MAC competition level?

The OSU team that won the 2014 title returned 12 starters, one of whom didn't play all year in Braxton. The OSU team that last year beat the best Michigan team in at least a decade lost 14 or 15 starters from the previous year, depending on whether you think Barrett or Jones was the 2015 starter. Do you actually see this team trending in that way? Because I sure as hell don't.

Why does what Wisconsin did 5 years ago affect their current team? They're 11-0 with very few players we even considered coming out of high school. They routinely turn walk-ons and 2 star players into All-Big Ten caliber players. MSU does the same thing. Iowa does it too. Wisconsin lost what, 2 or 3 LBs this year to injury and still rolled out guys that beat our asses. We lose a LT last year and it totally decimates our OL for two years? It's one thing to have an OL that's in the 70s when it comes to pass protection. Instead, we're among the worst in the country. That is unacceptable for a team that recruits like this and pays coaches like this.

SeattleWolverine

November 24th, 2017 at 3:06 PM ^

I'm sure you can bring reason and sanity to those you disagree with by posting this same thread again as an "I told you so Friday" on Sunday as you fight the forces of darkness and Harbaugh haters. Remember to use the word perspective in the thread title and those with a flawed perspective will surely see the error of their ways. 

Cranky Dave

November 24th, 2017 at 3:53 PM ^

Like I was late to the rock fight between the realists and the everything is great crowd. What I find interesting is certain people, say they don’t let the outcome of events beyond their control dictate their mindset. Meaning they get no pleasure out of Michigan victories the same as not being upset by a loss. That to me is a bandwagon fan. All in when the team is winning but not giving a shit about losses.

charblue.

November 24th, 2017 at 4:24 PM ^

If you expect a loss or a win, getting the result you expect is neither surprising or earth-shattering. What is disconcerting is not being able to put the team on the field that you think gives your team the best chance to win. But, that's the nature of the game we respect for that very reason. It's always next man up and best team wins.

Sten Carlson

November 24th, 2017 at 4:55 PM ^

What’s UNACCEPTABLE to me is how the stewards of the Michigan football program allowed it to run aground and flounder while its rivals were churning forward. If we fans want to express our frustrations to someone let’s leave the new staff and players alone — they’re digging out of the hole — let’s direct them toward those that got us in this situation in the first place.

Baffin

November 24th, 2017 at 6:46 PM ^

The level of acceptability or unacceptibility tomorrow depends on how ugly the loss is. For example, if we are on the receivng end of a Rutgers style 78-0 pummeling, I think that would be unacceptable and I think claiming otherwise would also be unacceptable. 

SouthOfHeaven

November 24th, 2017 at 7:01 PM ^

For real though, I don't care if the starter is Speight, Peters, or John "HoosierSlayer69" O'Korn. There's plenty of reasons to be pessimistic about tomorrow, but this is the last home game on the schedule, and I'm going to show up with my bros, lose my voice, and have a good time. I'll be damned if we let Buckeyes ever have our seats in that stadium. 

 

Here's to hoping tomorrow turns out to be the best Saturday of the year. Go Blue!