The myth that "the cupboard was bare"
I couldn't remember most of the guys we had on defense in 2008, so I went and looked them up and what they were rated when they were being recruited. I just went along with the people that said things like "there wasn't much talent" and things like that. But I went and looked up the starters in 2008, and here they are:
Morgan Trent Senior - 4 stars
John Thompson Senior - 3 stars
Terrance Taylor Senior- 4 stars
Will Johnson Senior - 4 stars
Charles Stewart Senior - 3 stars
Donnavon Warren Sophomore - 5 stars
Tim Jamison Senior - 4 stars
Stevie Brown Junior - 4 stars
Troy Woolfolk Sophomore - 3 stars
Obi Ezeh Sophomore - 3 stars (although he was a running back in hs)
Jonas Mouton Sophomore - 4 stars
Brandon Graham Sophomore - 5 stars
I realize most of these guys didn't play in these last two years, but in 2008 the defense was still bad and there's no way it should have been that bad. It was defninitely piss poor coaching. I'd kill for that defense now! Can't wait for Hoke to restore order.
February 10th, 2011 at 4:21 PM ^
Is that JIF PB!!!!! God I'm hungry.
February 11th, 2011 at 5:19 PM ^
Dude, some of us have peanut allergies. Be more careful with that sh-t!
February 10th, 2011 at 2:41 PM ^
Stars out of high school have little value when talking about seniors.
February 10th, 2011 at 3:52 PM ^
funny how lots of people say this yet still freak out over recruit rankings etc. around signing day.
February 10th, 2011 at 2:41 PM ^
Do we really think that high school star ratings are the best way to evaluate Junior and Senior college talent?
February 10th, 2011 at 2:45 PM ^
Ha. We said the same thing at the exact same time. Weird.
February 10th, 2011 at 2:42 PM ^
will this never end. Am I watching the fucking end of Lamb Chop's play along? Please explain why you thought this was necessary. Then walk in front of a truck
February 10th, 2011 at 2:45 PM ^
stars are a guide to how good a player might be. In general speaking terms, stars are a very good gauge. But you can't just throw stars down and expect a good defense. It fails to mention that the previous two years saw the subtraction of literally the entire starting defense outside of Terrance Taylor. Yes, there was bad coaching, but the argument that "This is Michigan" doesn't fly, and it seems like that's what you're arguing here.
You are also completely neglecting the offense. Do you know many starters returned that year? I'll give you a hint. It's less than 2.
February 10th, 2011 at 2:46 PM ^
Fact: It's not a myth.
February 10th, 2011 at 2:48 PM ^
There's a word for this sort of thing:
Recrudescence
February 10th, 2011 at 2:50 PM ^
I bet I can eat 10 grilled cheese sandwiches in one sitting. Who has the balls to bet against me?
February 10th, 2011 at 2:52 PM ^
What kind of bread and cheese? That's crucial info here.
February 10th, 2011 at 2:54 PM ^
Because I'm a patriot. Two slices per sandwich. Generic wheat bread, well buttered on both sides.
Place your bets, bitches!
February 10th, 2011 at 2:58 PM ^
I have 237 MGoPoints that say "YOU CAN DO IT!"
February 10th, 2011 at 3:14 PM ^
Anyone could do that. I want to see 10 GC sammies with Cinnabuns for bread and a block of swiss in the middle.
February 10th, 2011 at 3:22 PM ^
But only because there isn't a Cinnabuns nearby. Otherwise I would wreck that shit.
February 10th, 2011 at 7:19 PM ^
If you can eat one slice of American cheese, you're a better man than me. Got to be provolone, cheddar, of mozzarelle for me to do anything other than choke one down and woofing 10 double slicers wouldn't be an option. Got to take the under here.
February 10th, 2011 at 9:38 PM ^
And you claim to be a patriot.
Fucking hippy.
February 10th, 2011 at 2:56 PM ^
Ciabatta and muenster.
February 11th, 2011 at 5:16 PM ^
That makes for some serious chewing if its an eating contest. Kinda like making an Iron Man contest more interesting by tying weights to the ankles of the swimmers.
February 10th, 2011 at 2:51 PM ^
Is this post seriously necessary? Move on.
February 10th, 2011 at 2:52 PM ^
Do an analysis of the 2008 offense and you will see that your so called "myth" was actually the stone cold truth.
February 10th, 2011 at 3:31 PM ^
The argument that the cupboard was bare was NOT just on defense. In fact, in my view, the cupboard was even more bare on offense than defense. In fact, I would argue that the horrendous offensive performances often times led to horrible defensive performances (turnovers, 3 and outs, etc.)
Also, what was our defensive depth like in 2008? That would be interesting to see...
February 10th, 2011 at 2:52 PM ^
Newsflash - President Lincoln has been shot!
February 10th, 2011 at 3:15 PM ^
Yea, but how was the play?
February 10th, 2011 at 6:35 PM ^
It ended with a BANG.
February 10th, 2011 at 2:54 PM ^
February 10th, 2011 at 3:21 PM ^
You can, in fact, do that right now. It's just in it's original form.
February 10th, 2011 at 2:57 PM ^
How the hell did he get an upvote?
February 10th, 2011 at 3:07 PM ^
I'm thinking it was Great Molk or Rah Glue (if you catch my drift).
February 10th, 2011 at 3:38 PM ^
Was just about to post the same thing. He has 9 now :/
February 10th, 2011 at 7:22 PM ^
Maybe it was self inflicted.
February 10th, 2011 at 2:57 PM ^
Where were all those seniors and great guys ready to take over in 2009? 2010? Did you seriously think it all through before you thought about hitting enter, or did you just have a fuck it moment where you decided to stir up a controversy that didnt even exist?
February 10th, 2011 at 2:58 PM ^
Look at overall depth. You'll see the defense was good in 2008 but thin. The offense was non-existent.
RR brought the offense back to respectability, but the thin depth at defense in 2008 was not addressed in time, and ultimately led to what we saw last year.
February 10th, 2011 at 2:59 PM ^
You should be proud of yourself. I hope it was you, that you rewarded yourself with an upvote. That would be the icing on the cake.
February 10th, 2011 at 3:06 PM ^
Profits must be down, since you can't get any new Bolivian clients, no?
February 10th, 2011 at 3:18 PM ^
I'm a Board-Appointed advocate and, as such, I take all matters on a pro bono basis. No payment occurs, except maybe some expense reimbursement. I only do it out of the goodness of my heart and my desire to give something back to the MGoCommunity. It'll be fun to see if the point system all of a sudden kicks into action and tabulates all of the votes from the past few weeks. That would be awesome.
February 10th, 2011 at 4:37 PM ^
I agree with your decision not to represent the OP. I know that under our great legal system, every accused is entitled to a defense, but sometimes you just have to look the other way to allow justice to take its course!
February 10th, 2011 at 7:26 PM ^
If all of our "free" neg-banging suddenly counted, I'd go broke faster than the clowns on the next bus to Bolivia.
February 10th, 2011 at 2:59 PM ^
When Michigan airports stop serving destinations in Bolivia.
They hate us for our freedoms; freedoms from repercussions and one-way tickets and such.
February 10th, 2011 at 2:59 PM ^
In every which way. I don't have time to itemize.
February 10th, 2011 at 3:00 PM ^
Damn that video...DAMN IT TO HELL!!!
Oh and you suck
February 10th, 2011 at 3:07 PM ^
Your sig link actually supplied some useful football information for me in this thread. Considering the OP's start, that is a pretty amazing accomplishment. Kudos.
February 10th, 2011 at 3:01 PM ^
If I remember correctly the defense was the only reason we were in a couple games that year. When you have an offense that basically does nothing but 3 and outs all game long it is pretty hard for the defense to make stops all the time.
And we may have had some good recruits starting but did we have anyone behind them. The secondary and linebackers the last 2 seasons makes me think we didn't.
February 10th, 2011 at 3:01 PM ^
Who the fuck is "Donnavon" Warren?
February 10th, 2011 at 3:24 PM ^
was a fashion designer I think...
February 10th, 2011 at 3:26 PM ^
He did a great job covering that Elizabeth Smart case.