What Brandon Graham told the team
Many of you might have seen reports about the team-only meeting that was called earlier this week.
Now, per ESPN's Adam Rittenberg, we have an idea of what Brandon Graham told the team:
"It was just, ‘Lay it out on the line. This is our last go-round,'" Graham said. "'This is our way out. You’ll have to wait 300-and-something days until this game. Right now, leave a mark on [Ohio State] for a whole year until that next game because we beat them.’
I don't know about you guys, but there's something really heartening about the energy that must have been going through that room. Let's see 'em shock the world on Saturday.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:17 PM ^
BG has become one of my favorite UM players of all time. And that's not an easy list to get on.
GO BLUE!
November 19th, 2009 at 2:17 PM ^
My world will be shocked if they are within 2 touchdowns.
Howeva Stanford beat USC 2 years ago. And Purdue beat OSU this year. So ya never know.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:32 PM ^
as much as I hate to admit it, I have to agree with you. Maybe it's just me but the campus seems dead this week... it's sad. Pessimism is a cold mistress.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:45 PM ^
Agreed, the stadium has been dead the past couple home games as well. I'm hoping the fans go into this game with the right mindset but I know most people probably aren't as crazy about football as us so who knows what the atmosphere will be like
November 19th, 2009 at 2:56 PM ^
There are some optimists, but most people just say "oh whatever we're just going to lose" because that's what they heard from other people, not because they actually know how/why we'd lose.
It always bothers me when people take that mentality... do you quit the class and fail because you believe you're going to fail a test? Do you give up on your job as soon as things get rocky?
Why live life if there's not an ounce of you that believes that nothing is certain until it's over?
November 19th, 2009 at 2:53 PM ^
I realize that Purdue beat OSU and I've tried to use that as a glimmer of hope but I just don't see good things happening on Saturday. In fact, I turned down a chance at tickets to the game. It's sort of like spending $100 to watch your favorite pet get run over by a truck.
The reality is that OSU is trending up (pitched a few shutouts down the stretch, smoked PSU....) and Michigan is trending down (six straight D1 losses, lost three out of last four by 24 points or more....). These things don't get fixed overnight.
I feel really bad for Brandon Graham. He started off his Michigan career with an 11-0 run (before Crable hit Smith OOB) and he will end it in this fashion.
Hopefully good times are on the horizon.
November 19th, 2009 at 3:18 PM ^
not to nit pick, but we lost to Wisconsin by 21
November 19th, 2009 at 4:43 PM ^
It was only 21 points against Wisky. My bad.
The reality of the situation is that Michigan has scored fewer points in 2009 against every common Big Ten opponent from 2008(PSU, MSU, IL, WI and Purdue). They only scored seven against the Buckeyes last year. That doesn't bode well for Saturday.
November 19th, 2009 at 8:49 PM ^
I'm not trying to be a dick or anything, but I've noticed you're one of the more negative and pessimistic posters on this board. Not just this thread, but in general. Throwing out the "NOT ACCEPTABLE" line in your sig is a little over the top, wouldn't you say?
Try to enjoy what's left of this season. Get behind the team and cheer instead of being such a downer. Winning this game would be huge for the program, and huge for the confidence of our players going into next year.
November 19th, 2009 at 4:32 PM ^
Never thought I'd see the day when people were comparing UM to the likes of Stanford and Purdue, here's to hoping it doesn't last long.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:18 PM ^
I'll tell you, if Brandon Graham cannot get them ready to win Saturday, then I am not sure there are answers. As RR stated after last weekend, he had no answers. I think by allowing BG to pretty much take over the motivational aspect of the team is probably a pretty good strategy at this point.
Could you imagine Kovacs being the next BG in about three years? What kind of motivational speech would Kovacs be pulling out?
Thoughts?
November 19th, 2009 at 2:27 PM ^
I think I'm gonna go take a dump.
brb
November 19th, 2009 at 2:38 PM ^
Plussed only because the post jives with your sig. line.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:24 PM ^
I heard he actually said:
Hold your ground, hold your ground! Sons of Yost, of Schembechler, my brothers! I see in your eyes the same fear that would take the heart of me. A day may come when the courage of wolverines fail, when we forsake our friends and talk to Michael Rosenberg, but it is not this day. An hour of woes and fumbled punts, when the age of Rodriguez comes crashing down! But it is not this day! This day we fight! By all that you hold dear on this good earth, I bid you stand, Champions of the West!
November 19th, 2009 at 2:32 PM ^
Comedy gold, I tell ya.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:34 PM ^
Nice LOTRs dig up.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:30 PM ^
He's probably the one person on the team that could have left early last year for a big payday. I mean he was a friggen 99 overall on NCAA 09 last year.
Reminds me of Tyrone Wheatley coming back for his senior year to win the Heisman and a Big Ten title just to get hurt and the team stumble to a 4-loss year.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:39 PM ^
Brandon Graham may be one of the best DE Michigan has ever seen. Unfortunately the futility of the current defense covers some of his ability. BG is ready to eat the soul of Terrel Pryor death eater style.
November 19th, 2009 at 2:50 PM ^
I heard he said "fuck.shit.up"
November 19th, 2009 at 2:53 PM ^
of Graham saying that he was going to "lay a steamer on the chest of Pryor"....
November 19th, 2009 at 2:54 PM ^
and remember Killing people is normal now-a-days
November 19th, 2009 at 2:59 PM ^
..anything can happen.
November 19th, 2009 at 3:44 PM ^
If Michigan beats Ohio State on Saturday it would certainly spice up what has been a rather bland and vanilla 2009 college football season in the Big Ten this year.
November 19th, 2009 at 4:04 PM ^
I want to glow for the balance of my Saturday after watching the coming upset. Fire up the grill, get stinkin' drunk, and just laugh a lot because Tate Forcier and Brandon Graham got the best of Terelle Pryor and that dork in the sweater vest. I can almost taste it.
November 19th, 2009 at 4:13 PM ^
BG stops by our tailgate after games every week. He only missed Western. His family knows this lady who is an instrumental part of putting our tailgate together and her son and BG knew each other in high school.
Even when we were winning, it was the high point of my day when he stopped out. He's a total class act all the way, and he quickly became "my wolverine" (kind of like "my tiger") after the departure of Mike Hart, so it was extra cool that my fave player on the roster was stopping by and shaking hands, giving hugs (he won't hug me lest my maize body paint ruin his warm-ups), and maybe eating some tailgate food with us.
From how nice and laid back he is, you might never know that only a few hours prior he was a total death machine. It's clear on every snap that his intensity is on a whole different level than most players on either side of the ball. If he can get his teammates to match his intensity on Saturday, maybe I won't be drinking heavily after the game...or at least not to dull the pain...
Let's fire up and show those buckeyes that WOLVERINES are the best there is at what we do, but what we do...isn't very nice.
November 19th, 2009 at 4:23 PM ^
Channeled his best Al Pacino and put together one of the most inspiring speeches ever:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4ZtcHd0-CA&feature=player_embedded#