We all thought about it: What did this game make you think about our team?

Submitted by stephenrjking on

I usually hate-watch national title games because they're important to a sport I love but they wind up just reminding me how disappointed I am that Michigan is not good enough to be there. And they're harder to skip now that the coaches film room is must-watch viewing every year.

But if you're like me you watch these games with one eye on the teams we all jealously wish weren't there and one eye on the strengths and particularly the weaknesses of our own team.

So let's just get right out and admit stuff that the title game highlighted for us about Michigan in the past and going forward.

What sort of things about our team came to mind when you watched the national title game?

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goblue16

January 9th, 2018 at 2:54 AM ^

We are no where near either of these teams. We have better shot at winning a national championship in b-ball than football right now. It’s really sad. This game made me more depressed. Oh and harbaugh getting paid more than Saban lol what a joke

Joined: 03/28/2010

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uminks

January 9th, 2018 at 4:03 AM ^

Thought that would be my floor. I think if one of the young QBs can play well, this team will score some points and win some of the tougher games. I'm thinking we will end up 9-3. Just as long one our young QBs can make downfield passes.

Joined: 11/10/2009

MGoPoints: 32037

Money24

January 9th, 2018 at 9:53 AM ^

Georgia was 8-5 last year. Kirby just decided to let his talent play & put them in position to succeed. Will Jim open up the O & allow players like DPJ to make plays in space, will he play true freshman or sophomore wth great athletic ability or will he just continue to play the same players & get same results?

Joined: 12/15/2016

MGoPoints: 13

andrewgr

January 9th, 2018 at 4:11 AM ^

UM's recruiting is not in the same timezone as the top teams.  UM does nor have athletes even close to what you saw on display tonight.  

Using the 247 composite scores for individual players, the difference  between Ohio State's 2018 average recruit and UM's 2018 average recruit is almost exactly the same as the difference between UM's average 2018 recruit and Rutgers' average 2018 recruit.

Michigan has many very good players who will play professional football some day.  Saying they have a roster that is close to comparable with Alabama or Georgia or OSU is just delusional.

Joined: 11/15/2013

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Guy Fawkes

January 9th, 2018 at 8:39 AM ^

I must have missed when those guys were wearing Maize and Blue this season. Fill me in. Or i can rephrase, Michigan does not get the quantity of those types of athletes to be at that level. 

5 Michigan players would have contributed last night. Gary, Hurst, Bush, L. Hill, and Winovich. 

Maybes: Long, Solomon, Ruiz.

Big talent gap. 

Joined: 09/28/2016

MGoPoints: 1716

kaz

January 9th, 2018 at 12:34 PM ^

When players are getting more experienced, that means they are getting more talented?

I don't see it that way.

We have a plethura of first and second year players who ultimately could have played last night if we give them a couple more years to develop

Joined: 11/27/2017

MGoPoints: 273

kaz

January 9th, 2018 at 12:34 PM ^

When players are getting more experienced, that means they are getting more talented?

I don't see it that way.

We have a plethura of first and second year players who ultimately could have played last night if we give them a couple more years to develop

Joined: 11/27/2017

MGoPoints: 273

lawlright

January 9th, 2018 at 7:57 AM ^

Agreed. Michigan is not an elite team. Not even a really good team. And for one thing they're a soft team on offense. How many QBs has this essentially same OL over last two seasons gotten hurt? How many dirty hits this season? Did you one time see an OL defend his QB after these dirty hits? Nope. They're soft. They're weak. I love Michigan football as much as the rest of you but if you want to be a good football team your OL can't be Charmin soft.

Joined: 11/08/2013

MGoPoints: 728

TheGhostofMM14

January 9th, 2018 at 2:58 AM ^

Michigan is closer than many realize. Coaching has held the team back coupled with Qbs not being up to snuff. Coach Harbaugh is going to tweak things this offseason and the athletes to win the Playoff are already on campus. Next year Michigan will be ready to dance again. 2016 they were right there and just had some poor finishes. Michigan has violent athletes on the roster. They need this next 8-9 months in the weight room and to be turned loose. Harbaugh needs to unleash these dogs and let these cats do what they can do. He will and 2018 is going to be fun to watch. Jim Harbaugh is going to the Playoff next year and he just may win it. All this doubt and some of yall bitchassness and scary "OMG the schedule is too hard" is going to make it that much sweeter :)

Joined: 11/27/2017

MGoPoints: 218

goblue16

January 9th, 2018 at 3:05 AM ^

If the offensive line doesn’t improve it doesn’t matter who the QB is we are screwed. I just don’t see them improving enough by next year. And if they don’t harbaugh needs to go this is ridiculous. We’re gonna lose about 10-15 starters next year not much to look forward to 2019 if 2018 turns to shit. Not to mention recruiting will take a hit which it already has

Joined: 03/28/2010

MGoPoints: 17468

goblue16

January 9th, 2018 at 3:00 AM ^

To be honest all this game tells me is any recruit who chooses Michigan over Alabama is insane and needs mental evaluation immediately. Why the hell would any top high school athlete go anywhere other than Alabama if offered a scholarship? Makes absolutely no sense

Joined: 03/28/2010

MGoPoints: 17468

B1G Winning

January 9th, 2018 at 5:30 AM ^

Unfortunately, he can't throw the ball to himself, or block for the QB. He can't line up in the backfield, take the handoff and gash the defense for a 40 yard run. One TE isn't going to take this team to the playoffs. There's not a QB on the roster that is eligible right now that is even close to either QB that played last night. Michigan's offensive line is so far away from being compared to GA's and Bama's that we might as well be considered a MAC team. Sure our WRs are decent, but Black played what, 3 games? He had one TD that was a result of broken coverage. DPJ had ZERO.

Joined: 11/08/2013

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Money24

January 9th, 2018 at 10:00 AM ^

Agreed this is 2018 not 1970s the teams last night TEs combined for like 1 catch lmao. Not too sure if OU or Clemson threw to TEs either. All those TEs just taking up space for real athletes & making our offense look even more basic.

Joined: 12/15/2016

MGoPoints: 13

CaliforniaNobody

January 9th, 2018 at 3:02 AM ^

I think our defense is as good as anyone's, so I wondered why with us having seemingly quite similar rosters to these teams (great all around defenses, poor QB play, talented but inconsistent WRs, a stable of very good RBs), what is the big difference? And to me the answer is pass protection. Some of the time that these freshmen had to pass was ridiculous, against some of the toughest competition. Play calling is probably part of it as well, but the deep passes tonight were possible because of a long time to throw. We need to step the pass blocking up a lot.

Joined: 12/18/2014

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TheKoolAidGuy

January 9th, 2018 at 6:32 AM ^

Any defense, no matter how elite, gets gassed when its offense continuously goes 3 and out and they’re put back on the field time and time again. Much easier for a defense to maintain its elite level when the offensive side of the ball is able to work the clock with the run and salt the game away. Something Michigan has struggled with immensely due largely in part to their lack of consistent offensive line play.

Joined: 12/20/2017

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goblue16

January 9th, 2018 at 3:08 AM ^

We’ve had amazing talent the past 2 years. Just look at the nfl draft. Talent is not the issue we are always underachieving and that comes down to coaching. Forget wins and loses Harbaugh made some horrible decisions against SC. I don’t understand it’s not like Harbaugh forgot how to coach. This program has serious problems and I don’t know how they can be corrected

Joined: 03/28/2010

MGoPoints: 17468

Erik_in_Dayton

January 9th, 2018 at 3:20 AM ^

Michigan needs to recruit at a somewhat higher level.  Saban is Saban, and Richt left a ton of talent for Smart.  I think Michigan can recruit better with a couple of wins in big games.  And I'm optmistic about getting those wins.  Michigan is going to have to out perform more talented teams (like OSU) to do this, but Harbaugh's Stanford teams beat much more talented teams.

Michigan is going to have trouble competing year in and year out with programs that cut more corners than the Wolverines do.  I'm not saying Michigan is pristine, but I'd be pretty surprised if Bama, Clemson, OSU, and Georgia hold themselves to the same standards Michigan does.  I don't enjoy saying this.  I'm well aware that it seems like an excuse.  But I think it's a reality.

Michigan simply has to have better QB play, obvious as that is.  Tonight's game turned around when the Tide's QB play turned around.  Harbaugh's history gives us plenty of reason to believe Michigan's QB fortune wlll improve greatly. 

You have to have some luck to win a title.  These teams stayed pretty healthy all year long.  Alabama won tonight in part (if I remember the play correctly) because Fromm hit Da'Shawn Hand in the head with a pass and a Tide DL happened to be there to catch the ball.  Georgia had Oklahoma give them a gift field goal at the end of the first half of the Rose Bowl.  OSU beat Wisconsin, which put Alabama in the playoff.  People can say you make your own luck, but that's never entirely true. 

 

Joined: 12/03/2008

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uminks

January 9th, 2018 at 3:07 AM ^

like we use to in the 70s, 80s, 90s up to about 2006 we will be in good shape. The last 6 years we have had some top recruits on the OL but most did not turn out well, probably coaching. I hope Harbaugh and staff can coach up the younger OL and add depth over the next couple of years.

Joined: 11/10/2009

MGoPoints: 32037

A Lot of Milk

January 9th, 2018 at 3:23 AM ^

Isaac Nauta with Nauta single catch tonight. Gotta love teams who lie to recruits about how they'll be used just so that they can keep them away from teams who can actually use their talents and let them reach their full potential

Joined: 02/17/2013

MGoPoints: 48602

BoCanHam15

January 9th, 2018 at 6:39 AM ^

Post. We were inches away and we had a team that would’ve competed well in a playoff game! The whole world saw what happened. Also I’m positive if we were one Capron away from a Playoff bid that we can get back to performing well enough to not only win the Big 10 for the first time in a decade. But we will be challenging for the National Championship soon! We need to get some depth. I saw Leatherwood in last nights game and he was a grown man blocking up front. When we attain some depth and settle on an identity on offense, we will be in great shape. Book it!

Joined: 07/08/2016

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HailObeans

January 9th, 2018 at 6:41 AM ^

May be a part of why most recruits choose a team, but I would venture to guess that most recruits want to perform at a level that gives them a shot to make money in the NFL. Even 3 star recruits dream of getting drafted. Being a part of the team one rooted for as a child and/or competing for playoff spots on a top caliber team factor in, but not the entire picture.

Joined: 12/14/2017

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